Costume crossdressing?

[Ceera]

The attached pic is me, this weekend, near the end of four days and three nights at an Society for Creative Anachronism event. This was my first time ever going to an SCA event as a woman, and I spent about half the time en-femme. It was a real challenge getting my makeup on while in a tent, with only sunlight filtering through the roof of the tent for light, and a small mirror propped up on a folding table!

My female persona and character of "Meridith McMahon" was well received and only a few people reacted as if they realized I wasn't a genetic girl.

One who 'caught me' was a lesbian lady whose former lover had started a transition from female to male, and who also coordinates LGBTQ activities for the company she works for, so she was familiar with trans people and their tells. She loved how I looked, and wanted me to join a group she was coordinating for a nearby town's Pride celebration.

Another was a boy who was perhaps eight, who came sidling up beside me from behind as I was walking through the event grounds, and said, "Are... are you... My mom says you're a lady, but your voice is kinda deep?" Apparently he had overheard me in an unguarded moment where my female voice wasn't as well controlled as I might like, or perhaps he heard me in male mode and didn't notice differences in hair or figure because of a cloak and hood I was wearing, which I had worn in both modes... Without breaking stride, I just smiled down at him and calmly replied, "Well, some ladies do have deeper voices. Don't let it worry you." He scurried off, believing his mom was right.

The last one who at least suspected my real gender before he was told the truth was a fellow who knew both my daughter and I, as well as our dog (which is a very distinctive purebred - The only one vaguely like his breed in the area). I went to the archery range en-femme, with the dog on leash, to make sure my daughter had eaten lunch and been drinking enough water. This fellow was right next to her and loved on our dog as I talked to my daughter, acting like a concerned adult family member. As I left, he asked my daughter if that had been 'me', and she admitted to him, "Yeah, that's my dad, doing a female character." I asked him later what he thought of "Meridith", and he replied that I did the character extremely well, and that he thought I was quite believable. Only the combination of the dog and my 'parental concern' for my daughter, and the similarity in voice had tipped him off.

The 'official story' we tell people is that "Meridith" is my male side's female cousin, and that because of the age difference, my daughter calls her second-cousin "Auntie". This explains the 'family resemblance' between my male and female characters as well as why 'she' is in our tents and walking our dog. And several people who know my male side quite well accepted that explanation for who Meridith is.