Self-Made Man (book)

Self-Made Man

File:Self-Made Man (Norah Vincent book).jpg
Author	Norah Vincent
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Sexual discrimination
Publication date	2006

Self-Made Man: My Year Disguised as a Man is a book written by journalist Norah Vincent, recounting an 18-month experiment in which she disguised herself as a man—"Ned"—and then integrated into traditionally male-only venues, such as a bowling league and a monastery. She described this as "a human project" about learning.

In the book, she describes her experiences as a man in strip clubs, on dates, in a monastery, and as part of a men's support group.

In order to effectively pose as a male, Vincent acquired a buzz cut and flattened her chest using a small sports bra. She also hired a makeup artist to fake a five o'clock shadow and trained for months to imitate a deeper male voice.

Vincent joined a men's bowling team, where she says "[the men] just took me in ... no questions asked." She eventually became friends with them, even coming along to strip clubs and dating women who had no idea of her true gender. She later revealed that she was actually female to the men, who "took it well."

Vincent also recorded her book as a audiobook for Penguin Highbridge.

Vincent asserts that, since the experiment, she has never been more glad to be female.