|
|
|
|
Almost there...(need quick history lesson as well) 04-05-2003 10:21 PM
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Well, this Wed (2nd) I wore a really really cool skirt to work - and happily - no obvious reactions. No comments, no behavior modification. Heck, my boss was going to have me climb a ladder to put some boxes on top of our storage unit! I had a binder clip ready, but since I had to leave early, I never got a chance (was kinda relieved). I ended up moving them the following day. I was shaky, this being the first skirted day at work this summer. Oh, and I was happy that there were no comments because I am not really out to get comments, so it was quite good.
Anyways, I am *Almost there* with notifying my family about my skirting. I need some additional backups, which is why I am posting.
I talked for about 2 hours with my mom, asking her opinion on what kind of clothes she thinks are appropriate for both men and women. I hinted that I wanted to wear different clothes from what society currently regards as normal, but I didn't tell her what. I asked what she wore when she was younger, what her mom thought. She seems to think she dressed weird - in the popular style - but at the weird end of the spectrum. She thinks her family still thinks she is weird because of the way she dressed. She lived in Italy for a few years doing work for GE (computers), so she was influenced partially by the way the Italians dressed.
Anyways, I got her impressions, and I said something like, "I don't want you to think I am weird, a CD, TV, or TG" (I did not use those abbrieviations, as those are VERY specific to people "in the know" only).
The interesting thing is that she said, "Well, you certainly are not any of those. A crossdresser is someone in a skirt who sounds like a man".
I can only guess from this statement that she thinks that CD's LOOK like women, but sound like men. Which is a good thing. I don’t want to look like a woman, and all the skirts I have are not frilly, or feminine.
She knows I don't like leg hair, and thought that if I were to shave it would look unsightly. I pointed out that swimmers, runners, and bikers as a profession shaved, but since I was not one, this doesn't matter much (anecdotal reference only). She thought I would attract more attention, and didn’t believe they did what I said they did. She is thinking shorts, not skirts. I agree on this point, except that I am not talking about shorts.
I also asked her what criteria besides:
|
She could think of none. I offered some ideas, but she rejected them, citing that we live in “this day and age” etc… She almost sounded like a Liberal! (no offense intended, but we are Conservative, and that phrase can be considered a banned phrase : )
I finally asked:
Is there any moral norm, perhaps a universal law or such that clothing should pattern? She said, well, skirts are for women, pants are for men.
This stopped me dead in my tracks, I hesitated (hoped she would pick up on my silence, didn’t). She then said, she wasn’t too sure where this came from, but it was always that way since she was a kid, and while it made no sense it was considered the “norm”. She said that it is changing, not necessarily the skirt/pants thing.
So how do I proceed? She said that if I cannot tell her what it is I want to wear, I should write it down on a slip of paper, and give it to her. Is this unadvisable?
I am searching for a history of pants, how long they have been around, and what their evolution was. I found this page:
http://histclo.hispeed.com/style/foot/tight/sockt.html
a quick chronology of sorts.
The site has an interesting look at children’s fashion, and how children shaped current fashions to an extent (if you look around the site long enough, that impression is not stated but can be inferred).
The page hints at the 17th century (knee breeches), but I was wondering if there was something more substantial.
I must know how long [time] pants (as we know them today) were around, and when their precursors appeared. I also need to know why they came on the scene. Obviously, looking at the older styles, even though men and women wore skirted garments, they were distinctly different. I as a man, am not trying to blur any gender distinctions, and will convey that to my mom (and then the rest of my family).
Thanks! (and sorry for the long post!)
John P.
For more Experiences click here!
bravenet.com