In a recent post, I mentioned my ability to switch genders from one day to the next, but it's entirely possible for me to switch genders even within a single day! I got a kick out of doing just that the other day. I pulled out my padded bra for a photoshoot (you can see the satisfying result in this post), in order to make the female clone more convincing, and my roommate commented on it positively, so I decided to wear it to go grocery shopping with her that day. I was in full girl mode.
[description: selfie wearing a girly outfit with padded bra, and topless in athletic shorts]
But then, later in the day, I went for a walk in the park, because we were having beautiful summer-like weather. And, as I've gotten into the habit of doing lately, I dressed in my jogging shorts, without a shirt. In fairness, I can't say that I was in full guy mode, as I was still wearing women's shorts (with pink highlights), and carrying a sparkly drawstring bag (the kind you might expect a tween girl to carry - yeah, I have really girly tastes). Plus, there was no hiding my long hair. But you'd think the whole shirtless thing would give away pretty quickly the fact that I'm a guy.
You'd think. But then, I've even had people at nudist resorts look twice when stepping into the men's room, or - imagine this sight - catching me at the urinal. Apparently, not even exposing (or using!) my penis is enough to discourage people from reading me as female. I'd been increasingly getting the impression that gender was simply a costume you put on (hair, clothes, and body grooming go a long way), but then there seems to be something naturally feminine about me, because I've had this problem since I was a kid, long before I ever started presenting as a female.
At any rate, while I was walking past a family on the trail in my shirtless splendor, a little girl glanced at me and asked her daddy, "why does that girl have no shirt on?" I could only shake my head and keep walking. I should be flattered (although it's undeniably an uncomfortable situation to be placed in), but it seems I can't win either way. Frequently when I'm at the park watching a friend's kids, and I'm dressed up like a girl, I have other kids asking me why I'm wearing girl clothes (though to be fair, it's usually some combination of my voice, or somebody calling my name, that gives me away). I guess I can't convincingly pull off male or female! I suppose the truth is that I'm something in between...
