That was dumb

[Heather76]

While my wife knows I CD, our agreement is not where family or friends will find out. So, yesterday was so nice we decided to take our lunch to the beach (about 1 1/2 miles away) and enjoy the beautiful weather while eating. The place we go is a gated community with a large deck with tables and chairs. The tables were all in use; but, there are quite a few chairs to select from. We pick out to wooden rocking chairs. We settle in and begin eating. My wife and I both remover our shoes. I was wearing deck shoes. About 10 minutes after we removed our shoes I looked at my feet and realized my pink toenail polish was in full view. As large as the deck is, and as spread out as the people were, I doubt anyone saw them. But if one of our friends were there, noticed us, and come over to greet us, I'm sure I'd have been busted. Anyway, my shoes went back on my feet. Note to self: Do not remove shoes in public if not wearing socks. DUH!!!

[Jolene Robertson]

Hi Heather,

That's the big thing for all of us, forgetting to take something off or not getting it all off. Glad you didn't get busted, your wife might not have been too happy of course she apparently didn't notice either.

[Crissy 107]

I can understand Heather but it sounds like you dodged a bullet. I have the same agreement with my wife, I would not at all be concerned but my wife would be upset for sure.
My current color is my avatar so they would be hard to miss.

[Karmen]

Nail polish on toes, eye makeup or earrings are usually things we forget about it when we change back to men's clothes. It happened to me too on a few occasions. Luckily not with friends, family or coworkers, but other people looked at me strangely and when i checked what could be the reason, I noticed that I was wearing really obvious women's earrings or had part of makeup still on. Nail polish on toes, pantyhose or underwear are usually a surprise, when you have to take your shoes or clothes off unexpectedly.

[CynthiaD]

Lots of guys wear toenail polish. Nobody cares. 90 percent of people won’t notice your toenail polish. Of those who do notice, 90 percent or more won’t care. Of those who care, 90 percent of them will be peopl you don’t care about.

I frequently wear nail polish in male mode. (I'm known as Mr. Macho). When I have a new color, I have no compunctions about showing it off to my friends. Don’t worry.

[Linda E. Woodworth]

Hey Girl,

Did the same thing and eye makeup. Remembered in the truck on the way to the airport and a flying lesson.

A quick turn into a parking lot, grab the wipes out of my flight bag and I was good to go.

NO, I wasn't in "girl" mode!

[Abbyru1]

While I am pretty self conscious about color on my fingers and my toes-my wife is becoming more OK with the idea- I am still pretty unwilling to go out much with that very visible reminder. However, I Am getting bolder and have forgotten at times and all that color is there for the world to see. I'm even toying with going to gel nails and then- the end of the world!- putting in "trinkets" like bracelet charms or small chain in the ends of the nails. Hard to forget that.

[Natalie5004]

Toenail polish is nothing to worry about. Nobody cares, trust me.

[BTWimRobin]

I wear polish on my toes quite a bit with my toes in full view and no one has ever said anything. Lately, I've been wearing polish on my fingers and again, no one has said a word.

[TheHiddenMe]

I will add to the no one cares crowd. I've done triathlons with painted toes and only once has someone commented. I swim at the Y with painted toes. If someone asks, I will tell them that with everything I do my toenails are disgusting, and my wife told me to get a pedicure (she actually has told me that) and I decided that painted toes are better looking than the nasty ones I have.

A week ago Saturday my friend Renee and I got mani-pedis. I spent three more days dressed, and then reverted to boy mode. Another friend suggested I leave the fingernails painted as sort of a test. So I did. People--like the coach I coach with--asked about it. I told them my friend has health issues (she does) and this was a type of bonding exercise with her that didn't involve needles and tattoos (and some alcohol). It was partially true and partially not. Once I told the answer/story, people moved on. I have since taken it off, but not before I went to the musical Tootsie (dressed, of course), the following Thursday.

So just tell your friends your toenails are disgusting and they look a lot better in pink than au naturale.

[ColleenA]

I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, but surely I can't be the only one who forgot about having red polish on my toes when I went to a doctor's appointment.

[Joyce Swindell]

The most reaction I get is " nice color"
Even relatives. If questioned about it .... I say ....they say "pick your color" at the nail shop and so I did this time!! Just for fun....you like it?

[docrobbysherry]

I'm NOT trying to pick on u, but I wonder, Heather.
If your post mite happily reduce the number of far fetched, "Busted, maybe!?", threads.

Only to be replaced by, "I could have been busted, maybe!", threads!

[Heather76]

Interesting proposition, Doc.

To all those that say nobody cares, I would only say if we had encountered any friends my wife would have cared. Whether they said anything or not, she would have cared that they had the opportunity to see me with pink toenails. She would have said, right or wrong, most people that see a man with colored toenails is going to suspect something is up. If it were clear polish, it wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I'm sure going to be more careful.

[Maria 60]

I just did it last weekend but for me it was lipstick. Woke up late and washed quickly and went to a small bakery and when I walked in I noticed some people were staring at me and when I got back into my car I noticed I didn't wash the lipstick off. It was a light pink but they were still very shiny.

[Karmen]

@Heather76

Yes, people care, if they notice it, due to social norms, no matter how many people says otherwise or what is "politically acceptable" behaviour these days. In general strangers maybe don't really care, but they still have their opinion about crossdressers, especially when they see us in public. Even about small thing like painted toe nails or eye makeup. Most of them are just polite and don't express their opinion for everyone to see/hear it.

People who know us, who are part of our life and especially our family members, they definitely care about stuff like that, because our appearance socially involves them too and that can affect their life too. If they are associated with us, other people will have different opinion about them too. And it's normal for people to care what others think of them, especially when that opinion changes as a result of hanging out with someone who "walks on the edge of social norms."

[Crissy 107]

To all those that say nobody cares, I would only say if we had encountered any friends my wife would have cared. Whether they said anything or not, she would have cared that they had the opportunity to see me with pink toenails.

This is absolutely correct, I honestly do not care but I am not going to put my wife in an uncomfortable position

[Patience]

This thread would likely not have been posted if you had been wearing Crocs.

Sure, no one might have cared, but that's beside the point. Outing oneself unintentionally is far from ideal.

[Sallee]

I'm in agreement with most people on the board. "No one Cares or won't notice anyway". I have had that happen and no one noticed or at least didn't say any thing. I think my response would have been in anyone did would be "I had a wild hair up my butt and decided to paint my toes. what do you think?" Enjoy the reactions!

[Rhonda Jean]

I agree with Karmen. I've gotten salon mani-pedis on a regular basis for over 30 years. I still hide it from family and most friends. I've been caught, and I hated it. In public other than friends and family I'm totally comfortable. Judging by the number of men I see in nail salons it's becoming more and more mainstream. I anxious to see this summer if I see more men than usual with their toes done. I get aggravated with myself that it's something I don't just "own" around friends and family. I've owned the fact that I shave my legs for my whole life. When I had long hair I had no choice but to own it. Waxed and tinted brows, long manicured nails... things that are impossible to hide, I've always just been "out there" about those things. No choice, except to not do them. In most cases, though, I've chickened out about nail polish. Especially in the past several years, though, I've seen very ordinary looking guys wearing nail polish, particularly on their toes. Grandpas, macho guys, businessmen, athletes, young boys, you name it. They don't hide it, but I do. Makes no sense. It's been some months ago on this board that I said I was going to start wearing nail polish around my GF's family. She is absolutely fine with me doing that. The one with the hangup is me. I'm going to do it... soon. Maybe.

It's not very often that I fully dress anymore, although I've had a recent flurry of it. My baseline, though, my kind of "If I had to give it all up but a few things, what would I keep?" definitely includes nail polish. That's one of the things I feel most compelled to do even in male mode. In no particular order of importance... Shave legs/everywhere, wax/thread/tint eyebrows, get my nails done/wear polish publicly, carry a purse. Bugs me that I can't just be out about it when I've seen grandpa at Bass Pro Shops with (apparently) shaved legs and red toes in flip flops out with the family.

[BrendaPDX]

Don't feel bad, I forgot to take off my eye makeup once. Fortunately my wife politely reminded me of it, oh don't use waterproof makeup either, LOL!

[Nicole_in_Texas]

I think strangers notice, but don?t care. Friends & family might react differently either way.

Cute story. My gf & I were regulars at a restaurant/bar in walking distance. I kept my nail polish on one afternoon just out of laziness. Our regular waitress/bartender said ?you look pretty in pink?. Internally I was swooning, but I simply, confidently, said thank you. Of course she waited until my gf went home & left me to finish my drink.

[Krisi]

Toenail polish is not something that excites me. I get clear but never colored. I have no open toed shoes so my toenails are covered anyway.

[Stephanie47]

This is absolutely correct, I honestly do not care but I am not going to put my wife in an uncomfortable position

That a valid point. Perhaps, nobody says anything but it may register a question in their minds that potentially has a subtle negative effect. Living the life of a secretive cross dresser one has to remember it is a "shared" secret with a wife. Adverse consequences may fall upon both. It's not just toe nail polish, but also hosiery worn without socks or a bra strap showing under a shirt.

[Cassie Roce]

I have coloured gel on my toenails most of the year and always in the summer. The colours can be pink, orange, lilac or bright red. In summer I wear flip flops to the beach and haven’t yet noticed anybody looking at my coloured toes. I’m guessing they are too ashamed of their own wobbly bits.