Ceera
10-12-2015, 01:58 PM
Last weekend my daughter and I were at a large mall together, doing mall walking and some shopping. I was 'in male mode' - t-shirt and jeans and running shoes - but carrying my purse and I had my nails done in clear polish, and the jeans I was wearing were ladies jeans (though they could pretty much pass for male jeans, as they don't have any particularly feminine decorations). Our last stop was at Macys, where I wanted to get a new silver-toned watch to wear as Ceera.
We went to the jewelry department and looked at the displays of the less-expensive women's watches. I was clearly the one selecting what to look at, and asking my daughter for her opinions on several of them. A female sales associate stopped by and asked if we needed any help. I automatically replied that we were fine, but something about her voice made me look up at her. The SA who had spoken to me was clearly, to my eye at least, transgender! She looked a little nervous and uncomfortable, but was nicely dressed in a black dress and black stockings and black flats, just like the GG sales associate who was also working the department. I smiled at her, and before she left she said she would be nearby if I needed anything. As she departed I noted several 'tells'. Her voice was too high a falsetto. Her arms and hands looked quite masculine. She was taller than I am. And when I looked at her face, she had fairly masculine facial features, and had sideburns that were much too long for a GG. Not huge or bushy, by any means, but growing lower in front of her ears than they do on a GG. She went back to work, and I noted that her female coworker, who was restocking some displays, seemed quite at ease with her. That was quite nice to see. I felt rather proud of the girl, working openly in a very high-profile location in the store, where she would deal with lots of GG's every day. And it was nice to see that a big store like Macy's clearly had no issues with her working en-femme.
I selected a cute silver charm bracelet watch, and went to pay for it. The GG sales associate was closer to me, but still occupied with stocking. She asked if I was ready to check out, and then asked the TG girl if she would like to ring up my purchase.
I completed my transaction with the TG girl, quietly confirming my evaluation to be certain I was not mistaken, without staring or commenting to her, as I got my credit card out of my purse and put it back when done. If there had been any doubt left, her name tag would have cinched it. The name was a male name, though in a diminutive form ending in 'ie', which could also be female. I debated whether or not to say anything to her, but decided in favor of it. So just before I left, I paused, got out one of Ceera's calling cards, which has a picture of me in female mode on it, and gave it to her, saying, "By the way, it's nice to meet a 'sister'. That's me, on the card." She looked at the card, then back at me, and said, "OH! Thank you!" and smiled. She seemed to stand a little straighter and become more at ease. I hadn't criticized her presentation or detailed how I knew, other than by my own admission that I do it too. We just smiled at each other a moment, and then I turned and my daughter and I left.
As we left the mall and walked through the parking lot to my car, my daughter quietly commented that she hadn't even noticed the SA was trans, until I made the quiet comment about 'a sister'. But once that had been said, she realized I was right.
We went to the jewelry department and looked at the displays of the less-expensive women's watches. I was clearly the one selecting what to look at, and asking my daughter for her opinions on several of them. A female sales associate stopped by and asked if we needed any help. I automatically replied that we were fine, but something about her voice made me look up at her. The SA who had spoken to me was clearly, to my eye at least, transgender! She looked a little nervous and uncomfortable, but was nicely dressed in a black dress and black stockings and black flats, just like the GG sales associate who was also working the department. I smiled at her, and before she left she said she would be nearby if I needed anything. As she departed I noted several 'tells'. Her voice was too high a falsetto. Her arms and hands looked quite masculine. She was taller than I am. And when I looked at her face, she had fairly masculine facial features, and had sideburns that were much too long for a GG. Not huge or bushy, by any means, but growing lower in front of her ears than they do on a GG. She went back to work, and I noted that her female coworker, who was restocking some displays, seemed quite at ease with her. That was quite nice to see. I felt rather proud of the girl, working openly in a very high-profile location in the store, where she would deal with lots of GG's every day. And it was nice to see that a big store like Macy's clearly had no issues with her working en-femme.
I selected a cute silver charm bracelet watch, and went to pay for it. The GG sales associate was closer to me, but still occupied with stocking. She asked if I was ready to check out, and then asked the TG girl if she would like to ring up my purchase.
I completed my transaction with the TG girl, quietly confirming my evaluation to be certain I was not mistaken, without staring or commenting to her, as I got my credit card out of my purse and put it back when done. If there had been any doubt left, her name tag would have cinched it. The name was a male name, though in a diminutive form ending in 'ie', which could also be female. I debated whether or not to say anything to her, but decided in favor of it. So just before I left, I paused, got out one of Ceera's calling cards, which has a picture of me in female mode on it, and gave it to her, saying, "By the way, it's nice to meet a 'sister'. That's me, on the card." She looked at the card, then back at me, and said, "OH! Thank you!" and smiled. She seemed to stand a little straighter and become more at ease. I hadn't criticized her presentation or detailed how I knew, other than by my own admission that I do it too. We just smiled at each other a moment, and then I turned and my daughter and I left.
As we left the mall and walked through the parking lot to my car, my daughter quietly commented that she hadn't even noticed the SA was trans, until I made the quiet comment about 'a sister'. But once that had been said, she realized I was right.