Hello Ladies! I just thought I'd share my shopping experience from today.
I had initially planned to go shopping and get one of those posture-back bras, as I have discussed it with people who understand my condition and believe it will work (it's not a MAJOR condition, just a bit of a slump). I first went to Wal-Mart, and headed straight for the intimates department (with a decent lump in my throat). There were a few women in there shopping, and they just kinda ignored that I was even there. I went up and down every aisle, checked out every bra they had, and found that they didn't carry the posture-back bra I was looking for. So, I went back to the "lacy" aisle and picked out a bra that caught my eye previously - a black lace underwire push-up. From there, I headed over to the wall-o-panties, and looked for something nice. I ended up getting a 3-pack of cotton hipsters, and all 3 were colors that matched what I had alread (and the other half of my purchase).
When I walked up to the checkout, I made certain to look at peoples' reactions, if any. I am pretty good at looking out of the corner of my eye, and I didn't see anyone so much as glance at me. When I got to the highly-congested checkout, I went for the shortest line, which was right behind an elderly couple. While I stood there, a younger couple walked up behind me, and I could hear them giggling a little bit, but they didn't bother much. When it was my turn to checkout, the (female) cashier said, "Are those your bra and panties?" Just to lay low, I said, "No. They're for a friend." She went on to ask if it was a girlfriend or wife, and I told her it was a "sorta-girlfriend", who's birthday was in a couple of days. She said, "Aw, that's sweet," and took care of my sale.
From there, I headed to Sears and made the same dash straight for the unmentionables. There were a couple of women in that department, digging through a bargain-bin of bras, and they didn't even smirk at my presence. Unfortunately, they didn't have the bra I was looking for either, so I just walked right back out the door.
Next, on to Target. There was nobody in the lingerie department there, and they didn't even carry the brand of bra I was looking for. I made a long sweep around the footwear, and headed right back out the door.
Next stop: JC Penney. Again, there were a couple of ladies shopping there, but they didn't mind me shopping alongside them. I got excited when I saw the brand and style bra I was looking for, but my heart sank when I saw all they had was about 5 sizes too big. Back out the door I go.
On my way out of town, I thought, "Well there's Kohl's," but remembered seeing a sparse selection on their website. I was a bit frustrated anyhow, so I made the call to just keep driving.
I'm pretty excited though. I have a new bra and some new panties to match. :D
You are probably wondering why I wouldn't just order the bra online. Perfect answer: I'm still living with the parents, and if they found out about my "hobby", they would probably disown me. After reading Melanie's thread, suggesting the mother might be the source of femininity I do have a tendency to agree, even where I grew up with nearly identical circumstances. However, I have heard comments that my mother has made in regard to crossdressing, and she directly identifies it with homosexuality, which the family agrees is not right.
Plus, I can recall one time when she did my laundry and changed the sheets on my bed. Apparently she made the decision to flip the mattress, which was where I kept what little lingerie I had. When she confronted me, she said, "If your dad saw this he would probably kill you," and left it at that. I imagine their curiousity has had the best of them and they've found that I still keep my things there, but for me to tell them, "I'm expecting a bra in the mail," would probably go over like a lead baloon.
Even if I didn't tell them what I was expecting, or even that I was expecting a package, they would be nosey enough to want to know what I ordered. When I finally move out and get my own place, I should have no problem. The only problem I can think of is a girlfriend who doesn't agree.
Now, I suppose I should go make my introduction so you all have an idea of who I am. I thought I'd share that shopping experience with you though. Oh, and by the way, by the time I got to Penney's, I had no lump in my throat and I had no problem handling the items on the shelves. Getting out of the comfort zone is very empowering! :D :heehee:
