I'm tired...am I alone??

[Karren H]

Personally...... when out enfemme I could care less what the public thinks.

[PretzelGirl]

I am with the "it isn't as bad as many of us thing" group. Yes there are some that are closed minded. But many people who quietly don't say a thing get drawn into those numbers by fear and/or perception.

And the tide is turning. Acceptance or tolerance of us is noticeably better than it used to be and you can see it in all the stories here. Watch the polls on things like gay marriage and you can see that the numbers in favor are up. Why? I think it is mainly because the acceptance levels of our youth is extremely high. That is very encouraging as that means that the overall acceptance numbers will just continue to go up.

But we are a cautious and negative group on the whole. It is understandable when looking at what can be at risk. Overall, it seems we tend to think the worst more than it really is. So to say most people think of us as pervs, etc is way overstating the case.

[Stephanie47]

I've said it before. All the legal protections the law allows will not change any person's perception of a person. Nothing will force another person to interact with another. It does not matter if it is cross dressing, race, ethnic or religious background. Also, in the atmosphere you are working there is the 'herd' mentality. Everyone is re enforcing the expected societal behavior. Just read all the threads concerning the reaction of a wife who discovers her husband is a cross dresser. Most women have a fairly accurate idea of what their husbands are. Yet, they are caught up in society's expectations and herd mentality.

I really do not expect society to start welcoming cross dresses in everyday settings. I restrict my cross dressing to my comfort zone. Would I ever wear a bra to work under my dress shirts? No! Why? Because I want to live a stress free life, and, I do not want to have my wife and children subjected 'guilt by association.' You can say I am a realist. My comfort zone is my comfort zone, i.e., an in home cross dresser. I wish my comfort zone would expand at least to include venues that are accepting of cross dressers. Each person has to take baby steps in life. Sometimes being a trailblazers comes with a high cost.

[Erin McShea]

I really do not expect society to start welcoming cross dresses in everyday settings. I restrict my cross dressing to my comfort zone. Would I ever wear a bra to work under my dress shirts? No! Why? Because I want to live a stress free life, and, I do not want to have my wife and children subjected 'guilt by association.' You can say I am a realist. My comfort zone is my comfort zone, i.e., an in home cross dresser. I wish my comfort zone would expand at least to include venues that are accepting of cross dressers. Each person has to take baby steps in life. Sometimes being a trailblazers comes with a high cost.

That is exactly my point.


Erin

[Joanne f]

I agree with a lot of what you have said ( apart from it is only clothes) the thing is it is not so much as what they think of you but more of what they think of what people will think of them for knowing you they think that society will judge them for being friendly towards you yet the strange thing is it is always possible that one of those are just the same and also live in fear of being outed even more so if they are friendly with a known CD .

[Noemi]

Hello Erin,

I have been there many times myself. I do freelance work that puts me in many different environments. All of which I am under dressed. I also wear low rise panties so they do not show, low rise panties can be very cute, throw out you boring panties and get fun ones.

I dismiss the opinions of those who have no grasp of the subject matter.
Like if some one inexperienced showed up on the job and told you what to do.

Where I do not dismiss them as people or do I feel superior, I am not, and I really am here to be of use to everyone, everyone is important to me.

But it feels so nice to dress up, it is a gift to us in some regards. The narrow minded do not consider this, why we do it. They barley think at all and do not want to. It is that head in the sand humanity that many who play it safe exhibit.

Really these narrow minded people create the monsters by not accepting others that are different.
The more I accept myself the higher my thoughts become and the better I feel, and a by product of this is that I treat others with the dignity they deserve.

♥
Noemi

[Barbara Ella]

You are not alone. I do believe as many have said that the "societal norm" of thinking about crossdressers has shifted in recent years, and the percentage of haters has decreased as the numbers of those accepting, or not caring about it, have increased.

We all carry the mental image of what we think society thinks of us, and unfortunately it isn't easy to change. Long time crossdressers may still have the older version embedded in their mind, and it really takes a lot of positive reinforcement to change that thought. I am a new crossdresser and have not had time to think about it. I am old enough to not give a F what people hate about me (wife would beg to differ) and as my social committments decrease, I become more and more willing to do more and more.

I am at the point Karren is. I want to go out enfemme, so i will, and I will do it where I feel comfortable doing what it is that I want to do, and what others think is of no consequence to what I do. Will I purposely walk out on Saturday up and down the sidewalk in my neighborhood? NO, but if I encounter a neighbor while I am out now, I will be polite and explain if they wish.

Sometimes we intermix how we feel about the feelings of our friends and loved ones, with the thoughts that the general public may have about us. Screw the general public.

Barbara

[prettytoes]

I am with you 100%! I used to work for a large manufacturer and I remember one of the office girls (a really trashly little B--CH) refering to one of the guys as a "pervert". He was let go soon after. I found out (through the ever present grapevine) that she saw that he was wearing satin panties when he bent over one time. Who cares!! If they are comfortable and fit and feel good, what's the difference? I have worn only women's panties for years (since way before my wife knew the truth) because they simply fit me better and I was more comfortable in the fabric and cut. Now that my wife knows, I do wear much prettier colors and patterns...not only do they feel better, they make me feel better about myself! Why is that so bad, and why would that make me a pervert? Is a woman that wears her boyfriend's boxers to bed also a pervert?

So, yes Erin, I understand perfectly where you are coming from!