Chick Flicks

I'm the brunette, transgender woman.

Lots of people have a favorite movie genre. Sure, some people like all sorts of movies, but for most of us, there are one or two genres that we just love to watch. For me, that has always been the chick flick, the romantic comedy.  I didn’t like that I like them. Imagine being out camping with the guys (I was a member of the Boy Scouts), and they’re talking about whatever the latest action movie is, and all you can mention is Sleepless in Seattle. That’s a good time, for sure! Then imagine what that's like in an Army barracks!

One thing boys do is that everyone is expected to prove their manhood on an ongoing basis. You’re expected to act tough, and manly, like manly things, do manly things. So it is important for boys to be able to hold their own in conversations about manly things. It was awkward, as a youngster, liking the movies you aren’t supposed to like. I felt like less of a person. A failure. That might not make sense, but it was the reality, for me. It made me ask, not for the first time, what was wrong with me.

As a single Soldier, I tended to avoid the group movie nights because I simply wasn’t much into that style of movie. I feel like that cost me a few friends, along the way, by me not connecting with others. But then, maybe the fact that I’d actually want to connect with them is what cost me friends.

Later, my wife and I had daughters. With daughters comes a massive barrage of Disney movies. Disney movies bring with them princesses. Lots of princesses. Essentially, the typical Disney movie of the time was a romance, directed at girls. As a result, I was watching lots of princesses, over and over, and I liked the movies. That made me extremely uncomfortable because I wasn't supposed to be into that sort of thing. 

Fast forward to today.

Nowadays, I admit that I like how a good romantic comedy can get to you. They make you feel things, tug at your emotions. They give you that warm feeling. Action movies just don’t do that.

Now, as a middle-aged adult, I’m able to watch what I want to watch, without people questioning it. It’s nice not to have to avoid romantic movies now.

The Whistle

2017

I'm the brunette, transgender wife.

As both my wife and I grew more comfortable with my feminine reality, I was increasingly outside our home, in our lawn, in a pair of feminine shorts, or even a denim knee length skirt. By this point, I had been shaving my legs for a couple of years. I have been told by people who have no idea I'm transgender that my legs look pretty feminine.

Anyway, there came a time that I needed to get something from our SUV. I had just taken the dog out. I was still wearing a denim skirt and blue flip flops and had on a somewhat androgynous t-shirt. I went outside and went to the SUV, which was parked on the street. I opened the door and bent over into the SUV to pick up the item I was supposed to get from the floorboard. At that moment, a guy driving past in a car gave a loud wolf-whistle.

I was startled, but then realized I was grinning. I retrieved the item I needed, and walked up the driveway, and back inside. My wife saw my grin and asked what was up. I told her about what happened, and she giggled and asked me how it felt. I felt awesome, and told her so!

Have you had that sort of experience? One where something unexpected just resonated in some way, and made you feel good?