[net.women] masculine, feminine, human, alive..

jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) (10/26/85)

	I've been watching with interest what people say makes them feel
masculine or feminine, and so far it seems to fall pretty much along
traditional lines. After giving it alot of thought, I realised that silk
undies don't make me feel feminine any more than chopping wood or fixing
my car makes me feel masculine. I love the feel of silk on my skin, but I
also greatly enjoy wearing leathers, tweeds, work clothes, etc. The feeling
is a *sensual* one, one that enhances my humanity rather than my gender
identification. Working with my hands, whether it's fine embroidery or cleaning
tools, is satisfying and life-enhancing.
	After lots and lots of thought, though, I did remember that when I was
a teen-ager, nail polish made me feel very feminine (probably because it
seriously decreased my usefullness !). I stopped wearing it long ago because
the upkeep of long fingernails (esp. soft nails like mine) was too time-
consuming and expensive for the payoff. In retrospect I have to laugh, as I
later went to a hair salon where the guy who did my hair had shoulder-length
curls and long, polished nails. He had also been a Marine in 'Nam. Not long
ago, I visited my brother (who is very straight) to find that he was wearing
glitter polish just for fun.
	So you never know.
-- 
jcpatilla

scott@cdp.UUCP (11/03/85)

> After giving it alot of thought, I realised that silk
> undies don't make me feel feminine any more than chopping wood or fixing
> my car makes me feel masculine.  ....

> The feeling
> is a *sensual* one, one that enhances my humanity rather than my gender
> identification.

That's what I realized, as I was putting on lacey panty-hose as part
of my hallowen costume.  It's the sensuality of it I like, which is
accentuated by the fact that I don't experience it often.

Scott Weikart
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