Good news for a change?

Clippings from news sources involving fashion freedom and other gender equality issues.
Bodycon
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Good news for a change?

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Uncle Al
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Re: Good news for a change?

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Myopic Bookworm
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Myopic Bookworm »

Great! (But we still need to work on getting skirts on to guys who aren't already practising drag queens.)
Offkilter69
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Offkilter69 »

Myopic Bookworm wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:00 am Great! (But we still need to work on getting skirts on to guys who aren't already practising drag queens.)
Agree. I’m all for being able to be who you truly are within reason, but stories like this do not help the heterosexual, skirt-wearing male population. If anything, it reinforces the stigma that “real men do not wear dresses”.
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moonshadow
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by moonshadow »

Myopic Bookworm wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:00 am Great! (But we still need to work on getting skirts on to guys who aren't already practising drag queens.)
Yeah, it's nice, but really very much another cookie cutter LGBTQ article.

When he invoked the pride flag, trans flag, and for some odd reason hashtagged "blacklivesmatter" he just alienated 50% of the U.S. population, and as a result likely sparked a debate on whether this sort of thing should even be allowed.

Nothing wrong with pride, or trans, or black justice activism by themselves, but what does it any of that necessarily have to do with a guy just wearing a skirt?

It's like me saying "I like pineapple pizza! #pride #trans #blacklivesmatter"
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Barleymower
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Barleymower »

Good news for who?
I am reminded of what my wife said when I first started wearing skirts.
"There's two gay men on our street raising a child together, they are more accepted than a straight man in a skirt"
Dust
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Dust »

moonshadow wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:58 am
Myopic Bookworm wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:00 am Great! (But we still need to work on getting skirts on to guys who aren't already practising drag queens.)
Yeah, it's nice, but really very much another cookie cutter LGBTQ article.

When he invoked the pride flag, trans flag, and for some odd reason hashtagged "blacklivesmatter" he just alienated 50% of the U.S. population, and as a result likely sparked a debate on whether this sort of thing should even be allowed.

Nothing wrong with pride, or trans, or black justice activism by themselves, but what does it any of that necessarily have to do with a guy just wearing a skirt?

It's like me saying "I like pineapple pizza! #pride #trans #blacklivesmatter"
Yup. We shouldn't have to agree on a half dozen other hot button issues to agree that men should have the option to wear a skirt.
STEVIE
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by STEVIE »

Ah well, we cannot please everyone, so the kid did the right thing by pleasing himself.
Pretty sure that he didn't have any particular section of any population in mind either.
As for the two dad scenario being more acceptable than the straight skirted dude, I'd doubt that too.
I've been that dude for a long time now and I reckon gay and trans individuals take lots more crap in many ways.
Fact is, I have a choice and could change if things were too difficult.
The good news really is that there is a message of hope out there for a lot of like minded kids and parents.
Maybe, provoking a bit of thought for the taboo merchants as well.
Just what is wrong in that?
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Wiggy »

For one, I think he looks stunning.
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by moonshadow »

Dust wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 12:57 am
moonshadow wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:58 am
Myopic Bookworm wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:00 am Great! (But we still need to work on getting skirts on to guys who aren't already practising drag queens.)
Yeah, it's nice, but really very much another cookie cutter LGBTQ article.

When he invoked the pride flag, trans flag, and for some odd reason hashtagged "blacklivesmatter" he just alienated 50% of the U.S. population, and as a result likely sparked a debate on whether this sort of thing should even be allowed.

Nothing wrong with pride, or trans, or black justice activism by themselves, but what does it any of that necessarily have to do with a guy just wearing a skirt?

It's like me saying "I like pineapple pizza! #pride #trans #blacklivesmatter"
Yup. We shouldn't have to agree on a half dozen other hot button issues to agree that men should have the option to wear a skirt.
Agreed. And the perception has had the side effect of myself toning down my style a little over the last couple of years. Wearing overly femme stuff I feel has pushed me too far into the political trans territory for my liking. I have no issue with trans, but it's not something I'm trying to represent, as frankly to do so I feel would do the trans community a great disservice.

Nevertheless, I find it somewhat bothersome that the simple act of wearing a skirt might make people assume I tick all the boxes on the far left spectrum. I hope if there is any doubt or curiosity, those who make such assumptions might just ask me. They may be surprised by my answers regarding certain matters. In reality, the politics of my skirt wearing only goes so far as to declare that I have the right (or should have the right) to wear whatever I want. It has nothing to do with any other social/political movement whatsoever.

#nohashtag :wink:
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Ralph »

Wiggy wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 9:42 pmFor one, I think he looks stunning.
I suppose, but for me "looks stunning" is so far down on my list of priorities I don't even notice. I think it looks ridiculously impractical. For my money, the order of priorities (from most to least important) are:
  • Is it comfortable to wear? Most of what I wear, I choose because I like the feel of soft fabrics against my skin.
  • Is it practical? That is, can you move about easily. The most effort I'm willing to expend is to lift long skirts up away from my feet as I go up and down stairs. If I can't go through narrow spaces without risk of tearing the clothes or knocking things over, or if it's awkward to sit down, I simply will not wear it no matter how nice it feels.
  • If it passes those first two tests, then and only then will I give some consideration to how it looks. I wear many things that do not look good on me - poor colour matching, poor fit for my body shape, "frumpy" and not at all fashionable, etc. - because I only wear them indoors and my wife is the only one who has to suffer through them. I have purchased a few things that ended up in the dustbin because they were too hideous even for my low standards: Gaps in tight clothing that made my fat bulge out, garish oranges that made me look like a pumpkin, etc. When it's too ugly for me to wear, you know it's the worst!
Also this:
Offkilter69 wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:37 amIf anything, it reinforces the stigma that “real men do not wear dresses”.
So much this. I am more than happy to support my LGBTQetc. friends in their struggles, but flamboyant drag queens just make the average Joe Bloggs look at any man in a skirt as some sort of sex-obsessed cretin. I spend more time telling people what I am not than what I am.
Ralph!
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by STEVIE »

Ralph wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 11:22 pm I suppose, but for me "looks stunning" is so far down on my list of priorities I don't even notice. I think it looks ridiculously impractical. For my money, the order of priorities (from most to least important) are:
Hi Ralph,
We didn't do proms when I was at school, that was for the "Yanks".
The kid was dressed to impress at the teen equivalent of the Oscars and the inspiration obvious.
All the rest would have done the same but differently is all.
Hell if I had thought that an outfit like that would have got me laid.................?
He probably would never dream of wearing a skirt in class though, however practical or comfortable that might be.
"Stunning" is just a matter of opinion and ours don't count at all.
Good luck to him and anyone else of any shade like him.
Steve.
Bodycon
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Bodycon »

I posed the question a couple of days ago as I was heading out the door and didn't have time to comment myself. I find the reactions very interesting. It shows that we are a very diverse group and also contradictory.

My own thoughts are, yes, it is good news, but more just for the fact that there was more acceptance than there would have been even in recent years. The why and how of his outfit are in that respect secondary. I suppose I correlate that with general acceptance of difference, not just LGBTxxxx difference, but I may be wrong.

I don't think this story does any harm to the Swish of MIS, though I do think those MIS who dress outrageously (define this yourself) do more harm than good to the cause. That, of course, is another debate.
Last edited by Bodycon on Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Grok
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by Grok »

With that (rather large) bow tie, the outfit looked almost like an attempt at a skirt suit.
rivegauche
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Re: Good news for a change?

Post by rivegauche »

Personally I don't like his outfit but that is irrelevant. The sequins on the jacket put it in drag queen territory even though he does not seem to have a bust. I am not convinced that the current enthusiasm for drag helps us because I think a lot of drag is parodying women and some is mocking women and drag queens are often gay. Nothing wrong with that but most of us are not gay and we do need to sever the link that says man in skirt = gay man. Also we should not be asserting our clothing choices in a way that sees women negatively. For me an outfit has to look good as well as feel good.

As I have said in other posts, I do the man in skirt or dress thing but also do the man presenting as elegant woman thing. I had intended to go dress shopping today in a dress presenting as a woman. I am already dressed for it without yet getting round to the make up and wig but am actually thinking of shopping as man in skirt instead even though I have done this already this week. As usual, there were no reactions and the sales assistant said they get lots of men trying on women's clothes. This was in a high end retain outlet with some items costing hundreds of pounds (Brodie Country Fare), so not all men in skirts or crossdressers are shopping in Primark and charity shops. I find sales in shops like this yield very high quality bargains - I got a Betty Barclay dress for £26.50. I think the best way to spread this message is to lead by example and if other men realise that a man in a skirt gets no reaction they might be more tempted to try themselves.
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