Dec 15, 2009

Fountains of Youth

The last couple of posts here have been pretty emotionally charged, at least to me. I could, and will over time add more observations on the process of learning to live with and share cross dressing with my wife, but I must tell you that living through these recent moments and handling the very live intimacy of it all it all has taken quite a little of the starch out of my blouse. I am pooped.

So, perhaps a return to previously scheduled blog programming is in order. Typically, I have tried to throw at least 3 blog bouquets over my shoulder each week. I like them to be different and have found in time that they are usually one of the following 3 types:

Profound – something heavy, bordering on ponderous, that attempts to get to the serious if not darker heart of human capability as revealed by gender issues
Pithy – something lighthearted, often analytical of an odd data set, or commentary on the pratfalls of the pretty life. and
Pantyhosed – "write about things you know and love" is the advice that any aspiring author gets. Well, I am a bit of a fiend for tights, so there we go.

Having done enough of the profound for my own good and yours these last couple of posts, let us move lightly on to pithy, and cast our smokey eyes over last weeks poll. I asked just how old our femme selves feel relative to our actual age.


I was moved to think about age, and cross dressings impact on our perception of age when I caught myself checking myself out in a mirror a couple of weeks ago. If I had made a pass at myself I would have been engaging in age-inappropriate dating behavior. Forgiving the slight puffiness about the eyes, there was a 20-something reflecting back - - - at least from a fashion sense perspective. Furthermore, I did not feel as though I was dressed too young.

It appears that I am not alone.

90% of us report feeling younger when adoptive of our feminine sides. More shockingly more than 40% or respondents (14 cheeky lasses) reported that the transformation routinely knocked 10 or more circling rings off our personal tree of life, at least for a little while. I will confess, that this is the crowd I run with.

None of our polls respondents indicated that the femme personae is even a minute older in feel than their actual age. Just under 10% indicated that the femme and the full-time or former male selves are more or less the same age, as felt from within.

I am not a youth worshipper. I welcome experience and am rather looking forward to having more of it. Many of the most challenging, charming and rewarding relationships I have are with people deep into their 70’s and 80’s, men and women both. All of us are capable, if their examples are true, of carrying brio, verve, and humor with us wherever we go, and for how ever many years. With good health, and even in the face of poor health, our outlooks are in large part matters of choice. Choosing a youthful outlook it seems is never a bad choice.

And so when the cross dresser chooses to give light and voice to the feminine self it seems right and proper that we should feel and express younger. Those of us who, like me, are part-time dressed, and more or less functional for the rest of our hours can and do leverage our relative lack of experience and can get younger in an instant. Nice fringe benefit with that fringed skirt.

Comments from friends who have transitioned are similar. People who emerge whole, in a new full time gender after GRS mostly embrace the new life with youthful vigor. The clock gets reset in a very profound way I suspect for these voyagers.

For either set of people, we are both driven at heart by a curiosity, and surely curiosity is a hallmark of youth.

And I must say now to the very special, and especially welcomed “natural born” genetic women who visit Voyages en Rose that you seem to be possessed of some of the same curiosity. It shows in your outlook expressed in your correspondence and comments and shows fully in your looks expressed in your photographs and avatars. Keep it up, and be assured that the people who matter will always find you to be beautiful, whatever age you are.

Whatever form your fountain of youth takes, slurp away with abandon.

6 comments:

Leah said...

Age is just a number. It's how you deal with that number that matters.

Leah said...

Hi Petra! Love the random things you listed. You proposed to your wife that fast after meeting her? You must really be in love. Thanks for taking time to join my little game. Big hugs!

Anonymous said...

Love your writing. I'm a journalist with a Pulitzer prize on my resume, and I wish I could put words and ideas together as elegantly as you do. Plus: I think I also own the dress you're wearing in the photo that shows you plinking away at a baby grand piano; I bought it a year ago this month at Macy's and always enjoy feeling those floppy sleeves around my wrists.

Petra Bellejambes said...

Dear new Anonymous friend.

Thanks sincerely for your very kind words. I respect your anonymity entirely of course. That said, if you could have your literary agent reach out to me I would be much in your debt.

And, yes the dress is Macy's INC. One of my favorites too. The petal sleeve never lets you forget that you are dresssed.

My contact information is in my Blogger profile. I would be delighted to exhange views on journalism, language and wardrobe anytime.

Again, with thanks - Petra

Couture Carrie said...

I love your weekly triumvirate of posts, darling Petra!

This one is really interesting... I am definitely young at heart!

xoxox,
CC

bryna said...

great post

 
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