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On the Road Again
By Ricki Weaver
When I took a job that entails frequent out-of-town business travel, I had no idea it would become such an outlet for my femininity. In the last six years, I have gone from a never-in-public crossdresser to venturing out to malls and other places while en femme with a maximum of comfort and enjoyment - or at least as much comfort as my 3" heels will allow me!
I owe much of this to the fact that I could go out en femme while on the road without the fear of getting recognized by someone I knew. This goes double for those of us who are concerned that going out at home may give the neighbors a whole new insight into our personality!
This article is going under the assumption that you want to go out en femme - in whatever capacity you may choose. This is how I first tested the waters to determine my own passability. I was able to go out with slightly more exposure with each outing, determining what works best.
Get Packing
Let's start with the tools first. You need a bag that will hold all of your cosmetics and let you see them without too much digging. There are some out there that have a zipper down the middle and have two plastic windows that let you see pretty much everything in the bag. Before you put your precious paint into the bag, however, you may want to put some of the things into ziplock bags. Unless of course you *like* your cherry red nail polish on your gray business suit. It also lets you keep certain like items together, such as eye shadow. If you are using waterproof eye makeup and/or nail polish, the time to check to see if you have remover for those items is BEFORE you depart on your trip!
Top astrophysicists have theorized that there is an enormous amount of `dark matter' floating around the universe that you can't see, which is one reason why the night sky is not one big expanse of white light. MY theory is that some of that stuff has landed here on earth, and that is what they use to make motel rooms out of! You can compensate for the lack of light by bringing with you a lighted makeup mirror.
Picking Your Home Base
Speaking of motels, your choice here can be critical. Best case scenario is a place that is T* friendly. If you don't know for sure, there are things you can do to help yourself. Look for establishments that have rooms that have doors that open out to the parking lots, or at least will let you go out without having to pass through the front lobby. Most of us go out after work, and if you are going to go to retail establishments most close by 9:00 p.m., limiting your shopping time. Eating dinner after you are done shopping for the night will help. Having a refrigerator and a microwave in the room will let you eat in your room if you don't know any restaurants in the area that are T friendly. More on restaurant choices later.
Whenever I fly, I pretty much have to accept that some or all of my clothes will get wrinkled. I usually can remedy this by hanging the item(s) on the shower curtain rod in the bathroom and turning on the hot water in the shower, closing the door to trap the steam. One thing that is vital is to emulate the boy scouts, that is, to be prepared! Before I ever go out I make sure I have the following in my possession: Drivers' license, medical plan I.D., cash, touch up makeup, car keys, the room key (I check for that one at least three times before going out the door), a wig brush and a credit card. If you are driving a rented car, a good place for the contract is in the glove compartment, as it serves as your registration in case the police stop you.
Is there a T* owned business near where you are staying? If so, you can go there first for some good pointers on how you look.
When you finally do go out, if you haven't been out in public before you may want to ease into it if at all possible. Malls are one of the toughest places I know of to pass. They can be great fun, but usually it is best to have some practice, and some confidence, with you when you go. My first retail establishment was a supermarket, which worked well as I found I could keep a decent distance between myself and others until I could see if they were reading me. Likewise, some of the larger clothing stores have racks that you can use to limit your exposure to people until you are confident enough to walk in more densely populated areas.
Speaking of dense populations, the holidays are coming, and that is not necessarily bad for T* people. There are more people to see you, but often they see so many people that they don't look closely at any one person. Sort of a safety-in-numbers thing. The holidays are also a time when people are dressed in brighter colors, allowing you to blend in better. The retail establishments tend to have brighter, more colorful displays, giving the public something else to look at than your beard shadow. The Christmas rush may have people in a hurry and not as apt to take time out to closely examine someone that may be a little bit different.
I usually do not go out to dinner when I am en femme. Anyone eating alone attracts attention, a woman doubly so. This brings to mind a situation all Transgendered people face when eating out: if someone that is serving you hates T people, you never know WHAT might have been done to your food before you got it. One possible answer to this is that great American institution, the Drive Through.
Since the food is usually almost always made either before I get there or before someone sees me, it greatly reduces the chances of getting a greenie in my food. It also gives me another chance to see how well I may be passing, both in looks and in voice, while giving me the opportunity to burn rubber if I am read and things get hairy.
One of my favorite places is Wendy's. They got a southwestern bacon burger that is just right - not too spicy and not too plain. Their Caesar salad is pretty good, too. Avoid like the plague anyone who starts a sentence with "I will gladly pay you Tuesday..."
That about wraps it up, but remember, if you do it right, you *can* mix business with pleasure - just make sure the boss doesn't catch you mixing stripes and plaids!
If you have any questions or comments about this article, you can email me at rickitg@usa.net.
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