Under the general heading of “Pot Calling Kettle” or “Let She Who is Without Sin…” I am putting my high-heeled foot down after seeing the abomination that is called “The Girlfriend Look.”

H&M, of which I am a loyal and enthusiastic customer, issued one of their fashion magazines a month or so ago containing the page pictured at right.

I would have thought that just seeing the photos would have been enough for most everyone to agree that this was an idea whose time will never come…

But, I was wrong, sadly.

After all, the folks at H&M did actually issue it, and I guess fashion designers will have their little laugh and women will have their revenge…

Just don’t come crying to me when you can’t find a masculine man when you want one.

I know, I know, I know…

I realize that the transgender community must welcome this sort of blurring of gender lines, and as a creature who comprises both genders, I might be expected to toe that line.

But I don’t.

Sure, men wearing feminine clothes in this way is about as close to mainstream-sanctioned cross-dressing as I’ve seen.

But, for me, cross-dressing has never been about being a guy in women’s clothes.  Rather, it is about being a feminine spirit with a male body dressing (and behaving) according to spirit rather than physique.

As a guy, I would never be caught dead in those clothes, or wearing a purse.

And, as a gal, I would never give a guy like that the time of day… doesn’t do a thing for me!

There is an exception…

A guy who is physically beautiful, maybe even pretty, who wears his hair in a somewhat feminine way and dresses to a certain, somewhat feminine aesthetic (even putting on makeup) while never trying to disguise the fact he is male… ooohh, that can be very sexy! (In  the same vein, a beautiful woman with a boyish figure, who has her hair cut short and dresses to a somewhat male aesthetic, comes  pretty close to the same result for me.)

I think the sexiness there comes from a certain honest androgyny.  These are special people who have been, dare I say, blessed, with a happy mix of both genders to a rare and special effect, quite unlike a deep-voiced, broad-shouldered, bearded and hairy man in leggings and a tank top, carrying a purse.

Real Man

I know there’s no such thing as a pure masculine or pure feminine creature, and the traits of one gender tend to enhance and moderate the other.  But for me, it is the differences between the genders that generally provide the attraction.

This is not about sexual orientation, but gender identification.

…and, it’s just my personal taste…

Everyone has their concept of “too far.”  Mine is the “Girlfriend Look.”