A La Aspie

Being face blind means not being able to differentiate between or remember faces. I am not entirely face blind but if I had to guess at a percentage, probably 80-90%. That means that I am able to recognize people sometimes, given certain situations. People who are completely face blind don’t recognize faces at all.

There are lots of great sites about face blindness so I won’t seek to educate you on the actual condition. However, here are some tidbits from my world of face blindness.

It occurred to me, out of the blue, yesterday that if I had to pick my roommate, who I have known for about a month and have lives with for two weeks, out of a line of guys, the only thing I could remember about him was his hair. There is truly no record of what his face looks like and it just caught me off guard to see that thought so clearly because it’s usually so natural for me to just go on what I do remember.

My ex boyfriend shaved all of his hair, except his eyebrows, off of his head and face one day. Until it grew back, I had a really hard time convincing myself it was the same person. It felt really odd being affectionate with a ’stranger’. :) I remember my mom telling me about a time when I was 3 or 4 when my dad shaved his facial hair off and I was scared to death of him and didn’t know who he was.

My neighbor from across the street is really nice. We’ve talked a lot of times in their driveway. She came over once and I opened the door and talked to her for a full two minutes before the “Uncomfortable Moment of Re-Introduction” because she realized I had no idea who she was. She clearly knew me and was on good terms with me… I just didn’t know who she was.

My ex wanted me to meet him at one of his favorite bars about a month after we started dating. I was scared to because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to pick him out. Like conscious fear, afraid. I tried to find someone I met in the bay area on facebook and although I was almost sure… I couldn’t tell from the picture if it was him because his hair was different.

I’ve never looked at a wanted poster done by an artist and been able to tell how that drawing looks any different from the people around me. I’d never be able to identify a child off of a milk carton.

When I’m meeting someone who I have only ever known online, I don’t recognize them in person - because they just - look different. They aren’t surrounded by a frame. :) I have run into a few famous people in person and I never recognize them face to face. I often don’t recognize them from one magazine to the next if they have changed their hair or style of dress.

I recognize how people smell and feel emotionally more readily than what they look like. When i look at someone, I see their hair, scars, tattoos, DISTINCTIVE facial characteristics, their body shape, their style of dress, who they associate with, their style of movement, their ‘essence’… the type of person they are and all of that equates to an individual. I have NO idea what their face looks like though so if any of those variables change, I could be back to square one.

I will likely recognize someone in a public place if I have known them for maybe 6 months in several different settings, I have had an emotional connection with them or they have distinctive features that cannot be changed.

Also may have been crossposted to my Asperger's Syndrome blog on Trusera.com, a site where people show health related stories. Check it out!