From: an4361@anon.penet.fi (Claudia)
Subject: I'm new here
Organization: Anonymous contact service
X-Anonymously-To: alt.transgendered
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 14:54:50 GMT

Hello everyone

I'm somewhat nervous and excited, for it is the first time I talk about
my affinity to crossdressing.

Still I don't know exactly what's on with me, but I hope, the surprisingly
open and fair discussion in this newsgroup will help me to do so.

Like so many of you, I'd like to give a short description of my CD history.
If you feel bored, please skip the rest.

At the age of 7 I first recognized that certain pieces of women's clothing
had an enormous attraction to me, namely one-piece bathing suits, high heels
and back-free clothes. Occasionally, I tried out my mother's and my sisters' 
clothes, but always was terribly afraid of beeing seen by others.

Later on, my objects of attraction changed somewhat, always influenced by
fashion. Especially ladies' overalls and jumpsuits became interesting to me.
I then asked my grandmother to sew one for me, which still might have been
interpreted as a men's garment.

With all my clothing ideas, I then tried to find a compromise with that what 
was culturally accepted, since I felt - and feel - male.

With 14 or so I began sewing, and, becoming more and more experienced,
I could realize many of my ideas. But although I always tried to stick to
male fashion remotely, I seldom dared to wear my 'creations' in public.

More and more, I recognized, that my male identity prevented me from wearing
the clothes I liked. Sometimes, I was dreaming of changing gender, maybe
for some days or weeks, or sometimes even for the rest of my life, and when
I heard about the possibility of changing sex by operative invasion, that gave
a lot of inspiration to my thoughts. But mainly, I kept feeling male and I never
really considered to actually undergo such an operation.

Until now, I'm 26, I am sewing many of my ideas, with constantly increasing 
courage in designing, and still I seldom dare to wear something in public.

I think that culture had a heavy impact on me, and I'm afraid I might be 
considered gay. Women alone are sexually attractive to me, although I feel 
some admiration for (not too) muscular, handsome men.

Like so many of you, I would like to change my gender for some time in an 
SF-manner. I think, this would be the solution for many whishing-to-be ladies.

- EOB (end of "biography") :)

If you're still interested, I'd like to discuss some of my opinions about the
whole topic.

By the way, do we have any genetic females out here, or are only genetic males
whishing to change gender?

If this was so, it would support a theory of mine. As I already complained, my 
male body keeps me - or should I rather say, culture keeps my body ? - from 
wearing anything I like in public. 

But why don't we hear much about women whishing to be male? In fact, they exist.
I happen to know a girl who in her early youth always was interested in boys as 
mates, boys' clothes and boys' habits. And she has her difficulties with it,
too. She now can wear boy's clothes, she can act as she likes, but she still
suffers of it. But lucky, she she is able to talk about her problems, unlike 
most men with similar problems.

At least when clothes are concerned, women have no problems being - in the sense 
of "Kleider machen Leute" - whatever they like. Men's fashion nowadays is a proper 
subset of women's fashion. Of course, in other parts of public life, women don't
have that freedom, they have serious difficulties getting equal (and equally paid)
jobs as men, they are much more restricted in where they go and what they do,
because that little anatomic difference also consists of less phyisical power.
But this is a topic that rather belongs to alt.feminism.

I believe that a big part of the folk out here in this newsgroup would be helped
by a 'male emancipation' in fashion. 

Now, I hear them yelling out: But male bodies are not by far that attractive as
female bodies are!!! Look at those hairy legs and chest, those fat bellies, that
vanishing hair etc.

On the first glimpse, male bodies don't seem to be made for these soft fabrics, 
these nice colors and gadgets that are familiar in women's fashion. As many of
you are complaining, men are too tall, have hairy bodies, vanishing head hair, 
things that prevent them from looking female, soft, nice and so on.

But look what women are doing to fit the female scheme: bulimia, anorexia
and other psychic phenomena occur mainly on females; all these drugs and accessories 
to remove body hair, silicon implants at various places, make-up to smoothen the 
skin, face liftings and so on.

I think that males making similar efforts could be made to fit in a scheme they
don't fit in - like in the female case, where a great many actually doesn't fit 
in this soft, nice, 'streamlined' scheme.

In former times, men were 'allowed' to make up their bodies. Costume history 
shows us that kings and nobles wore things at least as colorful as ladies and
in old ages there was a strong similarity between the way men and women dressed.

But more and more, the fashion was specializing not only in the way it adapted 
to the different anatomies. The different roles of the genders caused men to 
spend less time and energy on making themselves up and underlining the features
attractive for the other sex.

This way it came, I believe, that male fashion in these times is as unattractive
and boring as it never was before and leaves as little place for expression as
ever. And more, I believe that this is the reason for many men - also including 
some folks out here - to be unhappy with their sex.

My conclusion is that, as women are fighting for emancipation in work and everyday's
life, men should "fight" for emancipation too in segments of life that seemed to
belong to women up to now.

I hope I didn't bore you with my opinions and my german-ish english. I would like 
to hear if somebody feels the way I do. If anybody out here liked some help 
with clothing and sewing, I might be able to give support - feel free to contact me.

Bye & my best wishes for the new year







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