I recently saw the post in the clothing section titled "Looking Feminine vs. Looking like a Woman." It brought up many interesting points about the way we want to look when we dress.
Most everyone stated that they would rather appear and look as a woman than to look feminine. Which if this is the case, are we merely cross-dressing, or crossing genders? There is a difference, and a larger population of this community dress to appear as women, not dress as men in feminine attire. We add secondary gender characteristics into the way we dress by adding hip, buttox and breast enhancements, while removing others such as facial and body hair. We emulate the socially constructed female ideas of mannerisms as well.
If we were merely cross-dressing, wouldn't wearing socially designated female clothing, hair styles and adding make-up, while keeping our male gender characteristics and mannerisms be truly cross-dressing?
If the social norm for women were to wear khaki's, button downs, and loafers while dresses, skirts, lingerie and heels were never made into fashion, would we be dressing in kahki's, button downs and loafers while adding the secondary gender characteristics as well?
In the middle east, where women are expected to cover their faces and wear long garments, do the male crossdressers wear western societies thoughts of what women should wear or do they dress in the head wear and the long body covering garments while them too adding the secondary gender characteristics?
If it were deemed acceptable by society for men to wear make-up, heels, dresses and skirts, blouses, remove our body hair, have long styled hair all while keeping the cuts tailored for male bodies, would we still be adding breast forms and bras, buttox, and hip forms?
Are we emulating the female form because we admire their beauty both inside and outside or because we are men that want to be free from society's constructs of being able to be free to wear whatever we want?
If society to begin with had reversed it's gender roles, where men and masculinity were considerable beautiful would we find more females that wanted to emulate males while less males emulating females? Today we see genetic females wearing male type clothing often. They will often wear jeans, t-shirt and even male or gender neutral shoes or sneakers such as chuck-taylors. They don't try to hide their secondary female characteristics though, or present masculine characteristics either.
In our little community here, the genetically born females that do hide their secondary gender characteristics are Trans-Men. I have yet to see a post started by a genetically born female that presents in a pretty feminine attire the vast majority of the time, but on occasion likes to dress in a suit and tie, hide their own secondary gender characteristics, and add male characteristics.
What are we actually doing by dressing in female attire while adding female elements that have nothing to clothes? Are we imitating (which is the most sincere form of flattery). Do we want to the choice to go between genders? Are we cross-dressing or crossing between genders? If you have no desire to be a woman, what is it about adding and subtracting the secondary gender characteristics that makes you feel complete when dressed?
I'd like to know everyone's thoughts and expand upon some of these ideas.
*Please note that I'm not trying to get into a labeling thread, or accuse anyone of being anything but what they say they are.
Originally Posted by Lorileah
Vivian
