This post really resonated with me, mostly concerning thorny issues of gender performance vs/in conjunction with gender identity. I am only ever a woman - an 'exceedingly female' woman to quote one of my high school teachers at some point - and yet I seldom if ever feel moved to perform femininity. No, this isn't about to turn into a rant or flame on the topic of HOW DARE YOU, because I totally grok that there are distinct categories of femininity and that they're perceived very differently, and have even occasionally been there with 'Dayum I wish I could make myself appear like that!'. I also can't ever pull the 'beautiful feminine thing' look; I can barely wear a knee-dress and leggings without feeling awkward, let alone a gorgeous dress or any level of girlish princess beauty. For me it's not a gender identity issue, but a performative femininity one, but I think the experiences may run on parallel tracks in a lot of places.

Also, as a seamstress, I could totally hook you up with a gorgeous red dress, with a clevage-inducing corset, if you like, in the event that we are ever in the same meatspace. Feel free to message me about this.