La Cage Fashions

[melaniepeg]

On our upcoming cruises in September and in February, 2005, the other passengers on board will enjoy our group of crossdressers who look fabulous in their formal attire at night. During the day they will be dressed like most of the other women on board. Yes, our group, including myself, are heterosexual and are married. Many will have their wives on the cruise. We enjoy getting in touch with our femininity but do not want to give up our masculinity. We have the best of both worlds. On 20 previous "crossdressing" cruises on NCL, Carnival and RCCL, we have enjoyed great support and acceptance - even from a "Christian Coalition" group on one cruise. The women, for the most part enjoy our company, while some of the men are threatened by our presence.

 

:( :(

[Shellbelle28]

On our upcoming cruises in September and in February, 2005, the other passengers on board will enjoy our group of crossdressers who look fabulous in their formal attire at night. During the day they will be dressed like most of the other women on board. Yes, our group, including myself, are heterosexual and are married. Many will have their wives on the cruise. We enjoy getting in touch with our femininity but do not want to give up our masculinity. We have the best of both worlds. On 20 previous "crossdressing" cruises on NCL, Carnival and RCCL, we have enjoyed great support and acceptance - even from a "Christian Coalition" group on one cruise. The women, for the most part enjoy our company, while some of the men are threatened by our presence.

 

:( :(

And...? What ship? When? Do you have fashion advice? Do you want fashion advice? Just testing the waters? Everyone is welcome, but they usually have a question to ask or a story to tell to help others with their cruise fashion questions.

[melaniepeg]

Our group of crossdressers and wives will be on the September 18, 04 Splendour cruise and the February 25, 05 Brilliance cruise. Most of our group could give fashion advice but could always use advice.

[madelinerose]

Point? :confused: :confused: :confused:

[JanetMarie]

Karen - ignore the original poster. I think "he" "she" is a troll on the boards. And what is the purpose of them telling us this stuff? Ugh...:cool:

[melaniepeg]

No, I am not a "troll" on this board. The point was we enjoy cruise fashions and emulating women, but like feedback and discussion.

[Shellbelle28]

No, I am not a "troll" on this board. The point was we enjoy cruise fashions and emulating women, but like feedback and discussion.

But you need to ask a question or request feedback from the forum in order to begin that dialogue. So far all you have done is make a statement that your group will be taking a cruise. We don't much care if you're a man emulating a woman by how you dress on a cruise, the point of THIS forum is the actual fashion. The how, the what, the do and don't the "this is pretty" and "where do I find" questions and information.

[melaniepeg]

Many in our group have asked the question what to wear on our five excursions in the Mediterranean ports for a September 18-25 cruise? Will we need summer clothes or fall?

[kitty9]

Will you be cross dressing on the excursions? You have to be careful there if you go into any religious sites because I'm not sure how the locals would take to your lifestyle choice in religious sites.

 

In general, you must cover your arms and legs for religious sites in Europe. Weather will vary, so there's not much help with that. It could be hot or it could be cool, there's no way to predict.

[melaniepeg]

Darcie, thanks for your ideas. Correction: being transgendered IS NOT a lifestyle choice. I was born this way. I would doubt that most of the locals would see anything other than a group of older women since most in our group are over age 50.

[PGcruiser]

Hi Melanie. Do you wax? Just wondered what your opinion is on leg hair removal. I bet you have the best ideas.;)

[melaniepeg]

I do not use wax but have had laser hair removal on my face and other parts of my body. Because of polio at an early age I do not have much hair on my legs - thats the good part - the bad part is that one leg is much smaller than the other which causes me to wear pants or long skirts. At least my wife has attractive legs.

[madelinerose]

That's ok, Janet...I can clock 'em from a mile away. ;)

Karen - ignore the original poster. I think "he" "she" is a troll on the boards. And what is the purpose of them telling us this stuff? Ugh...:cool:

[kitty9]

melaniepeg, you never said you were transgendered but a cross dresser. Cross dressing is a lifestyle choice and that's what I was referring to.

[melaniepeg]

Transgendered is an umbrella term including crossdressers and transsexuals. I was born intersexed but raised as male. I identify more with my feminine self. I do not know any crossdressers who made a choice to be crossdressers. They were born not made.

[Trevoli]

I always thought cross dressing was a choice. Maybe 'compulsion' is a better word. Never really thought of "nature vs nuture" when it came to cross-dressing.

 

So....how do fellow passengers know that you're a group of cross-dressers?

 

T

[melaniepeg]

I do not believe anyone would choose to be a crossdresser and have to endure criticism and non-acceptance by many in our society. It can become a compulsion - just like food, drinking, gambling, etc. On our past 20 cruises most of the passengers will know that there are crossdressers on board by the second or third day. In May my wife and I were on a cruise out of Galveston and I was dressed the entire week. Everyone thought we were sisters. Never once did anyone suspect that I was not a woman. Most in our group are that convincing. I will answer the question before it comes up; when we are dressed on a cruise we use the unisex bathroom or the one in our cabin. Our rule is that if your passport does not say female you use your own cabin bathroom or a unisex bathroom. Give me your email and I will send a picture of our group on one cruise. On the cruises we educate a lot of people about this unique community that is much larger than most people realize.

[Trevoli]

We had a transsexual at the company I worked at (two jobs ago). Michael was 52 when he made the decision to start his 'life test' and begin treatments, which was followed up by the operation. He returned to work as Michelle Ann.

 

He was married and had a grown daughter, and had known all his life that there was a "disconnect" but it wasn't until his early 50's that he realized what the disconnect was. His wife was very supportive, at first. I got the impression that didn't last, unfortunately.

 

You're blessed to have a wife that is so understanding, but I'm sure you know that.

 

I'm sure we run across people from this subculture from time to time and have no idea that we've crossed paths.

 

Have you ever read a book called As Nature Made Him? Not the same circumstances as yours, but it's an interesting read about a little boy who, as a result of a medical procedure gone wrong, was raised as a girl. Pretty devastating for everybody involved.

 

Anyway, do you have any questions? Have any advice to offer?

 

T

 

Oh, and thank you for being sensitive about the restroom thing. I hadn't even thought of that until you mentioned it.

[madelinerose]

melaniepeg....I believe you are in denial when you state "Never once did anyone suspect that I was not a woman". I can guarantee you that my DH, my friends and I could certainly tell, or, at the very least, suspect.

 

Oh, and my DH would not be threatened by you or anyone in your group. Over the years, we've encountered people from all walks of life and all genres, subcultures or whatever your term may be. :rolleyes:

 

IMHO, I don't care if you wear women's clothes 24/7.

 

I just don't see the point of your post unless you just wanted to make yourself and your crossdressing group known to the posters of the Cruise Fashions board. OK, now we know what cruises you have booked. What do we do with the info? Again, what's your point? :confused:

[melaniepeg]

I have not read the book, As Nature Made Him, but have read reviews. It has to be very difficult for a wife to find out that her husband is going to transition, have surgery and become a legal woman. Some couples remain together after the surgery. Most do not. A friend who was the minister of one of the most conservative churches in the US left the church and had the surgery. The wife made the decision to remain in the marriage. They are doing well. On all the cruises we take, we try not to be "in your face" so to speak. My post was made to both acquaint others who may be on our next two cruises about our group and also receive feedback. On an RCCL Alaska cruise in 1998 our group of 42 invited all the passengers to a Q & A session about transgendered people. Over a 3 hour time period we had over 300 attend. Many parents even brought their children since they knew that we had 3 children of crossdressers in our group.

[madelinerose]

ok...

[Jane110]

MelaniePeg,

 

I think you got a little "attacked" here not because of who you are, but the content or lack of content of your post. Basically you said you're a crossdresser going on a cruise with a group of the same. Okay, that's nice. So what? It would be the same as me starting a header saying, "I'm going on a cruise and taking my blue swimsuit". Again, okay, but so what?

 

Additionally, you used 3 frowning icons in the post, which leads me to believe you're unhappy about something. Not happy about being a crossdresser? Not happy about going on a cruise? Not happy about posting here? What???

 

We really had to pull teeth here to get you to make your point and frankly, to many of us, it's annoying.

 

If you'd like to get or give fashion advice or input here, I'm sure many would welcome it. Please just don't make us beg you to try to make you get to the point.

 

I'm very comfortable with alternative lifestyles you're most welcome here. Those that aren't will simply ignore the thread. But as someone else stated, either ask us a question or let us know the purpose of the post.

 

Thanks and have 2 great cruises.

 

Jane

[PGcruiser]

I didn't find the post offensive at all. I understood the faces to mean he was not certain how he would be received in the forum. There are many who post here that speak other languages etc that might not state things to the point.

 

I think everyone jumped to conclusions.

[Jane110]

I also didn't find the post offensive. I just didn't get the point of it.

I thought that melaniepeg has excellent use of english so didn't detect that there might be a language problem.

[Shellbelle28]

I also didn't find the post offensive. I just didn't get the point of it.

I thought that melaniepeg has excellent use of english so didn't detect that there might be a language problem.

I agree, it isn't really about the cross dressing issue, it's about the lack of fashion related question or advice in the posts. If someone had posted "we are a group of tattoo artists/piercing enthusiasts sailing on xyz date on abc ship" and that was all that was said, I think everyone would also be saying "and.... your point is?".