Casual Crossdressing

[CasualCrossdresser]

Yay! Today I just learned the term Freestyle Fashion. About a year or so ago I coined the term Casual Crossdresser to describe myself. I even started blog/website at http://www.CasualCrossdresser.com to get my thoughts out on the subject.

Basically it means crossing gender lines and wearing whatever you like without pretending to be something you aren't. Which in my case would be a woman. I am fighting for greater freedom, especially for men. More choice in clothing and fashion and definitely more acceptance. I'm not a woman and I don't want to pretend to be a woman. Most of the crossdressing forums I've been to are really just guys pretending to be women. I have nothing wrong with that. But that's not me.

I'm happy to have found the term Freestyle Fashion. Admittedly I think it's probably a safer term, especially since the world crossdresser seems to conjure ideas in peoples heads that are usually negative. Sadly. But I'll still use casual crossdresser because I think it's a little more defining. Just doing a google search for freestyle fashion turns up a lot of stuff for womens clothing marketed only at women. So that term seems to have two different meanings. To women it seems that term just means mixing and matchig styles and not crossing gender lines or pushing boundaries.

Anyway. I'm happy to be here.

[Sinned]

I suggested a little while back the term fashion harmonisation as it certainly my goal to harmonise the things that either sex can wear. So, apart from purely functional garments such as the bra ( admittedly some men do have sufficient breast tissue to warrant wearing one but certainly a minority ) which are pretty exclusively female then a particular garment such as a dress, skirt or trousers should be able to be freely worn by either sex without being held up to ridicule. So yes, there is a certain freedom of fashion or a harmonisation of fashion for both sexes.

[Grok]

Quite an interesting analysis. The rubber band concept is highly descriptive. However, the people participating in Skirt Cafe are interested in wearing unbifurcated garments.

[Sarongman]

Welcome to our forum, you will find quite a few with your philosophy here in the freestyle corner, however a greater bulk of us just want to wear a skirt, and put that desire into practice. For me, a skirt must be as practical as a pair of trousers, meaning pockets, belt loops and practical sturdy material. However, I don't decry those who wish to push the boundaries into freestyle territory, just NIMBY, as I have gained a degree of acceptance in a conservative corner of the world where such "crossdressing" would set progress back to square one.

[crfriend]

Quite an interesting analysis. The rubber band concept is highly descriptive. However, the people participating in Skirt Cafe are interested in wearing unbifurcated garments.

Indeed, as far as I'm aware, the bulk of the guys at Skirt Cafe are simply interested in the option of skirts instead of trousers from a perfectly male perspective. Sure, there's sometimes pushback from the women closest to them, and that does fall into the "rubber band" analogy, but there are others who have fairly well mastered the skirt (and in some cases dresses) who cannot be considered in any way feminine (Note: "feminine" is not a derogatory term here, just to make that plain.).

As one reads here, one will notice a decided tilt towards "functionality" and "practicality"; this is the quintessential "Western male" speaking" and it does one good to notice how some of us adapt that to our own rigs and sometimes everyday attire. However, others of us tend to "push the envelope" a bit more and are thus compelled to either redefine "functional" or otherwise adapt it to what we want to wear. There's an interesting tension in there for those who wish to delve into it.

In any event, CC, welcome to the forum!

[Sam]

Yes interesting indeed! I will not call myself a crossdresser, but know and then I feel the need to use some items from the 'female' garderobe as women 'normally' can do with the male garderobe. I am simply interested in the option of skirts instead of trousers from a perfectly male perspective. I combine male shirts, jackets with a skirt and tights that complete the outfit.

[RichardA]

Surely today if you want to dress like a female you will be wearing jeans

[Sam]

That's for sure! But not for me. Working at home (I've got all facilities to do that) I put my knee lenght grey skirt on and completed it with grey opaque tights.

[STEVIE]

Hi CC,
Welcome to the cafe. I don't consider myself a coss-dresser either, but I am happy to mix things up as much as I can.
Some time ago, I suggested the "musion" as a possible alternative to "mugs".
The idea was to validate the idea that it's perfectly o.k. to mix clothes from both sides of the "aisle" into one rig regardless of gender.
Over the next few weeks, I've arranged to have some snaps taken of what I've worn in the office. Once it's complete I'll post the results and welcome the comments.
One thing, I have discovered over the past few weeks is that a total emphasis on the practical just becomes tedious after a while.
A little bit of whimsy now and then, does wonders for your soul.
Steve.

[SkirtedViking]

It is completely unfair one sex to wear all mostly without prejudice(no matter how this is achieved,now is the 21 century,people must be above stereotypes) while the other is handicapped and limitted by society(speaking of western type of societies).Hardly(probably never) could hear a woman to be called crossdresser,transvestite and so on.Freestyler is a good term and the term feminine is not a dirty word in my vocabulary at all in terms of fashion for men.Is masculine a pejorative term for women,maybe we should ask them.Though I am fairly certain about the answer.

[Grok]

Review-"skirtonian" refers to people-who may be either men or women-who like to wear unbifurcated garments. I expect that this grouping would go horizontally across the gender block diagram (under "Rubberband"), including both men and women. Skirt Cafe, a Skirtonian forum, includes people who are interested in free styling, as well as those interested in traditional MUGs (Male Unbifurcated Garments). I suspect that under the Tomboy category there may be a subcategory-consider that the Macabi skirt was designed for women interested in outdoor activities that we associate with men, such as fishing.

[Grok]

Found a definition for janegirl

[Hazy]

I even started blog/website at http://www.CasualCrossdresser.com to get my thoughts out on the subject.

I just spent an hour looking around this website. Very good reading, well done.
I like the rubber band theory.

Neil

[jamie001]

I incorporate many women's items including capri pants, denim skirts, feminine style women's sandals and shoes, red toenail polish, a woman's purse and yet I am not a crossdresser because I am not attempting to appear as a woman. Crossdressers attempt to deceive folks into believing that they are a woman. I am simply a more feminine male (opposite of a Tomboy) that expresses myself through clothing/women's accessories. Essentially, I am the same as a woman that wear flannel shirts, jeans, and combat boots. There is no difference except that the Tomboy is accepted by society while the JaneGirl (opposite of Tomboy) like myself is not completely accepted.

Think about this: We have all heard parents say "look at Cindy, she is such a cute little Tomboy playing with those GI Joes and Army Trucks". On the other hand you will NEVER hear this: "look at johnny, he is such a cute little JaneGirl playing with those Barbie Dolls and makeup kit." In the real world, the parents or relatives would slap the crap out of Johnny and tell him to stop acting like a girl!!

Boys are taught at an early age that emulation of any female traits is abhorrent behavior and is forbidden! When boys get to school age, the other boys will beat this behavior out of them because they are self policing. This is entirely where the problem lies. Everyone should have freedom of expression including men.

[Grok]

And, of course, unbifurcated garments are almost entirely associated with females.