Have you ever self-identified as something you’re not?

[GirlRaisedInTheSouth]

At the risk of being the only one who posts, I am interested to see if anyone else has done this.

Years ago, I lived in a wealthy area of London. A big majority of the people there were Jewish. They all seemed to be rich, successful, knew about the arts, family-centered and were part of a close community.

I wanted some of that, so when a future employer asked if I was Jewish, I said I was and it kind of snowballed from there. I gave the impression from then on to people that I met that I was Jewish. My name is vaguely Jewish-sounding, so I fitted in.

I kept up this ridiculous charade until I moved away. Looking back now, I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. I dread bumping into somebody I knew back then and having to admit that, actually no, I am not one of the chosen race after all!

Has anyone else done this? Please don’t let it just be me!

Thing is, if you know that you're not, then you aren't self-identifying, just pretending. Or lying.

To self-identify, wouldn't you have to believe that you actually were Jewish, or a brown bear, or a multi-millionaire?

I do, as it happens, self-identify as something. I'm not willing to say what (no, it's not the other sex), but I don't tell people, anyway. My self ID is about me, not anybody else.

As for pretending, the nearest I've got to that has been claiming to be teetotal purely because I did not feel safe drinking around certain people.

Sober

DH pretended to be a vegetarian to get a flat share in London once. He lived there for two years. He met up with an old flat mate years later to discover that of the 4 people living there when he left, none were vegetarian and all were sneaking meat in when they thought no one was looking. Over the years the genuine veggies had been replaced by pretend veggies who just liked the flat.

I used to self identify as knowing what I was doing but it fooled nobody, least off all me.

I began school (aged 4) insisting that my name was Jane (it isn't) and I was 17. I later became a stage school pupil (or so I said) in light of a mild obsession with the Pink Windmill Show.

I went to school in a town with a very well thought of private school. The name of the school is the name of the town.
If anyone ever asks where I went to school I say the town name. If they want to think it was the very posh school and not the secondary modern then that’s up to them.

I once self identified as good at decorating. I found that this was incorrect.

wandering surelyHarold Pinter was involved somewhere?
He couldn’t not be with a plot like that
Love it .. made me chuckle. x

People do that with Oxford Brookes too, I think, Uppingham, I mean chester.
You must have been rumbled quite a few times though?

Was it JW3?

I self identify as a Millennial although technically I am Gen X (can't even claim Xennial). I was a late starter so in terms of culture and lifestyle I feel like I fit more into that category, plus I don't seem to have that confident laissez faire attitude of GX. I am kind of joking, but also kind of not.

I do this all the time! Spent my entire time at uni pretending to be vegetarian around a particular group of friends, but not another. I think it arose from choosing the veg meal option at some kind of event. I've no idea why I wanted to make life so complicated for myself. Funnily enough I am vegetarian now.

I also have a tendency to make up exotic ancestry when asked about my origins (I'm apparently quite meditteranean looking) even though my family is British/Irish afaik. I pretend to be Catholic sometimes. I always make up my age, and when I'm drunk I make up the craziest stories about myself. I don't know why I do it! Attention? Boredom?? I've never done anything like that for material gain at least.

I was briefly mistaken for being Jewish. Someone just assumed this and they hired me, I hoped it was because of my sparkling personality and skill but it was basically because they thought I was Jewish.

I didn't get fired but they were disappointed. I considered going along with it but aside from it being a lie I didn't think I'd be convincing.

You cannot he something you're not, you can only be yourself, everyone else is taken.

(And TW are TW)

I used to self identify as a Very Intelligent Person.

Now I'm just me, innit.

I self-identify with a Sloth. I have got it spot-on. Apart from the fur.