# Why Do So Many Female Dopers 'Advertise' As Such? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326 "2002-04-18T15:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/1 "2002-04-18T15:31:11Z")
Why is it that so many of the women here have usernames that reflect the fact that they are female? Many of their names have suffixes like - **girl** , - **gal** , - **grrl** , - **babe** , - **baby** , or prefixes like **lady** -, **girl** -, **Ms** -, **Miss** -, or **Sexy** -. I think there is even a - **Boobs**! I KNOW there are women here who do not have usernames that are obviously female, and there are also men here with usernames that identify them as such. But why is it so much more common for the women here to ‘advertise’ their gender? ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/2 "2002-04-18T15:49:57Z")
Because Nonayerbuzinesswhatdifferencedoesitmakeanyway2U would have looked stupid? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/3 "2002-04-18T15:51:40Z")
Do you really live in Gobbler’s Knob? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/4 "2002-04-18T15:51:53Z")
I can’t speak for anyone else, buy I’m not advertising. My nick was given me some years ago and I thought it was cute and fun. Just like me. So I use it whenever I can. Then again, “Mom” isn’t generally in the same category as “babe”… ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/5 "2002-04-18T15:54:43Z")
I think you should change it to **FairyChatThongwearer**. You’ll get a lot more play. Is it really more common for females to have female identifiers in their names? Or do you just notice them more, you dog?!? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/6 "2002-04-18T15:55:10Z")
There used to be a **SolarPhallusMan** that claimed to be female. I am not sure if s/he is here anymore. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/7 "2002-04-18T15:55:10Z")
why do you list baby as a female suffix? Many male children will be shocked to learn your classification? by the way I’M A BIG BEAUTIFUL GIRL! LOVE ME!!! ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/8 "2002-04-18T15:55:59Z")
Yeah - who do they think they are. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/9 "2002-04-18T15:56:02Z")
A lot of people automatically assume that any somewhat neutral name is male. Man-dopers don’t have to advertise their gender because it is a given. In order for a doper to be understood as female (and there are advantages to having your gender understood- for example in GD it is good to know what perspective you are coming from) you’ve got to “advertise”. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/10 "2002-04-18T15:59:29Z")
'Cause I’m big and I’m a girl. Now ask javaman, Unclebeer, UncleBill, Astroboy and China Guy why the advertise as guys. But don’t ask CrankyasanOldMan because she’s not. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/11 "2002-04-18T16:00:17Z")
Like that of **FairyChatMom** , my name sort of grew out of various facts about my life. At any rate, doesn’t it save people the trouble of having to carefully tiptoe around to avoid making assumptions about my gender (like I once did when I thought easy e was a Black man) because they don’t have anything to go on? As it is, if someone wants to reference one of my posts, they can say, “I agree with auntie em. **She** is very wise and stunningly beautiful.” And see…? No worries about making incorrect assumptions! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/12 "2002-04-18T16:01:33Z")
I thought my name was quite feminine, but people kept thinking that I was a guy. I guess I’m just butch at heart. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/13 "2002-04-18T16:02:29Z")
I don’t have a suffix denoting that I’m female, and I’m often mistaken for being male. We even had a poster who tried to insult me by calling me a homosexual man. I often wonder if perhaps the issue of my gender would be clearer if I was CazzleGirl or MrsCazzle (actually, I’ve been considering a change to MrsCazzle anyway…). Perhaps one reason is that some female posters don’t like the gender confusion of a unisex name, especially when it appears that many will assume that any given poster is male unless their name indicates otherwise? Of course, there is the cuteness factor. GrinningHappyGrrl sounds like a fun user name, GrinningHappy seems to be missing something. ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/14 "2002-04-18T16:09:23Z")
I donno **GrinningHappy** just remionds me of a stalker username. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/15 "2002-04-18T16:16:08Z")
I agree with **auntie em**. He is very wise and stunningly beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Doll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Broken\_Doll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Doll)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/16 "2002-04-18T16:19:02Z")
I don’t think people even realize I’m female, even though my name is Broken Doll. And when I thought of that name, I wasn’t trying to advertise myself, quite the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/17 "2002-04-18T16:21:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Medea’s Child \* > \*\*I donno **GrinningHappy** just remionds me of a stalker username. \*\* But **GrinningHippy** would be a pretty cool name. ---
**Author:** ![trishdish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@trishdish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trishdish)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/18 "2002-04-18T16:25:25Z")
My name is Trish and I’m a dish. What more do you need to know? Although, when I was a child, probably 6, and my aunt made up a song… Oooooh, Trishhhhh-ahhhhhh She’s such a dish Ahhhhhhhh! I asked her why she kept calling me a plate? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/19 "2002-04-18T16:25:51Z")
I used to have a -girl in my name on another board I used to frequent, but I found that people didn’t take me quite as seriously. Or maybe I just didn’t take myself as seriously. Either way, I decided I wanted to find a less feminine name. Unless you say so from jump-street, people assume you’re a white heterosexual male on the internet. When people see **monstro** , they get a certain image in their heads that’s probably far removed to what I really look like. I like taking advantage of people’s ASS-umptions, but sometimes it is tiring when people call you a “him” when you are a “her”. So that’s probably why people have -baby, -girl, -woman in their names. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/20 "2002-04-18T16:27:04Z")
> [@](#): > > My name is Trish and I’m a dish. My name is Tish! We’re almost the same person! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326.md?page=2)