By Cristy Garcia
Taken from her Flickr page, originally posted in 2018, viewed by over 96,000 so far!
The Pic: This photo was taken on September 14, 2015. I had always liked this dress but had not had a chance to wear it until that day. Even though I no longer wear pantyhose or nylons often I thought that given that the dress looked like something a professional woman would wear to work I decided to wear it with black hose. Another reason for the hose was that the black-patent mary-jane heels I picked for the outfit fit better with hose.
I liked how the dress fit despite my being overweight and therefore I brought it to wear for the Vanity Club formal dinner, a few weeks later at the first Atlanta Soiree. That time I wore it with black classic pumps and no hose. That was also the one time ever that I wore the long jet-black wig that my dear friend Kelli picked for me at a wig store we visited earlier that day.
The Thought: Women rarely wear pantyhose or nylons these days and it has been that way for many years now, with the exception of some fall and winter fashion. Another rule that most women follow is to never wear hose with sandals. If our ultimate goal as cross-dressers is to fit in and pass for women in the real world, then shouldn’t we follow their lead?
In my humble opinion, in this time and age, a woman should wear hose mostly to provide some protection against cold weather. Why is it then that so many of us wear nylons with almost any kind of attire and regardless of weather or shoe style?
I have a theory that makes sense to me but you are welcome to disagree with it. Men have always had a particular fascination with women wearing nylons since the times they were invented. This fascination is such that when a man dresses as a woman thinks that if he adds nylons to his attire “she” will look more attractive and more feminine. Ask modern day women if they like wearing hose and I am sure the response will overwhelmingly favor the NO. Ask the same question to men and even cross-dressers and the result will, without a question be, by a landslide, the opposite.
It is common knowledge that women dress up to look good for themselves and other women and not for men. This is why regular women do not wear hose when it is not in fashion but women who want to get men attention will always wear pantyhose or, even better, nylons and a garter belt. This raises the following question: As cross-dressers, do we dress to look like regular women or as the stereotype of women that us, as men, find attractive in a more sensual and sexual way?
I guess that each of us can easily answer that question and if not, our photos and the photos we add as favorites will give us a clue. I don’t intend to judge or put anyone on the spot. After all, we are all different and if we ask to be understood and respected for being different, then we should respect and understand those who, within a kind, are different from us. However, I invite you to do some introspection and try to understand why you favor a particular look or style of woman to emulate; as it will give you better understanding and decide if that is what you want to project.
Having cross-dressed since I have memory, I went through different stages and kept evolving until I reached a feminine image with which I feel comfortable and happy. I have chosen to portray a regular woman who dresses for her own satisfaction as “she” tries to fit in context and I hope that my photos succeed at presenting that image.
People often ask about me getting too many nasty comments with sexual content and my response is that I rarely get a disrespectful comment and the main reason is that my photos, in my opinion, do not incite that type of reaction or comments from the observer. By the same token, I rarely get wolf whistles while being out and about; not only because I do not provoke them but mostly because, let’s be honest, I am not a genuine woman and no matter how much I may or may not succeed in playing the part, I will never even come close to the real thing.
The Music: I thought it would be nice to share, with each photo I post, a link to what I am listening to that day as I enjoy my Prog Rock collection. Today I am sharing two links to songs of the album “Sand” (2017) by Monarch Trail, a Canadian Neo-Prog band. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
7 Responses
Cristy,
I agree with you on the point of crossdressers wearing tights or stockings .Basically they do give a nicer look to legs no matter what the gender but of course many CDers can’t shave their legs so some sort of leg covering helps improve the look . I know a transgirl who has a total fetish for tights so she wears them no matter what she is wearing winter or summer but she doesn’t care being seen as a transgirl .
Before going full time I vowed never to wear trousers /jeans again but as you point out women wear them the majority of the time , they aren’t worried so much about the look but more concerned with practicalities of keeping warm besides they are much easier to wear on a daily basis . So I accepted the need to wear them if I wanted to be accepted as one of the girls , that is one of the learning curves , how to dress items up or down , even a humble pair of jeans can look knockout with the right top and shoes .
I do like wearing a skirt in winter as a change from trousers so I have a range of various coloured opaque tights , depending on the skirt which i usually pair up with a sweater and boots . I don’t often wear tights in the summer , it took me a while to go without but I love the bare leg look .
Tights with sandal are a complete NO-NO but formally peep-toed heels look better with stockings , personally I prefer stockings and suspenders to tights ( you can tell I’m a Brit ! ) , they feel better under a lovely gown and it’s that much easier dealing with the call of nature !
Attracting attention is a ticky one , I’ve been hit on by guys but also women , I have been follwed around a supermarket more than once . To get a second glance doesn’t always mean you’ve been read , I admit it takes a while to realise that point , sometimes men will second look anything in a skirt but women could be checking you out , usually your outfit but sometimes a possible threat to her dear hubbie ! I experienced that in a supermarket , I was checking out some items when a couple walked by , the husband found an excuse to check items next to me but all the time I could sense him looking me over , his wife noticed and walked back to retrieve him .
I don’t have too much of a problem with comments good or bad as I don’t do social media , I don’t pesonally need it but I know it can do a great deal of harm , the simple answer is don’t go there if it hurts you .
I know this was written some time ago, but the premiss is still relevant today.
‘Who do you dress for?’ is a question we must all consider when getting dressed. And it is different for each of us. Do I want to look like a housewife from the 1960’s, a tart, a professional woman, …? Where are you going and what you will be doing should also be a integral part of this discussion.
I’m always cross-dressed in male mode. I dress as a modern professional woman would, except no dresses or skirts and less makeup BUT in higher heels. I dress for ME (and other women).
For an example: Why do I have colored toenails and fingernails?
I have (longish) acrylic gel-covered fingernails because I damaged some nail beds; I get color because I WANT COLOR. And I WANT exquisite nails. If it makes women jealous (and it does) – great. That is, I get my nails cover for me because I enjoy them.
I believe 1 significant point has been missed here-i.e. many women–mostly on the older side-have ugly legs–veins,knobby bumps etc etc..good legs-no problem. but why in heavens name do others go out with their bare legs distracting from an overall nice appearance?
Emily,
Is it really fair to condemn a woman for not covering her legs because others may not approve ? I’m told I don’t have bad legs but the fact is I don’t care , when it’s hot I do what most other women do and let the sun get to them and enjoy wearing a shorter hemline .
I really appreciate this perspective which also sets me to thinking. Trying to present as female I really have never felt fully dressed without wearing pantyhose. And also skirts or dresses. But admittedly going fulltime might give you a different outlook as Theresa says and you’d enjoy going more casual and blending in better. I have admired Cristy for so many years. She always seemed so dignified in they way she presented herself in pictures. Especially in a dress like that one. Even long before I put myself out there, when I would haunt other CD and TG content on the internet trying to cope with my own feelings, I came across her quite often but never had any interaction. I used to think she was all woman. A model among others to look up to.
You made my day, week, month and year, Elizabeth! Thank you for your kind words! It was always my goal to set a positive example of crossdressing and comments like yours, make me feel really appreciated.
Thank you all for your thoughts on this topic. In the end, what is really important is that we feel good in our won skin. Now, how about the music? Any other Prog-Rock fan here? 🙂