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	<title>Comments on: Socially Acceptable Gender Expression</title>
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	<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression</link>
	<description>Exploring the social taboo of being oneself.  The life of a crossdresser - there&#039;s a lot more to it than just appearance.</description>
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		<title>By: Dana Beaton</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-35327</link>
		<dc:creator>Dana Beaton</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:23:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-35327</guid>
		<description>I believe it&#039;s because the way women are socially considered to be lesser than men. So if a man dresses like a woman, he is lowering himself to that level.

That&#039;s why feminism isn&#039;t about lowering men. It&#039;s about rising women to the same level! It&#039;s a positive movement for equality for everyone. People get the wrong impression.

It&#039;s tough and really unfair :( Hopefully things will change.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I believe it&#8217;s because the way women are socially considered to be lesser than men. So if a man dresses like a woman, he is lowering himself to that level.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why feminism isn&#8217;t about lowering men. It&#8217;s about rising women to the same level! It&#8217;s a positive movement for equality for everyone. People get the wrong impression.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s tough and really unfair :( Hopefully things will change.</p>
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		<title>By: Gabrielle</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-28027</link>
		<dc:creator>Gabrielle</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:30:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-28027</guid>
		<description>Ramble all you want, Pythos.  We all need to get it out and I certainly understand your frustrations. :)

You question why men are expected to be one way and why women are allowed more options - questions we&#039;ve all pondered and been frustrated by that fact... at least those of us who are male by genetic construct and but tend to be more feminine by classification of our natural tendencies and preferences.  We all kind of know the answer to these questions, but none of us like it, and understandably so.  No one should be limited in who they are and how they can express themselves (in terms style, etc.).  Choice is a good thing.  It is an essential part of who we ALL are, regardless of gender expression.  Everyone takes their (seemingly) endless number of options and choices each day for granted... that is everyone who&#039;s choices fall within generally accepted social &quot;norms&quot;.  For the rest of us, there is a price to pay for having the courage to be ourselves and express ourselves as we truly feel.

I guess the silver lining is that we&#039;re slowly moving closer toward being in a society of &quot;glass houses&quot;, driven heavily by the increased use of social networks and the amount of personal information people share in them.  The more people share, the more we all get to learn there ain&#039;t no such thing as &quot;normal&quot;. ;)  When &quot;normal&quot; is replaced by simple &quot;reality&quot;, I think these idiotic gender expectation roles will diminish a little faster.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ramble all you want, Pythos.  We all need to get it out and I certainly understand your frustrations. :)</p>
<p>You question why men are expected to be one way and why women are allowed more options &#8211; questions we&#8217;ve all pondered and been frustrated by that fact&#8230; at least those of us who are male by genetic construct and but tend to be more feminine by classification of our natural tendencies and preferences.  We all kind of know the answer to these questions, but none of us like it, and understandably so.  No one should be limited in who they are and how they can express themselves (in terms style, etc.).  Choice is a good thing.  It is an essential part of who we ALL are, regardless of gender expression.  Everyone takes their (seemingly) endless number of options and choices each day for granted&#8230; that is everyone who&#8217;s choices fall within generally accepted social &#8220;norms&#8221;.  For the rest of us, there is a price to pay for having the courage to be ourselves and express ourselves as we truly feel.</p>
<p>I guess the silver lining is that we&#8217;re slowly moving closer toward being in a society of &#8220;glass houses&#8221;, driven heavily by the increased use of social networks and the amount of personal information people share in them.  The more people share, the more we all get to learn there ain&#8217;t no such thing as &#8220;normal&#8221;. ;)  When &#8220;normal&#8221; is replaced by simple &#8220;reality&#8221;, I think these idiotic gender expectation roles will diminish a little faster.</p>
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		<title>By: pythos</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-27875</link>
		<dc:creator>pythos</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Feb 2011 05:03:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-27875</guid>
		<description>I will be completely honest.  It does not help when people of our ilk (crossdresers, trans sexuals) argue that women are wearing women&#039;s clothing.  The pants are made to fit their bodies.  But in this argument is forgotten it was not always that way.

I also wonder why it is men are not truly allowed to wear tight or revealing clothing.  I push this barrier nearly every day wearing my leggings, or catsuits (the catsuits in a respectful manner, which is a trick to say the least).

Men are expected to wear and like clothing that is dull, and makes their bodies shapeless.  For some reason the male physique is to be hidden.  Women are encouraged to wear shape following clothing...unless of course if their bodies fall out side of acceptable fat content.

Why is it makeup is really only for women in our silly society?  It used to be worn by both sexes, now it is very rare for men to wear it.  When I wear mine I get compliments on how my eyes stand out due to my dark makeup around my eyes.  It is striking, so why are only women able to use such things.

Men became work horses for the most part.  We fell into this after the industrial revolution, and sadly it continues.  When we have those that are supposedly wanting the same as ourselves saying stuff like &quot;women don&#039;t wear men&#039;s clothing, they wear pants that are fitted for them&quot; I have to say, all the skirts I own fit me perfectly the day I got them.  Only one needed some taking in around the hips.  But not really all that much.  Skirts lack an inseam, so that area of fitting does not enter into it.

When it comes to hosiery, I personally find a skirt and hose FAR more comfortable than jeans, any day.  If women don&#039;t wanna wear them, then why can&#039;t I take over without my sanity being questioned.

Right, rambled on a bit much.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I will be completely honest.  It does not help when people of our ilk (crossdresers, trans sexuals) argue that women are wearing women&#8217;s clothing.  The pants are made to fit their bodies.  But in this argument is forgotten it was not always that way.</p>
<p>I also wonder why it is men are not truly allowed to wear tight or revealing clothing.  I push this barrier nearly every day wearing my leggings, or catsuits (the catsuits in a respectful manner, which is a trick to say the least).</p>
<p>Men are expected to wear and like clothing that is dull, and makes their bodies shapeless.  For some reason the male physique is to be hidden.  Women are encouraged to wear shape following clothing&#8230;unless of course if their bodies fall out side of acceptable fat content.</p>
<p>Why is it makeup is really only for women in our silly society?  It used to be worn by both sexes, now it is very rare for men to wear it.  When I wear mine I get compliments on how my eyes stand out due to my dark makeup around my eyes.  It is striking, so why are only women able to use such things.</p>
<p>Men became work horses for the most part.  We fell into this after the industrial revolution, and sadly it continues.  When we have those that are supposedly wanting the same as ourselves saying stuff like &#8220;women don&#8217;t wear men&#8217;s clothing, they wear pants that are fitted for them&#8221; I have to say, all the skirts I own fit me perfectly the day I got them.  Only one needed some taking in around the hips.  But not really all that much.  Skirts lack an inseam, so that area of fitting does not enter into it.</p>
<p>When it comes to hosiery, I personally find a skirt and hose FAR more comfortable than jeans, any day.  If women don&#8217;t wanna wear them, then why can&#8217;t I take over without my sanity being questioned.</p>
<p>Right, rambled on a bit much.</p>
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		<title>By: Gabrielle</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-18717</link>
		<dc:creator>Gabrielle</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:07:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-18717</guid>
		<description>Thanks for chiming in, Athena.  Everyone has their own style and preference.  It would be so nice if everyone was &quot;allowed&quot; to express themselves through their own style and self presentation without being given a hard time for it when personal appearances fall outside the socially accepted &quot;norm&quot;.

I think its great that you express yourself the way you feel most comfortable. :)  I understand the &quot;labels&quot; that you might be subjected to at times.

I hope you are able to realize your dream clothing business.  If/when people start to see more options like the one you&#039;d like to offer, perhaps society might start to grow a little more comfortable with people just being themselves without feeling threatened or offended by personal presentation add styles.  I wish you much success in your business plans and hope you can realize your dream! :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks for chiming in, Athena.  Everyone has their own style and preference.  It would be so nice if everyone was &#8220;allowed&#8221; to express themselves through their own style and self presentation without being given a hard time for it when personal appearances fall outside the socially accepted &#8220;norm&#8221;.</p>
<p>I think its great that you express yourself the way you feel most comfortable. :)  I understand the &#8220;labels&#8221; that you might be subjected to at times.</p>
<p>I hope you are able to realize your dream clothing business.  If/when people start to see more options like the one you&#8217;d like to offer, perhaps society might start to grow a little more comfortable with people just being themselves without feeling threatened or offended by personal presentation add styles.  I wish you much success in your business plans and hope you can realize your dream! :)</p>
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		<title>By: Athena</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-18686</link>
		<dc:creator>Athena</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:38:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-18686</guid>
		<description>I am female but I prefer more masculine styles of clothing. Even though we are complete opposites, I understand your position and wholeheartedly agree that society needs to accept people as individuals and not base assumptions on what gender you are. Most people get the impression that I am either a lesbian or I am trying (and failing) to be a man. This is not the case. I just feel more comfortable dressing in &quot;men&#039;s&quot; clothes. My dream is to start a line of clothing that has no different sections for genders. Everything will be put together in one store, one ambiguous section, with styles that cater to everyone. I admire you and everyone else who has enough pride to tell society that they are wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am female but I prefer more masculine styles of clothing. Even though we are complete opposites, I understand your position and wholeheartedly agree that society needs to accept people as individuals and not base assumptions on what gender you are. Most people get the impression that I am either a lesbian or I am trying (and failing) to be a man. This is not the case. I just feel more comfortable dressing in &#8220;men&#8217;s&#8221; clothes. My dream is to start a line of clothing that has no different sections for genders. Everything will be put together in one store, one ambiguous section, with styles that cater to everyone. I admire you and everyone else who has enough pride to tell society that they are wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Gabrielle</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-5268</link>
		<dc:creator>Gabrielle</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-5268</guid>
		<description>Thanks, Pythos. :)  Glad my illustrated chart hit home on the point.  How to distribute it?  Well, I already tried here.  I mean - it&#039;s out there.  If you&#039;d like to get it out further, you can always link to it here, or print out a large copy and hang it in a well-visible location.  Best place to show it is where people you know will see it.  They might find it interesting and ask about it, and that is when you get to jump in and (calmly) express your frustrations about this kind of social garbage.

In regard to discrimination being wrong - the word is already out there.  Pretty much everyone knows.  The problem is that people are also VERY selective in how they regard &quot;discrimination&quot; and what is and is not truly discrimination in &lt;em&gt;their book&lt;/em&gt;.  It&#039;s all up to people&#039;s personal values of &quot;right&quot; and &quot;wrong&quot;, and that which is acceptable or &lt;em&gt;not&lt;/em&gt; acceptable, and that is where things fall apart.  That, and the fact that many people just don&#039;t care.  I think it is safe to say that most people grow up learning manners and how to treat others with respect... yet we do not live in a society that seems to (widely) value these virtues much anymore.  In &quot;talk&quot;, perhaps, but certainly not in practice. ;)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thanks, Pythos. :)  Glad my illustrated chart hit home on the point.  How to distribute it?  Well, I already tried here.  I mean &#8211; it&#8217;s out there.  If you&#8217;d like to get it out further, you can always link to it here, or print out a large copy and hang it in a well-visible location.  Best place to show it is where people you know will see it.  They might find it interesting and ask about it, and that is when you get to jump in and (calmly) express your frustrations about this kind of social garbage.</p>
<p>In regard to discrimination being wrong &#8211; the word is already out there.  Pretty much everyone knows.  The problem is that people are also VERY selective in how they regard &#8220;discrimination&#8221; and what is and is not truly discrimination in <em>their book</em>.  It&#8217;s all up to people&#8217;s personal values of &#8220;right&#8221; and &#8220;wrong&#8221;, and that which is acceptable or <em>not</em> acceptable, and that is where things fall apart.  That, and the fact that many people just don&#8217;t care.  I think it is safe to say that most people grow up learning manners and how to treat others with respect&#8230; yet we do not live in a society that seems to (widely) value these virtues much anymore.  In &#8220;talk&#8221;, perhaps, but certainly not in practice. ;)</p>
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		<title>By: pythos</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-5247</link>
		<dc:creator>pythos</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:13:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-5247</guid>
		<description>OH my God Gabrielle!!

You put in chart form what I have been harping on for years.

Bravo!!!

Now if only there was a way of distributing it and letting people see how unfair things actually are for men.

I love it when I hear a woman crying about the unfairness in pay, yet she is most likely a woman that would reject a guy that shuns the social norm, and instead marry the &quot;typical&quot; man.

When will we get it out that ANY kind of discrimination outside of biological function and romantic partners based on what sex one is, is entirely wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>OH my God Gabrielle!!</p>
<p>You put in chart form what I have been harping on for years.</p>
<p>Bravo!!!</p>
<p>Now if only there was a way of distributing it and letting people see how unfair things actually are for men.</p>
<p>I love it when I hear a woman crying about the unfairness in pay, yet she is most likely a woman that would reject a guy that shuns the social norm, and instead marry the &#8220;typical&#8221; man.</p>
<p>When will we get it out that ANY kind of discrimination outside of biological function and romantic partners based on what sex one is, is entirely wrong.</p>
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		<title>By: Gabrielle</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-87</link>
		<dc:creator>Gabrielle</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2009 22:16:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-87</guid>
		<description>I applaud your bravery, Melissa.  You are absolutely correct in that more of us need to get out en femme and allow society to get used to seeing and interacting with us.  Your devotion to &lt;em&gt;being yourself&lt;/em&gt; out in public and taking the opportunity to educate people is very admirable.

I know in time, the dangers associated with going out en femme will be but a memory.  I just pray that time comes sooner than later.  Perhaps if we all do our part and put forth a positive example, we can speed things along. :)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I applaud your bravery, Melissa.  You are absolutely correct in that more of us need to get out en femme and allow society to get used to seeing and interacting with us.  Your devotion to <em>being yourself</em> out in public and taking the opportunity to educate people is very admirable.</p>
<p>I know in time, the dangers associated with going out en femme will be but a memory.  I just pray that time comes sooner than later.  Perhaps if we all do our part and put forth a positive example, we can speed things along. :)</p>
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		<title>By: Melissa</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-86</link>
		<dc:creator>Melissa</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2009 18:45:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-86</guid>
		<description>While I agree that the social constraints are implicitly still there things are changing very rapidly. My experience of late as I spend more time out in public en femme shows that society is way more tolerant now than it was. To that end the only way that we move from social aberration to no big deal is by more and more of us openly getting out into public and not trying to pretend that we are women but rather being proud that we are men who can express their femininity. 

I do okay in terms of passing however I do not pretend to be a female, anyone who pays attention and looks at me or listens will know I am male and I will never try to deny it. In that way I educate more and more people. If we all do this it will become the norm and a posting like this will be a thing of the past.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While I agree that the social constraints are implicitly still there things are changing very rapidly. My experience of late as I spend more time out in public en femme shows that society is way more tolerant now than it was. To that end the only way that we move from social aberration to no big deal is by more and more of us openly getting out into public and not trying to pretend that we are women but rather being proud that we are men who can express their femininity. </p>
<p>I do okay in terms of passing however I do not pretend to be a female, anyone who pays attention and looks at me or listens will know I am male and I will never try to deny it. In that way I educate more and more people. If we all do this it will become the norm and a posting like this will be a thing of the past.</p>
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		<title>By: Gabrielle</title>
		<link>http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/05/socially-acceptable-gender-expression/comment-page-1#comment-85</link>
		<dc:creator>Gabrielle</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2009 11:30:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mycdlife.com/?p=1193#comment-85</guid>
		<description>I think we have a long way to go.  I remember pink shirts (and even ties) being somewhat fashionable on men in the 80&#039;s.  It wasn&#039;t really a feminine thing, just a color that became acceptable and even a little trendy for men for a while.  I understand your take on it, but don&#039;t personally see this is a line blurring so much simple &lt;em&gt;masculine&lt;/em&gt; fashions that change from time to time.

The kilt, although similar to a skirt, is not women&#039;t clothing, but rather something intended for men, as you pointed out.  If a man wears a kilt, it is not generally considered a &lt;em&gt;feminine&lt;/em&gt; fashion statement.

Intentionally dressing feminine and wearing makeup, etc. to appear &lt;em&gt;feminine&lt;/em&gt; rather than masculine, is still pretty far from social acceptance.  That is what needs to open up so we can move about in society as we choose (to appear) without being ridiculed or in danger for doing so.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think we have a long way to go.  I remember pink shirts (and even ties) being somewhat fashionable on men in the 80&#8242;s.  It wasn&#8217;t really a feminine thing, just a color that became acceptable and even a little trendy for men for a while.  I understand your take on it, but don&#8217;t personally see this is a line blurring so much simple <em>masculine</em> fashions that change from time to time.</p>
<p>The kilt, although similar to a skirt, is not women&#8217;t clothing, but rather something intended for men, as you pointed out.  If a man wears a kilt, it is not generally considered a <em>feminine</em> fashion statement.</p>
<p>Intentionally dressing feminine and wearing makeup, etc. to appear <em>feminine</em> rather than masculine, is still pretty far from social acceptance.  That is what needs to open up so we can move about in society as we choose (to appear) without being ridiculed or in danger for doing so.</p>
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