Previously I have been to Tri Ess meetings, at TG friendly places and to the movies twice. Each time accompanied by my wife. Both times the movie theater was empty and my wife interacted with everyone. My wife is out of town for the week so I decided that I would spend the weekend en femme and go out into the real world.
On Friday morning I got a makeover from the same makeup artist who did my makeup the first time that I ever went out. I figured that it would give me a confidence boost if she could recreate what she did the last time. The makeover lasted about two hours and she didn’t disappoint. She only works with crossdressers and does a great job, so if you are in the Phoenix area, PM me and I will give you her information.
Once the makeover was completed I met susanwill49 for lunch at Black Angus. I have chatted with Susan on the forum but this was the first time meeting her in person, and would be my first time in a restaurant, needing to interact with the public. Susan is a wonderful lady and I had a great time. She was very well put together and wearing a very pretty dress. She told me that she goes out all the time and has never had a bad experience, and after meeting with her I can see why. She is 100% lady. Susan really made me feel comfortable, although I was very self-conscious of my voice and was talking too quiet. Sorry Susan, I will be louder next time. Susan explained that most people don’t notice, or don’t care. This is something that became more obvious as the weekend progressed. I was nervous interacting with the waitress and tried to use a more feminine voice, which I had been practicing all the way to the restaurant. My voice didn’t sound feminine but the waitress didn’t act any different than if I had been GG. This is hopefully the start of a great new friendship and I plan on meeting Susan many more times in the future. Thank you Susan!
I had scheduled a manicure/pedicure following lunch but had about thirty minutes to kill. Susan told me of a Dillard’s outlet next to the store so I went to the store and walked around, browsing. I was still nervous but feeling a little better following the restaurant experience and no one gave any indication that I had been read.
I had made the nail salon appointment a few days prior and asked on the phone if they had a problem with a crossdresser. The girl taking the appointment said “not at all,” in a friendly but surprised reaction as though she didn’t understand why I would need to ask. I arrived at the salon full of confidence from how my day was going and told the young girl at the desk that I had a 3PM appointment. She said “yes you do Stephanie” in a very friendly manner and asked me to have a seat. I took a seat as my confidence deflated. She could have at least pretended that she didn’t realize that I was the crossdresser. I sat in the waiting area of the large, busy salon with several other women. Not one of them gave me a second look. The nail tech, a young girl in her 20’s named Brenna, came and got me after about 15 minutes and apologized for the wait. She took me to any area for me to pick out a color polish and I asked her for any suggestions. She showed me some of her favorites and I picked out a pearly red color. She was friendly but at first didn’t talk much. I thought that she may not know what to say so I decided the break the ice and asked her if they got many crossdressers. She said no, their customers were mainly old people. After that we had a very good conversation, and she was surprised that crossdressers would have any trouble going out. She said that she didn’t know that going out would have been an issue and that there would be unaccepting people. Brenna told me that she and the girl who took the appointment had talked and were both surprised that I would have felt the need to ask if crossdressers were welcome. Maybe it is a generational thing? After my pedicure, Brenna walked me over to another area to do my manicure. I have been letting my nails grow long for a few weeks, in anticipation for the day. She commented on how long my nails were and asked if I wanted them rounded or squared. I went with rounded as she said that it was more feminine looking. She also commented that I have feminine hands and feet, and that most males have fat, flat nails. Brenna made me feel very comfortable and it was a great experience.
I was meeting with a friend named MaryAnn, who I know from Tri Ess, at her house for dinner, but I needed to use the restroom and MaryAnn wasn’t home from work yet. I felt that I could probably pass OK, except for my voice, so I found a Target and went to the restroom. No one was inside but just as I sat down in the stall, there was a loud knock on the door and a male yelled into the restroom asking if anyone was in there. It was an employee wanting to clean it. I responded in a shrill voice “yes’ that probably sounded like Mickey Mouse. Following dinner I met up with another lady I know from the Tri Ess group. She introduced me to three other girls and we went to a TG friendly bar. It was a very fun evening and I made some new friends.
On Saturday morning I got up after only four hours sleep, got ready in a fraction of the time I usually spend, and raced to an appointment with my counselor. She has seen me dressed in the past. I had plans to go out with MaryAnn that evening but didn’t have anything planned for the day. I talked to Sam who I had met the previous evening and she had told me that she would be happy to go out with me if I wanted the company. Sam wasn’t going to be ready for a couple of hours so I decided to eat and then go to a DSW. I wasn’t confident about going inside a restaurant on my own so I went through the drive through at McDonald’s. I practiced ordering in my best feminine voice and placed an order for Chicken McNuggets. The male on the other side of the microphone asked “sir, do you want the 10 or 20 piece?” I tried again in my female voice and asked for the 10 piece and he replied with “your order will be up at the first window sir.” He did appear surprised when I pulled up and paid for my food.
I went into DSW and was like a kid in a candy store. I spent a long time in the clearance section trying on shoes, amongst several other women, and some board husbands. I was again feeling more confident until a customer asked me if I was just looking at wedges or if I was also interested in other shoes. Still being very conscious of my male voice, I quietly replied “both” trying to sound female. She continued that her husband said that these shoes were very stylish and showed me a pair of heels. She added that they were very comfortable and that should try them on. My mind started racing…there were several other ladies in the area so why did she single me out? Does she know that I am a crossdresser? Her husband thinks that they are stylish…is he a crossdresser? How do I hold a conversation with her without outing myself to the other women in the area? I took the shoes, thanked her, and tried them on. She asked me how I liked them and I told her that they were nice. She was being very friendly and trying to have a conversation with me and I was responding in one word answers. I felt rude so to compensate I started excessively smiling. I probably appeared like I had a mental illness.
Sam arrived and we headed to JC Penney’s. Sam passes very easily in both looks and voice and immediately started looking and grabbing things to try on, encouraging me to do the same. I found a jean mini skirt (I have always wanted one) and I also selected a leather skirt on the next rack (why not) and a couple of tops. I wasn’t sure of my size so I grabbed each skirt in both sizes. Sam and I then headed to the dressing room. This was my first time trying on clothes at a store and I was excited, until we reached the dressing rooms and I saw the large gathering on women in the area. As I walked in I was waiting for the screams that there is a man in there but they never happened. I tried on the skirts and found that both sizes were too big, so I headed out for a smaller size. I was becoming more confident by the second, as I realized that no one had noticed me. I decided to buy the jean skirt and we headed to the cashier. The purchase was uneventful and the sales associate gave no indication that she had read me.
Sam and I then went to Starbucks and again, the sales person gave no indication that she read me, or just didn’t care. We sat in Starbucks and had a good talk. Another TG friendship in the making.
Sam and I parted company and I had a little time before I was going to meet MaryAnn, so I went to Wal-Mart and purchased a bracelet and a clutch purse. I then met MaryAnn and her girlfriend Beth, at MaryAnn’s house. There I reapplied my makeup and changed into the skirt.
MaryAnn, Beth and I went to a local restaurant for dinner in downtown Phoenix, and then headed to a LGBT friendly bar. After a drink, we went to another place and got ice-cream, before heading back to MaryAnn’s. It was a fun evening. I then headed home but first stopped at a Wal-Mart to pick up some more makeup remover. When it was my turn in line, the manager came over to do a switch the register draw, so I was now standing at the register, conversing with the cashier, while the manager was working. There were several other people in line, and I realized that this situation would have sent me running from the store two days earlier.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do anything on Sunday. I had a great weekend and realized that my fears of going out in public were mostly unfounded. As Susan had told me the day before, people either don’t notice or don’t care. I plan on doing this a lot more often.
