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I’ve gotten over my fears of shopping in thrift stores, then in outlets and other stores, but untill today, I had not ventured into the makeup realm. Since I have a support group meeting Monday, I decided I had to screw up the courage, walk in to a makeup section at Walgreens, in guy mode. I was soemwhat surprised at myself walking into one in my own neighborhood! Guess I’m actually getting more comfortable with others finding out about my genderfluid nature.
The makeup section runs the full length of the store, and it seemed to go on forever. And it was terribly exposed, open, and well-lit. Yes, I was intimidated. And determined.
In a minute, a bubbly woman named Christi (“that’s Christ with an i” she said) asked if I needed help with anything, and I said, no, thank you. She continued to fuss at the nearby counter, not far from me, and I finally turned and said, “yes, maybe you could help me. I’m wanting to find a foundation that would work, and I don’t know how to figure that out.” Christi asked “Is it for someone else, or yourself…” She was so nice to not look at me when she asked, and I felt comfortable enough to say, “For myself.”
I had heard from others that the women in makeup departments are usually really nice to crossdressers, and I got to experience that firsthand. Christi helped me for a good 20 minutes, helping me find the basics and what works better. She actually seemed delighted to help me, as a man, get my bearings in the complicated arena of makeup. I felt respected, I felt kindness, I felt encouragement.
If you’ve been thinking about what that experience might be like for you, I hope you’ll find support in this story.
It’s nice when you meet a person like Christi, who is polite and helps you and doesn’t judge you. I’ve got a special lady at a store I like, Rietman’s and she goes out of her way to make me feel comfortable. She brings me other stuff while I’m in the fitting rooms and helps me match things as I am colour blind. It kind of renews my faith in people when you meet someone like this.
Take care, Heather.
I get it, Jessica, it’s nerve racking. What I noticed is that I was looking for only a minute or two before Christi called over to me, “If there’s anything I can help you with, let me know.” and then she kept futzing around at a counter about 10 feet away. When I said, Well, yes, there is something,” she came over and helped me.
So my advice is to just stand there looking confused and see if someone is as nice as Christi. If not, walk away. Simple.
In general I think you will surprised at the professional service you will receive regarding makeup. You can walk into any store that sells makeup and receive help, and good help. Go to a counter at Macy’s or Nordstrom’s in male or female mode and they will help you with the correct colors and products for your skin tone. If you try to pick yourself chances are you will not pick correctly as there are so many choices. I know many who work at these places and men, CD’s and TG’s come in all the time.
Take that step, you be be happy you did
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