A Longford man who enjoys cross-dressing believes people have misconceptions about the activity.
Cross-dressing refers to wearing clothes not usually associated with one’s gender.
Seo, who is from the midlands county, explained to Lunchtime Life that people put those who engage in cross-dressing “in boxes” and make assumptions about them.
“It’s not something I say I am, it’s just something I do,” he said.
“I’m just a regular guy but I happen to like clothes that are normally worn by women, a bit like the guy in Scotland who likes to wear the kilt.
“I would like to be classed as a guy but still have that feminine side.
Seo believes there are misconceptions about crossdressing and that many people don’t understand it when they see someone dressed in clothing not usually associated with their gender.
“Just like orientation, you have people on different spectrums,” he stated.
“One person can crossdress because it’s gender dysmorphia maybe in the sense that they want to change genders.
“You have another category of person who would be LGBT, it’s just another form of expression, just playing around with that moment of femininity or a different kind of way for a period of time.
“Other people who crossdress could be straight and for them, it’s just about the clothes.”
Image by rgergely from PixabayHe added: “I would be pretty much straight, I’m just attracted to women, but at the same time I like the clothes, I like how they look on a woman
“Women have the creativity to say, ‘Well today I’m wearing jeans and tomorrow I feel like wearing a skirt’, but with guys we don’t have that, you wear the jeans, you wear the shorts, that’s it.”
Seo enjoys the creativity of clothing and describes the garments as “art”.
“People, and especially men, need to understand that clothes are basically art and fashion, they’re not an invitation to anything, they’re creativity, art, playing around with texture and form,” he said.
“What a person chooses to associate that with, that’s their interpretation or their perception, you’re just a canvas basically.
He believes it is easier to experiment in a big city where having fun with fashion is easier with the anonymity that an urban environment brings.
He began experimenting with his clothing choices while living in an urban area, but he now lives in a rural part of Longford.
“It’s not a thing you can do in a rural area because in a rural area, there are more traditional values and then there’s the family thing, my family would be aware, but oftentimes families don’t like the attention to difference,” Seo said.
“If somebody’s different, people are thinking others are talking, what would they think.”
He added that it’s “a pity” he’s not able to experiment with how he dresses as much now that he lives in a rural area, and that for others who want to crossdress but can’t, it’s “a sad secret”.
“In my work setting, there would be a feeling that [cross-dressing] would affect business,” he added.
“I think it’s more disappointing and sad rather than anything else, and I think that’s what cities do, they offer you the opportunity to be yourself and to express yourself.
“Of course I will always be aware there are people who don’t like difference, who don’t like people challenging their awareness.”
People make assumptions about others who experiment with how they dress and “put them into boxes”, he said, but he believes it is important to be honest with yourself and those around you.
