Yesterday, I did my annual Christmas shopping trip while dressed pretty. I am a guy who presents male, but wears women's clothes when I "dress pretty". My wife and I agree that we don't want our kids and friends to know about my crossdressing. So, one thing I do is go Christmas shopping about an hour away from home while crossdressed.

Yesterday's trip was kind of unpleasant. I wore a black dress, black pantyhose, black shoes, and a red cardigan. I went to a new town. The weather was less attractive in the more progressive town I normally go to. This new town is similar in size, but perhaps, more country. The reaction that I received from some people was like I had gone back in time. Let me explain...

Here are the reactions that one might get when crossdressed in public:
A: They look at your face, and then look down at your outfit.
B: They suppress a laugh and quickly turn to tell their friends.
C: They turn to tell their friends without laughing, and then they all stare.
D: They look away uncomfortably and avoid eye contact.
E: They try to greet you like they would greet you if you were not dressed unusually.
F: They greet you warmly, possibly more warmly than is common for you.
G: They celebrate you by pointing out your crossdressing and your freedom to do so.
H: They seem not to be aware that you are dressed unusually.
I: (Omitted to avoid confusion)
J: They say mean words to you or about you.
K: They never notice you.

In the above list, if someone notices you at all, then they do A (look down at outfit). But if they do A, then they normally accompany A with one of the other reactions.
Years ago, I would get several A+B (snickering), A+C (staring), and A+D (looking away) reactions. Society has changed and the first two reactions of laughing and staring have diminished a LOT. These days, I normally get A+E reactions (try to act normal). Occasionally, I get the A+H (nonchalant) reaction sometimes. It's nice to feel normal...

During yesterday's outing, I received quite a few A+C reactions (staring). In addition, two people openly said mean words. A woman encountered me at a street corner and said, "Whoa! (pause) Why are you wearing a dress?" At this point I was crossing the street. I did not have time to discuss and I answered, "I don't know." She kept talking as I kept crossing the street. I chose not to try to look back to her again, since she was not being kind. I heard her voice continue to exclaim and talk as I continued down the sidewalk. My friends, that has NEVER happened in my dozens (or hundreds) of outings. In a buffet-style restaurant, a man was seated at a table near mine. When I returned to my table, he looked at me and said (please excuse the crudeness), "At least you could have put on some titties for us to look at." I think that his comment was for the table beside him. I concluded that they had talked about me while I was gone. The couple reacted to his comment by smiling, but they might have just been reacting to appease him and not in an effort to be hateful.

Anyhow, it was like going back in time. People were so much less polite. It made the outing less joyful. I found that I started choosing not to encounter people. That is unlike me -- no matter how I am dressed...

To end on a positive note, there were numerous people who did not notice. Other people treated me with kindness and respect. Those people are always out there. The best experience: one store clerk was dutifully helping me. I asked her if she gets a lot of guys like me. She said, "Some. It's cool. It's fun." This woman was around 60 years old, I think. She stuck with me helping me shop for a blouse for myself. We found it, but it was $150... I did not buy it. This woman just talked to me about life and clothes and everything. She was nice and easy to feel friendly with.

Thank you.
Joey