Femulating in public is more common today than it was yesterday and I predict that femulating in public will become even more common tomorrow. There are two or three reasons for increased public emulating.
One Reason
Every day, older femulators are discovering that the world does not end when they step outside en femme. It turns out that it was a lot easier than they thought and as a result, they all regret not taking that first step earlier (I know I did).
My countless outings en femme, as well as outings by girls like Paula, Kimberly, Janie, Meg, et al, who don't think twice about being pretty in public, have, by example encouraged indoor femulators to try femulating outdoors. The more we femulate in public, the more others will try it.
Another Reason
Younger femulators do not need much encouragment. They grew up in a world where the fluidity in gender and sexuality among their peers is accepted rather than excepted (like when old ladies like me were growing up). As a result, they already know that the world will not end when they step outside en femme. The only thing holding them back is deciding which skirt to wear today.
Still Another Reason
Males, who are not femulators, are femulating in public unintentionally by adopting items in their wardrobe that were formerly considered feminine. Today, fashionable males may be seen in public wearing makeup, handbags, jewelry, skirts, skinny jeans, leggings, tights, pantyhose, high heels, etc. --- all items that were considered strictly "girly" a generation ago.
This growing number of unintentional femulators just further encourages intentional femulators to do their thing.
In Conclusion
Whereas, in the not-too-distant past, I seldom encountered another femulator in public, nowadays, I often encounter other femulaors when I am out. And I expect that in the near future, we will be everywhere!
Actor Tyler Mynard femulating as Miss Bible Belt on stage in Pageant: The Musical, 2012.
Wearing Lele Rose.
Stana,
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right. But, there is another trend out there that negatively affects anyone who (by preference, for family reasons, or otherwise) wants to remain anonymous while out -- in other words, who wants to go out without being "out". That trend is the use of Technology for identification of people in public places. I have been femulating in public for15 years, but have never felt as exposed in that sense as now. Like we all do, I simply have to say "what the hell ; I want to do this and I don't care if the police, Walmart or the NSA know that I femulate". That attitude pretty much assures me of no future in politics, however!
Older femulators learning the world does not end ~ check
ReplyDeleteYounger femulators feeling a natural sense of freedom ~ check
Evolving acceptable fashions ~ check
I would add the expansion and popularity of blogs such as Femulate that establish without question that we are all good citizens and not deviants and derelicts nor a threat to society at large.
I would also add the fact that T people of all stripes are being viewed by society at large as being proper and acceptable members of the society.
We have a long way to go but we have come a long way baby.
Pat
Stana
ReplyDeleteEverything you mentioned is spot on. That's why I constantly tell newbies GO BABY GO.
"The more you go out as a woman then the more you'll go out as a woman"
It builds on it self
You are correct about college age and young femulators. We were alone, they have other transgender peers all around then not to mention support from colleg admin
Absolutely! the world is getting to be a better place for many of us, and I trust will continue to, at the same time there is always a reaction, in our case often from the religious conservatives, but the more we go out and are seen to be safe people, the more presence we have in society, and on the net, the more we take part inn ordinary activities the more we will be accepted.
ReplyDeleteLove the quote from Tony Sheldon -- the original Bernadette in Priscilla The Musical -- in the source page for the picture of Tyler Menard:
ReplyDelete" It was a nice change to be with actors who had no experience of drag and were discovering how uncomfortable it really is. They were also endlessly fascinated with their images in the mirror. Ah yes, I remember it well..."
http://ttsheldy.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-hit-we-hope.html
I don't see many others like me in my home town (in the bible belt). but I've had store clerks and waitstaff in restaurants where I regularly go tell me that we're becoming more common. When traveling to more liberal areas I do see more public transpeople. On a recent trip to Las Vegas and Southern California (Coachella Valley), I did run into others who were crossdressing in public, or were bending gender in varying ways; I didn't have any issues, got ma'am'ed most of the time, and my wife didn't get questioned for accompanying me. I know more young people CD than they did 35 years ago, but they have more outlets - renfairs, cosplaying at anime conventions, wearing femme attire and makeup to go clubbing, to name a few - but I don't do those, so I don't see them out. Good for them, 'cause it sure would have been fun to have been dressing in my late teens and early 20s.
ReplyDeletePiping in way, way late — but I can only say that if this was true for 2014, it's even more true for 2016, even on the country I live, across the Atlantic from you guys :-) A group of my friends who go out regularly have almost stopped going to specific LGBT-friendly places (there are not that many in our city anyway), and we just go to 'normal' places instead. We often ask the manager/owner if we're allowed to go there first (but we have simply gone to a few places without asking) — from malls to shops to restaurants, cafes, esplanades, bars... and the reaction, in general, has been great.
ReplyDeleteIt's also true that the younger generation is far more accepting and tolerant — at least, in most communities. It also depends on the age: they might be a bit too self-conscious in their teens, still figuring out what those 'hormone things' are doing to their bodies, but in their early twenties, they are much more relaxed about non-cisgender, non-heterosexual identities, presentation, and sexuality. Their parents, however, might still not be that tolerant — yet. But yes, things are changing, very slowly for sure, but the truth is that nowadays I occasionally find MtF crossdressers around (FtM are mostly invisible — they simply pass too well — but we know they do exist), mostly from the younger generations. They're not so frequent than that, sure, but occasionally you can see them here and there (usually never alone but in a group of friends).
My own family doctor, after I told her about being transgender, just nodded briefly and said: 'I know... gender dysphoria is really tough to deal with... you cannot know how many cases I'm aware of — hundreds and hundreds, and my own colleagues tell me exactly the same'. I think that the word 'crossdresser' would not be part of a doctor's vocabulary twenty years ago. Now people are 'coming out' all over the place.
Sure, it's not a revolution. Not yet. And yes, sure, some of those might still meet with violence here and there — especially if they are by themselves on the shadier quarters of the city — so it's not as if it's 'safe' to 'come out'. Sure, your family, your employer, your friends will very likely not understand you — shun you — make you lose your job. This hasn't changed yet, and it will take a few more decades to become reality. But... slowly, we're getting the message out.