Ugh! Sterotypes!

[PurpleDragon]

Being "normal" is boring. So is being shy, but I'm working on that. It's much more fun to be weird and silly. You can't take yourself or life too seriously. You die in the end anyway, might as well have some fun.

This is one thing I have never understood. Being shy at faire to me is an odd idea.  To me, being shy means that you don't want people to get to know "The Real You", so you tend to keep to yourself.. Well, at faire aren't you technically in costume (even though we call it garb), and aren't you "playing a part"? Which means it is not the REAL you so there should be no shyness about it right??

[Blue66669]

You know, when I was in TN, I realized that I too was one of "those" rennies. You know....."THOSE". The tent lovin, rum and loki drinkin, free love givin, bodice wearin, axe havin, leather wearin RENNIE!

....it's so nice to finally know who I am....

*falls on the floor laughing hysterically*

[CatAshtrophy]

On the shyness thing:

For me at least being shy has nothing to do with me not wanting others to know the real me. I'm quite happy for people to get to know me. Instead, the snyness is more of a fear of being awkward or doing the wrong thing. You could think of it as having stage fright all the time. So the fear of making some sort of mistake can easily translate to faire while being in character because the potential for making mistakes is still there.

I used to be painfully shy and would even hide from my babysitter who I loved dearly when I was little. It has improved over the years, and I can do quite a good fake of being outgoing now in real life or at faire.

[Tipsy Gypsy]

CatAshtrophy, I so understand. I've noticed that introverted people, including me, tend to choose one of two approaches- to retreat inside the shell, or to mask the shyness by going totally "outward". I've decided that it's boring and lonely inside that shell, so I push myself out instead. It's something I must work on every single day. I guess I'm getting better at it; though I tend to be somewhat reserved at first, once I've sorta sized things up, nobody believes that deep down I'm really a bit bashful and awkward. That's why I call myself a "closet introvert". (A bit of mead or wine being somewhat helpful in overcoming the awkward shyness more quickly... ahem  ). A lot of people in the entertainment industry are, IRL, quiet, introspective, and even very shy people- "closet introverts" too, I think. So, Faire is not only a heckuvalot of fun, it's good therapy!

Which, to return to topic, just goes to show that not all renfolk are drunken, longhaired, free-lovin', dancin'-nekkid-in-the-rain kinda weirdos...but we're getting better!!!

[Riot]

I am a bit of the same way as well.. a "closet introvert"  No one ever believes me that knows me from faire though..

[Tanyor]

Well my parent's found my Ad&d books, and My grandmother told them about a cloak she made for me. And they called me over for dinner one night. They set me down and had a intervention. Thinking I was on drugs and doing witchcraft. I thought it was a joke at first. My mother bless her heart was about to cry, because they thought I was going off the deep in. Now since my sister had a kid she went crazy and has me making fairy house's in her gardenall over the place. I don't get to go very often as I hardy know anyone who wants to go with me. And all the faires in texas are 3 plus hours for me. But I have got a few people to change there mind about it. Now I just need to get them to get some garb. When get to go they wont let me wear my garb cause they think its weird. And I was one of the football jocks growing up and took a full spin later on. So I was one the finger pointers. 

[Dallan]

Shy can also be a manifestation of insecurity. People who know me well think I'm outgoing, confident and maybe a little egotistical. However people who really know me know that I'm insecure. People who only barely know me or don't know me at all think I'm shy or sometimes aloof. It boils down to insecurity and as CatAshtrophy said, or the feeling awkward or the fear of doing something wrong.

Hmm, didn't plan on lying on the Dr's couch and sharing so much but we are family here.

[Arsinoe Selene]

For me, being shy has nothing to do with not wanting people to know the "real me". I want to go out and meet people, I want to talk to people at faire, or even just go trolling for boys at the mall or something.

I am a very quiet person. If I may steal a quote from a description of Julia Morgan, "shy almost to the point of invisibility." I never got picked on in school. I didn't do anything worth being picked on about. I'm also rather socially awkward, most likely stemming from a lack of practice. 19 years of lack of practice, infact.

I wish there were more faires closer to me. I have tried looking some up, but most things I come up with on google are severly outdated ("New 2006 dates!"). In "polite society" you are excpected to behave a certain way. At faire, you don't. I saw a guy (I think he was working) in, essentially, a pelt banana hammock and that was pretty much it.
[/threadjack]

My family thinks I'm weird. But they would never say it like that.

I've never really heard many stereotypes of rennies. Maybe it's just because I grew up somewhat sheltered but fairly liberal, I'm not sure.

[LadyMorna]

An introvert can sometimes be outgoing.  The way you tell whether you're one or the other is that an introvert tends to get tired out by too much being around people and needs to recharge his or her batteries with some alone time.  An extrovert, on the other hand, after a hard day, re-energizes by socializing.  It has a lot to do with where you draw your energy from.  And there are degrees of introversion or extroversion.  Sorry if I'm boring anybody, but the topic of personality differences fascinates me.  If anyone's interested in finding out more about your own personality type (and those of your friends/family/coworkers), you can Google "Keirsey Temperament Sorter" and take a test online.

Lady Morna
Mistress of Castle Conundrum'
Lady-in-Waiting to two royal housecats
(and an INFP if you must know!) 

I am a bit of the same way as well.. a "closet introvert"  No one ever believes me that knows me from faire though..

[CatAshtrophy]

What Lady Morna is describing sounds alot like the Myers-Briggs personality test as well. It wouldn't surprise me if they are the same thing with different names. The tests can be found free online and are fun to take. Sometimes the results are more right on than others though.

[Pinn]

I must be lucky, most of the people where I work never even heard of a Rennie before they met me. I get the puzzled look all the time.

[jinx]

-Most- of the time, for me, the people who stereotype don't get to know me very well.  xD  They also don't say much.  It's one way of getting one of my managers to leave my office, really.  I just have to mention Faire, and she's off to do something. 

I am with Faire as I am with other things.  Very, very open.  I fully embrace my dorkdom, and I let my nerd-flag fly high.

So, my answer to "You like hanging out with those weird-drunken-pot smokin'-long haired-hippie-Rennie-freaks?"  That would be a resounding "AYE!"

[eloquentXI]

I've had a mix of both reactions, I suppose. My own grandmother, who though took me to a faire a year ago, is worried for my sake that I'm joining a "cult". I only had to laugh and ask her to re-evaluate what I had told her and her experience there.

On the other end, it wasn't until a month or two before I graduated that I really got comfortable telling my friends and peers about going regularly. In fact, some of them found it so interesting that when I brought in my garb to present for a Renaissance costume presentation in English, and had only planned to show them, not where them- that they wouldn't let me do it until I pulled everything on myself.

I have ran into a few people that look at me and look a bit down their noses, assuming I'm a drug-using, drinkin', good-fer-nothin'. With that I merely smirk and shrug. At least I have a passion in life and am comfortable with it, and know I have a huge ren-family and friends to share it with who are just as freaky as I!

[Dayna]

I've taken the Myers Briggs several times, and it comes up different.  The last time I took it, I think they finally got me pegged.  The most introverted extrovert on the face of the planet, and otherwise a chameleon, able to change form to match those around her.  DuH! 

I love faire because I can be Not who I am in mundane life.  I put on the bodice and I become that other person, so well in fact that I was accused of having multiple personality disorder because I refused to break character while on stage.  Ummm, it's called Acting, some of them really should have tried it sometime 

Dayna

[Tygrkat]

I am with Faire as I am with other things.  Very, very open.  I fully embrace my dorkdom, and I let my nerd-flag fly high.

So, my answer to "You like hanging out with those weird-drunken-pot smokin'-long haired-hippie-Rennie-freaks?"  That would be a resounding "AYE!"

HUZZAH!!!

I couldn't agree more