No reaction to my manicured nails

My wife and I are going to Las Vegas after Memorial Day. There will be a few shows and dinners where we?ll be dressed up in fancy feminine finery so I booked a mani pedi on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. I made the appointment a month ago, but two days before the mani pedi some friends of ours invited us to dinner to celebrate the wife?s birthday, dinner would be just after my mani pedi. I discussed it with my wife the fact that if we go, I?ll have long red nails which would likely start a discussion and go down the rabbit hole of my crossdressing. She said she?s fine with that and I agree, we think our friends would have no problem with it.

We go out to dinner and I?m in male clothes, and our three friends who have no idea I?m a crossdresser make no comments about my nails. I wasn?t hiding them, I had to drink and eat my food, etc. My nails were not subtle or could be missed, they are deep red and extend well beyond my fingertips. Nothing, not even a passing ?Nice nails? comment.

Seeing our friends was lovely, we chatted and had dinner and drinks for about 2 hours. Maybe they were too polite to bring it up, or maybe they truly paid no mind to it. I just thought it was a little strange that it never came up.

perhaps you were not as stealth as you thought you were and they had an instinct that you were a CD....Friday was just the confirmation.

i think it was weird that no one made a comment if this was not the norm....now we will see how kool with it they are.

enjoy your time in vegas....

Rebecca - Since they were friends and did not know you were a CD, my guess is that they didn't know what to say. I'm sure they noticed if it was as obvious as you describe, and I can hear the mental voice that was going on in their minds, and maybe even aloud if you weren't around . ("Wow!" Did you see those nails?! Do you think he's a crossdresser? Should we say something? I don't know what to say!") In all likelihood they are cool with all of it, if they weren't you'd have heard that right away... you just caught them off guard, and the fact that you didn't mention it either added to the surprise, and the muted response.

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Maybe they were too polite to bring it up, or maybe they truly paid no mind to it.

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Probably one of these two reasons. You know your friends better than we do. They sound very nice and were having a good time. Painted nails on men are more and more common these days.

Obviously, you wanted them to notice. Maybe you could have just said, "how do you like my nails?"

I wear bright red nail polish all the time in male mode. Mostly nobody pays the slightest attention. Occasionally a woman will tell me she loves my nails. The first time my doctor saw my painted toenails he reacted with surprise, but since then I’ve gotten him well trained. He’s also seen me with painted fingernails. His nurse told me she loved my nails.-

The fact is, nail polish makes my hands look good. And that’s true whether I’m en femme or in drab.

I'm guessing that your friends were waiting for you to bring it up. If the nails are as obvious as you say then they certainly spotted them. Their discussion later that night after they went home was probably along the lines of "did you see his nails?", "wonder what that's all about?", "Do you think he could be trans?".

Why not get out ahead of this and tell them outright? Or perhaps wait until you get back from LV and show them the pictures from the event as you explain.

The 'test' will be how soon they come round again, or want to go out to dinner with you again. I'm guessing it isn't an issue for them.

I don’t think they had a problem with it, it just didn’t come up. Otherwise the conversation was very normal and comfortable. I’m sure we’ll see them again but it had been a year, they didn’t get out much with Covid being a thing.

As far as me bringing it up, I try not to force the issue of my dressing into the conversation. Yes, it’s a little odd given I did have the long red nails, but that was just random timing, not me forcing my dressing into the open. But I’m happy to discuss it, or not, if that’s where the path of the conversation turns.

I am sure your friends noticed, and I am sure they are both lovely and not bothered. I am sure they talked about it later and realize you are just being who you always have been.vvvIt does, tho seem almost a matter of time til you and your wife may choose to reintroduce you as Rebecca. My guess is they will respond like a friend of mine, who observed, you are the same person, just with nicer clothes!

But I forgot to say, have a great trip to Vegas!!! Sounds wonderful!

In the past have you exhibited other things about yourself that may be perceived as feminine? In other words, do you have a feminine hairstyle, carry a purse, etc? If yes, then they already knew and hence the reason that there was no comments.

They definitely noticed and were definitely talking about it on the way home.

Many people of both sexes wear polish these days .. I like it on my guys actually.
Your friends may have just seen it as none of their business ...most people outside of dressing that have any manners are going to see that as your private business.

I completely agree with Dutchess's response. Even GQ magazine has had articles about men wearing all colors of nail polish.

Sounds like you have polite friends! Honestly though, I probably wouldn?t have said anything either. Maybe a compliment, but only after somebody else brought it up. Nowadays, painted nails on guys is not a big deal. I see it quite often when I go shopping. I am growing mine out with the idea of painting, or at least polishing them myself. I just think it?s a cool look!