Autistic Bitch from Hell writes the blog Whose Planet Is It Anyway?. ABFH has always enjoyed both reading and creative writing, in addition to pondering issues of civil rights and cultural expectations. (This is an excerpt from an interview by Elesia Ashkenazy that originally appeared on Aspitude!. It appears here with Elesia’s and ABFH’s permission.)
When stereotypes are applied broadly to an entire group regardless of gender, such as the stereotype that autistics play video games all day, this has the effect of creating gender disparities in how people see the group. In Western culture, women are expected to be concerned about their appearance and are discouraged from playing video games for long periods because that is seen as unfeminine. Guys, on the other hand, are given more slack; if a guy sits around unshaven in an old T-shirt playing video games, people don’t think much of it. These gender role expectations affect the behavior of autistic girls and women who, if they are to conform to what society expects of females, must pay attention to their appearance and avoid “masculine” activities such as playing video games all day.
Because these feminine gender expectations clash with autism stereotypes, to the extent that an autistic girl or woman has a feminine gender identity and behaves accordingly, she is less likely to be perceived by others as autistic and, therefore, less likely to be diagnosed.
Well said, and thus a huge reason why we see the disparity of females receiving adequate supports. It is reported that the majority of ASD females don’t even receive a diagnosis until well into adulthood.
i notice most woman with autism dress nice abn have good hygin but aslo have seen some who really need ghelp in thatr area i was in sped schools and they work on that pluse learn it at home .i love video games an i find dating is hard in lot of way i think like a guy when they talk about the male brain lol i think that can be fenmal im so much like that those in other im very into fashion an looking good .but no way can i hide i hav e autism people can tell i have it if they no what it is or thety no something up .never pass for nt even when i think i was so i doint play that game anymorte to hard an doisnt work
It’s funny this was brought up today. I was just talking to my daughter’s new therapist about the school’s labeling of my daughter as Emotionally Disabled rather than Asperger’s even though they admitted she has “autistic-like” behaviors. One of their reasons that it couldn’t be autism is the fact that she cares about her appearance and practices good hygeine. You know, because that is one of the criteria in the DSM… Of course, they never asked how much time we put in getting her to that point. While she is a little fashionista, she would prefer to never comb her hair, wear jammies or sweats and sit around reading, crafting or playing electronic games at home all day. Not always, but a good deal of the time.
yup yup …
stereotypes are )(&*&^*&^*_*( (expletives … deleted)
I didn’t get my dx until 5 months ago – i was 34.
i finally worked out that i was comfortable being … just me … and almost “asexual” as far as gender stereotypes go … the appearance … yea well if i want to to get into a dress … its cause i want to … if i want to wear jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt then its coz i want to …
i don’t do makeup too often … sometimes i do my nails …
i am too much interested in other things than my appearance to be truthful – although i hate body hair and like to be very squeaky clean – body odor is yuk so – that for me is a sensory thing anyway … i like my hair long – pretty much so i can cover my face or hide behind it – i wear sunglasses to avoid eye contact with people & reduce my photophobia
what i do hate most about being a female is the reproductive system!!!!! YUK YUK YUK – pregnancy sucks big time. Don’t get me wrong – I love my children very, very much, but pregnancy was and is HELL. I hate the mood swings, I am pervasively aware of the changes in my body … and I like stuff to stay the same …. I am PGNT now with number 3, after 11 years – this time is DEFINITELY the last
I don’t go in much for the “oh i feel so womanly” – to me it is YUK YUK YUK i hate it … but the end result is worth it …
Oh man … if only those stork stories were true!!!
I like the topic of appearance and hygiene. I was always insistent as a child that I wear almost the same “outfit” of shorts and a t-shirt every day. As I got older, my “style” was odd to say the least. I never quite fit in with the other girls even when I tried to buy similar clothes. It never quite worked for me the way it did with them. Also, puberty was horrifying for me. I couldn’t believe this had to happen to my body and refused to wear a bra until it was an obvious issue. Now I work as a professional in the corporate world and have to conform to expectations. I do well with my attire, but I usually just copy what I see on mannequins in clothing stores or ask my mother to help me choose. I am very strict with my hygiene, but only because someone told me in my early twenties that I had an odor that particular day. Of course I will never forget it and it stays with me constantly. I am nearly 34 and remember that conversation and subsequent pain, self-loathing and embarassment like it happened yesterday.