Hrm, the only one I can think of currently is people assume I'm a lesbian. And it's not even homophobic or conservative folks that assume that.I had a gay friend tell me that SHE assumed I was one because:

I have short hair
Like dogs
Have tattoos

Er. Okay.

You'd fit in up here, RT. That's a very Alaskan look. There are lots of short-haired women in flannel shirts with tattoos and dogs, and not only are they NOT lesbians, they are right-wing Christians! Talk about wrong assumptions!

No kidding, huh?

I think part of it is that Seattle is pretty openly gay-friendly. I don't really stand out so much as look like a particular demographic, I guess.

Chairman, no need to dress down! I'm also a programmer and very technically oriented in my work; in my field not only are there few who are so technically oriented, but also few women (the combo of both is so extremely rare, there are only a few of us globally). I've found that once I start talking people will quit assuming whatever, our brains will certainly show through

Andrea.. perhaps it's because you don't sport the Everett Mullet

EDIT: Actually, there may be something to this. People often look shocked (or even sorry) when I say I live in Everett; I think people just assume it's "out in the boonies" and a bit trashy, so are surprised to see urban-(well)dressed residents. Personally, I love living out here, it's beautiful!

Bravo, Aida! I couldn't agree more! Beauty and Brains! It IS possible!!

People mostly think I am Hispanic, when I am Lithuanian/Polynesian. It doesn't bother me, except when people run up asking urgent questions in Spanish and I can't understand them. I always get that look like, "What's wrong with you that you don't speak your own language??"

I also used to be very reserved, which made people think I was stuck up -- nope, I was just SCARED of you! I had been raised to not speak until spoken to, but after I tried to change that, I have less of an issue being misunderstood.

Now, the fact that a few people think I'm a rich, westside brat based on my clothes just makes me laugh... if only they knew how little I actually spend.

Rae, I get the Spanish-speaker assumption as well! I finally did learn to speak it, out of guilt.

@Anya + Aida: yay, well-dressed technical women of the world unite!! I also quickly usually disabuse my co-workers once I start weighing in on technical matters, but it usually takes a while since I'm soft-spoken. I try to tell myself that it's their loss, not mine, but I'm not always successful (see torn jeans).

@Rachylou: thanks for the boost

@Rae: I know exactly how you feel! I'm ethnically Chinese, though I was born in Seattle and speak very little Mandarin. When I lived in Beijing for a year, I got the "What's wrong with you that you don't speak your own language?" look ALL THE TIME.

I have no idea what people assume about me...I know they have told me they are surprised...once they get to know me"

How approachable I am
How easily I laugh
Almost nothing puts me off...from tattoos, crazy hair or piercings
what a sick sense of humor I have
I don't drink...but have fun being around those who have had a few:)

Charmian, at least they got your ethnicity right - I sometimes wish I could lay a smack down in Hawaiian, just to show that it's bad to look down on someone based on an assumption. Too bad it's pretty much a dead language. :T

Una, that is too funny! I staunchly refused to study Spanish because I resented the guilt. lol

Some wrong assumptions about me:

People assume I'm confident...I'm not, I guess I've just learned how to look and act as if I am.

People assume I was a popular cheerleader type in high school...I was actually a bookworm and a bit of a wallflower.

People assume I'm afraid to get my hands dirty...and they're surprised to learn that my husband and I operated a farm for 15 years and my hands got very dirty indeed!

People assume I'm a good housekeeper...I'm on Team Polished, but my house certainly isn't!

People assume I'm younger than I am...and I never correct them on this point. : )

I get common ones:

- I look younger than I am -- unless I don't dye my grey roots, then I look a little older.

- I tend to have the "generic ethnic" look so I get mistaken for a Latina or any Mediterranean culture. I do speak some Spanish, but when in Latin American communities, they assume I speak more than I do b/c I am "one of them". Greek people think I am Greek (I know a few words). I've also been mistaken for Egyptian, Italian (I speak a little Italian), Armenian and Arabic.
The only time I wasn't happy about this was shortly after 9/11 when traveling to Europe. I was seemingly randomly chosen and went through a major security check in Frankfurt (went through all my bags, took away my passport, wouldn't let me move for over half an hour and didn't speak to me except for questioning, etc), only to be released when one security guard recognized my cultural background from my unusual middle name. The other passengers who went through this all seemed to be Muslim (women wearing hijabs) and I was asked several times if I knew any of them or if I was traveling with them. I understand security is important but it was a very uncomfortable experience.

- In university, for some reason, I was often assumed to be less intelligent than I was. I wasn't overly stylish and I went through a weight gain period for a couple of years, but when I was skinner and dressed better, I was either assumed to be not so smart, or conversely, a high-achieving student athlete. I did well in school but I was somewhere in the middle of those 2 stereotypes.

- If I am taking care of children (and I often do), people assume they are mine -- even if they are totally different looking from me, like some fair-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde girls I take care of.

Aida, I get the same thing. I tell people I live in Everett and they're all, "Oh, I'm sorry."

I like it here! Though there are some trashy bits, like in every city. Once someone locally asked me if I was from out of town. Er... no. "Oh, well. You don't have long hair so I assumed you weren't from Everett." ???

I find many men are extremely hung up on 'girls have long hair' and feel like it is open season in making comments to that effect. I was renting a car once and so the gentleman had to look at my license, which has a picture of me with long hair. He asked if I cried when it got cut. My response was a simple, "Nope!" Seriously, MYOB. I need a snappy come back, because I am not sure why men feel like they are welcome to comment on women's appearances in that way. I usually just let their stupid remarks float awkwardly in the air hoping they'll feel stupid.