# Who here thought I was a woman... and WHY? A poll of sorts **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269 "2003-08-14T23:32:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/41 "2003-08-20T07:42:59Z")
[hijack] By the way, it’s not all at uncommon for me to find someone else using my initals! People all over the Internet are pretending to be me![/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/42 "2003-08-20T08:11:25Z")
Put me down as another in the “I did,” and “Because the only person I’ve ever met named ‘Verbena’ had boobies and a vagina” camp. I reacted badly, too, when the first other person I met with _my_ first name was a little girl. Didn’t help when I saw pictures of Dale Evans, either. > [@](#): > > Crankyassoldman Heh. You checked the 'Disable Similes in this Post" box, didn’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/43 "2003-08-20T14:06:00Z")
Me too, sorry. I don’t know why. Green\_dragon, do you know the green dragons in Anne MacCaffrey’s books were female? But I’m not sure that’s where the misconception comes from. Maybe it’s having a colour. Or by analogy with Green Bean? Beast, you could change to “Beast of Verbena” if you wanted. I think that would be misinterpreted less? There ought to be a way of predicting what a username will sound like… [thinks] ---
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/44 "2003-08-20T17:06:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polairis \* > \*\*Wasn’t Verbena the name of the dad’s housekeeper in The Parent Trap? (the one with Hayley Mills…) \*\* Yep! ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/45 "2003-09-05T04:38:51Z")
I’ve thus far been severly shocked thrice. Since I’ve been here, and including the months I’ve been lurking, I thought that \*\*stoid lel \*\* and **Walloon** were all males until I just found out today in respective threads that it wasn’t so. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/46 "2003-09-05T05:41:53Z")
I thought you were female at first (but then, reproductively speaking, aren’t we all, until the Y chromosome kicks in?) Reading your name quickly, I thought it read “Vernabeast”, and Verna, to me, is a woman’s name. It wasn’t until a few months ago in a thread, I noticed someone said “she’s a he”, referring to you. Then for some reason, I had the Kinks in my head (“Lola”), and had you and **LolaCocaCola** mixed up for about a week. Anyway, I know you are a he and she’s a she. That’s my warped reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/47 "2003-09-05T05:49:57Z")
Definitely thought you were a female. Not only that, but your name is close enough to Velma that I’ve always pictured you as sort of bean bag-shaped. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/48 "2003-09-05T07:57:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by White Ink \* > \*\*Don’t change your name, but yeah, I thougth you were a chick until I was reading your take on the bachelor parties thread. \*\* Ah, fond memories of that thread. _gurgles incoherently_ It’s just the price you pay for an off-gender handle. Such is life on the net. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/49 "2003-09-05T08:21:11Z")
We should have a contest. Which men have the femalest names and which women have the malest names. I think I’d place fairly high. Top 10 maybe? Too bad us posters can’t do polls. And I suppose no mod would want to go to the trouble. Too bad, it’d be fun. Personally I don’t care that some people think I’m a lady. And it’s occasionally enlightening and amusing. There was a thread some time ago about finding new things for SDMB to stand for and I came up with “Some Desire My Boobs” not mentioning that they were man boobs. I got hit on pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/50 "2003-09-05T12:36:58Z")
I thought you were a girl, not by your writings, but because of the **A** in your name. If you were Verban **O** beast, then there would have been no mix up at Shirley Central. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/51 "2003-09-05T13:39:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by verbenabeast \* > \*\*not named for a FLOWER!!! > > I am named for a little country town… thats… named… for… a… flower. It’s really quite manly… my hometown… > (blushes) \*\* Alright I thought you were a woman, too. But this blushing nonsense isn’t helping your case. 😃 Happy “Lendervedder, _not_ Lavender, and I’m not a chick!” Lendervedder ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/52 "2003-09-05T15:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Idle Thoughts \* > \*\*I’ve thus far been severly shocked thrice. (…) I thought that > \*\*stoid > lel > \*\* and > **Walloon** > > were all males until I just found out today in respective threads that it wasn’t so. \*\* I knew about the other two, but **Walloon** is female? I’m surprised too. Are you sure? In which thread did you read that? **Walloon** is one of my favorite posters, providing solid, knowledgeable information on a wide variety of subjects. For some reason her posting style seemed ‘male’ to me. I guess it was the relatively businesslike tone of most of her posts. When looking for the thread you meant, I also found out she’s [not Belgian](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3928815#post3928815) either. There go all my illusions. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/53 "2003-09-05T19:08:10Z")
**Fern Forest** Are you male? Cause with that handle I would have though you to be a female as well. **Tusculan** , [Read this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=179772&highlight=Walloon) Now…in the beginning, many people reference “He or She” or the popular S/he…but as the arguement goes on and for most of it…everyone addresses her as a guy, saying “he” “his” him" etc… nearing the end on the second page, however, the OP gets an email from her that must proof somehow that Walloon is female, for the OP refers to her as “her” all the rest of the thread, as do others. Of course, we could just ask Walloon. But I don’t know if she still comes. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/54 "2003-09-05T20:17:20Z")
Thanks, **Idle Thoughts**. Interesting thread, that one. I don’t think **Walloon** visits this forum very often. IIRC **Fern Forest** is indeed male, didn’t he post about that recently? In this thread even? For quite a while I had the incorrect impression that **Muffin** was female. Not only does the name give a female vibe, but the first few posts of his I read got that stuck in my mind. He’s certainly male, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/55 "2003-09-05T21:48:18Z")
Wow, some people have certainly picked handles that give the wrong impression. You can name yourself anything you want, but “Muffin” is going to give a female vibe, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/56 "2003-09-05T21:51:57Z")
I knew a gal named \*\* Varinia\*\* once, and so in my tiny little mind, I assumed you were also a gal. My apologies. I must admit, you’re handling this whole thing remarkably well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/57 "2003-09-06T04:47:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cardinal \* > \*\*Wow, some people have certainly picked handles that give the wrong impression. You can name yourself anything you want, but “Muffin” is going to give a female vibe, for sure. \*\* As much as I’d like to claim that “Muffin” is just a shortened form of “Stud Muffin”, the fact is that “Muffin” is the nickname my parents gave me, and with which I grew up. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269/58 "2003-09-06T06:23:07Z")
Better than ‘Cupcake.’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-thought-i-was-a-woman-and-why-a-poll-of-sorts/195269.md?page=2)