Why is it socially acceptable for a woman to wear men's clothes but not the other way around?(or at least more socially acceptable... )
I believe it has to do with the fact that most people portray women and femininity as soft, sometimes weaker, and purer whereas men are expected to be rougher, tougher, and not soft. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard people say "Man up!" or "Real men don't cry" because crying is supposed to be a weakness meant only for women. I don't really care if a man is naturally macho and wants to be like that, but for men to be pressured to be like that from growing up is really harmful to their state of mind. It creates unwarranted independence even when they need it, lack of communication sometimes (and I see this at home), and so much more. So naturally this would move over to clothing. How I see it is that women are expected and even encouraged to be fancy, vibrant and colorful, and flouncy in dress whereas men are supposed to be subtle, mute, practically boring at times, according to many expectations when it comes to clothing. I don't get it myself, not entirely. Especially since the point of clothes was made to keep people warm and comfortable, not define personalities and rights of passage. And don't get me wrong. I shop strictly in the men's area and very rarely in the women's, but that's because I just find the typically male clothes more comfortable myself and I don't look good in bright colors. If I'm being honest though, I think men who wear dresses or heels and makeup are more macho than those who don't at times. But I like just about anything on anyone if they can make it work to compliment them. As for women wearing men's clothes, it's not always acceptable. I am still perceived as a girl, but I'm also in the beginning of my transitioning, and I still get a lot of weird looks now and then. I was bullied for a while because I didn't dress girly and even one of my old friends stared at me in aghast mute horror when I told her I loved wearing men's clothes prior to my coming out as trans. I hate it when people do that because sometimes no matter how hard you try, things like that can really damage your confidence.
Idk...I still think some people have a problem with both men and women wearing clothes from the opposite sex. When I was in 7th and 8th grade (2007 - 2008) I used to wear boys clothes a lot. I still do. Anyway, my parents and sister thought it was weird that I wanted to shop in the boys section of the store and to wear boys' clothes. My dad doesn't have a problem with it now but my mom and sister still do. Personally I don't care if a guy wears female clothing and vice versa. But I believe that people are still stuck in their traditional ways still and they'll pass it down to their children. Hopefully some day these kinds of things won't be a problem and people will be free to do whatever the hell they want without being judged. ♥
