Wednesday, June 30, 2010

overdressing

I am an overdresser.

There --- I admitted it. I got it off my chest and now I don't have to worry about people accusing me of being an "overdresser" because I have come out to the world about it.

It is hard to overdress when you attend a crossdresser support group meeting; many of the attendees overdress because the meeting may be their only opportunity to dress at all, so they dress to kill.

That being said, when attended crossdresser support group meetings, I was usually the most overdressed girl at the meeting. Hands down. No question about it.

I carried on my overdressing when I began going out in public en femme. The woman in a cocktail dress and high heels shopping at Wal*Mart --- that was me. The woman in the sequin evening gown seated in the centerfield bleachers at Fenway Park --- that was me. The woman in the little black dress and pearls dining at Taco Bell --- you guessed it --- that was me, too.

At first, I worried about it because overdressing drew attention to me and by drawing attention to me, civilians might scrutinize me too closely and figure out that I was packing something extra underneath my periwinkle bridesmaid gown.

I sure did not want to out myself, so I began toning it down. But I soon found out that toned-down dressing was Boring (with a capital B).

Blending in with all the other babes at Home Depot was just not my thing. I wanted to be outstanding in my field in heels, not flats.

So, I began overdressing again and I have never looked back because in the words of blogger Kate Fridkis, "Being overdressed is fun. You have to pull it off with confidence. You have to walk with your shoulders back, like you planned it. Like you're dressed up because you live a dramatic, impressive life. I mean, why not? Maybe you do."

Ms. Fridkis' "The Art of Overdressing" on The Huffington Post inspired this posting and I urge you to go read it yourself; maybe it will inspire you to buy a bright red dress to wear to the grocery store.

7 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 30, 2010

    From JohnH

    Someone dressing as a woman can overdress in any given situation and fit in. However, a person dressing as man would not be able to overdress and fit in many situations. Men's formal fashions have devolved into the mandatory coat and tie attire.

    I have often thought that I would wear a formal dress instead of the coat and tie when going out to formal occasions by myself since I am sick and tired of that "bird" look. I firmly identify myself as a male and like to be addressed as "sir" instead of "ma'am" at all times.

    My father who is a retired Presbyterian minister wore clerical collars for formal occasions when he was young simply because he hated neckties

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  2. Women dress up for special occasions. Every time I'm out, it's a special occasion. So I overdress too. I'm trying to find a happy medium for the airport, but I bet I'm the 1 in 100 in a skirt and 1 in 1000 in heels.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 01, 2010

    From JohnH

    I do NOT try to pass as a woman. I almost always wear skirts unless I go to church or other occasions that I have to wear pants. And yes, I have taken to wearing sandals with 2 3/4 inch wedge heels. So it is possible for a person recognized as a MAN to wear skirts and heels. And once again, I much prefer to be addressed as SIR and not MA'AM.

    I think a lot of men have the transgendered mindset for the reason that men's fashions are so incredibly dull.

    To each his or her own. I simply like to press the fashion envelope while I retain the appearance of a man.

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  4. Marianne JoaquinJuly 01, 2010

    I agree with Meg. Every time I go out it's a special occasion. I do where skirts and heels, even to the mall. Women need to be reminded that they have the gift of being overdressed at any location and still be accepted for their efforts and their beauty.

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  5. I suspect that often it is not the gender inappropraite clothes that make us stand out, but the age inappropraite or occasion inappropraite.
    The question is do you what to stand out or blend in.

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  6. AnonymousJuly 01, 2010

    When you come to the place in your life when you can dress any way you want, any time you want, you will probably find you need to expand your casual wardrobe... Now that my partner has pretty much transitioned 99%, we find ourselves filling in the holes in her feminine casual wear. She really doesn't need one more cocktail dress!

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  7. AnonymousJuly 09, 2010

    Just for the heck of it - when the weather cools down here in the Dallas, TX area, I will go out on a Saturday morning wearing a standard man's suit with coat and tie. I bet I will get a lot more attention with that outfit than my standard denim skirts and wedge heel sandals, of whom very few people seem to notice.

    JohnH

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