Women performing as men as the head of the household?

May 13, 2009 12:54 AM

I'm looking for a post on Metafilter, maybe within the last year or two, about these women who would 'convert' to be men for the rest of their lives - not sexually/biologically, just in terms of their function within their villages (and in some cases in terms of gender, though). They were accompanied by photos of old men (or women) wearing pants and sort of hanging out and looking really relaxed/hip/baller. If I remember, this took place in somewhere in Eastern Europe. Thanks!
posted by suedehead to MetaFilter-related at 12:54 AM (17 comments total)

This one?
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 12:58 AM on May 13

Whoaaaaaa! Awesome! Thanks so much!
posted by suedehead at 1:00 AM on May 13

But if you kill me, I have to kill you.
posted by pracowity at 4:31 AM on May 13 [1 favorite]

There's also a crazy Alice Munro story called "The Albanian Virgin" that has as it's subject this same thing... (June 27, 1994 edition of The New Yorker)... which jokeefe mentions in the thread. It's a great story, as I recall, though admittedly I'm a total Munro fanboy.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:08 AM on May 13

No problem, I thought it was pretty interesting back when I read it myself, so it stuck in my head.
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 5:36 AM on May 13

I hereby pledge, from this day forth, to live as an Albanian woman who has pledged to live as a man.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:18 AM on May 13 [3 favorites]

Ooh, thanks for pointing out the Munro story. Going to look for it now.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:50 AM on May 13

There's also this one, which has some interesting links of its own.
posted by languagehat at 8:34 AM on May 13

I hereby pledge to live as an Azerbaijani woman who has pledged to live as a man.
posted by Rumple at 8:59 AM on May 13

Surprisingly, the Masonic pledge is a word-for-word translation of the Albanian "woman committing to life as a man" pledge.
posted by Meatbomb at 10:19 AM on May 13

Ah sweet. So good to see Alice Munro getting props. Also a raving, frothing fan, From Bklyn.
posted by barrett caulk at 10:21 AM on May 13

Thanks for posting this MeTa! I missed the original post (which was posted on my birthday -- yay!). It's fascinating. I'm also a huge Alice Munro fan, so this is all working out very well!
posted by trip and a half at 11:09 AM on May 13

"baller"?
posted by timeistight at 12:44 PM on May 13

"baller"?

I originally meant that they looked like they could do dunks and three-point shots and layups and stuff, but nice catch timeistight, didn't realize the double meaning in my original question. Ha! =)
posted by suedehead at 1:11 PM on May 13

"baller"?

I wish...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:20 AM on May 14

Read the Munro over lunch. It was lovely.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:03 PM on May 14

Strangely, it turns up in in Lord Byron's Novel by John Crowley as well.
posted by feckless at 1:55 PM on May 15