We're in London for two weeks and I have been out among hordes of people all day- thousands of locals and tourists from around the world. My observation here is that >95% women now wear pants, or some version of leggings, and distinguish themselves from men with feminine cut pants and blouses, hair styles and shoes. Dresses and skirts are so few and far between- barely 5%- that it looks like a vanishing style.
Of those in skirts or dresses, 99 % with black tights and very ordinary dresses- plain and not particularly feminine or fetching. in 2 weeks, I've only seen 5/5000 women dressed like I would like to be.
I also notice no one is really paying any attention to each other. I saw a few MIADs, and they drew no more or less attention that anyone else in the mass of people. I saw a few good passing CDs, middle aged, but again, just part of the cast of characters in the world.
This is what I experience in San Francisco, too, and I am sure it is true in most big cities. It is also what I experience in my own suburb. I think people mostly just are concerned with so many things about staying alive and trying to get by that what others are wearing just doesn't rate much attention.
The good news is that we can go out and dress as we please, and it will be ordinary. I totally enjoy the pleasures of wearing women's clothes out in the world, and getting no reaction is just fine with me. It is the embodiment of the world I want- that people who like dresses can wear dresses and those that don't really like to don't care. There are already women in dresses who are more masculine or feminine, so being detectable as a man really is nothing new either.
My experience is that seeing MIADs and anyone mixing gender requires just a slightly longer process of classification as man or woman, or trans^something, and then people know what they most commonly want to know. If you are not seeking a mate, it really has no consequence, anyway!
The bad news is that the frivolity and flirtiness and feature-rich look of dresses is fast disappearing as women take steps to eliminate the dress codes that disempowered them in various ways. Women don't want to attract sexual attention because it is a lot less safe than we all thought. Granted, there is still a desire to enjoy dresses for shopping and lunch days out, or dinner parties, [and clubbing for sure] so our desire to wear dresses is at least going to be recognizable for a while.
I feel it is hilarious and tragic that I am inevitably going to be perceived as a relic in outdated fashions! II am deliriously happy that for the most part no one will care, so I can still enjoy my dresses. But now I know I'm trying to cross over a bridge that no longer exists for most people.
The contrast between men's and women/s styles is significantly less now, and shrinking, and the upbringing of boys and girls is moderating along with it.
I expect now that the less the contrast between the lives of men and women, the less we are going to be seeing crossdressing arise in children.
Do you see these trends?
Originally Posted by Tracii G
shouldn't wear just doesn't do it for me like it used to. I still wear them. Always will. But it's not my best look.
