'This behaviour is insulting to women!!!

You have no idea how hard it is to be a real woman'

I read a lot of CD/TV related forums. Some of them encourage the significant-others of crossdressers to post and discuss. Many GG's who aren't married to, or in a relationship with a crossdresser adopt the position of, 
"I think a person should be able to do whatever makes them happy", and that's generally because they don't have to live with the complexity of dating/marrying a CD.
And I can understand that, it can't be easy.
However, I'm not sure that gives free license to the significant others of CDs/TVs/TSs to pass comments similar to my opening for this entry.
 Don't worry this isn't where I do a mental U-turn and start coming out with crap like,
"Of course we know how hard it is, part of us is/I am a girl inside"... As I have seen many of my comrades doing. Why don't you know?
Because you haven't suffered period pains, or child birth, nor will you ever experience those things.
One-Nil to the genetic girls.
Some of the transgendered community, if passable enough, may experience some of the following;
-Groping by drunk men on a night out.
-Sexual discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere. On average in the UK, women still earn 10% less than their male counterparts (where in unregulated salary environments)
-People assuming you are in some way inferior to men.
-You'll always just be a slut, never 'the great conqueror' that men get to be.

All of the above make the assumption that you are active in the 'real' world, that you live and breathe, eat and sleep as a woman. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 365 days a year.
Okay, that's fine I guess. So Transexual women share many of the difficulties of being a girl as the genetic females in the world do.

But Samantha, you're a crossdresser who has never left the house. 
Why are you blogging about something you have no idea about?


Well, it's funny you should ask.
Because I happen to know a thing or two myself.
I might not go out, but I freely upload pictures of my 'successes' with makeup, clothing and all that other stuff that goes along with it. As a result of this, I'm also painfully aware of just how lecherous, perverted and downright rude men can be when gifted with anonymity and a webcam to have a wank on.
 
My insights into what it takes to 'present' as a female allow me to provide a little empathy to my own girlfriend when she is getting ready to go out. I know how long this shit takes and I know how hard it is.
 
Here are my nuggets of wisdom based upon my favourite things, coupled with rant-ology and observational wit that will leave you begging for mercy. If you're a mad man... er, woman.

1- Clothes and Shoes.
Where do I start. I know why girls buy so many, why they take so long to shop, why they take so long to pick out an outfit... It's because women's clothes are awesome to a level not conceivable by most men (the ones who don't cross dress anyhow).
Girls get all the nice cloths and fabrics, all the colours of the rainbow, in myriad styles and shapes for every imaginable occasion. Girls get all the nice underwear, for all the same reasons as above. Then there's the tights that suit all occasions from plain old sheer tan to multi-coloured lace ones with crazy patterns on and everything in between.
You can literally transform a dress you went to work in, into a sexy night number with nothing more than a change of shoes, a clutch bag and some extra eye makeup.
If a man tried a night out in what he worked in, he would get called a dirty [expletive].
And my god, it is just the end of the world when you put weight on and your favorite jeans don't fit. Never happens with shoes though. Lovely shoes.
Oh the shoes. If New Look made size UK 11, I do believe I would run out of space in my house within a year. And again, it's all the options that are thrown at you, to tempt you.
What kind of leather do you want? Or do you want synthetics? Suede or satin?
 Mary Jane or ankle strap?
Or no strap? Perhaps just straps? Or just ribbons or lacing? Shoe-boots or knee-highs? Thigh highs (easy tiger)?
4,5,6 or 7 inch heel? Wedge, chunky, stiletto or flat? Do you want them adorned in spikey studs or chunky glitter flakes? 
Oh, you want the sole to be red? That'll be £1535 please madam.
Oh, you got the 6 inchers? They're very sexy, now stand in them for more than an hour.
Go on, I dare ya!

I know, they're all bloody brilliant.
All of the above applies to jewelery, bags and pretty much any other accessory you care to think of at home. They're financial headlights, and we're the rabbits.

2-Make-up.
I love it. Even I manage to end up looking good with a face full of this stuff, its like Photoshop in real life.
Takes hours to learn and years to master, it's difficult to do, but that's like anything that's worth doing. I've been using it for about 4 years intermittently ie not every day.
I think I'm just about getting the hang of it.

But there's a few things that grind my gears about it too.
-There's nothing worse than coming home with your usual foundation shade to find that for whatever reason, its now to light or too dark for your skin. You either end up looking anaemic or like you did a Ross Geller...

-Wing edges with your eyeliner. Show me a girl, genetic or trans, who can do this perfectly, symmetrically, without the use of tape or device, on the first attempt for 3 days on the run...
And I will show you a witch.
This brings me to my next point...

-Getting liquid eyeliner wrong, getting mascara on your eyelid, eyeshadow dust on your cheek or lip liner on your face.
When this happens... F**k the world. I'm done.

-Who decided to put hair magnet dust in lip-gloss anyway?

3-Nails.
I cant grow mine. They're thin and I've bitten for years, so they're all but ruined.
I use falsies that I glue on. (Top tip - you can re-use them, and you can paint up multiple sets while they're not on your hands, no mess, no worrying about "Are they dry yet" you just set them to one side and carry on with your day).
But I do know about what it's like to cope with long nails.
Like laddering tights because you missed a snagger with your nail file.
Like how smart phones and regular typing become exercises in precision and dexterity.
Like doing anything and everything to protect them. Like they are your babies, god fobid the polish should chip off, or worse still, one might break... You know it's going to be sore.
Like needing help to wear/remove sprung-hooked jewelery.
Like opening a can of drink with a teaspoon handle to avoid breakage.

Yes, I've been there.

4-Shaving.
Gents. Think about your face for a second. Your ugly stubbly face.
How long does it take you to have a really close shave, with the grain, then against the grain? 10? 15 minutes?
Okay, now think about that when you need to shave 5-8 times that surface area.
When girls are in the bath for ages, don't complain, it's necessary. It's not indulgence unless they lit a candle and took wine in there with them.
Now consider your really close shave on your face followed by your chest, armpits, pelvis, legs and any other random places required to be silky smooth.
That's our shaving there.

5-Perfume. 
Beautiful stuff, there is something for everyone out there.
Just don't spray it in your mouth. That's what I call a 'Pro Tip'.

My concluding point is short today, because the message I want to give is simple.
Ladies reading this, and I mean the genetically female, married/in relationship ones. 
If you ever learn your husband/significant other is a crossdresser, before you add yourself to the countless women who have uttered similar statements to the ones I opened shop with,  please consider he may be the most empathic, sensitive man you ever encounter in three lifetimes. He knows some of what you go through on a daily basis. Embrace it, try not to fear it. He can sympathise with the pains of woman-hood to a degree that most men never will.
I'm not going to spout advice about how to resolve other differences, but crossdressing is not what the church says it is, or what society says it is, or what your best friend from university says it is....
Its what the crossdresser says it is.
Listen to him, because he will listen to you.

Thanks for reading peoples.
Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to follow me!
Love ya lots
Samantha xxx