Dresses/Trans/Politics (1/2)
So, I really like wearing dresses with combat boots. I don't dress like this very often, at most once or twice a month, but I do enjoy it when I do. I feel playful, punky, and rebellious. And more than that, I feel like a boy wearing a dress.
But the problem is, I haven't undergone any medical transition, so to the outside world I just look like a plain/frumpy woman in a silly dress. And I fear the feelings about being "playful with gender" are lost on everyone else.
Dresses/Trans/Politics (2/2)
I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with dressing the way I do, I just fear that I might be appropriating the feeling that goes along with it.
My main concern is that this feeling of being a "boy in a dress" isn't mine to feel. At least, not until I undergo some kind of medical transition and live the experience of being read as a man in punky women's clothing.
Dresses/Trans/Politics (2/2)
Perhaps, mine to feel, but not mine to have an opinion on? I just worry it gets complicated, because people who present as masculine but wear dresses are subject to a level of discrimination that I would not be. I'm not sure if I would describe this as trans misogyny. I'm imagining crossdressing cis and trans men, rather than trans feminine people who are read as men, and I believe there would be a different name for that particular discrimination.
Dresses/Trans/Politics (2/2)
I think I may just be overthinking the political implications of what is, at the end of the day, a fun thing for me to do.
At the same time, I try to be aware of how my behavior may affect or invalidate other trans people.
Dresses/Trans/Politics (2/2)
@Sparrow You are absolutely entitled to feel however you feel when you do these things. Gender isn't 100% performative. Doing what makes you feel comfortable doesn't invalidate other people unless you're putting effort into invalidating others with your presentation.
Be yourself. Not who you're allowed to be. ♥️