I am not a woman (you can't have everything)

I am male. Really - I have the right chromosomes and all the expected equipment and (last I checked) it all works.

However, some people here have assumed that I am female. That's fine - I'm not insulted or upset. In fact, in some respects I'm flattered, because (I almost hate saying this) in general, I like most women a lot more than I like most men.

Yes, there are exceptions. There are women I cannot stand and men I like. But give me a random crowd of people to mingle with, and I'll probably end up talking to more women then men.

"Oh, sure", you say, "You are flirting."

No, that's not it. It's mostly from a lack of interest and real dislike for the typical things that typical men talk about. I really don't want to talk about pro sports, for one. I'm not going to join their football pool, I'm not available for a round of golf next Saturday and I am definitely not interested in going fishing. I don't care who was traded this week and don't even understand what that means.

No, I'm not gay, but I wouldn't find that insulting either. I've known many gay men and I have liked most of them because they've often been smart, sensitive and interesting.

So: I like women and sometimes readers think I am a woman. No problems there. But why did that happen?  I didn't intend it.  I don't mind the mistake, but what caused it?

The Wig

It's the wig, right? That's what has caused people to think I must be a woman. Why would a heterosexual male wear a wig?

I don't actually wear that. I wore it once, to a party. A friend snapped a picture and sent it to me. My wife hates that picture and has asked me several times not to use it, but I have my reasons. If I had not used it, I might have used something like the drawing at right. As I said, I have my reasons.

Branding

OK, very seriously, no jokes: I use that for branding.

Yes, really. It's business related. I wanted a memorable icon.

A picture of me is not memorable. A picture of me wearing a clown wig is.

It's that simple. That picture is going to stick in a new readers brain much more effectively than any other picture I could choose. If they see it again, they'll be much more likely to make a mental connection than they would otherwise. I am simply branding my work here.

At my main web site, I do the same thing with a little boat - two men in a canoe, actually. That goes back to when my business was "Lawrence and Clark, Inc." - the logo was a visual pun on "Lewis and Clark". It ceased to make sense after abandoning that corporation, but the logo was too well known at that point, so I kept it. And it works: I have had customers tell me that they came to me because they "kept seeing that boat on articles I liked".

Accidental Benefit

There may be another unintentional benefit to that icon.

Women tend to support other women. I can almost guarantee that some women started reading my stuff here because they initially thought I was a fellow female.

Of course they'd soon realize that was wrong. Little clues like mentioning my wife frequently might tip them off or they might eventually notice that, yes, I do sport an Adam's Apple in that picture. I'm not trying to deceive anyone, so the confusion may not last long, but I am quite certain it has happened and I'm just as certain that it gives me a small advantage now and then.

That wasn't on purpose. I did not expect to be mistaken for a woman. But.. an accidental advantage is still an advantage. An un-leveraged advantage is still an advantage.

Gender roles

I don't believe in gender roles other than those imposed by biology.  Perhaps it is the men who stereotype themselves that I dislike.  Women may fall into stereotypes when flirting, and some women may do it always, but I think there is less of it.  Maybe what I really should be saying is that I like genuine people.

Whatever.  I'm going to keep using the clown wig icon and I'm going to remain being who I am.

Identity

It is true that the rather light hearted clown image is not always appropriate. Sometimes I do write about serious things here and the clown thing might detract a bit. Here at HubPages, your icon is your icon, so, without creating a separate identity, I'm stuck with it.

I could create a different identity for my most serious posts. I haven't, but I might in the future. That's definitely something to think about.

However, for most things, the clown is fine. I have a sense of humor and you might as well know that from my icon. I'm not a doom and gloom person. You can expect me to be silly sometimes. It's truth in advertising, a forewarning that I will not be completely serious always and, perhaps most of all, I am willing to see my own foibles. I like it. It says what I want to say.

Consistency

Some folks here change their icon frequently. That's a mistake, really. Brand identity is important. Yes, big companies can and do change logos, but they don't undertake that lightly - it's not done on a whim. Visual memory is very important to consumers and your readers are consumers. You want them to remember you. You want them to have expectations when they see your branding icon again. If you keep changing it, you will confuse them.

Pick something and stick with it. Avoid generics, avoid images that are easy to confuse with those used by someone else. Try to stand out in the crowd.

Branding really is important. No, you are not Coca-Cola and either am I, but we all need to establish our brand.

Did you think about branding?

If you are a writer here or at some other site, did you think about branding when you chose your icon?  Were you careful about picking it out, did you want it to convey information about you? Have you ever changed it?  I'd love to hear your opinions on branding or on gender confusion, male and female stereotypes or whatever.  

Thanks for reading and remember the clown!