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I’ve had a post about being Face Blind kicking around in my brain for a while. I’ve written some stuff, and then stopped and then tried to write it again, but all that came out was an idea for a sketch that I filmed on TikTok to share on Instagram for my friends. And while it got seen on Instagram by some, it went viral on TikTok and has been seen by some +500,000 people at the time of writing this…
And the people had questions! And I’ve been more than happy to answer. Because, honestly, the more people know that Face Blindness (aka. Prosopagnosia) is A Thing, the less humiliated I (and others like me) may feel in social situations.
Here’s the video and then let’s talk about it…
Here are some of the top questions I get about being Face Blind:
Do people really look like blobs?:
Not WHILE I’m looking at them like in the video. I used that stocking to represent “person I didn’t recognize.” But the moment I look away my brain doesn’t download and store any of their facial information, so in my head they do look like blobs.
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Do you recognize yourself?:
Yes, I do. But some people with Prosopagnosia can’t. Although sometimes I see photos or videos of people with purple hair and for a second I think “is that me?”
Do you recognize your husband or people close to you:
Yes, after a time. I can recognize all my close family and friends. Extended family and my husbands friends… some yes, some still no.
Can you recognize your kid:
Yes. But it’s probably because she looks a lot like me, and I usually dress her.
So how do you recognize people if not by their face:
I have a lot of tricks I use, but here are my top five…
Does it get really embarrassing?
All the freakin’ time! I have a lot of great/awful embarrassing stories. I’ve started documenting some of them on TikTok, but this one is the one that still keeps me up at night. And this one is the one my husband tells people is the moment he truly realized I was Face Blind.
I’m actually really happy to be the purple-haired blurry face of Face Blindness over on TikTok, but I’m also hoping to chat with you guys about it too. Anyone else Face Blind? What are some of the tricks YOU use to recognize people? And if you’re not Face Blind, go ahead and AMA!
Once I had a 15 minute conversation at a trade show with a woman who I had clearly met before – most likely at another trade show/interacting online. Her name badge was flipped over the whole time. To this day I have no idea who I was talking to.
That happens all the time!!! The other day someone yelled “hi Megan!” from their car. And I waved and went “omg hiiiiiiii!!!” ….No idea who that was. It bothers me still. So I feel ya.
The first time I realized this might be a Thing was when all the little kiddies were lined up against the fence waiting to go home and out of the dozen or so little blonde boys,it took me a minute to pick out which was mine. He’s 17 now and I still sometimes have a hard time picking him out of a crowd. Everybody else, fuggedaboutit. At least the masks these days help obfuscate my perennial confusion.
This is so cool to see! I’m so happy you’re raising awareness. Are you ok for me to share it in the Prosopagnosia /face blind support group I’m in on Facebook?
Absolutely!!!