Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi, Everybody!

I thought I'd start this poll just for fun and to satisfy my curiosity.  I'm sure this question must have been asked before, but I looked and couldn't find anything.  And anyway, as we all know, active participants on forums come and go, so a past result might be different from today's result.

So what do you mainly get around in: skirts/dresses or pants?  It's occurred to me that some people might be seasonal, i.e., going with skirts/dresses in warm weather and switching over to pants when it gets cold.  If that's the case, then "50-50" might be your option because it shows that you're OK with pants, in contrast to someone like me who requires a lot of persuading to get into them.

Nothing profound here.  I'm just curious to know about people's tastes.

I prefer skirts, but they're harder to put on (since at work I'd need hose underneath) and not so comfortable in colder weather. So this time of year, it's mostly pants.

In the summer, when I don't work every day and the weather's warm, it's skirts all the way!

I prefer dresses because I have a belly I'm trying to get rid of and the dresses fit much better

all of the above, right now its like 1o* outside gotta go with the jean option today. can't wait for summer weather

I stick with jeans all year long.

Pants for now, but when I go full time it will probably be 50/50.

Only pants, never skirts/dresses.

Dresses/skirts about 3/4 of the time when I'm not working.  I always wear pants when I'm in my studio though.  So, usually pants.

I love skirts way more than pants!

(https://33.media.tumblr.com/cf61e511a5b5a28129eb63924b6492ad/tumblr_nhdzczrR481slpgsoo9_500.jpg)

(https://31.media.tumblr.com/a0b7e091d66abd810a63c76b2c64ba07/tumblr_nhdzczrR481slpgsoo8_500.jpg)

I like the gore style. Other than that? Nah.

I love skirts and dresses but rarely have an opportunity to wear them so it's mainly pants for me :)

Done with jeans so I'll be wearing dresses and skirts 24/7

when I'm not in drab, i like skirts with pantyhose and also my yoga pants. My hip hugging jeans are awesome too because I can wear in public while in drab mode, and I could use them to move to a more androgynous look eventually.

I like both, but I mostly wear pants now. By this summer, I should be much further along with my transition, so I'll try to wear skirts more.

Mostly skirts, dresses and shorts in summer. About 50/50 in winter, it doesn't get all that cold in Sydney so wearing tights with a dress and knee high boots keeps me comfy. In Sydney women are roughly 50/50 anyway, depending on weather and yearly fashion it swings a bit one way or the other.

I will be so happy the day I can completely rid my wardrobe of pants forever. Dresses all the way for me. Even if it's freezing cold outside. :P

At this point, as i am at the beginning of my transition process, I do pants. It has always been my dream to wear a short skirt. Patience grasshopper!

Some one slap me now.  I plan on pants to start off with. But then all my pants are women jeans right now anyway when in guy mode.  I like to move into dresses and skirts but mostly will be 50/50 depending on where I am headed too.  But I cannot wait for the day when I can wear a mini skirt even just once and yes I will be in my 40's so I know I will not be dressing my age.  Sigh.   


Vicky

I prefer mini skirts all year round if I can. If the skirt is too short (between 11 and 14 inches long) or if the temperature is colder than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, I'll wear tights or leggings. Otherwise, no tights or leggings. Also depends on if the skirt is a low-rise or high-waisted. I just have to be aware of my surroundings if I have to pick something up. Always bend at the knees and keep your back straight. Don't want to give anyone a peep show. Some situations require pants like yard work or if I am going to be in a place for an extended period of time and I know that I'm going to need a multi occupant restroom. I'm not passable and don't have my gender marker officially changed to female.

At work it's jeans or scrub pants. lol! And the rest of the time (this winter) it's been leggings and dresses/tunics.

For winter time I'm trapped in pants, when spring returns I'll be back in dresses most of the time. Even now I may go against common sense and where some leggings and a dress while complaining about how cold I am, but who am I kidding I complain about how cold I am in pants too and I usually have leggings on under them as well :(

Quote from: Damara on January 06, 2015, 12:21:50 AM
At work it's jeans or scrub pants. lol! And the rest of the time (this winter) it's been leggings and dresses/tunics.

Did you know they make scrub skirts?
http://www.uniformadvantage.com/pages/dpt/womens-scrub-skirts.asp?navbar=2

I had to wear pants for 37 years.  I'm done.  So it's skirts and dresses for this girl now!  And in Seattle this time of year, tights are a must.

I really like a-line skirts and dresses.  They create the illusion of hips for a girl who has almost none. 

Imagine Zooey Deschanel's outfits on New Girl but a slightly muted version of that...that's what I'm going for.  Super girly and cute.  :)

Pretty much Dresses in the summer (love them soooo much); pants (skinny Jeans) and thicker tops in the winter with thick tops and sweaters in the Aussie Alps...

I don't have a hang up on either as my pants etc. are very Androgynous or Women's anyway...

L Katy  :-*

I normally wear pants out of the house, but around the house it's 50/50, even fit it's a bad idea because it's currently WINTER! (Currently wearing a dress)

Quote from: KittyKat on January 06, 2015, 12:58:59 AM
Did you know they make scrub skirts?
http://www.uniformadvantage.com/pages/dpt/womens-scrub-skirts.asp?navbar=2

Haha! That's awesome! Thank you! I actually wear them at work because I think they're so comfortable and I don't want my legs exposed right now.. ahem.. hair. lol! 

Since my boss gave the OK at work, I find myself wearing a skirt whenever possible. Fleece lined leggings have been my friend this winter!

I love skirts

I luv skirts and shorts but it's like January... duh.

Marcia, tights and boots are your friends this time of year.  I've actually been wearing rain boots with skirts lately.  It's a surprisingly cute look  :)

Pants can be nice but its mostly skirts and dresses for me unless the weather is freezing cold  then its pants.

Out in public? About 80% skirts and dresses. I also have 4 power suits for more formal business situations and only one is pants. The other three are navy or black skirt based outfits.

Around the house? I'll throw on jeans about 75% of the time.

I would like to be able to wear skirts and dresses.

This girls closet only contains dresses and skirts.  I will have to add a couple pairs of lady jeans at some point (once I'm out and full time including work), maybe one pair of femme dress trousers.  Mainly this is because of work.  Where I work even the Phd GG's wear jeans/polo shirts, the clothes must be all cotton, due to ESD, and the legs have to be covered.  When I'm not in the lab or on travel then it's dresses/skirts every day.  So, that's what I put.

-Alana

Still at the beginning of my transition, so its mainly jeans (I love boot-cut and flare), though I'm going to pick up some shorts and hopefully start wearing them soon (I'm in Florida, the land of endless summer..... grrrrr..).  I don't really feel comfortable going out in a skirt here.  I do when I visit up north, just not here.

Windy, cold and rainy, so I stick to pants pretty much exclusively. They also make my legs look pretty awesome and so I really like that.

In principle though, I do like skirts more. I'm just not in a place where wearing them is something I want to do.

As for dresses, I don't pull them off that well, so I also hold off on those.

I wear shorts mainly because I like showing off my legs. But I love wearing dresses when it gets too cold.

mostly dresses or skirts for me.... I love showing my legs off.. plus i love how cool a dress feels in the summer months

It is never to cold for a skirt or a dress. I wear pants mainly for sports and maybe I wear only pants once in 60 days.

Lara

We're up to 50 voters now, and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed by voting or commenting on this thread.  You've abundantly satisfied my curiosity.  (Of course, if others wish to contribute, please feel free.  The more, the merrier.)

I myself am firmly committed to skirts, and I was wondering if I had company.  I see now that I do--even if most people have different tastes.  Here in Ireland it almost never gets too cold for skirts.  Thick tights and boots and you're fine.  The people of my town might think I'm crazy, but given that I'm trans, they might have come to that conclusion a long time ago anyway.

I once heard about a Polish T-girl who refused to abandon her skirts even in the depths of a Polish winter.  Now that's what I call commitment.  I don't know if I'd have that kind of stamina myself.  But whenever I picture Julie Christie in "Doctor Zhivago", it makes it easier.

I really hate pants--I suppose because I was forced to wear them for so many years as a sign of my "masculinity".  Now I stick to skirts as a sign of my "whatever-it-is-I-am-ity."  The only time I put on pants is when I go out for a walk, usually down by the canal.  But even then, if it's a nice spring or summer day, I'll still wear a plain skirt.  I don't really care if you're supposed to wear proper gear for a proper walk.

Hmmm, what timing, I just ordered 8 more skirts from AE today, and yesterday I was trying to figure out if today would be the day for wearing a skirt to town for the first time (in hometown).  At this exact moment I'm kinda teetering on the edge.  My transition as can be seen is not that advanced yet so I have been content with women's jeans/tops and makeup, sooooooooooooo we'll see.

Cold up here by the Canadian boarder so thigh high socks and tights will make it all doable in comfort.

For anyone interested American Eagle website in the online only section has what they call the AEO A-line Maxi Skirt (black only), I already have one and they are soooofffftttt, and discounted way way down, wont last though.    Dani

I am curious. I voted "mainly pants" and it says 34% did so too. But all the posts here are about those wearing skirts or 50:50 or at least whenever possible. Only one said she wears mostly pants.

So I am almost alone then despite the 34%?

I wear pants about 98% of the time. I have used dresses for medieval festivals as the only time in the last few years. Last summer and fall I actually did wear one of the two skirts I do own despite of that for a handful of days, which is totally new for me :P - and it was noticed by folks at work ;) . I am not sure if this will become a habit though. I think most skirts do not look good on me at all and I feel a bit weird in them.

Guilty.......I did not see the poll, went back and voted mainly pants, but skirts/ dresses are in my very near future.  I seem to be in this ebb and flow right now, one moment I'm all emboldended, confident, and ready to charge right towards the closet, then I think about it for a lttle too long and sink my own boat  :-\.  I went to my girlfriends house last night and told her my plans for today and she was all smiles.  I guess I could call and she would probably drive over and not let me squirm out of it  ;D, ah aint life interesting.   Dani

Quote from: anjaq on January 09, 2015, 04:48:36 PM
I am curious. I voted "mainly pants" and it says 34% did so too. But all the posts here are about those wearing skirts or 50:50 or at least whenever possible. Only one said she wears mostly pants.

So I am almost alone then despite the 34%?

I wear pants about 98% of the time. I have used dresses for medieval festivals as the only time in the last few years. Last summer and fall I actually did wear one of the two skirts I do own despite of that for a handful of days, which is totally new for me :P - and it was noticed by folks at work ;) . I am not sure if this will become a habit though. I think most skirts do not look good on me at all and I feel a bit weird in them.

your not alone I do not like dresses/skirts. I prefer skinny jeans over anything

I think I understand - those who voted "mainly pants" are those who for some reason do "not yet" wear mostly skirts - because they are not yet coming out or the transition has not gone far enough in their minds yet?

But I know i am a minority :P - Most Transwomen I met just hate pants and love skirts - more so than most other women I met, probably its just that trauma from being forced into them for so long. Maybe because I transitioned relatively young and in an age group in which few of the other girls wore dresses or skirts, I am not that traumatized ;)

Yet still, I should try it - apparently, I am told, it actually can look good on me - but only like 5% of the skirt styles available maybe. Most are just too tight and then look ugly - or they are too short.

Also I hate that mostly I need to wear pantyhose or nylons under that and I dislike those too. But without them , skirts would usually be too cold about 80% of the time, and I have that stupid chafing problem.

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 05:19:35 AM
I think I understand - those who voted "mainly pants" are those who for some reason do "not yet" wear mostly skirts - because they are not yet coming out or the transition has not gone far enough in their minds yet?

There's absolutely no reason to assume this.  Those who wear mainly pants will have their reasons.  If we want to know their reasons, we can simply ask them rather than assuming that we can know those reasons better than they do.

What this poll is showing is that gender expression among transwomen varies a lot.  No surprise there.  It varies a lot in the cis community, it will vary a lot in the trans community.  The main reason that people are different is simply that people are different.

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 05:19:35 AM
But I know i am a minority :P - Most Transwomen I met just hate pants and love skirts - more so than most other women I met . . .

"Most transwomen you've met".  And that would also be true of most transwomen I've met.  But our personal acquaintances can be atypical.  That's precisely why we do polls--so that we find out what the real situation is, as opposed to each individual's particular situation, which could be atypical.  So far this poll shows that there are quite a few T-girls who wear mainly skirts and dresses--more than I expected.  But note the very even split at this point among the three categories.  The notion that most T-girls favour skirts and dresses is mistaken. . .

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 05:19:35 AM
. . . probably its just that trauma from being forced into them for so long. Maybe because I transitioned relatively young and in an age group in which few of the other girls wore dresses or skirts, I am not that traumatized ;)

. . .which means that there's no point in trying to explain a fact that isn't actually a fact.  I started this poll because I was curious to know what the situation was.  The results have surprised me to a certain extent, but there's no harm in a bit of surprise, is there?

Yes - I was a bit surprised that a thrid said they wear mostly pants, just like me, but only 2 besides me have written that they do. Maybe another category would have been good - "wear pants for now but would like to change to mainly skirts as soon as it is possible" :P

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 10:38:22 AM
Yes - I was a bit surprised that a thrid said they wear mostly pants, just like me, but only 2 besides me have written that they do.

Yes, this is something I've noticed, too.  Those who've said they wear skirts have commented on the subject.  Those who've said they wear pants generally have not.  I draw no conclusions from that.

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 10:38:22 AM
Maybe another category would have been good - "wear pants for now but would like to change to mainly skirts as soon as it is possible" :P

But this would be to prejudice the poll.  It would be working on the underlying assumption that those who wear pants want to switch over to skirts.  Now some people have in fact said so.  But there's no reason to assume that all those wearing pants want to do so.  If they do, they can say so.  If they say nothing, then perhaps the reason is that they're happy in pants and plan to continue to wear them.

I think we're coming perilously close to suggesting here that wearing skirts is more valid for a T-girl than wearing pants.  I am certainly not going to suggest that myself--mainly because I don't even begin to think that it's true.  I myself now wear skirts.  But I've often wondered if the day will come when I get tired of them and switch over to pants.  I wouldn't be any less of a T-girl if I did.  Perhaps I should have added another category to the poll: "Wear skirts for now but undoubtedly will eventually switch over to pants."

(And maybe we should have yet another category: "Wear skirts and pants 50-50 now, but someday will switch over to pants and skirts.")

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 10:38:22 AM
Yes - I was a bit surprised that a thrid said they wear mostly pants, just like me, but only 2 besides me have written that they do. Maybe another category would have been good - "wear pants for now but would like to change to mainly skirts as soon as it is possible" :P

I mostly wear and prefer pants as well. Occasionally I'll wear a dress or a maxi-skirt, but I prefer skinny jeans and leggings. I do love leggings with a long top that's almost a dress. Most day's me go to is skinny jeans, they're practical, look good and can be worn on most occasions.

Ah well, ok , forget I asked. If making any suggestions is already playing with prejudices and some people feel attacked by such, I better dont assume or suggest anything. So be it.

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 03:36:14 PM
Ah well, ok , forget I asked. If making any suggestions is already playing with prejudices and some people feel attacked by such, I better dont assume or suggest anything. So be it.

Well, it's just that if we're going to make assumptions about each other, everybody can play that game.  I once heard a suggestion that those of us who like skirts are misogynist in a way: we think you can't be a proper woman unless you wear skirts.  Now that's not why I wear them, and I don't know of anybody else who wears them for that reason.  I wear them because I like them, because they're me.  I say nothing about what a "proper woman" should wear.  It's why I don't like people making assumptions about me.  If they want to know why I'm doing something, I'd prefer it if they'd just ask me.

I see nothing bad with making assumptions and revoking them if they are wrong. I am not judging on them. If one is judgemental about thos things, thats another thing. I dont care if someone likes skirts or pants. I like pants but maybe I will discover skirts one day, who knows. Others like skirts. What I find remarkable is that there are quite a few who would not touch pants with a long pole because they hate them so much because of the previous way of life. I understand that trauma - still it is remarkable... :) - the weird thiing in my memory is that before I knew what is going on with me, I was imagining myself as a girl when I was a teen and in that time I actually thought if the magic fairy makes me right, I would wear dresses and skirts - but later I lost that ;)

My attire has changed as I have evolved during this fabulous transition.  Now in my third year out, I wear what feels good or seems appropriate to me for the event.  When I first came out it was skirts, scorts or dresses only for 8+ months.  I was so ready to dump any masculine item and those drab slouchy jeans.  But then I was silly too.  I would wear skirts and dresses when out in the garden or working heavy equipment.  There were a few casualties, of course, and who wants to ruin good leggings or a skirt?  It helps that I have developed a bit of a butt, finally, and i love all sorts of girly outfits.  And since I still do farm and trail work it is good that i didn't just trash all those heavy boots and work clothes.  It is easier to just slip into some jeans than find the right and coordinated outfit with skirt and leggings eh?  I am totally happy to be able to find colorful outfits with fun accents and textures.  Shopping is a joy--especially when I find a fit!

There is nothing about clothing that changes our intrinsic gender identity.  I remain transgender no matter what i wear or what i look like and i doubt my looks will ever match how good i feel about being free to just be me.  My heart sings and my body is more me than ever before.  We get so many choices and then we could be wearing burkas so count your lucky stars for having options. :D

Right - for some occasions skirts are just not practical. For me that is most of the occasions :P - Also I am - to my discontent - not a happy shopper. I hate trying to find clothes. I hate spending a half day in the shops just to find that everything is either ugly on me or not my XXXL size. At least shopping with friends helps to convince me that not all that I thought would for sure be ugly and not even try is all that bad. Still - in the end I spend half a day looking mostly ugly in the mirror in my eyes just to get 1 or 2 pieces...

Mostly skirts, dresses and shorts in summer.  In winter its mostly a dress with leggings or thick tights. (I have a great pair of skin tight leather looking  leggings)  I rarely wear pants, but do have two nice pairs of women's straight leg jeans. These days I look much better in a skirt or dress.  Also in Australia, summer cries out for a soft sleeveless  summer swing or A line dress, whereas in winter its mostly skirtsand jumpers for me. I also like to wear boots (Cindy I finally found a pair to fit me!!

I primarily wear skirts, dresses and shorts.  I'm not opposed to wearing jeans or pants, but between my weight loss and HRT, my body is changing shape rather rapidly.  I'm finding that jeans only fit well for a short period of time before my body changes and I have to find a different pair. 

Ah yes - if I would loose some weight, who knows what I would wear :P - for some reason I dont feel well in Skirts - I feel they are a mismatch somehow - maybe I think of myself as too masculine still...

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 05:19:35 AM
But without them , skirts would usually be too cold about 80% of the time, and I have that stupid chafing problem.

Skirts are not so much cold. A long skirt can warm your legs more than jeans, because it can contain more insulated air. Because of this I prefer a long winter jacket.

One disadvantage of wearing skirt here is when sitting on the floor. Here in my country, we should sit on the floor in most restaurants, and I sometimes wear leggings instead of very long socks. I mostly wear thigh-high socks under a skirt in winter.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/15482854978_c37f43c975_b.jpg)

BTW, my wife seldom wear skirts.

barbie~~

Quote from: anjaq on January 10, 2015, 04:42:46 PM
I see nothing bad with making assumptions and revoking them if they are wrong. I am not judging on them.

The problem with assumptions is that people don't in fact tend to revoke them if they're wrong.  This is precisely the problem that we transpeople have.  Our enemies make assumptions about us--and then you try and get them to change their minds.  E.g., there are plenty of people who insist that "->-bleeped-<- (like homosexuality) is a life-style choice."  It doesn't matter how many transpeople tell them, "No, I didn't choose to be trans," they're not going to change their minds.

Now there's nothing wrong with asking questions about people's behaviour.  "I wonder if such-and-such group of people does such-and-such thing for such-and-such reason." No harm in asking a question like that--provided that it is a question and that you're willing to get the available evidence before you start drawing any conclusions, and also provided that you're willing not to draw any conclusions at all if the available evidence doesn't warrant any.

It may be that you and I are having problems with semantics here.  If what you mean by an "assumption" is a notion that something might be true, and if you're willing to look at the evidence and abandon the notion if it turns out not to be true, then that's what I would call a "question" or perhaps a "theory".  But usually what's meant by an "assumption" is just that--assuming that something's true even if you don't have any evidence to back it up.  And as a transperson I don't much like assumptions because assumptions hurt us very badly.  It was certain assumptions that killed Leelah Alcorn.

I know that you personally aren't judging here.  I'm not saying that you are.  But people quite often use their assumptions to judge others.  Another reason I don't like them.

Barbie, with that amazingly long legs, you almost have to wear those short skirts to show them ;)

Fox, yes - I meant assumptions as something I assume for now, but it is more a question. Here, I asked myself how the mismatch came between the 1/3 for each category and the overwhelming majority of posts describing mainly one of the categories. There were some posts that I interpreted as probably having clicked on the "mainly pants" button, but that wrote they only wear pants because they are "not ready" or "not (fully) transitioned" yet. What I thought of was, that this is not really what the question was probably meant to ask. I guess the question aimed at what people who are post transition do wear and/or what they actually LIKE to wear, not if for reasons of not having come out yet or other such reasons not being able to wear what they like.

Barbie, you do have fantasic legs.. like you I also love to wear skirts that are sometimes too short... but I love to show off my legs

Quote from: anjaq on January 11, 2015, 04:17:57 AM
I guess the question aimed at what people who are post transition do wear and/or what they actually LIKE to wear, not if for reasons of not having come out yet or other such reasons not being able to wear what they like.

I was simply interested in what people actually wear.  Hence the question.  Obviously people can have all sorts of reasons for what they do.  If you want to get into that side of it, you're going to have a hard time designing a poll because you're going to have to anticipate all those reasons.  I myself can't do that.

But if you want to analyse the comments that people make accompanying the poll, as you're pointing out, you can find further points of interest.

I wear trousers. I experimented with skirts and dresses for a while, but I came to the conclusion that they're really not my thing. They kind of get in the way and can even restrict movement, which I don't like.

For me, clothes really have never been an important part of my transition or identity in general. I just wear whatever I find to be the most comfortable and/or practical and I found that I never got very much of either from switching. Sure, it might help me pass a bit more, but I'm just relentlessly being me.

It's a panty hose cold day where I am, pants or skirts. I love dresses. To me nothing feels better than a very nice dress, causal, daytime or evening formal but just a dress. It does not have to be fancy but it's so easy to look & feel nice with a dress, no matching blouse to skirt, etc..... 

Yay bought 2 more dresses today, semi evening wear long (black) and a short fun dress ...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi50.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ff336%2Fkatrinaw881%2FIMG_3018_zps17bf2dc9.jpg&hash=ab6109fe968804d6723cd4425f32546cc0e91a46)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi50.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ff336%2Fkatrinaw881%2FIMG_2861_zps1b032c88.jpg&hash=866fb09eb413095acd68e4af6cd5312aee79b2d6)

Think I can say that summer = dresses, winter = Jeans; generally  :laugh:

Was a cooler day here too....  8)

L Katy

Almost always going to see me in skirts and dresses, I'm a girly-girl with a tomboy streak ;) The climate is pretty forgiving where I live though, so even in Winter I can wear skirts or dresses, in which case I'd usually opt for ankle or full length.  I do wear pants on occasion however, but always much prefer skirts, I got long slender legs that are worth showing off ^^;

As I'm not yet out at work, and barely even part time, I'm not including the fact that I wear pants when in male mode.  Once I am to the point I have to go to work, I will be forced by practicality reasons to wear pants more as Alana.  If it were purely on pleasure concerns I would still have to wear some sort of jeans, as it was mentioned yard work and gardening tend to ruin pretty clothes.  I also recently noted that I was the only female wearing a dress while out shopping last Saturday.  While all the other women were in jeans and winter coats I made due with just a light cardigan, it really wasn't that cold. 

-Alana