Another facet of the "looking Jewish" discussion ... Many years ago a mutual friend told me about overhearing a conversation between two (Jewish) women who were wondering if I was Jewish. One of them said she thought I was; the other responded: "She can't be Jewish; she doesn't have hips!" I was young at the time and didn't know whether to be flattered or offended ... These days, of course, I find all sorts of problems with their reasoning -- and with the fact that we as Jews have our own stereotypical associations of body type and identity, of what it means to look, and be, Jewish.
Another facet of the "looking Jewish" discussion ... Many years ago a mutual friend told me about overhearing a conversation between two (Jewish) women who were wondering if I was Jewish. One of them said she thought I was; the other responded: "She can't be Jewish; she doesn't have hips!" I was young at the time and didn't know whether to be flattered or offended ... These days, of course, I find all sorts of problems with their reasoning -- and with the fact that we as Jews have our own stereotypical associations of body type and identity, of what it means to look, and be, Jewish.