You guys will understand. This was a conversation I had with my walking buddy yesterday. The exact nature of what he was talking about was a bit controversial, so I won't go into the details. It's only moderately relevant anyway:
Him: So blah blah .. she's about your size, maybe a little taller.
Me And this is relevant how??
Him: Well, you know, when you see people who are a bit thin or smaller, you just assume that they're more weak and fragile.
Me: *blank stare* Oh REALLY???
Him: Well, yeah, you know, if you see a big burly guy coming at you, you assume he's gonna kick your ass, but a skinny guy isn't a threat. Same with a girl, you assume smaller girls aren't as strong.
Me; Would you like to stop digging now? Or, maybe next time I'm carrying shingles up the ladder to Dad's roof, you can come and see how weak and fragile I am.
Ohhh, I was PO'd. Maybe another day, I would have laughed. This time, not so much. I take a lot of pride in being healthy, strong, and fit, and really resent being defined as weak and fragile because I'm not burly. And I'm sure my 5'7, 130 lb DH could apply his black belt and kick my friend's ass in a heartbeat.
I let him off the hook, and now the whole thing is funny. He's just so clueless!
Mmmmm...beer
I might not look as intimidating now at 185lbs as I did at 270lbs, but I am most definitely stronger.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
That would've pissed me off as well. Just because you're a woman, a petite, and skinny, does not mean you're weak. But of course, it's all about perception. I could easily see a 6'5" guy coming at me and feel threatened but think RubyBaby, being smaller, is not, when she has a black belt in karate and can easily kick my butt.
Damaris
As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.
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Run Lanie, Run!
levitation specialist
Eh, I like being incognito as a super hero inside this petite little body.
But maybe it was my whole life feeling like an oaf that made me like being demure when I finally got there. I come from a relationship before my adopted dad stepped in. My mom was an only. All my cousins are 10-15 years younger than me(and my own sibs, 7 & 10 years younger). So in every family picture, I was huge compared to everybody else. "Be gentle", "play softly", "pretend to loose but make it close" was all I ever heard. Since I was big(and big for my age), I always got in trouble for being big before I even did anything!
So fast forward nearly my whole life, and I am the secret weapon. The ninja in the little body. And I like that people underestimate what I can do. It makes me feel superhero like, all in my petite little disguise.
Go ahead, fuck with me, I dare you
But I do realize how you might feel. People assume one thing or the other, it seems. And assumptions can really hurt, because they usually aren't based in fact at all.
Yoda.
/thread
I used to be a strong petite woman, before I was a runner. I moved all of our home furniture alone with my SO, at least 4 times, plus for our vacation homes. Now, I'm a weak petite woman, with zero arm strength. So you can have it both ways, strong or weak. Same as for the bigger, fatter, people, I guess...
Knowing what you do for a living, I have no doubt that you are a strong woman, though. If this friend knows you at all, that was a really stupid thing to say.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Lily, he knows me very, very well. He just has a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease. Stuff comes out that makes you say "you did NOT say that?!?!"
Like Lanie said, gotta love him. She knows him.