A Man in a dress- how would you feel?

I am going to log off now. Between the muddle you’re making of this thread, and the absolute HORROR I’ve seen on a thread about a missing person, I think that’s enough for one day.

I don’t think YOU understand the argument you’ve been making so far. Maybe go back and read your own posts??

A female child undergoes approximately 15 to 18 years of continuous gender socialization before reaching an age where she might truly believe she can dress as she pleases without social consequences.
However, psychological and sociological research suggests that this "true belief" is rarely achieved completely, as fashion remains an active, lifelong system of social signaling and judgment.
@Canadanian you can’t deny what the majority of women experience all while calling yourself a feminist.
Like it or not but imprinting of social norms stats at birth, and this imprinting includes dress style to accentuate/project the fact that you are female vs male.

@BackToLurk Your view on the thread was ‘dress as you please’. We dont disagree.

AND YET you’re still coming for me as opposed to the posters denying women agency, or the posts saying men shouldn’t wear dresses because they don’t have small waists and their legs are too muscular (I asked if women without small waists or big legs were allowed to wear dresses according to that poster). Why on earth am I YOUR villain of this thread?

I can only go by what I see

Which you choose very carefully.

I don’t think you followed the thread of this conversation or whose making what point at all, unfortunately 😬

Failing to acknowledge that there are systemic social pressures on women to present or see ourselves a certain way, and these manifest among other things in our clothing choices is misogynistic.

It's the old "we don't oppress women, they choose to be less respected, rely on a man and so at risk of being dumped for a younger model, they like being pretty" story, updated for the OnlyFans world.

If you don't understand that, basic Feminism 101, you ain't no Feminist bruv.

Men wearing dresses is not the same as women wearing trousers.

Women do not get aroused from wearing trousers.

i'd think he was a wanker at the very least and not want anything to do with him

Marc Jacobs in Marc Jacobs; Kanye West in Givenchy; Samuel Jackson in a kilt; men's skirt by Thom Browne; Comme des Garcons Homme Plus AW26.

I’m not a gender critical feminist. I am a feminist though, who genuinely cares about women (as opposed to using ‘gender critical feminism’ as a cover to excuse saying wildly bigoted things like ‘every man in a dress is a fetishist’, which people keep saying on this thread). Please do point to where I’ve been misogynist 🤷‍♀️

I dont give a shit if a bloke wants to wear a dress.

Bet they’d all have pockets.

I can only go by what I see. Which is that gender critical feminists on this site rarely comment on instances of clear and horrible misogyny by other gender critical feminists, but ALWAYS challenge anyone with non gender critical views, even when that person is arguing for something they also agree with.

You and @ErrolTheDragon dont think women need to accentuate their feminine assets or whatever that poster said to wear dresses; yet you haven’t challenged them, you only care about winning a fight with me. And that’s why it’s impossible for me to believe that doing right by women is your priority 🤷‍♀️

Couldn’t care less, there’s a man local to me who wears female clothing sometimes, nobody bats an eyelid either, he’s just Mark, a bit eccentric. I wear jeans and shirts with boys boots, what’s the difference? A bloke wearing a dress doesn’t affect you!

There’s a difference between men wearing feminine clothing to be subversive (eg. David Bowie, Harry Styles, Adam Ant, Kurt Cobain in his prom dress) and men wearing clothing that denotes a very specific, submissive female stereotype because they get an erection from the idea of themselves as that stereotype.

If you feel uncomfortable, it’s probably because he’s the latter.

Depends on the look and the situation.

Folky blokes wearing long full colourful hippy skirts at festivals or dances - couldn't care less.

Similar blokes wearing badly fitting dresses in the same situation - don't care but my poor eyes.

Work environment - now it's getting weird - this is clothing that isn't run of the mill for men, I am now feeling somewhat weirded out. It would be similar to a woman turning up in excessively revealing clothing or some kind of fancy dress.

Schools/hospitals/police - these environments are dealing with children or people in a vulnerable situation. It's not the time or place for breaking boundaries, standard uniform rules should be enforced.

If men do fancy wearing dresses/skirts they need to start looking normal in them and persuade designers to create normal looking styles for them - much like women did with trousers and suits.

One poster made an odd comment about 'accentuating assets to look feminine' and you reckon every other woman here should be able to explain it? Even more strangely, you seem to think we must all agree with her.

You do realise we're all different individuals? For one thing, you're posting here and I can assure you that you're not me!

Nah, just a feminist who sometimes participates inconsistently. So shot me/ sniping at women Feministing Wrong seems to be your specialty 😂

If you read the chain you will follow my interpretation - it’s their reason women can where dresses but men shouldn’t be allowed.

There’s this post and then there several that completely deny women any agency on this thread… once again gender critical posters like you are arguing with me rather than ever standing up for women if it’s one of ‘your own’ who is being a misogynist.

You are one of the participating non-feminists, I see.

What on earth gives you idea we all agree with that (particularly your interpretation that this poster thinks it’s a ‘good thing’)?

This is a forum for discussion about issues of sex and gender. Not everyone participating is a feminist or specifically a gender critical feminist - tbh I think a lot of people don’t understand what that means any more.

I agree with this.
I wish we lived in a world where men and women were free to dress up, or not dress up, as much as they please, and anyone was free to wear anything. The recognition that most men who "cross dress" are doing so for sexual gratification / to shock / in order to parody women has made me question this a bit...... and the conclusion I have come to is that I think it would be brilliant if mainstream menswear brands started incorporating skirts, dresses, a few more decorative flourishes etc onto clothes designed and cut for men.
I think shifting the culture so these became acceptable choices for men would really pull the rug out from under the feet of the fetishists.

Oh, and you think that’s really good do you? And necessary for wearing a dress?

Everyone still think this is a forum for feminists?

I grew up in the 80s when there was a fair bit of gender bender fashion. Boy George and Marilyn wore skirts and so did some of the boys in the extended group of friends I used to go clubbing with in high school. We were alternative and it was a part of exploring where we fit in and what the boundaries were. In that context I had no problem with it.

In theory I'm "dress however you feel" but the reality is, I think, I would find a man I knew who was relatively conformist just putting on a dress because they liked it and not finding a way to style it or fit to a narrative of some sort quite aggressive. As others have said, I have probably been put off by Eddie Izzard who used to state he was just wearing clothes he liked and it seemed fine but he turned out to be a complete knob.