Gender discrimination

[VNA]

My hair is now short, but when I was in early 20s, it was long - and it grew like Bob Marley's - literally, all curves and upwards. On a Montenegrin seaside resort, I was stopped two nights in a row and searched for drugs by the police - along with an also long haired (male) friend.

In 2006 I was in Albania for a week.  I had long blonde hair, hadn’t had a haircut in ten years, tied back in a pony tail.  The first morning there I got up early.  Nobody else I was with was up, so I headed out for a walk, carrying my SLR camera.  The hotel was pretty nice, but the busy street outside had no tarmac.  But what I found was everybody stared at me, I mean really fucking stared.  It was pretty unnerving and I stuffed my camera under my jacket fearing the worst.  After just over half an hour I headed back to the hotel.  One of the folks I was with explained, that well obviously I looked different (very white – long blonde hair) and that in the Balkans it’s generally not considered rude to stare.  He told me just to smile and say hello.  Then the scary menacing starring people started smiling and saying hello back.