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Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:19 am
by nervous walker
Hi, I am a man in his 60's who has enjoyed wearing womens clothes for over 50 years. Most of this has happened indoors at home or work ( I am self employed which can make things easier ) however with the marching on of time I thought I should try being skirted outside in daylight ( pass the valium!! ) I have done a few trips out in the dark, don't we all start out that way?? I chose Bolton Pride as my debut event wearing a short black pencil skirt, suspender style tights, a lacy see through top with a bra on underneath and a hoodie, all in black. I had a few funny looks on my way from the car park but thought that would change once inside the arena, how wrong can you be?? I only spotted 2 other men and they were fully cd, a group of 4 women stared open mouthed at me ( luckily my friend was filming me so I didn't see their expressions until I reviewed the film later ) I wondered if I was more remarkable because I wasn't trying to look like a woman just a bloke in womens clothes?? I have to say that this has knocked my confidence more than a little but having done it once I would like try again and would welcome suggestions as to where and when are the best places ( ie type of place/area and time of day ) I know Manchester has its Canal St gay village but as I am not gay I don't know if that is for me?? I have since done a skirted walk about in Trafford Park on a Sunday but it was deserted so nobody to look or comment, enjoyable but doesn't get me any further. My friend lent me her shiny skater skirt and took some pics in TP and I will upload those if I can figure out how too. Sorry if I come over as a moaner, I am not really and have joined in order to contact and perhaps share skirted experiences with others. I look forward to hearing any comments from others and respectfully ask that any pictures I manage to upload are left on this site and not shared anywhere else. Thank you for reading this far, ps had a crisis of confidence again so no pics yet!!

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:10 pm
by trainspotter48
Hi Nervous.
The moderators will put me right on this, but I believe that certain forums (Pics and Looks & Personal Stories) are only visible to members, so if you wanted to post any more, it should perhaps be in those areas.

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 1:29 pm
by Sinned
NW, you don't have to wear the whole lot at once if you don't want to. Some just wear the skirt with tights and perhaps shoes. Many, like me, wear a selection - skirts, tops, the odd dress. Others go a lot further and wear dresses/skirts all the time. Pick and choose but whatever you decide you will find that people just don't care. What probably caused the staring was your top half, particularly the bra which for most men is not essential. As to when and where then night is a good time, places away from home, petrol stations, stores, fast food establishments. Welcome and good luck.

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:30 pm
by nervous walker
Thank you "trainspotter48" for your reply and perhaps the moderators will let me know how the uploading of pictures works regarding who can see and re-publish them?

And Sinned, thank you for your reply, my top half was covered up on the way to the Pride arena but once in there I thought it would be safe to " let it all hang out " I am sure that if the attendance of skirted or dressed men had been higher then adverse reactions would have been a lot less. One lot of bad reactions won't stop me trying again and I will let you all know the results. Thanks, NW

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:47 pm
by Caultron
nervous walker wrote:Hi, I am a man in his 60's who has enjoyed wearing womens clothes for over 50 years. Most of this has happened indoors at home or work ( I am self employed which can make things easier ) however with the marching on of time I thought I should try being skirted outside in daylight ( pass the valium!! ) I have done a few trips out in the dark, don't we all start out that way?? I chose Bolton Pride as my debut event...I am not gay...
I'd say that was a rather courageous act. On the one hand, you'd expect a lot of non-binary acceptance, but on the other, I presume that's quite unfamiliar territory. But if it's not so unfamiliar, under what guise did you go previously?
nervous walker wrote:wearing a short black pencil skirt, suspender style tights, a lacy see through top with a bra on underneath and a hoodie, all in black. I had a few funny looks on my way from the car park but thought that would change once inside the arena, how wrong can you be?? I only spotted 2 other men and they were fully cd, a group of 4 women stared open mouthed at me ( luckily my friend was filming me so I didn't see their expressions until I reviewed the film later ) I wondered if I was more remarkable because I wasn't trying to look like a woman just a bloke in womens clothes??
In a sense I'd guess that Pride events are like the tattoo conventions I used to visit: lots of freaky people walking around and looking at the other freaky people (where I don't mean, "freaky," to be negative). So I'm surprised you got the open-mouthed reaction. Maybe they thought it was OK to be non-mainstream, but not your kind of non-mainstream, which is their problem, not yours. Or maybe they were just surprised rather than condescending or approving.

Then again, go anywhere in a bra and a see-through top and people are going to notice you, especially with the commotion of your friend taking photos.

The trick is to accept yourself, be yourself, be confident, and expect to surprise a few people along the way. They'll react far more negatively to shirking and sulking than to your clothes.
nervous walker wrote: I have to say that this has knocked my confidence more than a little but having done it once I would like try again and would welcome suggestions as to where and when are the best places ( ie type of place/area and time of day )...
Technically, it doesn't make much difference. I wear skirts about 99% of the time, everywhere I go, except when I'm with my wife, who's the one person on earth who won't be seen with me in public.

The most common first outings, though, seem to be parks, gas stations, and convenience stores. In all of these you'll only meet a few people, and at a gas station or convenience store you can make a quick getaway if necessary. All-male clothes except for a denim knee-length skirt is a common outfit.

But again, just go anywhere, be confident and friendly, act like everything is OK, and I guarantee everything will be OK. The hard part isn't doing it; it's believing that you can.

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:13 pm
by weeladdie18
Welcome Nervous Walker from Weeladdie in S.W. Cornwall ......I have explored the world of " Men in Skirts " for over 40 years.
By this I mean that I have settled to be a " Man in a Skirt " instead of a man in trousers.
How you pursue your interest in wearing clothes from " The Other Side of the Isle " is part of your progress in this alternative style of dress.
If you trawl through the threads You will find the different styles of dress we are all exploring.
Please join in the discussions and start your own threads if you wish...............weeladdie

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:30 pm
by WesleyN
Welcome.

All the beginning is difficult. I also started indoors and later I walked quickly to the mailbox and back again. That was late in the evening. Much later when I was already married, I started to walk in skirts in public. Nowadays my environment also knows that I like to wear skirts. But you have to choose your own pace. And I understand that your environment accepts you as you are. That is only a pre.

For myself I prefer to choose to wear everything ladies and men's clothing. That is how I created my "own style". But I also do that with pants and shirts. For the rest, I don't have to look like a woman. I am now satisfied who I am and what I look like.
I have experimented everything and I think what I have now about clothing, that belongs to me. These are therefore not high heels or a bra. I just wear men's underwear.

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:36 pm
by Grok
WesleyN wrote: I don't have to look like a woman. I am now satisfied who I am and what I look like.
To quote Jeff1959, "I don't want to look like a woman, I just want to dress like a woman". :mrgreen:

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:45 pm
by Fred in Skirts
:welcome:
Welcome Nervous Walker,
I think you should keep trying and don't get upset when you are noticed in a negative way just keep your head up and act like everything is normal. There is no fast and furious way of getting put and about in public, you just have to want to do it and not pay attention to the nay sayers. I started with a skirt when I had a medical problem, but after the problem went a way I stayed in a skirt. Now I wear skirts blouses and sweaters from the ladies side of the store as well as a few dresses now and again. The more you do it the easier it gets, until one day you don't even think about it.
:rock: :thewave: :rock:

Fred

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:59 am
by nervous walker
Thank you fellow members for all your messages of help and support. There really does seem to be a diverse range of people and approaches to our lifestyle, all encouraging, which is good. I am going through all the various posts when I can and would welcome a face to face skirted chat with anyone localish. I also notice that I am a junior member, long time since I have been anything junior, thanks for that :D

Re: Hello from Greater Manchester

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:05 pm
by weeladdie18
As far as I am aware Junior may be relative to your number of posts . Comments and enquiries on a new thread of your own will produce
interesting and constructive replies..... The whole Skirt Café Forum does produce many informative posts. .
Please remember that others will learn from your experiences.....Please remember that at this time I am a retired man who wears a skirt
with pride and confidence to replace his trousers......Every "Man in a Skirt " has his own ideas as to how a skirt should be worn.
We are at present changing our style of dress with the changing seasons. ..............weeladdie.