Allow me to reintroduce myself

Yeah, that was that the last straw; now I'm crying.
*sniffles*
I love this forum! Group hug time!

Yes, I love this forum also ! My problems have been depression & mental health & most of that was to do with the biggest bastard that ever walked the Earth ( my ex husband) When I joined here, all that time ago, I did wonder if I would last, if I would be liked enough to be accepted. I didn't much like myself then & still not that fond now. But look at how far we've all come ? It may only be written posts but, I think, without doubt, we might just have the best friendship going. I feel strong enough to stand by any one of you for any reason. Id happily take your word on something & feel no need what so ever to doubt it. I sometimes feel we've worked at this friendship/forum more than a marriage LOL  Im glad we have.
( pass the tissues Amarie ! )

azriel wrote:
( pass the tissues Amarie ! )

Got someone working on it as we speak.

When you think about it until the 19th century men were always able to dress in an extravagant and feminine way. Think about the long wigs, handkerchiefs, powder and paint the 17th and 18th century fellows were able to wear. They were as colourful and showy as the females and it didn't make them any less manly (if and when  they wanted to be) and dressing in a frock-coat dress and face paint wasn't seen as unusual. It was pretty fluid and acceptable for a man to dress in a 'feminine' way. It was only the sexually weird Victorians who stopped all that lovely dressing up. Probably thanks to starchy Protestantism, even in the 1960s men dressed in a more 'flowery' way, so its only recently that men have been in the suit and tie sartorial straightjacket. suits and ties are boring.

That's a good point. You need only watch Tim Roth's character in Rob Roy for a splendid illustration.

I think men often out sung the ladies at one time. Beau Brummel was the one "Dandy" we have all heard of, They enjoyed their silks & satins as much as anyone, & the hats also. Shoes were heeled & quite lady like. Men even had beauty spots strategically placed on ones chops. Oh the frippery of it all ! Frilly shirts, brocade, no wonder women swooned !

Did women swoon? Or were they as confused/bemused by it as men are about women these days? They admittedly would have an understanding of it that most modern men can't quite grasp.

Well my girlfriend seems equally fond of me no matter what I'm wearing, I think she appreciates having a boyfriend who actually enjoys going clothes shopping (oddly enough we are almost the same sizes...), just as I appreciate having a girlfriend I can geek out with and drag round games stores and museums.

We really a perfect (if weird ) match...

no wonder women swooned !- Azriel

{{That's why I wear a kilt! (Does passing out from the smell count as swooning?) }}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:no wonder women swooned !- Azriel

{{That's why I wear a kilt! (Does passing out from the smell count as swooning?) }}

Well no, not if no women are brave enough to go near you, it dosen't count if it is only you who is doing the passing out

Well, whoever you feel you are, that is of course perfectly acceptable. You have my full support certainly, for being yourself.

Cheers, Blue.

The LGBT center on campus had a welcoming event that was rescheduled because of the hurricane and it seemed like a good opportunity to try presenting differently in public for the first time. I think it went about as well as I could reasonably have expected given that it was my first attempt and I'm pre-everything, but, well ... #flatchestproblems



(Not even gonna bother showing my face at this point. :V )

{{{If its anything like wearing a kilt in public in non-kilt wearing areas then the knack is to own it Eldy! Sheer bravado and projected confidence. Jist go fer it- an'd get yer knees oot lass!! }}

I only stepped on the hem twice (both times on stairs) so I feel very accomplished right now.

{{{ If you had your knees out you'd not have to worry about hems! (well except the rising sort when you sit down- have to very careful of this in a kilt as by tradition there's nothing under a kilt but what nature saw fit to give you! }}

Eldy wrote:I only stepped on the hem twice (both times on stairs) so I feel very accomplished right now.

well, you did choose the most difficult skirt to walk in! but you'll soon enough get the hang of lifting it up in an elegant manner whenever you are presented with stairs (up and down) and other obstacles  but congratulations on your first "official entry"! that is very brave! hat off to you.

 i'd say the only thing missing in this outfit is a nice, subtle, golden necklace to frame it in, along with that bracelet (it is a bracelet right?). also, if you wanna create the illusion of a waist and hight (hight is dificult with a maxi skirt, i'm 5'2'' so i know!) tuck the shirt into the skirt and wear it right above your bellybutton. a nice belt would help too, brown/tan leather is gorgeous with blue.

Norc wrote:well, you did choose the most difficult skirt to walk in! but you'll soon enough get the hang of lifting it up in an elegant manner whenever you are presented with stairs (up and down) and other obstacles  but congratulations on your first "official entry"! that is very brave! hat off to you.

 i'd say the only thing missing in this outfit is a nice, subtle, golden necklace to frame it in, along with that bracelet (it is a bracelet right?). also, if you wanna create the illusion of a waist and hight (hight is dificult with a maxi skirt, i'm 5'2'' so i know!) tuck the shirt into the skirt and wear it right above your bellybutton. a nice belt would help too, brown/tan leather is gorgeous with blue.

Thank you, Norc! I was really nervous but it was a good environment and I'm really glad I was able to do it. Now that I'm a little less tense it feels even more exciting.

I appreciate your fashion advice! It was raining really hard so I turned the elastic waistband of the skirt inside out and folded it down before pulling the skirt higher to get the hem a little further above the ground/puddles. I'll have to give the tucked in look a shot, though. Women's belts are something I have yet to look into but I can see how brown or tan would go well with the blue. Something to look into (along with shoes/sandals ).

The bracelet is actually a converted necklace. It's just a 24" [edit: 61cm] gold chain wrapped around my wrist three times, overlapping on the lower side. I've worn that chain as a necklace for the past five years as I hung my Phi Beta Kappa key from it, but the key has my deadname engraved on it so continuing to wear that feels a little weird. I might try wearing it as a necklace without anything hanging from it, though.

I feel so proud of you & Im not even your mum !  You are going to have so much fun with all the girlie bits of life as your confidence grows. Its easy for me, I can wear trousers as well as skirts so it feels natural but you, you've only known trousers since a wee little lad  Men wear sarongs & kaftans in hot countries tho & that's taken for granted. I honestly don't care what people wear, if men want to wear skirts, ok. Just look nice & be comfortable in the clothes you do like. Its only fabric. Remember, one life, this aint a rehearsal

( I like wrapping necklaces round my wrists too, especially love beads )

Well done Eldo, proud of you it's the first step on a long journey, but you will soon get the hang of it, even as an occasional crossdresser myself I can't pretend to know much about female fashion trend/coordinating outfits etc and I definitely wouldn't pass with the beard (not that I am even attempting to) I do it mostly for a bit of fun with my girlfriend (women's fashion is so much more interesting then the various shades of black/grey that make up most of my clothes, oddly enough we are very similar sizes), being trans you are coming at this from a completely different approach and I only do this occasionally (and then only in private, absolutely no way I'd ever go out in public dressed like this), but I'm sure there's friends and family who would be willing to offer you more advice, it's not something you can just get the hang of overnight.

Here's a photo of me dressed up (pink jacket coat/red dress/black knee boots/leggings/shawl):




(not pictured the makeup/nails I was also wearing, as I said I definitely don't pass with the beard, my girlfriend's mum thought it was hilarious, as did one of my friends (who identifies as a gender neutral lesbian), IIRC we bought these clothes the same day we looked round a WW2 museum, talk about a contrast...)

The all-body shaving routine must be hell.

halfwise wrote:The all-body shaving routine must be hell.

there is lazer-treatment... or.. one could not care.

halfwise wrote:The all-body shaving routine must be hell.

It probably would be, if I did, I'm a rather hairy guy (apart from on my head apparently, damn you male pattern baldness) and I'd rather not imagine the time and pain I'd put myself through with waxing or shaving, and I much prefer myself with a beard.

or.. one could not care.

This-I don't, I crossdress occasionally, in private as a bit of fun/relaxation with my girlfriend, I'm not trying to fool anyone and I'm fine with me the way I am.