I was sent by my grandmother to go get a sweater to give to my dad for his birthday...
I went through there going;
want this...
want that...
want this...
want that...
wait.. why the F isn't there more of these over in the "girl" section where I shop?
... er...
ooookaaaay....
find sweater...
find sweater...
find sweater...
find... ooh!...
want this...
want that...
(and repeat)

I've shopped in the boys' clothes since I was young, my parents' and grandma (she took me shopping often) were okay with it. We would go to the boys' section to get my brother's clothes, and I'd end up picking out all my clothes at the same time. They'd try to get me to dress more girly, but I always declined and it was never a big deal. My male older cousin's old clothes would end up being passed down to me and I loved it

I really don't remember. I started wearing "boy clothes" when I was about 10 years old. I don't exactly remember when I shifted over from boys section to men's section or anything. I've just always bought what I liked.

I've been wearing guys clothes since I could dress myself. I used to get nervous and think that people would think I was weird but I got over it. Now I don't care what people think. The only think that matters is that I'm happy with it.

In all of my early memories of shopping, it was in the boys section. Mom and I would go through the girl section first, and I'd beg her to let me change sections until she gave up trying to convince me otherwise and let me run around the section with sports jerseys and Scooby Doo. This happened every time (I don't know why she didn't just give up), with the exception of pants, since my hips didn't fit boys pants, until I was 14 and decided to experiment with girls clothes. My awkward memories are of womens sections - even when I had long hair I was afraid someone was going to find me out and ask what I was doing there. Especially in the lingerie department. When I was 11 (and needed a bra when I was ten), mom dragged me into the bra section and I actually started crying. That happened twice in store and many times with catalogues or lectures. She gave up.

I have been awkward in the mens section when buying underwear, though. My mom and grandma bought me my clothing necessities my whole life, since I usually pointblank refused to go shopping. So I was unused to buying underwear at all, let alone when being scared of not passing.

Quote from: Renard on January 09, 2011, 05:45:42 PM
My only issue, really, is that I'm picky, and try on everything before buying, which doesn't seem to something many men do (the local Zeller's doesn't even have a changeroom on the men's floor) x3

Once guys know their sizes, they don't try stuff on.  They'd rather buy it and return it, even if it takes more time in the end.  Or get someone else to return it.

I was actually in Hollister the week before Christmas (I usually just shop online, easier to find the clearance stuff that way, easier to find anything really compared to just poking around in the dark inside the store actually, but sometimes it's useful...), and I'd say at least 2/3 of the people in the guy's section were clearly women.  The proportions were not skewed the opposite way on the women's side with guys buying gifts for the girls.  Women buy most of the clothes, for everyone.  Maybe if you don't pass well, if you tried to obviously *not* pass on a day you were out clothes shopping, you'd feel less strange?  Especially buying things that are more gender specific, like underwear, than something like a hoodie - if you look very obviously female, nobody's going to think they're for you.

lolz. I've always felt that people would be looking at me funny in the womens section.. and thus stayed away from it unless forced into it by parents.

I can't remember the feeling of first shopping in the mens. Was too young to remember.

When I first bought stuff from the men's, I was worried that security guards or shop employees would find me out, laugh at me, and then throw me out because I was in the "wrong" section. They didn't. It doesn't really feel odd to me anymore, I mean, who cares what some random store employee might think of me? I am a young man, regardless of wether they see me as one or not. One's worth is not in the eyes of others.

I get the same feeling when going to the women's underwear department, like I'm doing something very forbidden, trespassing or something. This feeling has always been here, the "Oh, I shouldn't be here, what if they find me out?!"

I know when I was little my mom and I would go in the boys dept and she would buy me jeans because they lasted longer and were made better than anything in the girls department. I think the first time I went in the young mens/mens department and bought stuff on my own was when I was 16 and I had a job and my own money. I already looked like a dude back then so I didn't stick out or anything. I felt ok about it.

I never used to go shopping for clothing a lot when I was younger, but my dad would always pick more androgynous things out for me from the kids (female) section. I hated shopping for clothes though, even when I was about 14. I had some more girly things around that time,  but I never really wore them.
When I first went shopping for clothes in the men's section, I felt pretty awkward, like everyone was watching me and looking at me and stuff (I didn't really pass that well then). I still get a bit awkward if there are a lot of guys in the section of the shop with me, and I usually walk around a bit and wait until it's cleared of most of them before I start browsing. It's getting better though.

This thread is making me want to go shopping something terrible. Gah... I really shouldn't... my bank account wouldn't be pleased... but... eh... I'll make up for it and just wait a few months before going again. xD I at least want to go try things on.

Sometimes I feel like such a femme guy haha.

Never felt awkward in men's section. I been wearing male clothes for as long as I can remember. Admittedly, I'm getting older and my memory is getting shorter.

Quote from: spacepilot on January 10, 2011, 09:49:23 AM
This thread is making me want to go shopping something terrible. Gah... I really shouldn't... my bank account wouldn't be pleased... but... eh... I'll make up for it and just wait a few months before going again. xD I at least want to go try things on.

Sometimes I feel like such a femme guy haha.

LMAO! I like shopping. I actually went shopping yesterday. Didn't get much (two sweaters and a jacket) but still. Shopping. I have to limit myself as i'm trying to save up as much as i can so i can move out to my own place by next winter, but hey. I do what i can, when i can. And yeah, sometimes i go just to browse.

Gotta say i felt more awkward following my mom into the lingerie section than i did browsing in the men's - got more looks in the former as well, so i retreated to wait for my mom by the shoes. I get "miss"ed a lot less and a lot of employees just don't address me as anything now lmao. Since loosing a bit of weight (finally) i think i look more androgynous than anything else (which is far better than looking feminine.)

I always shopped in men's to a degree. Didn't get much, but still browsed a lot. Didn't care about "looks" so never noticed if i got them or not. I think back then it was more "oh this is so FUN, i'm getting GUYS stuff like my aunt used to do - oh wow, look at that you would NEVER see THAT over in girls!"And it pissed my folks off a bit, i think they where worried about how it would ruin their image as parents lmao.

Now it's more of a "i don't think about it much because i don't care - i belong in this section so what the heck." Mingled in with "oh i have that, and that... wait, don't have that - is it on sale and do i need it" of course! Since i came out to the folks last year (god, it's already been a year) i've completely gone through my wardrobe and got rid of most of my "girls clothes." I've still got some unisex stuff but it's 90% male.

Well, I just got a cheapo three pack of boxers for approximately 12 dollars. First male undies I've ever owned. They fit nicely and makes me feel more confident. They are black, and black with pinstripes.

I hope nobody will give me any annoying questions when doing the laundry though...

I was nervous and embarrassed when looking in the men's underwear section, but nobody batted an eyelid. The same with asking the hairdresser for a men's cut. Man, it's going well for me!

Quote from: PixieBoy on January 10, 2011, 11:41:09 AM
Well, I just got a cheapo three pack of boxers for approximately 12 dollars. First male undies I've ever owned. They fit nicely and makes me feel more confident. They are black, and black with pinstripes.

I hope nobody will give me any annoying questions when doing the laundry though...

I was nervous and embarrassed when looking in the men's underwear section, but nobody batted an eyelid. The same with asking the hairdresser for a men's cut. Man, it's going well for me!

This just made me think of when i was shopping yesterday with my mom. I was thinking at one point "wtf - she just spent more time looking at underwear then she did anything else: and she came back with like, three pairs of store brand for over $25..... and that's WITH a coupon!" Then i felt blessed that my underwear costs $10 for five pair at Walmart, roflmao.

To avoid annoying questions at laundry time, just do it yourself. That's what i do (though i do it less because of potential annoying questions and more because my parents don't approve of anything at this point and would totally flip out.)

And a good hairdresser will do what you ask without question or strange looks. It took me a while to find one that would do a decent job on mine, but sometimes they still try to style it when i leave.... i politely decline because they always make it styled to look more feminine even if the cut itself is unisex. Ah well. Until i find something better, it works.

Heh, I've shopped in the men's section most of my life.  I would buy the underwear and most clerks assumed I was buying it for my boyfriend.  No big deal.  However about 5 years ago I went to Jos A. Bank Clothiers which is an exclusive men's store specializing in suits for a cosplay costume.  I wanted to be Tseng from Final Fantasy Vii if anyone is curious.  The customer service is very focused and there was no way I was going to escape scrutiny.  So I strode in completely female from head to toe and told them I wanted to buy a suit for myself.  I had to emphasize that last part because they just didn't get it at first.

My heart was pounding so hard I almost passed out but I believe in facing things head on or not facing them at all.  So I got to try on suits years before I decided to transition.  Once they got over how weird I was it was a good experience.  I ended up not buying any in the end.  However this past weekend I went back and they were all "hello sir is there anything I can do for you?"  Awesome!

So I tried on more suits.  Still can't afford them but hey I love them.  Getting fitted is a bit worrying because you are put in front of about 5 full length mirrors and measured all over with a tape measure.  Apparently even being examined that closely I still pass well so hooray for that.   Worked out well so as soon as I have about $1000 lying around I'll heading on back there.     

Quote from: Squirrel698 on January 10, 2011, 08:10:01 PM
Heh, I've shopped in the men's section most of my life.  I would buy the underwear and most clerks assumed I was buying it for my boyfriend.  No big deal.  However about 5 years ago I went to Jos A. Bank Clothiers which is an exclusive men's store specializing in suits for a cosplay costume.  I wanted to be Tseng from Final Fantasy Vii if anyone is curious.

Heeeyy, another cosplayer, and a FF one at that!  I've been poking along on a Dissidia Zidane costume forever, I should really finish that thing.  I don't really go to anime conventions anymore though, I feel a bit old at them, it's all teenagers now. 

Cosplay was how I started acquiring men's clothing though, I did a lot of costumes that required modifying existing garments, and of course eventually all the characters I cosplayed were male.  Well, and in my fat phase I sometimes stole my ex's clothes that I'd accompany him to buy, he was far from stylish though.  I'm not exactly super fashion savvy now, I dress like a skater boy, but it's worlds better than what my ex wore, dressing up for that man meant jeans, he'd wear nylon mesh shorts year round. ><

I don't remember the first time I shopped in the men's department...but it clearly didn't affect me.  I have always worn male clothes -- t-shirt & jeans all through high school much to my mother's dismay.  She wanted a girl who loved pink and frilly dressy stuff.  I never fit the bill - even as a small child I would fight her on wearing dresses.

I refused to go shopping so ... I wore whatever my mother bought me ... she finally gave up on trying to get me to wear girly clothes and bought me jeans & t-shirts.

Hm... The first time I really shopped for men's clothing, not just a pair of pants or a shirt, but really shopping.  You know the stereotypical reaction of a girl when her man shows her the new apartment with her own very, very, very big closet.  Yeah, that was me, but instead, new mall with an Armani Exchange.  My friends described my reaction as "you let out the gayest "eep" sound, made a hop and then ninja vanished on us."  I was also asked by a customer if I could show him to the fitting room even though I didn't dress that day really trying super hard to pass.  So I was kinda in heaven. 

The first time I bought men's clothes for myself was scary! I was still "female", and bought myself two pairs of boxers! I was really nervous about it and remember blushing bright red, but the assistant didn't bat an eyelid and probably thought they were for my boyfriend or something.  I think I felt worsT buying men's clothes when I was first transitioning - I wasn't sure how the other men in the shop viewed me, and didn't really know what would fit me, or suit me.  I bought some awful stuff, most of it the wrong size! But now I feel at home in the men's section, and enjoy shopping again.  And best of all, my clothes actually fit now!