Quote from: Mister on August 20, 2008, 03:51:52 PMYou know, Elwood, not everyone shopping for women's clothes wants to be stuck in carhartt and dickies. It's probably also difficult to find a workplace where a flightsuit is appropriate attire, unless it's government issued and OD green. Of course clothing made for work purposes are going to be more durable- you can thank the old time sailors for that. But on the whole, men's (NOT BOYS) clothes are far more utilitarian. They're routinely made with heavier weight fabrics to withstand more wear. Decorative pockets on women's styles amazingly transform into actual functioning pockets on menswear. Boys clothing is generally about as durable as girls' clothing, but little surpasses menswear for durability.
I never said that was the case. It was merely my example. It isn't the only example. For instance, women's fitness clothes are designed for the female frame. Not all of them "look" girly since plenty of female athletes like the butch look. They do, however, fit better, which is safer.
Depending on the shop, a flight suit (used, obviously) will be cheaper than a jumpsuit. Best used for things like painting and on site work. You'd wear your semi-nice clothes under it. It protects you from whatever the work is you're doing.
Men's clothing generally is better. I never was suggesting anyone ALWAYS wear women's clothing or something. I just think it's mysogynistic to refuse anything that's slightly female because you fear it will hurt your "manhood."
Quote from: Mister on August 20, 2008, 03:51:52 PMAs for your bike gloves/shoe example-- haven't you stated previously that you're <100 pounds? Most female-bodied folk can easily wear men's gloves and shoes without them feeling bulky. I have the opposite take on them as you- women's gloves are routinely far too short in the fingers, not large enough in the wrist, etc. I'm above average height for a woman, but my weight puts me closer to the average than yourself.
Yes, I am, but gaining weight will not make my bone size larger. My hands are the size they're going to be. T might widen them slightly.
Quote from: Mister on August 20, 2008, 03:51:52 PMAnd freezing your butt off in a dress is a very relevant example. Dresses are the staple of female-based formal wear. How often do you see men shedding their tux/suit jackets because of the heat and their dates gladly accepting them to keep from freezing? Technically, dresses should be warmer than shorts of the same length (see the great glove v. mitten debate) but because of circulation/fat distribution, women are generally colder in skirts. This is the same reason that female-specific sleeping bags are on the market- they have more insulation in the feet and butt to combat the ever-cold regions of the majority of women.
I don't see that sort of thing where I live because the weather is nice. Also, women are not REQUIRED to wear dresses. The is a right time and a wrong time to wear a dress. It's your own damn fault if you decided to wear a two piece in the snow.
Quote from: Mister on August 20, 2008, 03:51:52 PMBut you're right. Sort of. There is no inherent male aversion to skirts and that is, yes, societal. But gender is also a social construct... so clothing IS gendered. If it wasn't, why would there be men's and women's departments? Before there was clothing, there was the gender binary. Social construct that says girls wear this, boys wear that and designers work accordingly.
Gender is proven to be an actual recognized part of the brain. It might not be "biological," but the fact that my brain ought to register with my body but doesn't suggests that gender is more than just social.
Men and women's departments are again based on the stereotypes. But people are not OBLIGATED to shop there. You're actually pretty much abolishing what the transgender movement stands for; to dissolve the lines of division between the genders and accept gender expressions of all kinds. From what you're saying, cross dressers are damned or bad people because they don't "identify" as the gender they are presenting as.
Quote from: Mister on August 20, 2008, 03:51:52 PMMore women are victimized while wearing high heels than any other type of shoe. Why? They're targeted because women in heels cannot run away. I was at a wedding two weeks ago where the men in the group escorted women wearing high heels across the soft lawn because they could hardly even walk on it. How can you say this is practical? The high heel is continually sexualized in the male-dominated media and thus women continue to wear them despite damage to their skeletal systems and at risk of harm. Why? To be seen as attractive. The media is the cause of the majority of this- it dictates what is made, what is sexy, etc., and society follows suit. I doubt many people would agree that footbinding seems like a particularly hot idea, but until recently it was sexualized in Chinese culture. (please, do a google image search if you are unfamiliar with the appearance of this) In a hundred years, our great-grandchildren could have the same view on the barbaric footwear practices of western women.
I never said high heels were a good thing. Whoever brought that up brought that up out of nowhere.
I said that SOME female clothing is practical BECAUSE it is tailored for the female frame, which, deny it as much as you will, transmen do have before transition. My fitness shoe example is nothing like your high heeled nonsense. A fitness shoe must fit the foot properly. Yes, SOME transguys will fit into boy's fitness shoes. But most won't before T. A fitness shoe must fit damn near perfectly, not just "sort of" or "mostly." It must fit like a glove.
