Is crossdressing becoming more "mainstream?"

[ShelbyDawn]

OK, I have been doing quite a bit of browsing/shopping on-line lately specifically looking for bras. I have noticed a dramatic increase in hits for sites that sell feminized men's underwear;i.e. bras for men and panties for men. It occurs to me that the only reason these lines of "clothing" would be available is because of suspected demand and the only reason for that would be that "WE", yes the capital "WE" were perceived to be in the market for it. I mean, who else? My ex is most certainly NOT going to be buying panties with a little extra in front, if you know what I mean...

So I ask you, Is there a movement in society that is making what we do more acceptable, if even ever so slightly and what does this mean for the future?

If business is moving to meet our demands, it must mean something...

I guess a follow up question would be, if you have seen those sites, how do you feel about their products and about shopping there?

It personally makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.

And then the follow up, follow up... If you buy something there, does it still qualify as crossdressing?

I am so confused... :)

Let me know what you think...

:hugs:

Shelby

[alwayshave]

I am not sure that crossdressing is become more mainstream. But marketing is becoming more segmented. Twenty years ago you could not sell to a small market. Now you set up a web site and you can sell only to your target market. It's just like cable TV, twenty five years ago there were maybe 6-7 television stations in any market, now hundreds targeting very specific audiences.

[Karren H]

Not according to my wife it isn't......

[kimdl93]

Yep, totally run of the mill. They're everywhere I tell ya!

[AllieSF]

I think that the internet and the slow probably steady progress of moving forward has greatly enhanced the number of CD's who go beyond the panties, garters. nylons. Now we can Google it, Bing or Yahoo search it and get all kinds of sites, some good and others not so good. We can find forums and chat rooms where we can actually see and chat or communicate with others in our TG spectrum. How many just from this site only have gone from closet dressers to women out in the world, shopping, dining and going to the movies? Mainstream to me means that there are a lot, very many, of us out in the real world. I am not convinced that we are there yet, but someday, probably not in my lifetime we could very well reach that mainstream classification. I sure hope so.

[Mssusan]

I think alwayshave is right. I think there are more opportunities for CD folk to find stuff, but as a whole I think it's still misunderstood, especially the "I dress to relax" aspect. That gave me something to ponder when my SO told me and I started reading.

[RADER]

I can only wish main stream is ready for cross dressers. The brick and mortar
stores might be; if for our money if nothing else. I can accept that, at least we can
go out and spend money like any one else.
Dressing in a dress, wearing a Mustache and walking down main street, No that
just might be a NO-NO. Better days might be coming.
Rader

[Beverley Sims]

Rader,
You said the magic words No, No.
Maybe that is what you use for that beard cover. :)
I believe the device is not high on anybody's recommendation list.

[Chickhe]

First...clear your browser cache, then see if the results are as common as before. And, yes I think society is starting to recognize and accept TG more than before.

[AmyGaleRT]

I do think it's because marketing is able to target CDs both a little more openly and a little more accurately, Shelby. One of the most basic principles of business is to find a need and fill it, and these online stores clearly fill a need!

(Not my needs, though...the only CD-specific items I have are my forms; everything else, I buy products that GGs would wear. It feels more "authentic.")

- Amy

[jennytvx]

I agree, clear the cache. browsers collect search data and provide ads appropriate to the past searches.


First...clear your browser cache, then see if the results are as common as before. And, yes I think society is starting to recognize and accept TG more than before.

[Kate Simmons]

If there is a buck to be made, companies will make it. They don't care who their customers are as long as their money is green. I'm not really sure how much you can rely on demographic information for an honest answer.:)

[Tiffanyselkoe]

I certainly hope so!

[Janet Bern]

I agree that WE are becoming mainstream. Years ago I would never have gone near a womans store for anything with
the feeling that everyone was watching me. Today I shop for my bras panties and clothes in stores and ask to
try on clothes that I am interested in buying. Almost always I am asked if I would like to try them on.

[tina16]

I don't like people to cause a commotion when they see someone dressed but to be honest, if it was 100% acceptable I think I'd quit. There's something about going against the norm and the thrill of pushing the boundaries I guess.

I mean, if high heels and dresses became a acceptable fashion for men, to me it would no longer be crossdressing. I don't want to look like a man, I want to look like a woman.

[NathalieX66]

I've been out in the most mainstream places, dresses and all,, which is where I prefer to be, and to my observation....so far so awesome! Love it! Love it! Love it!

[Elisa Lace]

You also need to take into consideration "selective attention" which is when we start taking into account that which makes more sense to us or is it much more on top of our conscious processes.

A good example for me and a lot of other people I've met is when their girlfriend misses a period. After a while EVERYTHING around you is pregnancy related, from tv ads to acquaintances stories or what not. Period comes, selective attention leaves.

I'm sure it is not all due to that, but I think there is something to it. Crossdressing is still something more "perverted" in the eyes of societies here where I live so I doubt it will turn into something much more mainstream anytime soon.

[sometimes_miss]

If business is moving to meet our demands, it must mean something...
Yes. It means as the economy slows down, merchants expand their target audience to sell their merchandise. There is simply more vendors opening up online sites for us to get female clothing that fits male bodies. So if, say, you would compare your experience from oh, 1975, where you knew of one shop in Manhattan that sold size 15 women's shoes, and now you find 50 sites online, what you are seeing is the one store in each of the 50 states, 49 of which you of course never knew existed until the internet made them available to you.

[MissTee]

Certainly not mainstream where I live. If you use Chrome browser, download the add-on called Ghostery. It will display the trackers loaded by every web page. Some pages render dozens of trackers, and they data they collect from what you look at is used to present advertising targeted at your preferences.

[Lynn Marie]

I personally don't believe any of those claims of women's clothing made for men. I will admit that there's a whole new industry out there making heels in really large sizes either for a whole new generation of women with really big feet or for big men!

Also it's become the thing to do for TG people to get out in public and frequent mainstream restaurant's and other establishments. These brave souls are breaking new ground in establishing acceptance for us all.

[lovetobedani]

I think that with the younger generation may becoming more tolerant but M-F crossdressing is definately not becoming mainstream. Like always acceptable for women to wear male clothing.

[sometimes_miss]

I personally don't believe any of those claims of women's clothing made for men.

https://xdress.com/

Female style clothing, made for the male body. There are other sites as well. Google is your friend. Use it freely.

[Mink]

if it DOES ever become mainstream... all the hipster crossdressers will be angry!

hoho!

[kellieanne85]

I could only dream it would become mainstream.... maybe some day

[Marcelle]

I've been out a few times and plan to go out some more . . . Given the looks I got (I don't pass whatsoever), I don't think we are mainstream yet. An oddity, a peculiarity and something to stare at "yes". I also believe that people are so engrossed with their own lives that most will look, stare, gawk but say little (okay there will be some exceptions). But mainstream . . . perhaps someday, we can only hope.

Hugs

Isha

[Aaron Zwidling]

Depends on the timeframe you are using, but I would definitely say yes if you compare now to thirty years ago. Back then I can't imagine a male going bra shopping being accepted in very many stores, in fact I think most of them would have been quite shocked you would even ask something like that. Nowadays if you are in a reasonably progressive city it doesn't seem that hard to find a store that will take your money, and I've never had any SA be shocked although a few have been surprised. Speaking with the SA's working in those stores all of them I have asked have indicated they have at least a few male regulars that bra shop at their store fairly often.

[Robin777]

It isn't becoming more mainstream for the general public. I doubt we are accepted anymore than we were 30 years ago. but it is becoming acceptable and more mainstream for the retailers who finally figured out there is an untapped revenue stream in crossdressers. Why do you think the major retailers SA's now accept us. They are instructed to do so. They figured out that we spend money. Why do you think Payless puts size charts on their website so we can figure out what size shoe we wear. Now if we could convince everyone else........................

[randeegirl]

I would agree over-all. It seems to be more main stream as many people become more open minded. Still a ways to go but seems to be pointing in a positive direction !

[Ellie52]

I have been out solo on several occasions and nobody said anything derogatory to me. I think people are so self absorbed that unless you trip over them they dont even see you. Another factor is the worry of conflict and confrontation. Most people are happy to steer clear of any confrontation. The only worry is the group mentality where people loose all reason and become animals once they are in a pack.
I have bought skirts and dresses and shoes in male mode, even tried them on in Target, and again - no one cares (not to your face anyway). Just watch out as cameras are everywhere now so you could end up on Youtube or Facebook....Ellie