A Man in a dress- how would you feel?

I wouldn’t be that bothered tbh, unless it was sexualised clothing not appropriate to the occasion.
I wouldn’t be too keen on my DH doing it however as I would find it very unattractive in a sexual partner.

Yes, just a young man showboating and daring to be a little bit subversive - but without excessive ego or performance attached.

Damiano David ( formerly of Maneskin) regularly wore make up and 'feminine' coded clothing but always came across as incredibly masculine at the same time ( ...and very sexy.....)

I love a man in a dress - it takes guts and individuality to go out like that, think David Bowie vibes, creative and fearless.

I remember seeing a Ben Fogle programme a while back and he stayed with a guy who lived in an alternative community in the states. The majority of the time he wore men’s clothes but occasionally wore women’s clothes. He explained that’d he’d had a difficult childhood and wearing these clothes were a comfort / link back to his mum. But he didn’t seem that he ever considered himself to be a woman etc so I thought it was fine.

But I’d also have an issue if it was my DH!

It’s sad really that it’s a thing - that clothes are so restrictive

Forgetting the arty types who get away with it I would imagine that in the current climate a man who wanted to start dressing in women’s clothes would be dipping a toe in the water. I would assume he would then go on to adopt the rest of the ideology in time.

Not bother me at all.

At my old job the guy I used to sit next to wore skirts and blouses and carried a handbag. He was lovely, and good at his job.

I didn't have any particular feelings about the way he chose to dress, aside from mild surprise at first.

Grayson Perry springs to mind and much as I love his art, his programmes, I just think he looks a bit "wrong" when he wears a dress. Like you, I accept it's his choice but that's how I feel

It’s just natural suspicion- if you haven’t been here long you probably wouldn’t appreciate the amount of abuse we get here including posters turning up just to try and get people banned or to prove how transphobic mumsnet is. It really is a problem so don’t take the scepticism personally. You haven’t done anything wrong but many of the troll posts start with apparent innocence!

While I suspect you're angling at internalised misogyny because gender non conforming men in presentation are a no no but women aren't even in these gender critical parts of the world the fact that many here are only comfortable if the female coded attire isn't sexualised/overly feminine points to something else. And that something is still internalised misogyny but as it to pertains to feminine aesthetic expression. I would put my house on most of these same people are 'uncomfortable' with females expressing overt sexuality in presentation as well.

The demeaning of feminine expression AKA femmephobia has a long history rooted in the systemic devaluation of traits, behaviours and aesthetics associated with women and femininity. Historically, patriarchal structures have positioned masculinity as the universal human standard leaving femininity to be viewed as inferior, superficial, or manipulative.

Describing feminine traits, behaviours and aesthetics as purely an indoctrinated 'stereotype' or a sexual perversion is simply another form of femmephobia which is regularly expressed on this forum.

That they can't conceive of an inclination towards feminine expression being just a simple innate preference no different to preferring vanilla ice cream to chocolate rather than some pathology ought to tell you something.

I love seeing a man in a kilt, would think nothing about a priest in his robes or a Muslim man wearing a shalwar kameez, dishdasha or djelabba. That’s because those are items of clothing that are made for males. It’s disingenuous to say people can wear whatever they feel comfortable in and their sex shouldn’t come into it, because we do wear clothes for particular sexes generally. Women wear trousers in many forms now, but those trousers are designed for the female form which is different than the male form. My DH and I are wearing almost identical outfits today, because our items are unisex.
If a man decided that he was going to wear a dress made for a woman he would be making a point, because it’s occupied that men in many societies don’t wear dresses. We used to call those men transvestites but we’re not allowed to do that now because of ‘progress’. Transvestitism has a sexual motivation.

There is a picture of Grayson Perry wearing a skirt and a black codpiece to a children’s charity event. I am never accepting that as a reasonable choice. Keep the fetish away from others please.

But calling a dress a “feminine expression “
is only that within the boundaries of current western society

it’s a pity men can’t be allowed to wear dresses. Without it being seen as expression of fenininity

Well it might be a pity but that is where we are at present. A man putting on a dress is a statement. If a man just wanted to wear something that feels different there are robes and kilts which are definitely for men.

@brownbootsandhats why? Why is it a pity that males can’t wear dresses?
There are many versions of male appropriate loose dress like options?
Why the pity that they are ostracized for wearing certain types of dress style associated with women?

If he didn't want to be called a woman and if he didn't want to invade women's spaces/sports/first prize for literature or whatever then in theory I'd be fine with it. But I still couldn't help but think it was a fetish. Grayson Perry noted in interview that 80% of men in dresses are doing so for arousal, including him. So given that I don't trust men any further than I can throw them when it comes to purely innocent motivation, that would be my instinct.

Why should there be male appropriate clothing that excludes ( some styles of ) dresses?

why should we put artificial sex restrictions on people ? Surely the only things where sex should matter are things where sex actually matters

anything else is stereotypes and gender caging

And does Grayson have any evidence of this other than attempting to normalise himself?

who the fuck pity’s men? they can pretty much do whatever they want when ever they want.
wear a dress do as they please but don’t expect me to not spot mental ill health.

I'd definitely regard it as a sexual fetish and I'd seek a divorce.

No men can’t do whatever they want
clearly they can’t just wear a dresses because they like the feel of them
patriarchy does put expectations on them too

and if they want to wear a dress why not?

I will also pity a man who is a victim of assault. Or is in a car crash. Or has an allergic reaction to nuts. My pity allocation is not restricted to one sex only

Legally a man can wear a dress and some do there is zero stopping them.