I don't know if this belongs in the general or clothing section. But replying to the "Do you have more men's or women's shoes?" thread gave me a flash back.
I realized that long before I had any inclination to cross dress, I was already doing so. When I was about eight years old, my family lived on a military post in Hawaii. The PX had a dress code, which prohibited rubber flip-flops. Hawaii is where I picked up my life long habit of being barefoot as much as possible and flip-flops for foot wear if the occasion doesn't call for something more substancial.
Back then, even though it was the height of the hippie movement, there was little to offer in boy's sandals other than the rubber "shower shoes." So my mom bought me black women's flip flops, which I wore when going to the store. I remember not liking the knot that was decoration on the strap, but I wore them with no hesitation so I didn't have to wear full shoes to the store.