Following is a post written for my blog tomorrow. I felt it was worthy of a wider audience.
I just returned from my 35th college reunion. It was a wonderful weekend, no real stories relative to the subject matter for this website. But allow me to make two points from my experiences this weekend.
My last reunion was five years ago. I was overweight, covered with hair and had a cheesy mustache. Fast forward five years. I am close to 40 pounds thinner, mustache a distant memory and all of my body hair has been removed. When looking at pictures from both reunions, the change is striking. Do you know how many people suspected I am a crossdresser? No one. Do you know how many mentioned the hairlessness (they all commented, positively, on my weight loss). No one. And understand, we are not polite people. We love each other dearly, but are ruthless in how we give each other s**t (sorry, it's just the right word). We treat each other more like brothers and sisters than friends (even all these years later). I've read frequently about fellow CDers who shave their legs only in the winter in fear of being outed when wearing shorts in the summer. Unless this is a request of one's spouse, it baffles me why this is an issue. I speak from significant direct experience and an understanding that men do indeed, remove body hair. I have shared a room with an old roommate, hairless. I have frequently been to a friend's pool, in just my trunks, hairless. I have utilized locker rooms at the gym, hairless. All complete nonissues. No one said a word or treated me any differently.
Always be smart, but don't overthink it.
A few weeks ago, I was working the science center information desk when an old college friend of mine came to the desk with a question. Now we are not friends in the context of keeping in direct contact with each other. But if we were to run into each other, an extensive, warm conversation would ensue. She didn't flinch in terms of speaking with a man in a dress and she had no clue it was me. This past weekend, when we first saw each other, we immediately greeted each other with a hug and caught up. The point, she had no idea who I was that day at the information desk (and believe me, it would have come up if she knew), nor did she care that I was who I was at the time.
Always be smart, but don't overthink it.