Who was Norah Vincent?
Norah Vincent was an American jounalist born in 1968. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norah_Vincent) An open lesbian who described herself as a feminist, she sought to examine the social differences between men and women through an 18 month experiment that would have her pose as a man named "Ned." She would join a men's bowling team, go to strip clubs, date women, join a monastery, attend a male therapy group, and whatever else it took to immerse herself in the role.
The Experiment
So, what was Norah's experience spending 18 months walking in the shoes of a sub-average male? Well, here are a few ancedotes that stood out to me.
"Well, it was interesting because, of course, I started out with all the female prejudices that I suppose each sex has its prejudices because we live on the other side of the divide, and we think, oh, you know, we have our prejudices. And I think, I learned to see my own sex from the other side a little bit and see some of the more unpleasant things. I think I also felt very small as a man in a way, you know that women really did have a lot of power in the dating situation, that they got to decide yes or now, and that I was one who had the cross the room and ask a woman out and so on and so forth, and the rejection was unpleasant. And so, in a sense, yes, I did see a little bit uglier side of women, but it may only appear that way also because I went in with much higher expectations of women in first place. I think I had the prejudice that we are more evolved." (Source: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/5171860)
Norah Vincent was an American jounalist born in 1968. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norah_Vincent) An open lesbian who described herself as a feminist, she sought to examine the social differences between men and women through an 18 month experiment that would have her pose as a man named "Ned." She would join a men's bowling team, go to strip clubs, date women, join a monastery, attend a male therapy group, and whatever else it took to immerse herself in the role.
The Experiment
So, what was Norah's experience spending 18 months walking in the shoes of a sub-average male? Well, here are a few ancedotes that stood out to me.
"Well, it was interesting because, of course, I started out with all the female prejudices that I suppose each sex has its prejudices because we live on the other side of the divide, and we think, oh, you know, we have our prejudices. And I think, I learned to see my own sex from the other side a little bit and see some of the more unpleasant things. I think I also felt very small as a man in a way, you know that women really did have a lot of power in the dating situation, that they got to decide yes or now, and that I was one who had the cross the room and ask a woman out and so on and so forth, and the rejection was unpleasant. And so, in a sense, yes, I did see a little bit uglier side of women, but it may only appear that way also because I went in with much higher expectations of women in first place. I think I had the prejudice that we are more evolved." (Source: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/5171860)
