Passing at a Distance

12 January 2012 by kathleen.

Suppose you are 100 feet away from a person.  What gender clues do you see?  You may see a skirt on a woman, but an awful lot of women wear pants these days.  Three-inch heels would probably be recognizable winter or summer.  What else?  Hair — you might be able to guess gender from the shape of the hair, because even when the hair is long, men don’t wear it “up”, or flipped at the ends.  You may or may not be able to distinguish a purse at this distance.  You could probably identify a lumbering, swaying male gait at 100 feet.

What can you see at 50 feet?  I would say it is very likely you would recognize a purse on the person, if she were carrying one.  You could probably distinguish shoes with one- or two-inch heels at this distance.

As you get closer, smaller details can resolve uncertainty, though at 25 feet it could be difficult to distinguish a short-haired woman wearing low-heeled shoes from a man.  At this distance, though, details of the person’s shape can help.  If the shoulders are wider than the hips, or the belly hangs over the belt, it’s almost certainly a man you’re looking at.  A broad behind and a busty top almost certainly indicate a woman.  In the winter, or at a greater distance, a coat might hide those details of shape.

As you approach a person, the gender is likely to be apparent within 20 feet almost all the time.  Some angles of viewing, and some bodies, could deceive you, though, and take you by surprise.  The person’s voice as a gender indicator becomes useful within 20 feet.

I suggest that you look at people over the next few weeks, to help you decide which details of appearance would an asset in helping you pass.  I think that carrying a purse and wearing shoes with distinct heels are the two easiest clues to add to your appearance.  Smoothing your gait takes more work, but it, too, is relatively easy — no surgery is required.

If you are concerned with passing, there are some quick and easy clues to provide to the world around you.

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