That's why I wear gel over acrylic for fingernails. Otherwise, not only does the polish get chipped, so does the nail!JohnH wrote: I used to wear nail polish on my fingernails but that was too high maintenance since I cannot stand chipped nail polish.
I blame Margaret Thatcher!crfriend wrote:Then, something changed drastically in the early 1980s and all that progress was lost within about 5 years ...
I don't think all that progress was lost. Men's earring acceptance has continued to grow, and there is much more awareness of LGBT issues including "gender expression", which has been written into legislation in various localities. I am optimistic that skirt wearing is greater than it was then, and that today's technologies (e.g. this forum) are allowing for greater freedom of expression through greater acceptance and understanding of that expression.crfriend wrote: Compared to today, things in the 1960s and '70s were positively laid back; men won the right to grow their hair out, wear earrings, and generally experiment with their own sense of style vastly moreso than now (and this did include the occasional skirt). Then, something changed drastically in the early 1980s and all that progress was lost within about 5 years, and it's been growing progressively repressive since then.
I don't know about that, but it certainly lets you know you are not the only one, which I found to be a huge help.skirtingtheissue wrote: ... today's technologies (e.g. this forum) are allowing for greater freedom of expression through greater acceptance and understanding of that expression.
actually, everything works fine for me.
I say there are many more men that go all the way with HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and SRS (sexual reassignment surgery) to become women than for women to become men. Carl, I see the same thing {men's clothing becoming more restrictive) with coats and ties - the only standard color for a suit is black or dark navy, and ties have only a solid color. And if a man wears women's clothing and makeup society compels him to "pass" as a women.crfriend wrote:In reading the post by "guyinnadress" above I am beginning to come to the conclusion that the active suppression of experimentation and non-acceptance of experimentation may actually drive guys to further extremes than they might otherwise go if left to their own devices. Especially pernicious in this is the sometime need to hide one's behaviours, and I suspect that can be very damaging indeed over the long run, leading to stress, confusion, conflict, and depression. This goes for both external (e.g. spousal) and internal suppression ("self-censorship").
The level of rigidity already imposed (both externally and internally) on men is astounding, and it only seems to be tightening up. Compared to today, things in the 1960s and '70s were positively laid back; men won the right to grow their hair out, wear earrings, and generally experiment with their own sense of style vastly moreso than now (and this did include the occasional skirt). Then, something changed drastically in the early 1980s and all that progress was lost within about 5 years, and it's been growing progressively repressive since then. There are small renegade groups that try to keep the fires of hope and style alight (like this group), but those are very marginalised in general society meaning that we have to try much harder to gain acceptance when we're dressed "outside the norm" than when we are. This creates internal stresses within us that we cannot control; more pernicious is when someone close to us does the same thing, and I suspect it's that stressor that causes some guys to go to the extreme of "orthodox crossdressing" as a form of stress-relief (much akin to a safety-valve popping open on a steam-boiler).
I have no concrete answers to this but figured I'd offer the observation.
But how about from a distance and before they've had a chance to hear you? That "first impression" may happen from quite a distance.JohnH wrote:I have a masculine looking face and a very deep voice. Even if I wore a dress with heels and makeup, along with a feminine haircut and my feminine body shape (breasts and hips) people would have no problem determining I am male.
I suspect that this is because there is still a substantial gap when it comes to status equality between men and women. This is why it's OK to be perceived as "gaining status" (as is the case with women dressing as men) and why it's NOT OK to "lose status" (the other way 'round). Until that inequality is addressed we'll continue to have this conundrum. Once men and women are perceived societally as equals this issue will go away, and I will be among the very first to make sure that it gets hit in the backside by the closing door! However, I do not see that happening any time soon as we plumb our way into a new Dark Age.I say there are many more men that go all the way with HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and SRS (sexual reassignment surgery) to become women than for women to become men.
In this case, I believe it's down to two things: (1) the individual's "tipping-point" and (2) society's "tipping-point" regarding what's "acceptable" or not. Each of us have our own, and society in one's locale likely has another; balancing those is an art. Personally, I tend to take my own tipping-point as the datum and not get too close to it; if I find that I am disturbed by the visage in the mirror (or, more accurately, a photograph; pictures are less "forgiving" than the mirror) or do not recognise myself therein, I will not cultivate that look or style in public.Sinned wrote:On this forum we talk about liking various things normally associated with females - nail varnish, heels and so on yet talk about not wanting to look like women. To continue this theme I have concluded that it's not the individual things but the number of them in combination.
This does tie into something I've been saying for years now...JohnH wrote: I say there are many more men that go all the way with HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and SRS (sexual reassignment surgery) to become women than for women to become men. Carl, I see the same thing {men's clothing becoming more restrictive) with coats and ties - the only standard color for a suit is black or dark navy, and ties have only a solid color. And if a man wears women's clothing and makeup society compels him to "pass" as a women.
