Inspired by the topic of do we "look weird"

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So awhile ago I saw this thread asking whether or not we look weird. At the time I answered saying personally I did because I lurch as opposed to walk but now I'm thinking about it more. I don't think people on the spectrum have different bone structures or anything like that but on average does the way we carry ourselves, our expression and what atmosphere we give off also generally make us less attractive on a shallow level? By this I mean on a first meeting before they know you and your good sides as well because that can really shift things.

I see what you mean.

There are times when people notice that something is "weird" about me. And other times, people don't notice.

I believe that, most of the time, people who "notice" are those who are "looking" for weirdness. People who don't look for that usually don't really care how we "carry ourselves." They look beyond that superficial level.

There is nothing about one's physical appearance that distinguishes an autistic person from a non-autistic person -- nothing like the facial features of a person with Trisomy-21 ("Down Syndrome").

However, our behaviors and speech patterns may tip off even a non-psychologist that there is something "odd" or "weird" about us.

I feel like I'm walking around with a giant "L" on my forehead that I can't see but everyone else can. I've been told I look stiff, angry, unhappy, tense, that I have an "angry white woman" walk (teasing from black colleague that I didn't think was funny) etc. They may not be saying verbatim "you're weird" but that's what everyone means.

I often wonder why ppl feel they have the right to point out my differences to my face.

We see what we look for.

An Aspie on a lectern concisely presenting a business seminar will not look weird, whereas the same person, alone in a crowd, who might show signs of nervousness, will.

The sad fact is people with Asperger's tend to be in settings and circumstances that make others more apt to be judgmental.

On a sidenote, take a look at some top politicians and tell me there isn't more weirdness in how they look than the average Aspie. I remember walking past Whitehall (the UK's centre of government administration) on many an occasion and thinking "s**t, are those people aliens?"
But people don't notice it, because they have influence, respectability and power.

I've been told I look nervous sometimes, but not in a suspicious way. But I am like a "bag of nerves" because I have an anxiety disorder and I'm often very jumpy. But I don't physically do nervous actions like wring my hands or stim or avoid eye contact or anything like that. It's more in my facial expressions and body language, like I'll look over my shoulder a lot (not enough to look shifty, but you know what I mean). So I don't look nervous enough to stand out. I have met non-Aspies with nervous habits, so it doesn't scream out autism unless you do odd movements with your hands (which I don't do).

Some people used to accuse me of sneaking around because I walked on the balls of my feet. Others called me "Twinkle-Toes" and asked me when the ballet was going to start. I would sometimes lose my balance and stumble, which brought even more laughter. I'm so glad that high school hell eventually ended.

Some autistic people do look a bit weird for instance if they look emotional disconnected, unhappy and rejecting because several emotions are mirroring in your face and body language. It's better to keep kind of a good mood near to other people.

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I am as I am. Life has to be an adventure!

I definitely have some suspect bone structure that I can only associate with the same genes I got this ASD thing from.

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"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

^^^I've seen a picture of you. You're just a thin, trim guy. You look very "normal."

I look pretty normal but that's not the whole story. Broad autism phenotype seems to resonate with me & I'm not altogether normal even in that context. I can stay fit but I definitely experience skeletal weirdness.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

I'm a short, chubby guy.....and I was certainly very autistic when I was a little kid---but less autistic afterwards.

My bone structure is "diametrically opposed" to your bone structure. I'm just a husky guy---always have been since the age of six.

And you probably have decent physical strength for a guy of your size.

I believe I look more "normal" now than I did in my 20's----when I looked like a "neckbeard" type, and literally did have a "neckbeard" for about a year when I was 24-25 years old.

^^^i'm glad i'm not the only neckbeard around here. oh, how i wish i could shift my facial hair so that my neck hair goes up to my cheeks like a normal human being

if i were a car, i think i would be styled something like a pontiac aztec or a ford edsel.