I recently read an intriguing post on malefemme which contained a quote from Andrew O'Neill on Postmodern Trannyblog which says:
“I think I have a hardwired notion that it is desirable to be a
girl. I also have over the years accepted and internalised the fact that
I cannot be a girl. Therefore it is desirable to be like a girl, and
because of our hugely gendered clothing split, the easiest way to
achieve that is to wear the clothes of a girl. If I looked more
feminine, I think I would probably act a lot more feminine, but as I
don’t want to try and fail to pass for female, I ground what I do in an
acknowledgement that I am male. The identity I project outwards is
therefore feminine male, rather than woman. I want to dress as ME, not
as something I am not.”
This is an interesting way of looking at things, and its definitely a quote which has given me something to think about. I may move away from trying to work towards being as female as I can and try to be as me as I can. Ive got a few ideas about how to approach this and I do aim to try them out one step at a time over the coming months. First off, I think im going to try and lose the boobs. I think my breastforms are a necessary evil when it comes to certain aspects of female fashion, and would still be necessary for special occasions perhaps, but I think its got to be worth seeing if I need to wear them for normal day-to-day dressing up. It may be that I try this out and I feel that its not for
me. I do love having a chest there, but as Andrew points out, it isnt
me.
I dont think I would ever stop wearing a wig though, I love having hair and my own is not enough to pull off any kind of feminine hairstyle unfortunately.
Hi Aimee. Thanks for mentioning my blogpost :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a nice quote. I've used it more than once, since I can relate to it quite a lot – and it's nice to post something someone else has said, and say "I agree with that", rather than always giving your own isolated opinions.
As to the subject, whether female bodyshaping is necessary to wear women's clothes: I don't think it is. Obviously some dresses (and whatnot) are specifically designed for a curvaceous form, with cups for instance, but plenty aren't. So really, it's all a matter of what you're trying to achieve. Michael looks fine in frocks (check his blog) and the first picture of Andrew (in my blogpost) is him in a dress designed specifically for him; i.e. he couldn't wear it with any padding up top.
"I do love having a chest there" – well, yes, me too, sometimes. I can't actually remember when my forms last came out of the drawer, but I still like to have them around. If that seems a bit inconsistent, well... ;)
Jon (jenalex)
Hi Jon,
DeleteNo problem at all, it was an interesting post that got me thinking, and also sparked quite the conversation on Angels too.
I have to agree with you there. I have a bit of difficulty putting my thoughts and feelings into meaningful words most of the time, and that quote definitely stood out as something I relate to.
And I also have to agree with you on the bodyshaping front too. I am going to be dressing up without the prosthetics from now on, at least for a little while as an experiment. Ive got plenty of everyday clothing that will work fine without boobs, but if I ever do go on a night out and end up in one of my posh frocks then I will have to break them out again. Like you said, some clothes are designed for curves.
I think that im still figuring out how to balance my GD, and while up to now ive been trying to push my image as female as possible when I do get the chance to dress up, your post (and the quote) made me realise that it might not be necessary to have to adorn myself with blatantly fake bodyparts but still be able to appease my female side. Im also considering the same approach with voice and mannerisms too, it seems to silly to fake them into something that doesnt match the image I will be portraying. I may soften them a little but that is it.
I have checked Michaels blog out already and he does look good, and Andrew too! I dont think id ever go for a beard while I dress though, I still want to try and take as much as I can from female fashion when I do let Aimee out for a while and a beard would be a little weird for me I think.
Thank you for commenting Jon! :)
Aimee x