propagation of stereotypes

[Cynthia_0101]

My wife asked me a question today. Who has it harder growing up, girls or boys?

Girls was my answer. Looking around I see all the stereotypes girls have to try and fit into and to be. Thin and pretty seem to be the 2 major ones shown in advertising and most likely only represent 1% of the population.

And to pound this into girls heads even more we have bands like Brittany Spears, Girlicious and others who show girls how to empower them selves but wearing as little amount of clothes as possible. In my opinion pushing them away from the path they should be on.

I have a daughter myself and would rather she listened to Swedish death metal or something filled with profanity before either of the 2 I mentioned.

How does this affect us as crossdressers? Some of here seem to be propagating these stereotypes such as women should always wear makeup, dresses, heels and look like they just stepped out of the beauty salon.

Respect the woman of today for what there peers fought for, Equality and the respect they deserve as humans.

Remember 90% of what women are “supposed” to look like is what the media wants you to see.

My 2 cents

Cynthia

[Chloe Renee]

:thumbsup: for what its worth I agree. You've hit the nail on the head that some of the Fab's and GG's have been rightfully complaining of. For feeling to be outsiders we as a group seem to like to throw stones.

However the other CD stereotype bothers me more though.. Weird transvestite, where I feel I'm more of the executive type..

[docrobbysherry]

Hits me rite where I live! Hung up on the stereotypical beauties I watched in the movies as a kid. It affects, and has always affected, the way I think of women, my dates, the way I look at myself dressed, and concerns about my daughter!

I hate that I've always been so hung up on female "looks". Including, and especially me, when I CD. It's shallow, judgemental, and de-humanising, to consider a woman's attractiveness as the primary thing u notice about her.:Angry3:

On the other hand, it's how I think. And just because I want to be different, doesn't mean I can change, just because I wish to! :doh:

[battybattybats]

Considering the crap I went through as a kid I'd say anyone who does not fit conformist sexist stereotypes.

I heard recently that eating disorders amongst men and boys are reported as being substantially on the rise so we can't ignore the effects of body image presentation in the media on boys either.

Not being interested in sport and cars as a boy at least in my generation equalled being subject to physical violence.

I wouldn't call that easy either.

I think that life is easier depending on how close you fit sexist stereotypes for both boys and for girls, harder the more different you are.

[mykhelee]

When I am hanging out at home I usually don't wear much besides lipstick and maybe a little powder. When I'm going out..I just feel that whether in drab or dressed I want to look my best. If that means full on make up..so be it. I strive for the classic fem look and as long as I can pull it off I will.

[Elizabeth Ann]

Yes, girls have it tougher than boys, and not just about the differing standards of beauty. Many of the "masculine" and the "feminine" traits we identify are socialized into boys and girls.

I will never forget a discussion years ago with my wife about the feminist movement. I stated that I didn't understand why women were not more radicalized than they are.

My wife responded that I didn't understand, "because you weren't raised as a woman."

Elizabeth

[Sammy777]

I have a daughter myself and would rather she listened to Swedish death metal or something filled with profanity before either of the 2 I mentioned.

How does this affect us as crossdressers? Some of here seem to be propagating these stereotypes such as women should always wear makeup, dresses, heels and look like they just stepped out of the beauty salon.
Cynthia

You make Swedish death metal sound like a bad thing, lol. J/K

I do have to disagree, somewhat, with your 2nd statement.
Yes, we tend to overly [more then GGs currently do] like dresses, stockings, heels, ect & that has been discussed on here a lot.
But I have seen a lot of others on here who go out dressed & do it in more of the current casual way that GG dress day to day.

As far as always wearing makeup, well that, for us, is more of a necessity then anything else. And yes there are some who might over do it, but that doesn't seem to be the case for the ones on here that venture out into the world part or full time.

I would be willing to bet that a lot of us here would give our left ..... to be able to look good & go out el-natural.

I personally happen to like the natural little/no makeup look on most GGs.
For me anyway, Sexy doesn't come from just makeup & a miniskirt, lol.

Yes just about every GG looks great all decked out, but that doesn't mean sexy can't come from jeans and nice top either.

[Byllie]

I, for one, prefer to wear comfortable clothing and a minimum of make-up. I agree with an earlier post that many of us wear a lot of make-up to hide beards and such. But why? If you wear make-up and the beard shows through, does mean you're not as feminine? Does it really matter? Isn't this all about expressing our feminine components on the outside, a part of us that' already there?

When my wife finally found out I was a CD, she said that it made a lot of sense, that it was the feminine aspects in my personality that had attracted her. No, she wasn't being a lesbian. Rather, she was attracted to the blend of the masculine and the feminine I exhibited. She too has a similar blend in her.

I often attend meetings of a local TG group, wearing comfy clothes (I adore skirts), a bit of makeup and my beard, a full beard. A member has confided in me that she cannot understand I could feel comfortable wearing makeup *and* a beard.

I ask, why not? Women from some cultures have considerable facial hair, yet they wear makeup and feel and act extremely feminine. Men from some cultures can never truly have facial hair yet feel quite masculine.

My point is, it's not what's on the outside that matters in the end. What we see is but a shell, and the true person is in the inside. If we allow it, our true selves will show through no matter what we place on the outside.

So yes, some TGs do overdress, while others do not. The same could be said for GGs. Let's simply learn to appreciate the diversity rather than create or focus on more stereotypes.

[Ballerina]

Ya know, that's why I have this little voice inside me that feels like I'm offending women by crossdressing and wanting to wear make-up and the sorts.. I want to be that girl with the pretty face and is beautiful. But, I guess it's more of, I just want to show my inner true self on the outside. Yes, I am more masculine than feminine, but I do want to show my femininity on the outside and how wonderous it is.

Not only that, but I look at the girl that I have chosen to take my heart, and she never wears any make-up or pretty dresses. I don't just love her for her looks, I love her for her strengths as a woman and how beautiful on the inside that she really is.