Why the desire to pass?

[sherri]

I like how you view things Sherri!
I wear what I wear for a very universal reason: I like it better. It's what I feel comfortable in.

And that, my dear, is reason enough.

I have a grrrr with makeup anyways: I think it is fake. I don't like makeup on anyone unless they are on stage. I have never met one person that I think needed the makeup that they wore. I think that people should be proud of who they are and not cover it up.

I do believe you are a feminist! You remind me of the libbers of my youth. Seriously, I'd say your point is one of personal preference, not ideology. For me, wearing makeup has nothing to do with principle or pride and everything to do with a) the fact that I like it; b) the degree of expression I prefer (see below); and, c) the perception, often supported by compliments from friends (not everyone shares your opinion about makeup), that makeup makes me prettier. You might disagree, but really, your personal taste is no more valid than anyone else's.

I guess it boils down to a different question: if not a transsexual, which I know most of you are not, why try and pass as a female? Why not be proud of being the feminine male that you are? (you seem to be close to this category, sherri)

And again, I'm not saying that it is a bad thing, I just don't understand the position.

Yes, I would say that describes me fairly accurately. But again, why do you find it necessary to adopt the clothing of women at all in order to express your identity and personality? I see on your blog that you wear women's blouses, skirts, leggings, shoes etc. Could you not express yourself without that (some gays do just that, for example)? You choose to stop short of complete emulation, but the arbitrary distinction you're trying to impose is really just a matter of degree. We're essentially up to the same thing, and I'm at a loss as to why that is difficult for you to understand.

Btw, the fact that most of us are not transsexual isn't really the defining benchmark. It's more informative to bring the term transgender into play, which I consider to be an umbrella term encompassing all iterations of non-conventional gender expression. Some CDers actually prefer "transgender" to "crossdresser" and I tend to subscribe to that myself, even though I'm not really all that concerned with nomenclature. But I digress. While there do indeed seem to be quite a few CDers who are preoccupied with passing, for many others (like me) passing has little to do with it. It's all about freedom of expression, baby.