Believe in Yourself!

With each passing year, our society has become more and more advanced in its understanding of gender and individuality.

The first thing we have come to realize is the main differing factors; gender expression and gender identity. For some, presenting themselves as feminine through their clothing choices is an expression of who they truly are within themselves, a female. For a lot of others however, choosing to dress feminine is merely a preference. Whether it is for the softer fabrics, prettier colors, sexier styles, or any number of other reasons, it's a harmless choice that an individual should be able to make without judgement from others.

June is a month that reminds us that individuals like us exist, and only continue to multiply with each rotation of the sun. In fact, we have existed for as long as humans have walked the Earth, and humanity simply continues to evolve in its concepts of coexistence and tolerance. What an ignorant society once deemed as gender roles, is now an obsolete concept that is no longer applicable. Women can change tires, men can do the laundry. It's absolutely astonishing to me, a 24 year old, that such ridiculous concepts were ever truly a part of our world.

The same can be said for the expectations about how each gender can present themselves. As soon as clothing became a luxury everyone could afford, there were no rigid guidelines for men and women to wear opposite styles. I implore anyone that has trouble accepting crossdressing to merely look at the fashion of the medieval, Victorian, or American Revolutionary eras. Men wore silk, camisoles, wigs, heels and stockings. How could we go from such a free society for hundreds of years, to lose all that progress and become so judgmental? It's exclusively the result of societal stigmas that were put in place by those that do not represent all of us, the people that do not conform to others ideologies.

The first true step we have taken towards progress just began in the recent years, with the rise of Pride Month and those that are of a different lifestyle to no longer be viewed as anything less than just another human living the one life they have on this Earth to the fullest. To be your purest self is how we must always live, for living any other way would be to live by others' rules and fear of their rejection. What we must realize is to be accepted in this world, we must believe in ourselves and who we truly are. To be confident in your non-conformity is the fastest way to influence others' acceptance of you.

I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this wonderful time of transition in our society, because it's been far too long that men like us have lived with guilt and fear. The concept of crossdressing is no longer taboo to those close in my life after their exposure to me, and that is a feeling I hope we can all experience.

Sometimes all it takes is to be exposed to a person with a different lifestyle and way of thinking to influence acceptance of those who might be reluctant. After all, we deserve the same respect and love from others as anyone else does.

As a personal example, I once received severe and harsh ridicule from my in-laws for my choice of dress. The revelation of my cross-dressing was one that caused doubt in my ability as a man to be the perfect son for their daughter, for they feared I was not "what a woman usually wants". Now, it's a year and a half later. The people that once judged me for my appearance alone, have come to accept me and understand its nothing more than a style choice. I am still fully capable of satisfying a woman's needs, even while wearing high heels. If you believe in yourself, others will come to as well. Never fear being yourself, and don't ever let anyone condition you to. That's all for my thoughts this time, but what are yours?

Comment below! -Nathan