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Janet's Story Part 1 and Part 2
Janet's Story This is a true story ! ! Give or take a lie or two. From the perspective of a Real-Lady ! ! Who happens to meet a Real-CrossDresser By Janet: I want to tell you about a guy I recently met. He turned out to be a crossdresser and ... well, my girlfriend too. I am so impressed with him that I want to share my experiences with others who are crossdressers and with women like myself who enjoy crossdressers.
I first met Larry when he came into my wig boutique to have me style his wigs. I own several wig boutiques around town which have been very successful for me. I started the venture three years ago after coming out West following my divorce.
Larry came into my shop carrying two wigs. He's about my size and build. I'd say he's around 5'7", weighs about 130 pounds and in his 40s. He wasn't masculine, but he wasn't feminine either. I guess the best adjective would be 'boyish'. He wore a tweed jacket, a button-down shirt and khakis.
Overall, he had an academic look about him. I thought him quite cute.
He had a wonderful smile, was very friendly and refreshingly direct. Larry told me right off that he was a crossdresser and he wanted me to style his wigs. If he was nervous it didn't show and I was very impressed by his directness. I have had quite a few drag queens and crossdressers as clients and the latter were often nervous. They give the silliest, most transparent reasons why they want to buy a wig or have one styled.
I found myself very attracted to him. He seemed different to other crossdressers. And being cute sure helped! Larry showed me some pictures of himself dressed so I could style the wigs in a fashion that would be flattering. He told me the pictures were of Laurie, his feminine name. I was really taken by the photographs. He, or should I say she, appeared to be a very feminine, attractive and a beautiful woman. She was dressed in a sophisticated, stylish fashion and her figure was one that most women I know would sell their souls to have.
It was an absolutely amazing transformation. Naturally I told him that he was absolutely gorgeous. Larry thanked me but seemed embarrassed. He said he was just fortunate to have a figure and features which easily could achieve the illusion of femininity. He added that he had a lot of experience because he'd been 'dressing' since a child and credited a professional female impersonator who was a close friend. She had shown him the tricks of creating realistic illusion of femininity.
Larry then changed the subject - he seemed a bit uncomfortable talking about himself and his appearance. He complimented me saying I was beautiful and that he felt the way I dressed accentuated my attractiveness, especially my figure. He noted my make-up, especially the eye shadow, and praised my hair style, dress and heels, saying that my taste was the same as his!
To say I was flattered was an understatement. I had never had a guy say such things so expressively, and I was nothing short of delighted. My attraction to him increased. Most guys who discuss make-up and fashions are gay, but I felt he wasn't, even though it was obvious that there was a distinct part of his personality that was feminine.
He asked if I would mind if he came as Laurie to pick up the wigs. I assured him anyone who was as attractive and feminine as the girl in the photographs should flaunt it. Besides, I was dying to see Laurie in person. Larry smiled broadly and we arranged a time. He shook my hand in a very gentle fashion, saying that not only was I beautiful, but I was very kind and understanding. The way he looked at me convinced me he wasn't gay.
I replied that I was delighted to meet him and was looking forward to meeting Laurie. I just hoped my attraction to him wasn't too obvious.
During the week I found myself thinking about Larry and, of course, Laurie. I was not especially nervous about seeing his transformation. A lot of women would feel threatened and most likely be put off by such a gender switch. Most people are easily upset when things are not conventional, not clearly black or white. Larry's pictures told me that things were far from being black or white.
So what? It didn't bother me. In fact I found the whole idea of gender shifting to be quite intriguing. Gender is not always clearly defined. In fact, in some people it is clearly fluid. Larry was definitely not one to fit into conventional stereotyped categories. I've always admired people who don't follow the herd. Besides, if a guy felt comfortable enough to share his crossdressing with me I think our bond would be even stronger.
Nevertheless, I was not ready for Laurie's appearance.. when she arrived to pick up her wigs. Despite being prepared, I gasped. She appeared glamorous and sexy, but subtly so, well within the bounds of good taste. I told her how lovely and feminine she looked. She smiled shyly.
Laurie was wearing white knit pants that accentuated her nearly perfect figure. She had on a blue short-sleeved sweater with white piping. Her jewelry was simple and attractive. She was wearing navy high heeled pumps and she was clearly at ease in them. She was totally passable.
Despite that obvious fact, she seemed really embarrassed by my enthusiastic compliments regarding her femininity and exquisite taste. She smiled demurely and said "I'm simply trying the best I can to emulate beautiful women like you."
Whatever anxiety I had at seeing Larry transformed into this lovely feminine creature vanished with this remark about emulating me. I'm sure I blushed as I thanked her. I offered her a cup of coffee and went to get her wigs. She was delighted with my work and we discussed possible variations of the styles, along with ideas about new styling.
Part 1 continues Top Right
Janet's Story
(Part 2 of 2)
"Come, sit down," I said, indicating the chairs in our reception area.
"Let me get more coffee."
When we were settled, she began to talk in earnest.
Most people have difficulty understanding why a guy should want to appear as a girl, she pointed out. She admitted that in all likelihood, the vast majority of people would think such behavior is a bit 'nutty'. Laurie chuckled, saying "Sometimes I think I am a bit nutty". I replied that I agreed that it was difficult to understand, but I didn't regard it as 'crazy' or 'nutty'. To my way of thinking, it could be best described as 'different'.
Laurie agreed that was a good way to put it.
"There are a lot of theories," Laurie went on, "but no one really knows for sure what causes one to be a crossdresser. The ultimate test of a theory was whether or not it resulted in a 'cure' and there is no evidence of any such 'cure'. Perhaps it really doesn't matter."
She mused.
"All we have is life to be lived. We have to accept who we are and after all, there are some advantages to being a Crossdresser. I discovered when I was rather young that 'dressing' resulted in my feeling very much alive - in fact, intensely alive. I really felt life more fully, even after I had to go back to my male self. Perhaps that is what we all want - to feel alive - and maybe that is what all living organisms seek. I don't mean to give the impression that 'dressing' is the only activity that produces this feeling, but it ranks near the top of all things that make me feel enthusiastic and really alive".
Most people tend to just exist.
To feel really alive one has to be open to new possibilities.
"Once I was able to create a realistic female illusion and could 'pass', I noticed a distinct change in the way I saw the world. This change in the way of 'seeing' came about not only from my efforts to appear as a woman, but also from the way in which others related to me. In other words, as they related to me as a woman, I began to respond as a woman."
"It wasn't totally an act. It came about ... well ... I guess, naturally. I found it uncanny at first but I rather quickly began to savor the experience. Oh, I don't mean that I had become a woman emotionally, although from time to time I no longer felt I was acting. It was simply that I was able to glimpse the world, at least partially, from a woman's perspective."
"Reality was slightly altered."
"This isn't anything really new. The best actors and actresses are able to achieve this instinctively. In portraying the person in the play they actually become that person. Of course it takes a lot of study and research to grasp the core of a person's life. The result is that the actor begins to see the world from the perspective of the person he has become. He has a slightly altered view of the world. Unfortunately, actresses and actors rarely cross gender lines. This is surprising when you consider that the theatre in both Eastern and Western cultures has a long history of males playing female roles. And, of course, females playing male roles have also occurred."
"Remember Sarah Bernhardt's success playing Shakespearian male leads. It's really too bad that crossing gender lines has been discouraged because this narrows one's versatility and growth as an artist."
I commented that I was sure Laurie would have been a terrific actress.
"I did quite a bit of acting in college and in community theatres, but I never had the courage to try a female part." She laughed. "But being in the theatre did help me gain a better understanding of myself. I've grown and evolved over the years, and hopefully the 'me' of today won't be the same ten years from now. If I'm exactly the same, well, I'll have stopped learning and growing."
"One theorist has compared one's personality to a Chinese fan. You know, the kind that folds and as you open it, it becomes a nearly complete circle."
"Well, as one becomes proficient in playing many different life roles, one is opening the fan more and more. It seems reasonable to me that being a crossdresser, playing a female role, is a way of opening the fan quite a bit more. In doing that, one grows and expands one's ability to see the world."
Laurie frowned and seemed to be staring past my head to something on the wall behind me. Her smooth brow furrowed and she grimaced.
"There's a real danger here. One can become too involved in one role at the expense of other potential roles. It is quite easy to be seduced by one role. I sometimes am tempted to be Laurie a lot, even most of the time. But I know that for me, such a choice would limit my growth."
"Perhaps for someone else it wouldn't. But most actors and actresses try very hard to avoid being typecast."
"The various selves may not just randomly happen," Laurie added. "It is just possible that each person has lying dormant a variety of possible selves. They germinate if circumstances are right. That might explain why some of us become crossdressers. The seed was there and began growing when certain conditions developed. I guess you could say that each person has his or her unique possibilities. The task for each of us is to discover the many possible selves within us. We should make that fan as close to a complete circle as we can."
I can't begin to say how fascinated I was as I listened to Laurie. Never before had I heard such ideas and I could not imagine anyone explaining more clearly about crossdressing roles, acting and selves. She seemed so knowledgeable about it all. One of my college majors was psychology. What I remembered about crossdressing was that it was classified as a psychiatric disorder. But Laurie presented it as a possibility, not a disability.
I complimented her on this fascinating analysis, which I found both different and stimulating. Laurie only laughed, saying it wasn't unique or original. It was a compilation of her observations along with ideas proposed by others. When I added that she sounded like she was a shrink, she burst out laughing.
"Oh my heavens, I hope I don't sound too much like one."
With a twinkle in her eye she added:
"I'm actually an artist. My job is to teach people the art of living well."
Laurie changed the subject. She began talking about me, complimenting me on my appearance.We discussed fashions, places to shop and incidentals.
SlideShow Pictures Of Laurie-Ann
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Laurie-Ann
Part 1 continued here
Finally my curiosity took control and I couldn't resist asking the question I had been dying to ask. "I'm sorry for being nosy, but... but are you gay?" " Heavens, no," she responded. With a twinkle in her eye, she added, "but my boyfriend is!"She began to giggle in a girlish way, then broke into laughter. She saw that I was unsure how to react and said "Really, I'm just kidding. I am not gay but I suspect that most people think I am ... that is, those who know I'm not a real woman."Then Laurie became rather serious. "It might be easier if I were gay because I think society in general accepts a crossdresser who is gay,"she said. "A guy who is not gay and enjoys being a girl now and then - well I think that's hard for lots of people to understand." Laurie laughed. "After all, a guy who 'dresses' is not exactly considered to be your basic all-round male - if you know what I mean."I chuckled and said "Well that's true!" but I added "I'm really not interested in your all-round basic male."
I was feeling very relieved. I didn't want Laurie to be gay. Not that I have any objections if one is gay. It would just mean he probably wouldn't be my boyfriend - I guess I really wanted him to be a potential boyfriend and lover. I guess my relief was obvious because Laurie seemed more relaxed. She clearly wanted to talk. I felt absolutely delighted.
Continued In Part 2
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