Neutral Crossdressing: An Alternative

- Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?

Somewhat.. I've been out twice, and have plans for more outings, but I've never done it alone and it's always planned when I go out. I don't know if I could just dress up and go to the grocery store across the street.. at least not yet

- Have you ever worn men's clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered "feminine"?

There's a running joke in the emo community that the men were "wearing their girlfriend's jeans," and back in the early 2000's that might have been true lol. Now they make skinny stretch jeans for men and it's literally the only type of jeans I own. We also wore eyeliner (guyliner lol) and had painted nails so I was doing at least some form of makeup before I ever started crossdressing.

- Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?

I love the way a look comes together when I dress up as a woman. It makes me feel like a different person completely! There are some things I've adopted for my daily life.. like painting my nails all the time now(and not just black) and removing all my body hair, and soon I'll have my navel pierced which is considered more feminine (maybe I can start bringing crop tops back for men lol). But as androgynous as I try to be in my daily life, it is a different experience for me when I become Rilee

Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?

Yes, at least once a week for the past 18 months. Shopping, dinner, dancing, waxing, etc. The first time was hugely challenging, but the sky didn't fall, my world didn't fall apart, and my friends didn't abandon me, so it has been an incredibly positive development in my life.

Have you ever worn men's clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered "feminine"?

Sort of. I have a couple shirts that are more like blouses, and I'll wear pink without irony. I feel like my wardrobe needs to expand in the genderbending/androgynous direction. Most of the time I present as very femme or very homme, and that's fine because that's who I am, but it would be nice to have some in between options, or what my wife likes to call stealth Nikki.

Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?

No contest, dressing on femme is far more rewarding both in terms of process and product. The clothes are more fun, fit better, the fabrics feel better, and the impact they have on my mood is so much more profound than male clothes. Male clothes make me feel invisible even when I'm feeling it. What would Bowie do?

This works and generally doesn't raise too many eyebrows. I wore women's sketchers sneakers with a slight heel, women's nylon socks, always underdressed, mostly in me made panties and v-neck camisoles with a bit of shaping (bust darts) for several years before retiring. Over top, my polo's were generally men's, as I expected someone to notice if they buttoned on the wrong side, but my slacks were women's cargo pants, in several colors and a couple of different styles. The only time I was questioned was when wearing woven flats that I purchased from Greater Good (Animal Rescue Site). They were available multicolored - although normally I'd wear the black and grey at work. The issue was however when a coworker asked me what sizes they were available for men, and I admitted they only went to a size 9 in men's (10.5 - 11 in womens). That raised an eyebrow and outed me when I explained where she could find them. She ended up buying several pairs for herself subsequently, and then made a comment when we were both wearing the same style - Oh look we match ! It was good natured and we have been out a few times since retiring to lunch with others that I worked with and my wife (whom as it happens, she had worked with at a prior job)

- Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?

 I have been out dressed many times, but I wouldn't say I have the courage to do it.  It's more of a compulsion, that forces me to do it despite my lack of courage, lol.   I try to blend in and I still mostly avoid people but love how I feel being out and about.

- Have you ever worn men's clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered "feminine"? 

   Yes! Just having a hint of pink or other soft color somewhere, socks, running tape, helps me feel more like myself.  I like the freedom October give me to wear pink as a man because it's breast cancer awareness month.

- Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?  

  I'm definitely more conscious of matching when dressing as a woman.  However, the process of can sometime be burdensome as is often a deterrent to dressing when I don't have the time to invest.

Thanks for the fun post!

 Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?
I have yet to go out fully femme, although I am very intrigued by the thought. I think I am held back because I feel the need for more practice with make-up, wigs and wardrobe. I will say that I have often gone out with a more androgynous look: women's jeans, scarf, heeled boots and of course fully underdressed. Although I look different, not sure anyone would guess that I did not have one article of "men's" clothing on.
– Have you ever worn men’s clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered “feminine”?
I have a problem with most of the clothes I see marketed as unisex, or gender neutral - they seem so boring and bland. I am more interested in upcycling something I have thrifted into a statement of some kind - like adding lace details to a jacket or jeans. I actually prefer to shop for women's clothes that could go either way. They fit me better.
– Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?
I love the process and the result; however, have so far only done this in private.
I feel like I am still taking baby steps, but more of my feminine style is coming out over time. I recently made a skirt for a sewing class project and most of my friends, male and female, asked if I was going to wear it. I did not answer one way or the other, and they did not seem to be phased by it. Perhaps they are used to seeing my shift in style, so it did not come as a surprise that I might indeed wear a skirt!

You have described my life, dear. The wife insists she married a MAN! As time has advanced I can wear lipstick, mascara big earrings, pumps ,( love high heals). It all started with panties and femme jeans. Life is good and we are still married!

Great article , and I kinda do some of these things already. I do wear panties and a bralette daily, pantyhose and a camisole in the cooler months. For a few months now I will wear my under garments listed above with my tighter women’s jeans, a woman’s top, my low heeled ankle boots with light makeup( eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow and a neutral lipstick) with a slash of perfume while still presenting as a man without wig or breastforms. I’ve never had a negative comment come my way while dressed like this but rather received compliments about either the way I look or the scent of my perfume. I think this is a great way to feel feminine and not be out fully dressed as a woman.

I don't leave my house dressed as a woman (haven't gotten that courage yet), but I do "stealth" dress in guy mode. Basically I'll underdress (panties, hose, petti-pantliner, camisole etc) and on outside I will wear ladies jeans (Gloria Vanderbilt), ladies shorts or I will wear a ladies suit pants and a basic looking ladies blouse. This allows ME to still feel feminine while to others (unless they are looking close to really inspect my attire seeing the pants/shorts zipping left or blouse opening left etc) to not really notice anything. So this "stealth mode" dressing is a nice happy medium until I can progress to "full on" girl mode outside of the house. Anyone else stealth dress?
-Christina

Good questions, thanks for asking!

Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?

For about 15 months now I've gone out probably 3-4x/month on average. I suppose courage is involved, but I don't know it has ever felt that way to me - perhaps a little the first time or two.

Have you ever worn men's clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered "feminine"? 

No, all of my guy things are just guy-ish. Mostly because in guy-mode I couldn't care less about fashion, only function. In girl-mode the complete opposite lol

Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?

It's a bit like traveling to me - I like being somewhere, not getting somewhere. The process of becoming Melodee is nearly stressful, but being Melodee is one of the most fun things I think I've done in decades.

- Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?

I just got out for the first time - Limited interaction but it's a start.

- Have you ever worn men's clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered "feminine"?

Yes.  I'm starting to introduce more color in my male wardrobe.  Also I recently bought a brocade blazer, black and gold that I will describe as "flamboyant" and something I would not have worn a few years ago.  I wore it to a party and it was a hit!  On the subject of undergarments, I've found some men's bikini briefs that are a very soft sheer fabric, much like womens panties, but cut and lined in the right places for men.  I love them and will wear nothing else with my male attire.  

- Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?

 I'm older so the result is...well, the best I can be.  But the process!  I love the process.  I love putting on all the foundation garments, applying makeup, nails, false lashes, all of it.  I'm not very good at any of it but I love the time doing it.  Just wish I could do it more than an few times a year.

I can only think back to my youth where there were flamboyant males who wandered about in very feminine prints, shoulder bag and a hint of makeup, a British comedian of the time did a parody of such a character who's catch phrase was 'Hello Honky Tonk'. You saw this style of character around and most just accepted them as 'Camp' but they were very much visible. In the work I did there were also males who worked in smart suits but with a hint of makeup and polished nails and were such strong characters the clients loved them. Outside of work, socially a few dressed in full female attire. I will not enter into sexuality here as it is not relevant to this topic, you can make your own inferences but I know that some were crossdressers and in one instance Trans. This was the 70's and there was an air of acceptance. The 80's saw an explosion of men wearing makeup, painted nails, feminie styles as the Pop world embraced the new wave and new romantic. 

Of course there was uni sex clothes in the 70's, men wore more prints associated with female styles but it was fashion. I myself was so proud the day I bought a pink shirt, long before the expression 'Only real men can wear pink'. It was a kind of subliminal message I was sending that only I knew. My bubble was strictly macho so I did the usual conformity as it was hard to be a woman in that world, especially for me. As time wore on men started to wear prints and colours more of a feminine appearance and later there was the 'meterosexual' man. Man bags and men showing their 'feminine' side more.

 A while back we had 'androgynous' nowadays I see the labels of gender neutral and more which allows for those that want to wear more feminine clothes is a fashion and lifestyle as I see more young 'males', wearing feminine styles and 'females' more masculine styles and in between. It is their definition, whether they are crossdressers or Trans in the 'old fashioned' sense is open to conjecture but defines them as they are. 

So perhaps the Millenials and generation 'Z' are able to express themselves more and pushing the gender norms further which allow them the freedom of expression in what clothes they wear and how they appear. Is it a furthering of the fashion and lifestyle as each generation moves on.

Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?

It was hard at first but became more regular to a daily routine now. I am fortunate to have gained acceptance over the years which has led to developing my look, build up confidence and be able to live my life as I have always dreamed of.

– Have you ever worn men’s clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered “feminine”?

Yes, referring to the colourful prints and Uni sex styles of the 70's.

– Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?

Absolutely!

Good thing about makeup is it wipes right off and you can start over. The bad thing is...oh the money I've spent on makup!😄

Hi there, I am new here, I find this topic interesting.

– Do you have the courage to go out on the street dressed as a woman?
Yes. I am dressed in woman clothes outside, but by using neutral models of clothes almost no one notices me. I don't like to draw attention. Some women have watched my clothes, some of them smiled but not more. When I meet men they don't notice anything about my clothes.

– Have you ever worn men’s clothing with a fit, fabric or color considered “feminine”?
Earlier I like pink t-shirts and men's stretch jeans.

– Do you like the result or the process more when you dress as a woman?
Women clothes are much more comfortable and beautiful. I feel better by wearing them, so yes I like the result.

When in male mode I almost always wear matching panties and bralettes. My toe nails are always painted. I like to change colors about every 2 weeks.

My male clothes are just that, male. 

As for going out on the street as female. To me going out a Jessi is a sort of validation of Jessi. I don't feel complete if I just stay at home. So yes going out every time is a must. 

I definitely like the result better then the process. Every time I think I'm done there's something else. Like nails or jewelry and then perfume. Sometimes seems like I am not going to finish before the days over.