Sherry, What a thought provoking thread and thank you for posting it! I know for me, at times it may not even take a pair of panties for me to have feminine thoughts and desires. I never consider myself like a women; I don't have the right parts for that. However, shaving my legs, putting on a dress or heels, directly connects with me my feminine side, which is always there and is NOT a bad thing. Both the masculine and feminine side make me who I am, and I'm OK with that!
Women's brains are wired differently, they have an entirely different set of hormones & other chemicals floating through their bodies and they are the product of being raised as females through childhood, puberty, marriage, sex & child bearing. There is no way I could ever feel like a woman. However, I do feel more "feminine" when dressed and sometimes, like Sandi, feel beautiful and sexy as well.
There are occasions where you can experience the same emotion as a female (for example, that feeling of relief when you get in your car & lock the door after a creep has been following you) but that's it.
It's taken me several decades, to even begin to understand what it feels like to be a woman. I'm in a particular environment, where I work with mostly women, and get to be a 'fly on the wall', and listen to their expressed opinions and feelings.Quote:
Originally Posted by docrobbysherry
So in addition to reading so many women's posts on the forums such as reddit and the women's magazines website forums, it does give me much insight to how women feel going about their daily lives.
Sure, a lot seems to be trivial thoughts and worries, but OTOH, there is still a lot which tells me just how much their life experiences are different from our own.
In our own defense, a lot is women's conjecture on what we're thinking, when in reality we aren't thinking of anything at all.
I believe that many of their worries are sometimes 'all in the mind'; as they wonder what we 'might be thinking', and then going off on a wild supposition about what one thought, might have been expanded into, sometimes resulting in some sort of adulterous imaginary affair, from a non existent flirt that happened just once (I experienced this, when a woman from school gave me a lift from school to home, when my car was in the shop; it inspired my wife to think that I was having an a affair, all from one single ride home from school, as she sat at home, waiting for me go get home).
But it all helped me understand, how insecure women are, when it comes to whether her mate may wander to another woman's life. After all, when the seven year itch arrives, both men and women feel it, and so it's no surprise that so many women worry about losing their mate to another woman.
I think if you search deep down you will realize there's a whole lot it takes to be a woman. What they go through emotionally and physically and every other way is something we will never truly understand. So can we really say we feel like a woman? I think we can but in reality it's just little Snippets of what women might go through but maybe not actual realization of what it takes everyday on a daily basis to get by.
I've heard this said many times before, and by many different people - but this time, I figure I'll say something:
Having been with women who have either chosen not to, or were unable to have babies, I tend to find this argument degrading and insulting - TO WOMEN!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephanie47
Is a woman who hasn't given birth (for whatever reason) somehow to be viewed as "not really" a full-fledged woman?
Ridiculous! Being a woman is so much more than just being a baby-maker.
I agree Sara. I think the ability to have a baby is actually talking about reproductive biology and not gender traits. It is a throwback to the sex=gender kind of thinking. You can also turn this around. Transmen can't produce and deliver sperm either, so one can't really say a woman who "feels like a man" does not make her a man because she cannot do the sperm deliver thingy. That's nonsense. Transmen say much the same thing transwomen say. "I feel like a -----" is the only way to comprehensibly communicate ones inner sensations of identity. It should not be taken literally.
Of course the sexes are different, but most of those differences are simply biology. As for differences in hormones, that is an interesting one. Hormones clearly affect behavior because they act on the brain as well as much of the rest of the body. But the lion's share of that action is to establish the proper environment for reproduction and not a desire to wear a garment that is more like a dress and grow long, styled hair or wear decorations. Much of what we do in our daily lives that are different between men and women comes from social customs. In biology, behavior is usually not related to one's sex but rather social customs. That is most of what is called gender. Biology takes care of sustaining life, the meat and potatoes of survival, but gender differentiation in a social environment involves interaction between individuals that may or may not be of the same sex. We don't need gender for a male and female to have sex, but parts of gender can provide the emotional attraction and some degree of bonding between males and females so if a little one comes along they can work together to care for that which they have produced.
All i can add is the fact that I don't feel the least bit like a man waltzing about in silky Panties, lacy bras, stockings, in a Vanity Fair full slip and heels !
Great thread. For myself, I am mostly with Deborah on this one. We all have different contexts, and our words mean different things depending on our context. So yes our shortcut phrase ?feel like a woman? has different meanings for each of us. . . . vale
That doesn't make you a woman, either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbiegirl
Proof of my earlier statement.
Mulling over this question, I tried to think of an experience that could conceivably be truly identical for both genders.
Many things I do give me a wonderful feminine feeling. I don't know that it's "I feel like a woman" as I have no reference point to say that.
I do know that on the flip side there are many times that I don't "feel like a man".
I used to read about strange, "men prancing about in ladies clothes", in vanilla journals and newspapers long before it ever occurred to me to try on ladies things myself, Robbie. And, I wondered why any man would do that?:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbiegirl
Now, altho I've been dressing and looking at myself in the mirror for 25 years, I've never felt the urge to prance around in women's things. Possibly because that sounds immature and I strive to look like a woman, not a child?
I do dance in the mirror to try and improve my moves when I'm out.:daydreaming:
But, simply prancing around for trancing's sake is not for me!:o
this reply prompted my sharing in post #20Quote:
Originally Posted by JulieC
after further thought "feelings"....when GG customers compliment me on my fashion choices at the shop i volunteer @ the camaraderie i have when i show them recently donated items i feel i have a connection i never experience as a man?..
when we share how some items make us feel when we wear them....ive explained that sometimes we dont wear some items?. those items wear us....
so a man does not think how would that flounce skirt feel like on me..... they surely take pride in how they dress and would like a compliment, be disappointed if something that caught theyre eye was not available in the size they needed, if the same GG complimented the way they are dressed would bring a different feeling from such a disclosure....the style of mens clothing compared to the choices the women's dept has.....the previously mentioned flounce skirt....palazzo pants.... of long flowing skirts....simple feelings in dressing....being included with a compliment of clothing choices....something men dont partake in?.
1978-1985 walking the local mall looking in the female store displays dresses tops SHOES displayed for folks to ponder purchasing?. i was one of them?.feelings of a need to fulfill.
im sure the boys noticed my interests peering through the store windows.
i needed to try them on and once i did i longed to don them again and again but quelled the feeling as i concentrated on my girlfriend/fianc?/wife/marriage/birth of our son?.that was when the quilt really kicked in as it was then that this need became stronger and stronger.
so it was always feelings, so maybe to ?feel like a women??.even yesterday i had those feelings
back to 78-85?.never had conversations with the boys, how does it feel wearing those designer jeans, wow these platform shoes made me feel sexy at prom?.never had a conversation about designing an outfit, those polka dot heels are to die for, i just had to have them and they really popped with my blue a-line dress. feelings that far back?.
hey boys these baseball pants really make me feel macho on the field, i feel like i can hit homers all day?not.
all my male shoes are black?.my female looks are all over the place.
my interests are my interests either way?.i think i enjoy some more when im in the female environment, never really thought about that. i know most of this is about clothing but that was easier to convey?.current events discussions, movies, internet posts when discussed im always with the women in the room?.intent on listening to they?re talks on hair, fashion, makeup, anything in general,?sometime looking like i have no interest but hanging on every word.
feelings, feelings of thoughts, feelings of tactile observations of fabrics, flow of fabrics.
differences of shoes and heights of the heels, really into boots this year, higher the better.
sharing the experiences of these things with others, there seems to be more to discuss about things in general with ladies when given the chance to participate with them and be absorbed into these discussions?..feeling included?.so im going with feelings?..