Are Younger Women More Open To Crossdressers?

Emma Davies commented on Sunday’s “The ‘Extra Hour of Sleep’ Post” as follows:

The last two funnies did make me wonder of the experiences of others. I have found that younger women are becoming more open to my dressing nowadays. Are others feeling that they are seeing similar ? Has (social) media coverage affected attitudes? Just a thought. 

Before I expressed my thoughts on the question, I asked AI, “Are younger women becoming more open to men who crossdress nowadays?”

Here is AI’s response:

Given the existing evidence, I think it’s plausible that younger women as a group are somewhat more open to men who cross-dress than older women, for the following reasons:

1. Because younger women tend to embrace less rigid gender norms, they may be more receptive to non-traditional gender expression in partners.
2. The increasing visibility of gender non-normative dress, plus cultural shifts around masculinity and femininity, likely lower the stigma surrounding men wearing “feminine” clothing or cross-gender style.
3. Anecdotal accounts (though not rigorous) suggest that women often express positive or curious responses to male cross-dressers.

However — and this is key — becoming more open does not mean broad acceptance across all younger women, or that dating/relationship dynamics automatically shift. Individual attitudes will vary a lot based on culture, region, background, personal values, religious or community norms, and the context (casual vs committed relationship).

I am no expert, but my experience being out en femme for several years confirms reason 3. In general, women my age (the Boomers) are usually not thrilled with my crossdressing, while younger women are usually “positive or curious.”

The Boomers

A long-time family friend ended our friendship when she found out that I crossdressed. (She never saw me crossdressed; she just heard about it.)

Another close friend, who is very LGBT+ friendly, is not a fan. (She only saw me dressed on a couple of Halloweens.)

An in-law thought I was mentally ill. (She never saw me dressed.)

Another in-law socialized with me en femme, but she was always very uncomfortable when she did.

And so it goes with most female Boomers.

The Youngsters

The 20-, 30- and 40-something women at work were very supportive. As one remarked to me, she always looked forward to see how I looked en femme and I “never disappointed.”

When shopping en femme, young saleswoman in general are friendlier than older saleswomen although admittedly they are in it for the money. 

The times I went out en femme with my daughter, I was her “aunt” unless we encountered one of her friends and then she introduced me as her father. After the shock wore off, her friends were always friendly with me and treated me as one of the girls. (Even her guy friends were OK with “Aunty.”)

So my personal anecdotal evidence agrees with AI’s reason number 3. How about you?

Wearing Boston Proper

Thomas Kuc and Benjamin Flores, Jr. femulating on television’s Game Shakers.