Not to inflate my own ego - I don't consider myself any kind of talented fashion expert. I just know what I like, and what I think is cute or sexy, and what I would like to see on an attractive girl. And I'm also not afraid to express those tastes - even if it means wearing a pretty dress and high heels just to go grocery shopping. It's not like I go to a lot of fancy dinner parties or what have you, and have lots of chances to dress up. But I have to say it pleases me that I frequently get complimented on my outfits by the employees of my favorite local overstock fashion retailer.
It makes me feel validated to get that kind of approval from genetic females - like I've been accepted and am part of the club. Not that you have to pass any kind of test to validate your gender; after all, most people are born into it without even trying, and I have no doubt that I'm more feminine than a not insignificant percentage of the female half of the population (which doesn't, necessarily, make them any less female).
But given that I wasn't born into the female gender, I do feel kinda like I have to prove myself, and situations like this (also being the one to draw the attention of males while in a group of females - though to be fair, I have a really firm grasp of what boys are attracted to) help me feel like I deserve to call myself the gender I identify with. I can almost hear the chorus of voices chanting "one of us, one of us" into my ear. ;-p
