Greetings everyone! Today I hope to inspire you, as I'm sure many of you are frustrated by the negative stereotyping and stigmatizing that we all face in our daily lives by presenting ourselves in a feminine manner.
To start, a lot of the stigmas that we face have been brought on throughout decades of people like us hiding in the shadows. In doing so, the rest of society has become very ignorant as to who we are, why we do what we do, and what it means to us. We all have gotten one of the two assumptions: we're gay, or we want to be women. For some that may be true, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, the vast majority of us are straight, cis-gendered men.
In recent weeks, I have openly dressed in front of several individuals that had no idea about this side of me. Namely, it was my two sisters, one of their boyfriends, and stepdad. Out of these four, only one seemed to have a problem with it, which was my younger sister. She wasn't able to understand that I was not gay, and called it a "phase". These comments were made behind my back, so I wasn't able to respond accordingly. Luckily, my other sister explained to her that I have been in a relationship with a beautiful woman for over five years.
This example is just one of the many experiences that come along with being openly feminine. However, none of these situations deter me from being myself. While the opinions of immediate family or friends can hurt sometimes, it is important to understand that we live our lives for ourselves, and not according to anyone else's comforts. True friends and family will not judge you on this alone, and will still love and accept you regardless.
I have read many of your comments throughout various blogs, and it always saddens me when I read about those who do not have the confidence to wear the clothes they love openly, due to their fears of what others may think. I deeply empathize with this, as I was once in the same unfortunate position.
However, I have noticed many of you still underdress daily, as well as wear light makeup and perhaps a unisex top or bottom that goes unnoticed. Some of you also have wonderful partners in your life that encourage you to be your fullest self. So what is holding you back? Perhaps it's your occupation, status, or just your inhibitions. We must understand that the only way to break stigmas, is to popularize a taboo action. Women did the same when they threw out their restrictive girdles and bras, so it's time for us men to step up.
I was out at the store the other day, one which I always frequent. A familiar cashier said to me: "You know, it takes a lot of confidence to do what you do. It takes balls". Now, this is perhaps the most validating comment I have ever received, as many of us fear that our dressing makes us less of a man. I argue the complete opposite. How many men out there have the confidence to cross that line and wear a dress, in order to achieve their fullest happiness?
To those of you who just underdress, take that next step up! You don't have to go all in. Start slow. Begin with unisexual styles, perhaps adding in one clearly feminine item. Work your way up and eventually, you'll have the confidence to wear heels, full makeup, and whatever else you want openly! If you have a supportive partner, rely on them to support you. Vent your stresses at the end of the day to them, there is nothing more relieving than having someone there for you. If you don't have a partner, confide in a close friend or family member who accepts you.
Both XD and BA fully support us being ourselves. They exist because we exist. You may wonder why their product line mainly consists of underdressing items, and that's because the majority of us only underdress! Do you want more skirts, dresses, leggings or heels available to us? Buy them and wear them openly! XD / BA offers a decent amount of these, and they are most comfortable for us men! The more of us that look society in the eye and be confident with ourselves, the less of a stigma it becomes. Just look at women who wear tuxedos! No one bats an eye. It's time for a man in a dress to receive the same treatment.
So get out there and wear that dress you've been dying to wear in public! How many of you have taken these steps so far? How many of you want to? What is stopping you? I would love to help you all muster the courage and become truly blissful.
-Nathan
To start, a lot of the stigmas that we face have been brought on throughout decades of people like us hiding in the shadows. In doing so, the rest of society has become very ignorant as to who we are, why we do what we do, and what it means to us. We all have gotten one of the two assumptions: we're gay, or we want to be women. For some that may be true, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, the vast majority of us are straight, cis-gendered men.
In recent weeks, I have openly dressed in front of several individuals that had no idea about this side of me. Namely, it was my two sisters, one of their boyfriends, and stepdad. Out of these four, only one seemed to have a problem with it, which was my younger sister. She wasn't able to understand that I was not gay, and called it a "phase". These comments were made behind my back, so I wasn't able to respond accordingly. Luckily, my other sister explained to her that I have been in a relationship with a beautiful woman for over five years.
This example is just one of the many experiences that come along with being openly feminine. However, none of these situations deter me from being myself. While the opinions of immediate family or friends can hurt sometimes, it is important to understand that we live our lives for ourselves, and not according to anyone else's comforts. True friends and family will not judge you on this alone, and will still love and accept you regardless.
I have read many of your comments throughout various blogs, and it always saddens me when I read about those who do not have the confidence to wear the clothes they love openly, due to their fears of what others may think. I deeply empathize with this, as I was once in the same unfortunate position.
However, I have noticed many of you still underdress daily, as well as wear light makeup and perhaps a unisex top or bottom that goes unnoticed. Some of you also have wonderful partners in your life that encourage you to be your fullest self. So what is holding you back? Perhaps it's your occupation, status, or just your inhibitions. We must understand that the only way to break stigmas, is to popularize a taboo action. Women did the same when they threw out their restrictive girdles and bras, so it's time for us men to step up.
I was out at the store the other day, one which I always frequent. A familiar cashier said to me: "You know, it takes a lot of confidence to do what you do. It takes balls". Now, this is perhaps the most validating comment I have ever received, as many of us fear that our dressing makes us less of a man. I argue the complete opposite. How many men out there have the confidence to cross that line and wear a dress, in order to achieve their fullest happiness?
To those of you who just underdress, take that next step up! You don't have to go all in. Start slow. Begin with unisexual styles, perhaps adding in one clearly feminine item. Work your way up and eventually, you'll have the confidence to wear heels, full makeup, and whatever else you want openly! If you have a supportive partner, rely on them to support you. Vent your stresses at the end of the day to them, there is nothing more relieving than having someone there for you. If you don't have a partner, confide in a close friend or family member who accepts you.
Both XD and BA fully support us being ourselves. They exist because we exist. You may wonder why their product line mainly consists of underdressing items, and that's because the majority of us only underdress! Do you want more skirts, dresses, leggings or heels available to us? Buy them and wear them openly! XD / BA offers a decent amount of these, and they are most comfortable for us men! The more of us that look society in the eye and be confident with ourselves, the less of a stigma it becomes. Just look at women who wear tuxedos! No one bats an eye. It's time for a man in a dress to receive the same treatment.
So get out there and wear that dress you've been dying to wear in public! How many of you have taken these steps so far? How many of you want to? What is stopping you? I would love to help you all muster the courage and become truly blissful.
-Nathan
21 comments
I have been slowly dressing more and more in public. I have been under dressing for years now. I am fortunate to have a wife that embraces this side of me. I find it very rewarding when I push it a little further and I get more confident every time. My wife is the one who is slower to evolve to this but she is getting better about not caring what others think. Also I have many friends that prefer I dress now knowing that it is who I am.