On “dude looks like a lady” Gender Bending beyond the song.

Aerosmith

Some guys like exploring their feminine side. And that is usually a matter of degree. They might try on their mom’s or sister’s clothes one day when they’re left home alone. They might go to a Halloween party in “drag”. They might be metrosexual in their look. A little feminine flair or mystique to their high end or artistic lifestyle image.

It used to be a thing, with pop/rockers like Iggy Pop who said “I’m not ashamed to ‘dress like a woman’ because I don’t think it’s shameful to be a woman.” David Bowie , Alice Cooper … who ran the gamut from a little flair beyond stage makeup, female lingerie onstage to gender bending. Some did it to shock, some did it because that is who they were.
And some were from the punk and grunge era. Those who were emulating earlier traditions in rock. And out came the gender play.

…. How does that translate into day-to-day?

A guy might wear nicer fabrics (like silk, linen), he might wear a little eye liner or mascara to make his eyes pop. He might get mani/pedicures. He might wear women’s lingerie under his suit. And few would know, unless they were watching him dress or saw his bathroom and his self-care products. Or peeked thru his closets and dressers.

….. How accepted it is

Depends on cultural factors. And the typical dress of a man. It’s harder to do when you’re expected to wear a suit or even jeans and a tee to work. But there are many men around the world who wear caftans daily. And their female counterpart is something like a sari.

And it also depends how artistic your community and occupations are. A little eye make up might be all you can get away with. With maybe a longer hair cut.

And frankly the feminine wardrobe does have a LOT more to offer, in creativity and sensuality.

…. then there are those

who spend hours and serious coin gathering their wardrobe for their “gurl” side to play.

….. and then there are those who

take being feminine beyond that. They dress “gurl” to be part of a D/s relationship. Some to exhibit a side of themselves they don’t often get to. And some want to be humiliated for it.

…. it’s all in their comfort level.

How their friends and lovers view sexuality. How they themselves view gender and how it relates to them.

…. and you might see them on a fetish/kink site

showing themselves in their full personhood, male and female displayed. They might be a sissy, a doll, a princess… or register as NB so they can be who and what they want that day. They explore the feminine to learn … I guess empathy? What is it like to live as a woman?

…. and that is without gender disparity.

I haven’t discussed the LGBTQ folk who do more than play. That is a totally different discussion, isn’t it? Today it’s just about those who “play”. And how that can be displayed.