Can you smell the rosemary in the gravy?

[Frédérique]

[SIZE="2"]You must admit it’s a catchy title![/SIZE]

Honestly, I think it's a matter of education and perhaps availability of material resources (money), more than gender. There are men as well as women who enjoy fine dining, fine wine, the opera, the ballet, art exhibitions, etc. When I go to such venues, I don't see a predominately female audience.

[SIZE="2"]I disagree with that. I don’t have a certain degree of higher education, nor do I have the material resources you talk about, and the cultural world is largely kept afloat by the effort of females. I’m talking about behind the scenes, not the audience – without feminine appreciation and support for culture (in all its myriad forms), things would be in a sorry state indeed. If you are a sensitive person, male or female, it’s only logical that you would be drawn towards cultural activities, design, care in the preparation of food, and so forth. In OUR case, as MtF crossdressers, I’m wondering about what others think of this connection I’m trying to make. Going in, I know many will disagree, but don’t you at least require a certain appreciation for tactile sensibilities if you’re a male dressing as a female? This inclination or “aptitude” may be deeper than one thinks, extending into other areas of sensory awareness without realizing it...

I think a lot of males don’t care, or cannot bring themselves to care, about something that may require feelings to fully enjoy. The opera is a good example, kind of a “line in the sand” for most men (as I alluded to in the OP). Overwhelming to some (like me), highly avoidable to others (like them), and there is very little middle ground. BTW, the best (gender-unspecific) opera fans sit way up high in the cheap seats, and they are way more knowledgeable than the people who go merely to be seen. Also, I wasn’t referring to fine dining at all – I meant the acknowledgement of the presence of an aromatic herb, a subtle difference in an otherwise unspectacular roux. I insist that this ability to discern subtleties is a feminine trait, latent or pronounced in all people, male or female, or a combination thereof. As such, I know that most masculine types would be uncomfortable with an expression of feminine characteristics in their midst, but it all depends on what their particular level of sensory awareness may be. My artist friends wouldn’t raise an eyebrow, for example, and I would expect MtF crossdressers to do likewise in most cases...[/SIZE]

I could be wrong,but I think Freddie is alluding to being comfortable in your own skin...

[SIZE="2"]Exactly. It’s the freedom of choice to be openly sensitive among less sensitive types of people...[/SIZE]

I consider myself lucky to be a "feeling" person, with much of my life spent in and out of music performance, photography, and other areas where sensitivity to creating is part of the endeavor. Was I drawn to those things because I was a "feeling" person or did they turn me into one?
Those who don't or can't feel it are the ones we should have l sympathy for because they won't ever know what we have.We're kind of an exclusive club.

[SIZE="2"]I think we are an exclusive club, and there is a certain connection between sensibilities and crossdressing in some, but not all, of us. Since I’m a visual artist, I deal with sensuality all the time – it’s part of my innate nature, and it finds an expression in what I create. This came along way before I even thought of crossdressing, but I consider the urge to dress to be an offshoot of the same “tree” of sensibility, a different way to express something I hold near and dear...
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