Question about gender expression

I would choose the first option. Women's clothes are far more interesting than men's clothes, and I don't mind them much, but my body drives me to hell and back because it doesn't match with what I feel like it should be. I would wear a bright pink floral dress and corset every day of the week if it meant my chest would be flat and my genitals correct.

 

These are interesting questions, I would choose the first... My body is bothering me more.
So I think this works for gender issues... of course I would prefer to get both body and clothes XD

 

Already have 2, so of course I'll pick 1

I'd just pick more androgynous female clothing. But if we're talking about only dresses and more "gendered" clothing... Ung. That would suck, and probably prevent me from living "normally"... Having a job, travelling countries etc. Oh man, I don't know.

---------- Post added 27th Jul 2016 at 09:02 AM ----------

That sounds painful in a whole lot of other ways

And yeah, women's clothes can definitely be more interesting. Men's clothes tend to be a lot more plain and if you don't have the typical male figure (and a decent variety of sizes) sorta eh... box-y? Hope you been doing okay

 

Good question.

Definitely 1. If I had the right body, people would see me as a woman, regardless of what I was wearing, and that would be enough for me. It's more important to me to be seen as a woman, than to act/express like one. Though I would miss the shoes.

 

I would wear dirty rags for the rest of my life to wake up in the body of a woman. Wearing men's clothes is meaningless, it is just clothes and nothing more.

 

This is difficult. My masculine expression is just as much a part of me as my body. I couldn't live with having to wear dresses and feminine clothing for the rest of my life, if I was allowed to wear completely androgynous leaning masculine 'female clothing' then I'd pick 1. Damn waking up with a male body and then having to put on a female fitted shirt would be something else. More preferable than what I'm working with now though.

 

I guess I'm the odd one out... I'd pick option 2. My issues with gender aren't necessarily that I don't like the way I look or the idea of being a girl, but rather the fact that I am too petite to wear what I want, which is men's clothing. I prefer a classy men's style, but being a tiny 16 year old, I don't have much choice than to shop in what fits me. So I'd go with number 2, assuming I can find clothes that fit.

 

I would pick the body. I love fashion and all that, but it's more about my body and being congruent with that. If I could be totally at home with my body you could make me wear a baggy jumpsuit and Crocs for all I'd care.

 

You aren't really the odd one out in the sense that the vast majority of cisgender people would pick option number 2. This question really reflects well the gap between gender expression and gender identity. While gender expression serves an important purpose, being trans is not about gender expression. Many cisgender people like to crossdress and doing so doesn't make them trans. Clothes are just clothes.

What matters to me is how my body feels, to feel connected to it and what it represents. That's why I identify as trans, I've never had some intense desire to wear dresses or other women's clothes and I don't feel less of a woman for not having such a need. How many women prefer jeans and a t-shirt over a dress? How many women would prefer to not have to wear a bras? These clothes are nothing more than art, representarions that project meaning to others and tools that we use to keep away the cold or for comfort. They aren't reflections of our souls in the same way that our body is supposed to be.

One thing to keep in mind is that clothes tend ro be more important for trans men because of the social stigma of men wearing women's clothes. This choice becomes much harder if you know that for the rest of your life you will suffer from prejudice and social exclusion. Women can wear men's clothes and still live a normal life. Men who wear women's clothes can't go out of their house without risk of physical harm or emotional abuse.

 

The first option easily. I don't attribute a gender to clothing anyway, so "women's clothing" could be or mean literally anything.

 

I've lived with number two for seven years. I'd keep doing it if wearing stereotypical women's clothing was the only other option.

 

Oh yeah of course, I totally agree. I didn't mean that option 2 was better in any way, I just meant that that's what I would personally choose. I understand the difficulty and dysphoria that trans and other gender queer people face. Also you brought up the point that men who wear women's clothes are usually harmed for the way they express themselves. And honestly this fact has always infuriated me. Society's expectations are stupid enough, but to the pint of violence is just sad. Honestly, just be you

 

Deffo 1. If people also treated me like a man. I think pretty much all transfolk would say that, especially transmen who can pretty much get away with wearing whatever they want in most situations anyway. And it wouldn't exactly suck to be a transwoman who had a cisfemale body but could only wear men's clothes because lots of cis women do that anyway. If you're more interested in the clothes than the body you are most likely a crossdresser, not trans.

I think a more interesting question would be this:

If you had a choice would you choose
A. To keep your current body but be always be seen and treated as your preferred gender
or
B. To have your preferred gender's body but be treated and seen as your birth sex

For me, that would be a really tough question because the majority of my dysphoria is social. I mean I HAVE physical dysphoria, but most of it is related to parts other people can see. Like my voice for example wouldn't bother me nearly as much if it didn't make me get read as female.

 

I have no real interest in male clothing. Often I wish I had a male body, or a more androgynous one. If I had a male body I'd probably be more comfortable expressing myself more femininly than I do now anyway. Which I guess sounds odd, but I think my brain just likes balancing things.

 

1 is just like... what I do in life. So I'm fine with it. I mean I do wear girls clothes too, but that wouldn't be a great loss to me - I prefer guy clothes. I guess it would get bloddy annoying to be boxed in like that though. In terms of 2, I like the freedom of it, and I'm not sure I'd mind being a guy... though that seems like something I can't quite be sure about. Also, I think if I was a guy I wouldn't really care to wear girls clothes at all so I wouldn't get much benefit from it. So I suppose 1.

 

:icon_redf

Actually, I was wrong. Most cisgender people would probably pick option one not two, I misread the question... the gender of someone who is cisgender is obviously not the one that doesn't corrospond to their body. Sorry, I really shouldn't write when I am in the state of mind that I have been in over the last few days.

 

2 is what I do. And I would choose 2 any time.

Basically what you prefer - body or expression.

I prefer expression, I take it very personally - unlike hooked noses and the such. IMHO, the meaning of bodies is completely socially assigned, and I refuse to take on the standpoint that my body or situation defines me or says anything about me. It's like saying that being born in a certain country defines someone. Body is about how others see you, and I don't give a damn about how others judge me. Of course people judge. I also feel like my body is a living creature and hurting it - no, it's not its fault that it's not perfect, and how others see it is completely irrelevant to it. And clothing is an act of my own free will and says anything about me. My choices reflect who I am. My clothes - my choice. I try to do my best in my choices. The concept of "male" and "female" clothing is also completely social. I tried the option with being female and wearing just "men's" clothing, and tried the option of wearing only "women's" clothing. I can't and I refuse to take on other people's interpretations of what I'm doing. If I were to wear any certain category of clothing just for an arbitrary label, if I were to have a male body and have to wear just feminine clothing, no, I wouldn't bear it either. Both kinds of bodies have their upsides and downsides as well, none is worse or better. But being forced to actively DO something, that violates my sense of aesthetics, morlas, honor and so on.

That's my own internal rules. Body is in the "given" category together with religion, family, country of origin etc. Clothing is in "choice".

 

Definitely 1.
I'd love to be a tomboy.

 

I'd choose #1 easily. I don't mind being a feminine man as long as I can do so without dysphoria. My physical dysphoria is much more of a concern for me than what I wear.