I am an overdresser.
There ― I admitted it. I got it off my chest and now I don't have to worry about people accusing me of being an "overdresser" because I have come out to the world about it.
It is hard to overdress when you attend a trans support group meeting; many of the attendees overdress because the meeting may be their only opportunity to dress at all, so they dress to kill.
That being said, when I attended trans support group meetings, I was usually the most overdressed girl at the meeting. Hands down. No question about it.
I carried on my overdressing when I began going out in public en femme. The woman in a cocktail dress and high heels shopping at Wal*Mart ― that was me. The woman in the sequin evening gown seated in the centerfield bleachers at Fenway Park ― that was me. The woman in the little black dress and pearls dining at Taco Bell ― you guessed it ― that was me, too.
At first, I worried about it because overdressing drew attention to me and by drawing attention to me, civilians might scrutinize me too closely and figure out that I was packing something extra underneath my periwinkle bridesmaid gown.
I sure did not want to out myself, so I began toning it down. But I soon found out that toned-down dressing was Boring with a capital B!
Blending in with all the other babes at Home Depot was just not my thing. I wanted to be outstanding in my field in heels, not flats.
So, I began overdressing again and I have never looked back because in the words of blogger Kate Fridkis, "Being overdressed is fun. You have to pull it off with confidence. You have to walk with your shoulders back, like you planned it. Like you're dressed up because you live a dramatic, impressive life. I mean, why not? Maybe you do."
Ms. Fridkis' "The Art of Overdressing" on The Huffington Post inspired this post and I urge you to go read it yourself; maybe it will inspire you to buy a red strapless dress to wear to the grocery store.
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| Actor Tony Sheldon femulating on stage in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (2012) |
Because you and I and many of our contemporaries came from the generation when our fashion sense was imprinted by June Cleaver, Donna Reed and many of the always nicely dressed ladies of the 50s and 60s I had long surmised that perhaps this was the reason that I, like you, would almost always overdress but I think that you have hit on a more fundamental motivation that seems to percolate in the hearts of many CDs and TGs.
ReplyDeleteI do not own many "casual" womans clothes. Most of my ladies wardrobe is dresses with a decent smattering of skirts. I have one pant suit that I have never worn out of the house, or even around the house for that matter and I have two pair of flats that I have never worn out while dressed. I have carried them in the car on occasion if I was concerned that my feet would fail in the heels that I was wearing. I have worn my ladies flats out while in drab.
Pat
Women dress up for special occasions.
ReplyDeleteWhen I go out dressed, that IS a special occasion.
Therefore, I fit in by dressing UP.
As Oscar Wilde said, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”
ReplyDelete