I’m not sure feminine exists any more!

[Faldaguy]

Well now we have another expert chiming in: From Variety
By Zack Sharf
Sean Penn: Men Have Become ‘Quite Feminized’ and ‘Cowardly Genes’ Lead Them to Wear Skirts...

Hmmm -- I think I need a half and half skirt --denim and floral

[STEVIE]

Coder Wrote. When I have seen men who break clothing gender boundaries on TV - except on one rare occasion - they are often very effeminate. They have a lispy voice, outlandish clothes, and usually wear makeup or are well groomed. I'm not saying those things are wrong - but they don't represent the majority of how men are, and so give me the impression that anyone who breaks boundaries must not only change their clothing, but their voice/behavior as well. Maybe I watch too many Food Network challenges

"TV Challenges", reality TV which by the very nature of the medium, really isn't.
OK I have never appeared on TV and my grooming is a matter of opinion and, no I don't lisp either.
Now, am I effeminate?
By the criteria of some people today, possibly, but by the standards of my Father, assuredly! He died in 1969 and using aftershave regularly would have been considered effete behaviour.
That said, he did not approve of woman in trousers either. The Gods alone know what he would have thought of any of the trends of today.
The point is that the attitudes and standards by which we categorise gender has actually changed quite dramatically at a fundamental level.
To achieve Mr Norman Normal status for a bloke in a skirt though is a matter of tweaking, fine tuning and winning over the doubters.
Oh, and giving the media the credence which it merits, minimal.
Steve.
Strangely enough my clothing tastes are remarkably subdued most of the time, no sequins on my blazers.
Must add, Mr Penn may be a film industry expert but his use of "cowardly genes" hardly qualifies him to spout re the human condition.
I guess he wanted some column inches as he hadn't been getting enough lately, poor soul!

[Dust]

Well, I pass the "no aftershave" test, but wear skirts, so...

Seriously though, I sometimes wonder if the whole dressing your age thing actually has as much to do with dressing your generation. People get stuck in their ways, settle on a style they like, and stop trying to keep up. If that happens typically at a similar age in most people, each generation just continues wearing some variation on what was in style when they were 30 or whatever, but that is different for each passing generation.

Some may be age related, but I think that is only part of it.

[Sinned]

Dust, you could have something there. I was brought up in the through the sixties onwards. When I think of what was considered "old men's wear" as I was growing up then I wouldn't be seen dead in their garb. But there again I can't see me wearing some of the fashions of more recent times. The sixties was one of wearing bright colours which I also like. The sixties was one of experimentation which I enjoy doing. I have my own internal image and that reflects in the clothes I wear. I no more see skirts as feminine than trousers. I must admit that I am having difficulty in incorporating heels and some other articles into my image but I certainly would accept those on others. Ultimately we need to pursue that which makes us happy. Men are that they might have joy.

[STEVIE]

Hi Dust.
I agree with Sinned and I'd suggest culture too as a factor regarding femininity as in the original question.
My own inspirations are really spread from the 60s via my upbringing, formatively the 70s and selectively an ongoing evolution.
My nostalgic gene certainly creates a certain fondness for the trevira skirts which were on trend with my female peers in the mid 1970s.
Now, circa 1975, my concept of femininity would have aligned more closely to my Dad's or the prevailing consensus of the time.
Sure, we had Glam Rock with Bowie, Bolan and even ABBA pushing the boundaries.
Awareness of different sexual preferences and the UK legalisation of homosexuality for men all had an impact.
I considered skirts and dresses as "feminine" then and it would take nearly forty years for me to get past that.
Binary in my youth was that almost arcane term used by maths geeks when they were getting all excited about the new fangled computer things.
That 40 years were not easy but I survived and here we are. Nowadays, I guess plain solid colours are my go to in skirts and dresses with flat or modestly heeled shoes. I will tend to avoid pink and flamboyant florals and that, I really believe is down to cultural influence.
In terms of comfort, the psyche is as important as the physical in my opinion.
Today, I will consider nearly anything, never say never, but I also know my own self much better now too.
Finally, feminine and masculine most certainly still exist, it is really the boundary between the two which has altered. Not just in fashion but in so many other elements too. We are all still in a high state of flux though and the uncertainty is not going to be resolved anytime soon.
Steve.