# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/41 "2002-04-18T22:39:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Maeglin \* > \*\*And then you have me, whose username is delightfully ambiguous. > > šŸ˜‰ \*\* Unless youā€™re a reader of Tolkien. Of course, even then itā€™s no sure thing ā€“ after all, Iā€™m Voronwe over at [imladris.net](http://imladris.net). Which, being the name of a male bit player in the Silmarillion, used to lead people to assume I was a guy (in fact, I know of one poster who thought I was a guy even knowing my real name, which I never thought was that gender-ambiguous) but now Iā€™ve been there long enough and have enough posts for most people to know otherwise. šŸ˜‰ BTW, why is **Sexy-** an indicator that the poster is female? Men can be sexy tooā€¦ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/42 "2002-04-18T22:39:37Z")
I would have just used my real name (like on the other postboards I frequent) but I thought Iā€™d use this name to be different. Itā€™s what a few of my friends nicknamed meā€¦I never consciously thought of it as advertising. Advertisingā€¦for **what** , anyway??? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/43 "2002-04-18T22:47:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kayeby \* > \*\*I thought my name was quite feminine, but people kept thinking that I was a guy. I guess Iā€™m just butch at heart. šŸ˜ƒ \*\* Yeah, me too. I figured that my screenname (through-back to a high school nickname) was ā€œcutsyā€ enough that people would automatically assume I was a girl. Lo and behold, on my old favorite haunt- Buzzsaw, no longer in existance- most people thought I was a guy at first. Go figure. Then again, they many thought I was a couple decades older, too. Guess a (then) 19 year old girl wasnā€™t supposed to be such a cynical smartass. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/44 "2002-04-18T22:48:44Z")
Where itā€™s appropos to the discussion, etc., Iā€™ll drop the fact that Iā€™m female. I assume that people will tend to assume otherwise, partly because Melvilleā€™s Ur-existential character was male (to the extent that he was anything at all), and partly because it just _sounds_ masculine (the article; possible confusion with ā€œscrimshawing,ā€ perhaps). (Then again, ā€œreal menā€ donā€™t usually drop as many parenthetical asides as I tend to do, tee hee.) Gender is sufficiently upfront in all our lives. The gleeful opportunity to chat each other up from behind our figurative Venetian masks on boards such as this is largely what makes the Internet the free-wheeling, profane, and no-holds-barred carnival that we love! ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/45 "2002-04-18T22:50:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan \* > \*\*cazzleā€™s a sheila? Who knew! \*\* Holy crap! FairyChatMom and Biggirl are chicks too! Iā€™m just stunned here. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/46 "2002-04-18T23:43:20Z")
If no female Doper will take the name Doc or Dr, how will I ever find the scientist-babe of my dreams? Iā€™ve always had this vision of the moment we fall in love. Wprking together, weā€™ve just completed a unified field theory. Startled by our discovery, we look into eachotherā€™s eyes. We kiss huingrily. One of us, it is hard to know who is who in our merging, sweeps the beakers and tubes from the table. On the floor, chemicals mix among the broken glass. The reaction causes a fire. In the heat of our passion, oblivious to everything but each other, we fail to noticeā€¦ Anyhoo, the lack of female doctors makes it hard to find a woman who shares my interest in mad science. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/47 "2002-04-18T23:47:55Z")
One thingā€™s for sure; no one is likely to mistake DocCathode for a woman, because heā€™s a terrible typist! šŸ˜ƒ [d&r] ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/48 "2002-04-19T00:00:47Z")
Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/49 "2002-04-19T00:32:55Z")
Maybe they just enjoy being female? Speaking as a person with an (apparently) ambiguous username, I think I should have chosen something more obviously female. I would have thought that spelling Scotti with an I would have been enough of a clue, if I had thought about itā€¦which I didnā€™t. But it does get a little old sometimes when someone thinks I am Scott. It isnā€™t really a problem, but having been female all of my life, I sort of identify with BEING female, you know? It is always a tad bit disconcerting when someone addresses me as a male. I guess they missed the ā€œBusty Redheadā€ thread. A rollicking good time was had by all in that thread, but alas I am inept at linking stuff. Trust meā€¦it is worth a search. Maybe some kind soul could leap in here and link it? Of course, I suppose I COULD be a busty redheaded male. But somehow it just doesnā€™t FEEL right. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/50 "2002-04-19T01:09:40Z")
I think there should be no references to gender at all. It would be reat fun to have everyone looking at a great post someone made and thinking ā€œShould I be attracted to this person?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/51 "2002-04-19T02:16:08Z")
Well my SO is leechboy so i went with leechbabe. ---
**Author:** ![\_ceQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b9bd4f/32.png) [@\_ceQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_ceQueen)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/52 "2002-04-19T04:06:36Z")
My guess is, because a lot of names are (permutations of) RL nicknames (women often have feminine RL nicknames). Well, mine is anyway. Although the ā€œqueenā€ part kinda implies Iā€™m a homosexual male. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/53 "2002-04-19T04:39:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andygirl \* > **My username comes from my girlfriendā€™s nickname for me. (Well, one of them anyway.) And vice versa.** WTF man! Your girlfriend calls you a girl? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/54 "2002-04-19T04:45:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daowajan \* > \*\*Everyone who finds out my actual gender says ā€œI thought you were [insert opposite sex here.]ā€ > > Guess! \*\* I know! I know! I read your LiveJournal. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/55 "2002-04-19T04:57:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Narrad \* > \*\*WTF man! Your girlfriend calls you a girl? šŸ˜ƒ \*\* Is this a woosh or sarcasm? Enlighten meā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/56 "2002-04-19T05:10:38Z")
Yeah, that sucks! They should stop it at once!! ---
**Author:** ![Natural-J-Bankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Natural-J-Bankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Natural-J-Bankie)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/57 "2002-04-19T05:50:39Z")
Well maybe right next to location, the message board could specify (or not, at the userā€™s discretion) the gender of the poster? ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/58 "2002-04-19T05:59:29Z")
I do not really have a nickname IRL, and I prefer my online tag over my name anyway. I was also not really aware that I was advertising when i chose it. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/59 "2002-04-19T05:59:41Z")
Iā€™m mistaken for a man so often that Iā€™m seriously considering changing my handle to \*\* Ihaveavagina. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326/60 "2002-04-19T06:16:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gundy \* > \*\*Everyone thinks Iā€™m male. Including me. \*\* Pff. No one whoā€™s seen pictures of ChiDope. ;)šŸ˜‰ As for myself, I was actually expecting people to mistake my gender, and was mildly stunned when people figured it out so quickly. I mean, the ā€œLindyā€ part sounds soā€¦femme. šŸ˜‰ But then again, Dopers are pretty smart folksā€¦ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-female-dopers-advertise-as-such/104326.md?page=4)