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[Linda Ann]

OK I'll put my two cents in.
                                     I hate mens clothes period. Particulary suits both casual and formal. And ties I wont' wear any. They are just plain uncomfortable. Neck chokers.
There is simply no imagination in mens clothes these days. Womens clothes are much more colorful and energenic. I love wearing them. Don't have to many yet. I wear womens panties and I never had premature wear. I still have my first pair from 30 years ago. Don't fit cause I'm big now. My two cents.

Owen
Love being  female

[Melissa]

I still have my first pair from 30 years ago. Don't fit cause I'm big now.

Keeping 30 year old underwear that doesn't fit?   Ok , they must be pretty special to you.  That's older than me.

Melissa

[Linda Ann]

Well said Chaunte.  I can get pretty emotional at times not a male trait at all. I mostly wear light pastel colors for tops and light blue jeans or slacks. More cheerful to me.

owen
Love being female

[AllisonY2K]

bought black Fedora hat..

yes! fedoras rock! they take a little style, flair and attitude to wear but when someone does and does it well...omg, it's hot! 

[nerdychick]

I have one side of my closet devoted to male clothes that I hope to never have to wear again... there's probably only about half a dozen articles in there but thank goodness my current job doesn't require me to wear them.

I guess to me, men's formal wear always seemed to be too plain, but more than that it was part of an image that I didn't fit into and didn't want to fit into. When first considering the idea of transitioning, I thought okay, I'll just wear unisex clothes - then a GG helped me pick out a nice half sleeve women's shirt, and when I tried it on I was hooked. 

What I like most about women's clothes is how they show off what few curves I naturally have or can make up for with shapewear. Sure, the variety of colors is nice - lends personality to each outfit - but for me the shape is the best part.

[Teri Anne]

Chaunte - Thank you for your perceptive comments on clothing.  I agree with you on all points.  The thing that most bothered me about men's clothing is the conformity aspect.  No wonder they have soldiers wear uniforms...when someone dies, it's just one of the lookalike uniforms hitting the dirt.  I mean, it's not like it's a real person, is it?

Regarding ties -- I remember an architect/professor giving a talk at one of our local universities.  The talk was interrupted by a student who rose and asked, "Professor Soriano, you say you think everything should have a purpose in design.  What about your tie?"  Soriano took of his tie and never again wore a tie in his life.

Teri Anne

[Kimberly]

...
No wonder they have soldiers wear uniforms...when someone dies, it's just one of the lookalike uniforms hitting the dirt.  I mean, it's not like it's a real person, is it?
...

...
I am not going to comment on this any more than is necessary to say that I feel that is a very gross oversimplification and a great injustice... or in fewer words, I massively disagree.

(Bad decade, don't mind me.)

[beth]

"No wonder they have soldiers wear uniforms...when someone dies, it's just one of the lookalike uniforms hitting the dirt.  I mean, it's not like it's a real person, is it?"

by Teri Anne


Soldiers in combat have a deep bond and love for one another.  Each and every one knows when one of them is lost. Most of us know about the battles and deaths on the battlefield but few know of the heartaches or the tears shed there.

beth

[stephanie_craxford]

No wonder they have soldiers wear uniforms...when someone dies, it's just one of the lookalike uniforms hitting the dirt.  I mean, it's not like it's a real person, is it?

Believe me Teri Anne when I saw a friend in uniform laying mortally wounded there was no doubt in my mind that he was a real person.

Steph

[Shauna Marie]

Teri Anne,

By now, I'm sure you see that you have accidentally hit a nerve.

There is a world of difference between business suits and fatigues/jumpsuits.  In the business world, the suit only says something about you and your place in the corporation.  In the military and their auxiliaries, the uniform talks about espree de corps; that the hide of the person next to you is just as important as your own hide is.  The military uniform symbolizes a brother- and sisterhood that has no equal in the business world - or anywhere else for that matter.

Chaunte

[Teri Anne]

In my defense, please allow me to clarify:  I wasn't speaking of how soldiers feel towards one another.  I've been around military families and know the strong bonds between them and patriotism there.  They don't need uniforms to feel that closeness...it's comes with being in the "military family."  And I'm appreciative of the soldiers that have been killed or wounded.  I don't look away when CBS does those soldier rememberances within its nightly news hour.  Often, I'm very emotional...they are often young, smart, funny and giving to others.

What I'm talking about in my previous post is how opposing armies feel about one another.  To drop a bomb or shoot someone on the opposing army is part of the work of armies.  While, to our side's perspective, we see a "band of brothers," the opposing army, contrarily, sees a band of uniformed enemies that can kill.  After the Vietnam war, some Vietnamese vets met American vets and there was the realization that everyone is a real person.  Along with creating unity (and caring for each other) within an army unit, uniforms can create a sense of distance when you view the opposing army.  Referring to N. Vietnamese soldiers by a derogatory name is another method of achieving distance between you and THEM.  In all of the above, I'm obviously talking of traditional war, not a guerilla war like in Iraq where there are no uniforms.

In an ideal world, we should feel sadness about the all deaths of soldiers on both sides.  We are all humans with families that care about us.  It's numbing to see photographs of thousands of dead soldiers after the American civil war battles.  I'm not the first to notice that humans often become mere "pawns" of war.  When Dunne said "every man's death diminishes me," he was referencing all of humanity.  A uniform that turns human beings into loyal teams fighting one another is, unfortunately, a necessary part of war.

And I'm fully aware of Patton's observation, "When you see your best friend's face is goo, you'll know what to do."  Under those circumstances, even I, a pacifist, would probably fight the men in the opposing uniforms.

Teri Anne

[rana]

I will say this about mens clothing - compared to the colour & choice in womens clothing at first glance it seems sombre & does not vary much.

Yet there are subtle differences (yes men can be subtle). Its in the quality and design of the clothes. High quality suits, carefully looked after (men can get away with having one - therefore the quality can be very high).  No creases or wrinkles, food stains or dandruff.  Good quality shirts and accessories.  Good quality shoes very well polished.

At first glance a group of men in suits may look very similar, yet closer inspection will show quality & discipline.

rana

[Teri Anne]

Rana, your post reminds me of another scene in the movie, "Harold And Maude."

After Maude tells Harold that, were she to be a flower, she'd like to be a sunflower.  She then asks, "What flower would you like to be?"  Harold responds, gesturing to a field of daisies, "Maybe one of those, because they're so alike."  Maude, "Oh but they're not.  Look closer.  Some are fatter, some thinner.  Some lean to the left, some to the right.  Some have petals missing, and we haven't even touched on the biochemical.  Each is like a different person, never existed before and never to exist again, an individual.  You see, Harold, sometimes I think that much of the world's sorrow comes from people who know they are this (she holds up one beautiful daisy) and yet allow themselves to be treated as that (Maude gestures broadly to the group of daisies.  Camera pulls back to reveal a field full of daisies in the middle of a very large military cemetary with lookalike tombstones.  A Cat Stevens song begins...)

Earlier in the film, Maude exits a civilian cemetary, following a group of mourners who are all dressed in black.  Contrary to their lookalike black raincoats, Maude is wearing a yellow sunflower-colored one...a veritable flower in a sea of darkness.  It reminds me of the funerals in New Orleans where each mourner is wearing wild colorful outfits in CELEBRATION rather than mourning of a life.

Rana, I agree with you that expensive suits can look gorgeous.  I remember once seeing a famous politician in person, up close.  While I had always abhored wearing suits and ties because it seemed like a bland uniform, I saw that this multi-thousand dollar suit was quite different.  Like Maude's lament on the beauty of a single daisy, it is possible to be an individual despite a seemingly conformiing outfit.  But how much easier it is if the paint on your palette has more colors than grey, dark blue or black.  Think of all the great paintings that might never have occured had the palette been that limited.

It's interesting also how women, despite the wider range of colors, can end up conforming to a mass taste.  After the recent Bush state of the union speech, one of the news commentators pointed out how MOST of the female congresspersons wore red suits -- The commentator stated, "it's like a uniform."  I guess, secretly, we all want to belong to something bigger, to be part of the whole.

Still, like Maude, I'd rather be a sunflower.

Teri Anne

[allyson]

I've always been puzzled about the whole gender thing associated with clothes.  A piece of clothing is a piece of clothing.  It shouldn't necessarily be "female clothing" or "male clothing" it should be "people clothing"  The only problem I've ever found with "male" clothing is the same one I've found with "female" clothing, it's not quite long enough.

Thank God for skirts!