[Ascot]

Watching TV the other night I was once again bombarded with commercials for the next miracle anti-aging cream aimed at/for women. Some were replete with "Blah, blah gift included with your purchase of $XX or more, Estee Lauder, blah, blah...". Come to think of it, I don't know that I've ever seen skin care ads for anything other than those to do with shaving that were geared for men. But I digress. First, I was irked by all the messages implying that looking one's age was a horrible thing. God forbid a laugh line or a crow foot. (Wouldn't that be the singular? Don't get me started on the whole blue tooths vs. blue teeth thing.) Then I found myself thinking about how it feels when I am pressed to consciously choose products specifically because I am female. Yes, I am a woman. I've never had discomfort with that fact. The thing is, it just doesn't usually cross my mind. My gender is Butch; I embody female masculinity. When I interact with someone, anyone, I'm not thinking about doing so as a woman, but rather simply as a person. Having said that, when engaging with someone of the Femme persuasion, I am quite aware of the lovely frisson that courses through my Butch veins.

With the exception of bras, very much a necessity for me, literally every article of clothing I wear comes from the men's department. The paste I use in my hair-guy stuff. My deodorant-definitely not girly.My bath soap-cool smelling green tea stuff from Trader Joe's. My toothpaste-okay, that's probably gender neutral. So, when I recently decided to once again start taking a multivitamin, it was an odd and rather foreign experience to read labels and find the product best suited for me, a woman. It's been several years since I've had to purchase tampons, so I suspect that's part of the reason the feeling was stronger than it might have been when I was younger. Regarding the whole tampon thing; I eventually got over my discomfort with plunking them down in front of the cashier, but it still always made me squirm a bit to be standing in that aisle with all that pink and turquoise and whatever other colors marketers deemed most attractive to those in need of FEMININE hygiene products. It does my heart good to see that some company is now packaging their wares in pretty groovy black boxes.

It's entirely possible that I started this thread prematurely because I'm still sussing out my own thoughts/feelings on the subject, but I am curious to hear what others experience in regards to being reminded of one's femaleness while inhabiting butch skin. Is it no big deal? Does it suck for you? Is it just kind of weird or a little annoying? Does it make you want to leap with joy?