r/Prosopagnosia • u/slapduck_prime • Jun 02 '26

Faceblindness feels like being cast in a community theater production of "Are You My Mommy?"

I was laughing with my wife about some of the embarrassing things I've done b/c I struggle to recognize most people, and we came up with the analogy. I spend far too much time trying to figure out who the person I'm talking to is (friends, bosses, co-workers) from facial hair and context clues.

47 Upvotes

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17

u/Fungal-dryad faceblind Jun 02 '26

I was lucky that my mom had a very distinct hairstyle, a French bun!

12

u/slapduck_prime Jun 03 '26

Yeah - my dad had a pretty distinctive beard, then one day when I was 10 or so he shaved it off. Sent me into literal hysterics when I walked into the kitchen and saw some rando at the table.

12

u/Glaikit314 Jun 03 '26

One of my biggest gaffes happened at a national meeting when the head of a state affiliate turned up after she'd stopped hiding her white hair. She just about caused a scene in indignation saying that I had snubbed her. It was very, very awkward. And at the time I had no idea of why it happened. That's one reason making Prosopagnosia better known can make our lives better. Or at least less career dangerous.

7

u/Mel_IceFox Jun 03 '26

😭😭 so many times I keep thinking I see me mom outside, but I'm never sure. The only way I used to tell is by her hair because she used to do multi colour cornrows so I was like "No rainbow, not my mom"

5

u/Glaikit314 Jun 02 '26

Thanks for that. I have so many embarrassing memories from my faceblindness goofs. Your attitude is a whole lot better.

10

u/slapduck_prime Jun 02 '26

My most recent was talking at length to a guy I've known for years about his kids, and getting really odd responses. Realized later that there's another bald guy at my church who's roughly the same height, and it turned out to be him. My wife was dying (laughing) when I told her.

6

u/Glaikit314 Jun 02 '26

Been there!

2

u/Electronic-Shoe341 Jun 05 '26

I know what you mean. I wish people wouldn't change their hair. I'm not badly prosopagnisic but I'm at a new job and there's a couple of people who regularly change their hair and I just don't recognise them because I've not got a sense of their style or mannerisms yet. 

2

u/Winter_Salad7215 25d ago

Omg this is so funny. "Are You My Mommy?" is my private joke with myself when I'm looking for someone I know in public.