Feminine Life Style Choices - Cars in Particular

[NicoleScott]

Reine asked "what's going on here?"

I posted a reply but it wasn't serious, as I don't think many of us (sure, there are some) seriously consider buying a "girly car". To me, the best car for crossdressing or anything else is a reliable one.

Anyway, to me, what's going on here is "artificial femininity". This thread reminds me of one a couple years ago when that OP posted "can you recommend feminine activities for me to do?" Of course, many responders shot down the idea of feminine activities. There are only stereotypes of feminine activities: cooking, sewing, knitting, shopping, etc. Oh, and losing the ability to turn a wrench. Some like to clean house while wearing a maid's outfit, but that's mostly fulfilling a fun fantasy. It just seems to me that some crossdressers "try too hard" to be feminine., and that includes the need to drive a girly car, something that few women do.

[Julia1984]

Andrea
That is one heck of an image! Where can I get such a hat as you describe? Lol.
Hugs

Julia

[pamela7]

Can someone please explain what's going on here? The only conclusion I have is that CDers don't think like GGs, they fundamentally think like men.

Hi Reine, I'm looking back to choices before i even realised my CD. Three bright yellow cars that distinctly were/are not macho. It looks and feels like I had been unconsciously choosing some things that did allow some repressed feminine side out. I know we can't say any one thing is femme or masc, no job, no activity, buy hey I preferred needlework and cookery to metalwork/woodwork at school; probably the only boy in my school who did.

You are right, we're not born with female bodies, we're not raised to think like females, all we can do is to "femulate", even when we have a knowing of being female inside. A lifetime of conditioning does not go away. You're also right, most of us to exaggerate our femme expression, perhaps becoming a caricature of women. We don't mean to, we're doing our best. Personally, I'm learning my style and expression as I go along, it'll take me years, just like it takes GG's to end up in their "rest of my life" style.

There is no "think like a man" / "think like a woman" divide, either - we're all full-spectrum. When we choose to buy something we perceive to be "girly", we're doing it cos we feel good. Having said that, when I buy a tool or cooking stuff, it's only quality that I consider, not design, just function.

[Lily Catherine]

It just seems to me that some crossdressers "try too hard" to be feminine., and that includes the need to drive a girly car, something that few women do.

This is likely it, coming from deliberate over-emphasis that occasionally veers into caricature, specifically of overt feminine cues. Even to discuss cell phones, stationery and even tattoos the arguments in this thread would be no different.

[flatlander_48]

There's just something really cool about old beat up trucks

Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such

DeeAnn

[Sister Rachel]

I'm continuing to shake my head while reading this thread. I have to say that I'm trying, but I don't get it. At all. Not one bit. lol.

So is the point of buying what men consider are feminine cars, that CDers should seem more femine to men, or is it to actually be more feminine in general (including the way that women think) and therefore being viewed as feminine by everyone. Because women don't buy cars based on whether men think the cars are feminine or masculine.

Can someone please explain what's going on here? The only conclusion I have is that CDers don't think like GGs, they fundamentally think like men.

I also did a search for masculine and feminine cars. Yup, there are lots of websites, no doubt all written by men?

And finally, there are statistics about cars that have a greater percentage of male and female buyers. In the lists I looked at, generally the biggest difference was price. Men buy more expensive vehicles than women. I'm guessing the reasons are, salary inequality between men and women resulting in men that can afford to buy more expensive vehicles and also, women likely do not want to allocate as much disposable income on car payments as a men do?

Some very good and interesting points, Reine. I don't think most CDers do think like women, fundamentally, although you just can't generalise, we're all individuals, and at different places on the "gender spectrum", and all moving around on that spectrum day by day to a lesser or greater degree. Personally I've found that behind the wheel of a car it's my masculine self that comes to the fore, although as I approach the age of sixty the "boy racer" in me is fading fast ( thank god, speeding fines are a pain!). I don't know how things are in the USA ( again, you can't generalise, huge country, differences between each state etc. ) but here in the UK some women choose to get cars in pink, decorate them with butterfly stickers, buy weird "eyelashes" attachments that fit over the headlights ... I wouldn't be seen dead in such a vehicle any more than I would in some four-exhaust, lowered-suspension statement as favoured by the young high-testosterone males in these parts.

It's 1 in the morning in Britain, better get some shuteye!

[Jane G]

April, I must admit that my current car, a Mazda3, is a chick car. After I bought mine in 2006, my mother bought the same model, just a little sportier with a bigger engine! Most women I know are very sensible with women and like the smaller compacts. Many of them also like hybrids or electric cars. The Prius Hybrid, the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i4, etc. seem to be driven mostly by women. They obviously care more about the environment than we do.

LoL We each have our individual perpective and I'm not sure being a cd has enything to do with it. My daily drive is a Mazda3 Sport. I would consider it more He Man, than my Z4 Roadster. My wife calls it Zoom Zoom, as she thinks it very nippy compared to her Mx5.

[Eryn]

You decide, chick car or not?
2016-03-12_11.09.57.jpg

I really have no concept of the difference in male and female thinking. We call certain modes of thoughts "male" and "female," but is there really such a distinct line of demarcation?

[flatlander_48]

No, I view it as just a car. Can't even really say anything about the color either as it is the choice for so many out here. Anyway, pretty neutral as far as I can see.

DeeAnn

[Joni T]

Silly boy. TRUCKS are for GIRLS.
Joni

[Lorileah]

limo.jpg


This is the only "girl" car I would accept. The rest are just transportation

[LydiaL]

Is it not great that there are so many "motorheads" here on crossdressers.com?

I owned a Mazda Miata for some 9 years. I bought it not for whether it was masculine or feminine, but I sought a reliable, modern alternative to my previous mixed (reliability) experiences with several previously owned British sports cars. Alas, I always thought that it was (& still is) too under powered. Passing another vehicle was always a white-knuckled experience.

Job travel and cargo space eventually led me to seek something larger. That (& still) my daily driver choice an Infinity G37X Coupe all-wheel-drive. Gobs of power to blow the doors off of the aged hippies in their econo-death traps impeding reasonable progress, yet capable to handle some testy weather issues.

Too, the G37X Coupe has enough sensuous (perhaps feminine?) lines to be compatible with any crossdresser fitting right in as driver, IMO. (My Jeep XJ? None of this applies!)

Lydia L

[ReineD]

I really have no concept of the difference in male and female thinking. We call certain modes of thoughts "male" and "female," but is there really such a distinct line of demarcation?

This is to you and others who are focusing on the male or female thinking, I just want to mention that I don't think there's a difference either. But, I do notice that more men talk about cars than women, just look at this thread.

I have a lot of female friends. They do not notice the cars that drive by, let alone admire them. A car is a car, a van is a van, a truck is a truck, etc. But my sons, nephews, brother (and their male friends) seem to have definite opinions and wish lists about cars. It's an interest.

Earlier when I mentioned thinking "like a woman", it was a quick turn of phrase without spending an inordinate of time seeking precise vocabulary. lol. I meant that women do not preoccupy themselves with whether a car looks girly or not (like members in this thread) and this is not the basis upon which we buy cars. I do have wish lists but they're about travel, fresh educational experiences, remodeling or new homes (in ways that would simplify my life), art and fabulously designed innovative products among other things.

And before anyone comes back at me with the idea that women talk about fashion and makeup more than men, yes I know they do ... if they are young and learning. But they get past it like the rest of us once they've settled into their lives. I can say that the amount of time spent discussing fashion and makeup with my female friends is negligible.

[Beverley Sims]

My bloody great four wheel drive drips of testosterone but it is Beverley Sims that climbs down from it.

[flatlander_48]

I owned a Mazda Miata for some 9 years. I bought it not for whether it was masculine or feminine, but I sought a reliable, modern alternative to my previous mixed (reliability) experiences with several previously owned British sports cars. Alas, I always thought that it was (& still is) too under powered. Passing another vehicle was always a white-knuckled experience.

I've seen kits for dropping in small block Ford and Chevy V-8s. Although some are kind of boraxy, at the upper end they are surprisingly good. One of the best is from Flyin' Miata...

DeeAnn

[JeanTG]

You decide, chick car or not?

I would rate your car more as "millennial" than male or female! In the sense that today's millennials are less interested in a car as a status symbol; in fact they are much more likely than my generation to not buy a car at all, but when they need to, they pick something practical, affordable and fuel-efficient.

[Eryn]

This is to you and others who are focusing on the male or female thinking, I just want to mention that I don't think there's a difference either. But, I do notice that more men talk about cars than women, just look at this thread.

I have a lot of female friends. They do not notice the cars that drive by, let alone admire them. A car is a car, a van is a van, a truck is a truck, etc. But my sons, nephews, brother (and their male friends) seem to have definite opinions and wish lists about cars. It's an interest.

That one's easy. Automobiles are an acceptable subject for men. It is acceptable to decorate them, play with them, and even have relationships of a sort with them. Regardless of my current interests, I've had a lifetime of conforming with acceptable norms for males and that ingrains knowledge and habits that are hard to shake. Raise a woman in the same environment and she'll also talk cars. http://www.jeanknowscars.com/life-wi...re-about-jean/

...And before anyone comes back at me with the idea that women talk about fashion and makeup more than men, yes I know they do ... if they are young and learning. But they get past it like the rest of us once they've settled into their lives. I can say that the amount of time spent discussing fashion and makeup with my female friends is negligible.

I'll disagree somewhat, and present as evidence the fact that 70% of the floor space of Macy's is devoted to women's clothing and makeup and it's not all for twentysomethings. The remaining 30% is split between men, children, and housewares. If women aren't interested in clothing and makeup it sure doesn't show in their buying habits. I can't imagine that doesn't translate into a few conversations now and then. Certainly, these conversations diminish with time, since women have a lot more to think about with family, career, and children, but I don't think that they ever go away. My circle of GG friends is in their 50s and 60s and they do seem to talk a lot about each other's clothes and jewelry. Makeup, not so much.

I would rate your car more as "millennial" than male or female! In the sense that today's millennials are less interested in a car as a status symbol; in fact they are much more likely than my generation to not buy a car at all, but when they need to, they pick something practical, affordable and fuel-efficient.

Darn, I was thinking of it as rather swoopy and sporty! You've burst my bubble!

I will admit that practicality was a huge part of my decision-making process. That car has room for four in comfort (more back-seat room than an Accord!), enough power to satisfy my modest speed lust, and still gets mileage in the high 30s. Still, it's a car that is very popular with women.

And, it has pink license plate frames!

[Brandy Mathews]

April,
I would say that the new volkswagon beetles are known to be more feminine cars, especially with the little flower inside.
Bree