"Am I a boy or a girl?"

The video below is seriously one of my favorite things I've ever seen on YouTube. It comes courtesy of MyToeCold, this high school student whose YouTube oeuvre includes funny reviews of pop songs (a reaching trend piece in some lame-o publication or the Times might dub what he does Music Crit 2.0). The thing about this kid is that he's somewhat androgynous, aesthetically and vocally (that his name is Drew doesn't help matters). I thought he was female for a really long time. He gets that a lot, and unlike about every other person on earth (especially those of the emotionally fragile high-school-attending variety), he has a tremendous sense of humor about it. He posted his initial response to the what-are-you discourse in January last year, but then he followed it up a few months later with what is embedded below: a man-or-woman-on-the-street piece, in which he polls strangers (mostly old people) about what they think his gender is. The results are uniformly hilarious.

My favorite thing about this is how willing everyone is to give their verdict on the spot. This is an embarassment of shamelessness. Despite it being a year old, this video has just under 17,000 views. It should have, like, a thousand times that amount. I think the biggest problem is how loud the background music is -- it forces you to really pay attention and that doesn't exactly jibe with the ADD-influenced atmosphere of YouTube. I wrote to Drew to see if it would be possible to upload it again, but without music, so as to maximize its marketability, as it were. It seems it was made on his old computer and the edit file no longer exists. Oh well. Not that he cares about my opinion, anyway, I'm sure.

Comments

[Laynie]

I am absolutely floored at the number of people who answer. Then again, I honestly don't know how I would respond to this question if I were asked. It's got to come as a shock, out of the blue. What do you say when someone asks you this?

[Shayne]

This is just... phenomenal. People's responses to questions about gender are absolutely hilarious regardless of the context.
Thanks for posting this :)

[miss mary]

Seeing these videos makes me SO HAPPY I couldn't upload every stupid thing I ever thought was hilarious for the world to see. By the way, all he has to do is cut his hair.

[miss mary]

I feel I should clarify that the internet did not exist when I was a stupid kid.

[Val]

I hope he keeps his spirit, he could grow up into an amazing "grown up"

[Blonde Savant]

This is only tangentially related (in that I found it on YouTube), but I immediately thought that you needed to watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnZhXgbVbk&feature=player_embedded
Pickle Surprise!

[Blonde Savant]

How about a link that works? Sound good?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnZhXgbVbk

[StickyKeys]

He has glorious hair, which would automatically make me think he's a boy. Girls don't tend to do their bangs like that. Very sweet kid, hopefully he stays that way.

Are you going to review HBO's Grey Gardens? I feel like you're obligated somehow. Or rather, I just really want you too, despite the fact it has no traits of the movies you usually reviw (read: sci-fi, gross out, poop, slasher, generally inappropriate).

[trick please]

Most of them got it right. Granted the chances of that is 50%

[lilD]

I heard them say on the video that they are in Santa Cruz. My family lives in Santa Cruz and it is a really cool, really accepting town. It is a town of free spirits so I think this kid is going to grow up really well adjusted and be just as funny and open as an adult. The voice does throw it off a little bit, but looking at his other videos I would have said "Boy" if he had asked me.

[Cammila]

WHAT?! I can't stop watching this kid's backlog of material. He's some kind of neo-dada prodigy. Except hilarious.

[Fresca]

Most of them got it right. Granted the chances of that is 50%

No, the chances would be 50% if he looked and sounded just as much like a girl as a boy. To me he's obviously a boy, albeit one with a strangely high voice.

[Johnny]

Holy crap, that dude is going to be HEARTBREAKER. Watch out, Santa Cruz.

[christy]

Wow, yes this is delightful. People's willingness and honesty, his enthusiasm when someone got it right, his enthusiasm when someone said something like "you're whatever you feel you are," and also the good-natured way he informed people that they were wrong.

[fooling]

Holy shit!!! We know Drew! Kind of. He's my boyfriend's sister's best friend. Congratulations for him getting on this blog and making the big time at the ripe old age of, like, 14. He probably does care what you think, btw. He's sensitive like that.

[Dean]

Too intelligent for high school.

[drew]

hello!

this is drew, and i am in this video! woo.

okay, so first off, if anyone cares, i'll answer some questions on this thing i sometimes get.

what was i wearing?

well i actually thought it would be interesting to bring along my naughty nurse costume from last hallowmen to spice it up,

haha, no, i was wearing, erm, a brown shirt? and jeans?

wow! how did you get the BALLS to do this?

well, i have always had testicles, but, not to disappoint anyone on my courage, but i think a monster energy drink a half an hour before may have played a small part in this, whatever it is.

this wasn't really anything i planned (none of my videos really take much thought), i believe this started with me being hyper, which i explained, and asking people to dance for me on camera. i think i told them i was doing some sort of science project of human acceptance, (no idea...)

then, one of my friends (they can be seen around 2:48-ish), said something like "you should go around asking people if you're a boy or a girl!!!"

it was most likely followed by some laughs, some "do it!!" and then some me, actually doing it, and then some "jesus chirst this kid..."'s.

OH! and speaking of our so called savior,

one reasonably elderly woman, i accidentally asked twice. she got very angry about this, and responded with something along the lines of "jesus chirst, that's the second time..."

i thought it was pretty funny and wanted to put it in there, but you couldn't really here her,

but APPARENTLY noone could be heard ANYWAY, mr. big time vh1 man, puh.

hmmmm...well i guess there is a CHANCE i could dig up my old emachine in the garage and fine that project file, delete the music, in exchange for, idk, a...

11:30 tuesday slot?

eh?

eh? :)

anyway, thanks for the post. i almost forgot about this little guy.

[Royaldutch]

My favorite part is where the little girl asks Drew what HE thinks he is. Right answer, little girl! Shows how much smarter we are when we are 8.

[gambata]

She looks like a 90s riotgrrl. Oops, he.
Oh, he should definitely start a band with one of the Hansons, and the Siverchair's singer from the 90s and they could call themselves "Boys Who Look Like Girls But Have Pickles". Ok, Pretty Girls.

[SJ]

Fantastic! I just spent the last hour watching his youtube videos. He is brilliant. Love the fact that he commented and called you mr. big time vh1 man. HA!

[Kerlyssa]

Ugh. Reminds me of when I worked at a place where we had to greet everyone as either sir or ma'am. That was a nightmare. Good on the kid for not being offended, it can be hard to tell!

[golublog]

One doesnt realize how awkward that question is till they ask it.

[Perry]

SANTA CRUZ for the lolz, as usual.

[vercordio]

I say this as a straight male: this kid has got some of the most beautiful hair I think I've ever seen. I grew my hair out shoulder-length for about two semesters in college, but the Jew in me made it a mess of curls. I would have killed babies for hair like Drew's.

[Andy S. aka 'O']

LMAO at the person who thought he looked like a Lesbian, because that's EXACTLY what I though when I saw the video response