I went today to Goodwill store. I love Goodwill. It’s a thrift store that looks more like a department store than a second hand store. It doesn’t have a musty smell. It has a lot of nice stuff and a book corner with free coffee.
I ran into a guy there today who I first met at least two years ago. He goes there for the books. I was without my chair today and we started talking again. Last few times he’s seen me wheeling. He felt very uncomfortable about it and wouldn’t talk to me then. So I gave him a bit of hard time today. We talked about some other stuff first and then we started talking about my chair. I told him very clearly that I was aware that his brain went mush when he saw me wheeling. I explained to him that I don’t mind wheeling but what gets to me is how people react to me. I gave him a few points about wheelchair etiquette as well. He didn’t mind. I think he realised that he deserved my harsher words. He got some education and he knows I didn’t write him off. Did he act idiotic around my chair? Without a doubt. My experience is that middle-aged guys who knew me as a walker have rather difficult time when they see me wheeling. I am used to it. Women seem more comfortable. Why is it? I don’t know. But I think that from beauty perspective, seeing a woman in a chair might feel more like a violation. Women are supposed to be beautiful. They are supposed to have lovely and sexy walk. Their curves are to be visible. I lose my curves in the chair. My step is gone. Something very womanly is missing perhaps. Suddenly what I have mainly left is my smile, eyes and my sharp tongue.
How do you feel when you see an attractive woman in a chair? Is there a difference in our perception between guy and gals using a chair?
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