The Good Hurt

I am a part time CD, which means I spend about 1% (give or take) of my life in physical Veronica form.  That is, I only dress up in feminine attire occasionally.  I should add that mentally I spend much more time thinking as Veronica; especially when I'm on my social media sites.  Often I dress in private while other, more rare times, I go all the way with full makeup and go out with friends.  I have gone weeks and months without dressing up even partially.  It's a state of mind and desire that drives my urge to dress.   I won't put a percentage number on that because it varies from day to day.  Any CD will likely relate to my words.

This said, one can probably imagine how much anticipation builds up when a girls night out is planned and approaches.  Follow that with the nervous excitement that steals your beauty sleep the night before as you think about your makeup, your outfit, your shoes and your accessories that all must be perfect for the night out.  After all, we girls are not just dressing for ourselves, we're dressing to get noticed and perhaps even get measured by our t-girl peers.

Every CD has different likes and dislikes regarding how they dress up and present their femme selves.  I have a love of stiletto heels and thus I must wear stilettos as much as possible.  To me, stilettos represent a quintessential feminine presentation.  They create beautiful lines on the calves and thighs. They force a lovely feminine posture and make you sway your hips naturally.  I thank the many YouTube videos on how to walk in heels for my improvement over the years.

The day arrives, finally, and it's time to get dolled up and party.  We check our makeup to ensure it's perfect.  We take lots of photos to see ourselves as others see us because a mirror might deceive our senses. (Thanks Cher, from Clueless.)  We love the euphoric rush as we walk down the sidewalk to the venue and revel at the clicking of our heels on the pavement.  We nearly lose it when a breeze rushes up our skirts and caresses our legs.  We spend our time enjoying the company of friends and making new friends as we walk the venue to see and get seen by others.  The fear we once had of being clocked has long since faded as we realize that we are among friends with similar likes and we no longer worry about being clocked.  We feel wonderful being in an accepting environment.

Personally, I've been growing out of my personal fear and low self-esteem thanks to my great friends Natasha, Jennifer and Bella being like my big sisters in my public experiences in the last couple of years.  Heck, I don't even bother with those incredibly uncomfortable waist-cinchers anymore.  Being in the company of such great friends has helped me to embrace myself both psychologically as well as physically.

Sadly, the night must end and it's time to return to the 99% of my regular life as a husband, father and worker.  However, the euphoria of the night lingers long after and is further extended by two things.  First, the mountain of photos and selfies we take to sort through and post on social media and second "the good hurt."  That is, the two to three days of awkward walking and the pain associated with cramped legs as a result of a 240-lb man wearing sexy 5-inch spike-heeled stilettos for 5+ hours that just had to be part of the ensemble for the night.  After all, it has been said that beauty hurts and that shoes represent the largest part of many female wardrobes.  Who agrees?