Hypocrasy, A minor rant.

[Lawren]

Do we practice what we preach? I'm seeing a trend that indicates that we do not.

We preach that the world should be more open minded to our choice of clothing and lifestyle.

We preach that we do not want to be labelled.

Yet, right here in this very forum, we are closing our minds to the very idea of a man bra because it is labelled a "man bra".

In one fell swoop we are being closed minded and using labels, both of which are continual points of contention in amongst TGs.

I can only speak for myself, but I say, let's take the man bra and run with it. The goose has laid the golden egg and we are leaving it in the nest because it has the wrong label on it. I, for one, do not want to be that hypocritical. If I could read Japanese, I would order one.

[Karren H]

You can take the man bra and run away with it for all care!!! I like women's clothing.... so go ahead label me as a "men's faux fashion" hater!!!

[StacyCD]

I enjoy wearing a bra specifically because they are made for women. The idea of a man bra may be quite valuable to a man who needs the support of a bra but can't wear one that's made for a woman. Crossdressers come in about as many sizes, shapes, and varieties as there are crossdressers--one size does not fit all. We need to be continually reminded that tolerance and acceptance is a two-way street! Happy Thanksgiving!

[avril findlay]

I don't want to wear a "mans bra!". Men don't wear bras. I'm a MTF crossdresser, I wear women's clothes. The world I live in does not have such a thing as a bra for men! That's just rediculous, what next, men's slips?

[Sara Jessica]

Lawren, thank you for this post because it compelled me to chime in elsewhere when previously I had dismissed those "man-bra" threads.

Like many girls here, I have no use for this and as far as a marketing idea, it'll likely go down in flames. Men have no want or need for a man-bra. If they do, they're likely tg of some sort. And as evidenced by the replies, those of us in tg land overwhelming have no want for a man-bra either. The concept will likely persist only as a joke. Women might buy something like this as a bedroom gag for their guys but otherwise, I fail to see a sustainable market.

[docrobbysherry]

Put "man" in front of ANY item that is normally worn by women, and it seems to cost 50%+ more!

I suspect u could buy a "man" bra in the "men's" section of a store, for say, $50. Or, u could go to the "women's" section of the same store, and buy the same thing there. Only it would be called a "sports" bra and cost $29!

There's a CD catalogue I receive. Women's things for men! Everything is WAY more expensive than the same items in women's catalogues! Plus, as Karen says, most of their sizes r too big for me! I want WOMEN'S clothes. Otherwise, I'll just wear my men's drabs!

[Jess_cd32]

Spend enough time on the beaches and most will be all for this, and for new laws on who can wear a Speedo suit

[tanya1976]

I remember when a fashion house tried to introduce tights for men. I couldn't get my head around it. Just didn't seem right to me...

[sandra-leigh]

No matter what the original intent of the "man bra" designers was, the acceptance level of the item will be interpreted by some people as an indicator of the social acceptance of cross-dressing.

If I were the cynical but activist type, I'd wait for a US importer, and then notify Fred Phelps about it, manipulate his group into organizing a protest, and then manipulate other groups into organizing a counter-protest...

[Jenny Beth]

Sorry but I just don't see how not being interested in bras designed for men as being hypocritical. If they ever become fashionable I still wouldn't wear one because I prefer not to dress like a man. Somehow putting on a nice dress or a skirt and blouse with heels and hose along with a men's bra wouldn't give me the same feeling I get when I wear one with pretty lace.

[Angie G]

I just don't think a man's bra would get me that feeling a woman's bra's do.
Angie

[Deborah Jane]

Sorry but I just don't see how not being interested in bras designed for men as being hypocritical. If they ever become fashionable I still wouldn't wear one because I prefer not to dress like a man. Somehow putting on a nice dress or a skirt and blouse with heels and hose along with a men's bra wouldn't give me the same feeling I get when I wear one with pretty lace.

Thats exactly how i feel too

[avril findlay]

Thats exactly how i feel too

I'll second Jenny's post.

[Deborah Jane]

I'll second Jenny's post.

I already did, you,d better 3rd it Avril :D

[avril findlay]

Hmmm, OK Debs, I'll third it then. All this counting and adding up stuff is real hard sometimes!

[Kimberly Marie Kelly]

Women's Bra's fit better too.

[Satrana]

otherwise, I fail to see a sustainable market.

But they have already very quickly sold hundreds to Japanese CDs so there clearly is a market. And what is the difference between the male bra and a female one? It looks like it is just a small cup size available on larger band sizes. In essence it is a female bra made to fit men's body sizes. Is there a problem in buying a better fitting bra? If they dropped the word Man from the title then you would be none the wiser.

[TxKimberly]

You can take the man bra and run away with it for all care!!! I like women's clothing.... so go ahead label me as a "men's faux fashion" hater!!!

As usual, I'll stick with Karen on this. I like womens clothes BECAUSE they are womens clothes.

[Amanda Shaft]

Steady girls don't get your knickers in a twist! Or should that be girl pants, no I mean girl shorts, or do I mean bloke pants or bloke shorts? Oh whatever I may have just started another thread! Sorry.
Amanda
PS. I have a confession: I wear women's clothes and i like it!

[Lawren]

Hmmmm, This looks comfy and fem to me.
http://www.wishroom.net/

Price, Comparable to VS.

Short lived fad, Of course it will be if we, their potential customers, reject it out of hand.

Do men need bras? Of course not, but a lot us men want them and demand is the key to marketing success.

I do not CD because I want the thrill of doing something that is taboo and getting away with it. I CD because I love the feel of fem clothing. If someone offers clothing for men that is styled after fem clothing and made of the same materials, I see no practical difference.

I also see this as inevitable. Look at how women's styles have changed since they demanded more clothing options. Traditional men's wear has been altered to look more feminine and has become a standard of it's own.

[Stephanie-L]

I tend to agree with most of the posts here. What I find interesting is that this item is specifically marketed at a subset of CDs, those that like the feeling of a bra but don't want it to show through clothes. It does not seem to be aimed at the gynomastia crowd who may or may not be CDs but need a bra for health reasons. I personally have no interest in this bra, if I am wearing one I am also wearing forms, and wishing I could just go ahead and get my breast augmentation done, but that is me. The interesting part here is that this is advertised in the mainstream media in Japan. I do not know how CDing is perceived there, is it more accepted, less? And this is not really new, you can find some bras here in larger band sizes with small cup sizes, and at least a few speciality bras made for men (at a price) but these are not advertised in mainstream media. As the original post said, we do need to be a bit more accepting and not jumping all over this because it says "man" in front of it, I see it as a positive, similar to women's jeans in a way.....Stephanie

[valenstein]

Do we practice what we preach? I'm seeing a trend that indicates that we do not.

We preach that the world should be more open minded to our choice of clothing and lifestyle.

We preach that we do not want to be labelled.

The man bra holds no appeal for me, but the statements Lawren made are often true. I read comments here every day where people are lambasting GGs for not wearing the most feminine attire and not looking like glamour queens 24/7. The media jumps on any starlet who leaves the house without makeup. I know one lipstick lesbian who was constantly ridiculed by other lesbians because she didn't "look like what lesbians were supposed to look like".

There are more people out there who don't want to fit into a mold than people who do; if we all accepted how a person chooses to express themself...geez, probably world peace and harmony.

[Sarah Martin]

'Man bra' - the triumph of marketing over reason. Unecessary and pointless. If you want something to do the job just buy a (cheaper) crop top.

No! No! No!

Sarah.
(46DD)

[docrobbysherry]

Hmmmm, This looks comfy and fem to me.

http://www.wishroom.net/

Price, Comparable to VS.
Do men need bras? Of course not, but a lot us men want them and demand is the key to marketing success.

This is rediculous! I had no idea what u girls were talking about, until I checked out Lawren's posted website! These r REALLY WOMEN'S BRAS! Made to fit men!

I had NO IDEA! I thot u all meant something like sports bras for guys with man boobs!

These man bras appear to try to appeal to "fetish" dressers!

Now, THAT'S JUST DISGUSTING!:Angry3:

[Lawren]

In the interest of fairplay, I will concede a point here.

To those of you who dress 24/7 and/or only dress completely every time, the man bra is pointless. To the rest of us who, for whatever reason, require discretion this could be the solution to finding a bra that fits well.

However, the point still remains that this IS a step toward acceptance of the Tg sector in general.

This is not really an issue of personal preferences. It is an issue that the entire TG sector should band together on. If this catches on, then what is next? A man dress? So what if some do not want to wear anything "made for men". If this catches on, TGs will get more exposure among the mainstream populace. At first it might have some negative effect but like most fashion trends, if it becomes popular, it will also gain tolerance and then full acceptance in mainstream fashion.

In any case, this could make it much easier for those of you who only want to wear "female" things by making the concept of CDing socially accepted. Just by getting feminine style garments made for men into mainstream fashion it will make all CDs less of a standout on the streets. This will free those of you who insist on only female clothing to wear whatever you desire without being spotlighted.

I may be wrong, but I see this as a big step on the road to general acceptance for all TGs.

I am not trying to divide our ranks on this issue. I am trying to unify us toward full acceptance which, I believe, should be our common goal.