Does being TS mean I should never need to dress, because it's not about the clothes, but something inside? If so, what is RLE all about--in fact, what is TS all about--if one doesn't look or act any different from the average male? If being TS only meant the way you felt deep within, why bother with the externals at all?
It's because the externals are gender signifiers, and they reinforce one's own gender consciousness as well as influence the way others behave toward us. The clothes, the accessories, the hair, the makeup--they all perform this dual function.
Plus, they're pretty and soft, so they make us feel pretty and soft, which I submit is a value not limited to TS folk.
I think there's a false dichotomy between CD and TS. Many times I've read posts that say, "For years I thought I was CD, but lately I feel more and more TS." Sometimes I think it just depends on the way the light happens to hit you.
No matter how macho you are half the time, there's something pretty girly about a guy who likes to wear dresses. And I think that's great!
I'm not saying that everybody is the same, but that we have enough in common to suggest that we're not entirely different--and that the Pink Fog can actually wake us to who we really are.
Lallie
