A size *TEN* dress!? I almost cried today

[Autumn]

Because I got to pull it right off the rack, walk into the dressing room, asking the employee I passed how her night was, and got to try it on - after trying on two other ones that ended up being way too small. Along with some simple tops, bottoms, skirts, fitness pants, and so forth. I was able to see something I liked, take it with me, try it on, and cast it aside when it didn't fit. No more 'order online, it doesn't fit, sigh, forget to mail it back or pay outrageous postage.' I didn't think "Well, I can't wear that as a guy, and I'd have to run all the way upstairs to the mens' fitting rooms to even try it..." I just had a normal, absolutely plain, every day shopping experience with my ratty dirty hair pulled back tight and my frumpy glasses on at a horribly overpriced department store.

After working a 7 hour long shift where I can't recall being verbally maled by anyone except coworkers.

It's about time. 

PS: There's no way that's a size 10. Pinky swear to god they just put bigger numbers on them to make you feel fat.

[dyssonance]

As a cofirmed size ten wearer, I can say that they do indeed do that to make you feel fat.

Can't prove it, mind you, but I see it.

COngrats on the victory -- its those small ones that mean the most...

[Autumn]

It feels small, but I think it's just the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

I've been messing around with raising my voice for about 3 weeks, and on estrogen for 5 days (spiro for almost 7 months.) In those 5 days, I've slept better than I can ever remember in my life. Despite having a car accident, I'm in less pain than I've been in for the past year. I feel alert. And calm. I can really see the girl showing through in my face in the mirror.

Clothes fit me better; I see an actual shape of my hips and ass in the mirror despite my scoliosis.

After this week, I think I feel I might actually be able to do this.

[Shana]

Congratulations.. and many more to come I am sure..

[LordKAT]

Wonderful news Autumn

[barbie]

Size 10 does not look so fat to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_standard_clothing_size

Catalog Misses' Sizes: 5'5"-5'6" (165-168 cm) tall, average bust, average back
Size 10 = 5'5" height = 145 lbs, 28 inch waist.

In the states, I usually wore size 4 and 6, sometimes size 3 juniors or even size 10 little girls'.

But here in my country, I purchased a pair of low-rise semi-formal trousers for women several weeks ago. I tried first 27 inch in the fitting room to find that it is too tight, especially in the thigh and hip area. Finally, I purchased 29 inch, which the female employee there recommended (she asked me to open the door to pass it to me while I were in the fitting room). According to the chart,  I am wearing US women's size 12. My weight is mostly 145 lbs.

Strangely, most people applaud my new semi-formal trousers whether I look like a man or a woman. The trousers emphasizes the lines of my belly area, especially below the navel (Tucking is indeed a problem).

Barbie~~

[Autumn]

It was tongue in cheek.  The almost crying was about just getting to have a normal evening. I've been straddling the line for a long time now and I slipped down the slope, I think.

[placeholdername]

I definitely relate to the feeling of 'not loving like a man'.  Before I figured more of this out, I would get slightly defensive at the idea that all men are ->-bleeped-<-s, etc., because I was the counterexample... but now not so much (me being the counterexample that is, the verdict is still out on the other half of that statement ).

[Cindy]

Great news Autumn

Glad things are going well. And I picked up on the female interplay, only another girl would ask a girl how her night was. As for sizes .
In Australia they vary from shop to shop. Since people are getting obese they keep increasing the clothes size physically but not numerically. The sizes are not the same between the countries (another helpful thing) but I have gone for a size 12 skirt to a size 8, and haven't lost any weight.

Anyhow, sounds as if you had a wonderful time.
Thank you for sharing it.

Love
Cindy

[Windrider]

Welcome to women's clothing, where size is dependent on the manufacturer. Seriously. I have *never* *ever* been able to get away without trying stuff on (well, except maybe when I was a kid). A 1x will fit in one brand, but I'd need a 3x in another...pants a size 18 will fit in one style, another I'll need a 20 or 22 (especially true of anything labeled "stretch".)

Size is only a number

WR

[Autumn]

Yeah, my wardrobe so far has just been button down blouses, T shirts, tanks, jeans, jackets, lingerie, and slacks. Very simple stuff that I could wear anywhere. Well, except the corset. Now I've got to worry about all sorts of randomness, between "Which f---ing side does this zipper go on? There are two? What the hell?" "Why in god's name is there a chain link here?" "Brass?" "This hemline is a Mobius strip  " "Is this a skirt or a tube top?"

I thought I knew what I was doing after the last two years of 'crossdressing'. Apparently that was just the undergraduate stuff. 

[Sandy]

I wish my thigh was a size 10! 

I'm feeling just fine to squeeze into a 16.  Normally I wear 18.  I'm a big girl you know.  *sigh*

-Sandy

[Syne]

No such thing as standard sizes in the US. Out of the Misses department on a recent shopping trip a 14, 16, and 18 (slacks) were all pretty much the same size just different manufacturers (guess some of the kids in poor countries sew better than others?). In one place a 16W fit perfectly, in another it was falling off my body. No standards and remember, No capes!

Congrats on size 10, it has been a long, long time since I have been that small. But I will be trying for a 12 soon. Well soonish, with the soonish being a variable for some time in the future that does not include today but some future date that I can set and is subject to change.

[sneakersjay]

Yeah, my wardrobe so far has just been button down blouses, T shirts, tanks, jeans, jackets, lingerie, and slacks. Very simple stuff that I could wear anywhere. Well, except the corset. Now I've got to worry about all sorts of randomness, between "Which f---ing side does this zipper go on? There are two? What the hell?" "Why in god's name is there a chain link here?" "Brass?" "This hemline is a Mobius strip  " "Is this a skirt or a tube top?"

I thought I knew what I was doing after the last two years of 'crossdressing'. Apparently that was just the undergraduate stuff. 

LOL

Which is why I usually ended up in a tee shirt, jeans, and sneakers.  Too fussy!!


Jay

[placeholdername]

"Is this a skirt or a tube top?"

That's not a bug, it's a feature

[Ms Jessica]

"Is this a skirt or a tube top?"

OMG, totally.  I've done that more than once.  It's sad when you spend a few minutes and STILL can't figure it out. 

And congrats in general.  I'm glad that things are going so well. 

[FairyGirl]

"This hemline is a Mobius strip  "

hahahaha thanks I needed a good laugh this morning I soooo know what you mean girl 

[Autumn]

Blaaaargh. I almost cried for another reason today. Well, not almost cried - but got shaken to the core.

I had a really aggressive, abusive customer. Tall, mean, overbearing, rude from the start, looking to rip us off. I've only been unnerved by a customer one other time, and he was just a really rude, clueless old man who just wanted to swear and yell and get things taken care of.

This guy was less than half his age and kept hammering me with illogic and nonsense. He stormed off, swearing at me, then stormed back demanding management. And then after the store manager himself repeated everything I told him and explained that if he actually went back to where he bought it he'd probably get the same answer, told me to go ahead and replace it for him. And then jerkwad asked me why the manager did that if we've got "policies". ->-bleeped-<-.

Afterward I was much relieved that the SM agreed with what I did and that the guy was just a complete ->-bleeped-<- looking for a fight who didn't make any sense. He was even more baffled by the guy thinking I was a woman, heh.

The whole time ->-bleeped-<- was explaining things, he was referring to me as she (I technically work as male still.) Now, dude was a complete douchebag and I'm sure even a guy my size would have had problems, but it really made my mind go back to the male privilege discussion and wonder how much of the extra difficulty I've been having with people really is because of the perception of me as a woman. Most of the stuff I sell is male oriented, and the gender neutral stuff would probably be more convincing from someone who was tiny and hot, not just tiny.

I don't want to end up like one of those "It's because I'm black/gay/aardvark" people but it's starting to pop into my head. It's definitely an inspiration to be much more hardcore about everything I do, but also innately discouraging. I can't escape the feeling that not knowing 150% of everything there is to know was dismissed as "okay" and quickly forgotten as a boy and the idea that people now think "of course she doesn't know, she's just a woman." Especially after the weigh-in from developers and engineers in the other discussion.

My mother is one of those "EVERYTHING BAD THAT'S EVER HAPPENED IS BECAUSE I'M A WOMAN", when most of it seems to just be her own shortcomings. I don't want that to be me.

Maybe it's just because I've only been on estrogen a week and it may be starting to play with my emotions some. I know the guy was a dick, he would have been a dick to anyone. I just can't help feeling like he turned on the intimidation hardcore to mess with me. If I had realized earlier that he saw me as a woman I probably would have actually held up my male name badge for the first time ever to "correct" him.

But there isn't a shield like that when you're full time. Or when you're a woman. You've got to learn to deal with it.

[FairyGirl]

sounds like the guy was a real jerk, and just taking his bad day out on you. But people do treat you noticeably different when they perceive you as female. It's not always in a bad way however. 

I was just reading an article from a link one of my friends posted on Facebook this morning about feminism, and the female author wrote:

Don't allow others to exercise "power" over you by granting it to them, approach life and others as an equal. Let go of the idea you are oppressed and suddenly it becomes much much more difficult to be oppressed in the first place.

I agree with this wholeheartedly and it sounds very good in theory, but sometimes hard to bear in mind when someone's in your face is being an @$$.

hugs

[Autumn]

Yeah. It's not like I haven't had ->-bleeped-<-s before. I've just never felt afraid of a customer before. And I'm not sure why I felt that way, it's not like he was directly threatening me or anything. Maybe I was just having a low guard day. Maybe it's the first bit of the whole "e makes you emotional." I agree completely with that statement by your friend.

I think that while my perceptions of why it happened might be suspect, that what I took away from it can be beneficial. Sometimes I'm really bad about not sticking up for myself in various ways. I need to work on that.