Transgender spectacles

 I have been wearing glasses on my nose every day since I was 8. Actually, I first had glasses prescribed when I was just 5 but I was so self-conscious that I would put them on only in the cinema where it was dark and no-one could see me. I didn't want to put them on at school, not even to see the blackboard, as the other kids would point me out. With the result that my teacher would politely note that the sums in my exercise book were not the same as those she had written up on the board. Well, I've never been good at maths, one number is as good as another! That's my excuse. But then I could no longer manage anything without glasses and I had to have them all the time. Short-sightedness runs in our family; it's just a thing we have.

So glasses/spectacles it is. In my early days of photographing my efforts dressed as a girl, I never had glasses on as my pair was too masculine. I noticed that also when I was first made up professionally. After just two photos, the spex came off! I couldn't see much but I looked a lot better without!

Since I need prescription glasses to go out, and since I have never been full-time female (though that may come), I spent quite a while studying frame styles to ensure I got a pair that doubled as male and female. Could I have got a more obviously feminine pair? Yes, when I had got used to shopping en femme, I could have done. Except the expense of owning two pairs, his and hers, is offputting. It's expensive enough having two wardrobes if you are not full-time male or female and throwing in the high cost of spex that may have to be altered every couple of years is not a reasonable option. So a good unisex pair works well for me. 

As I said, it's best to research frames and options before you attend the opticians rather than hazarding a guess as to what you will look like in your other presentation. There are sites now that let you try styles on virtually and this is a great option.

You might ask why I don't go for contact lenses and the answer is partly familiarity with what I have but mainly the health problems I have always had with my skin and eyes. Too many contact lens wearers I know have ended up with conjunctivitis or other problems at various stages of their relationship with their contacts. My eyes have always been prone to such difficulties just as my skin has always been prone to eczema. So, no, I'll stick to glasses, but I think mine suit as the frame is minimal.

 

A dip in the archives

There's been a lot of rain and wind this week and the hot summer is undoubtedly over. It's been around 25C (77F) today, which is not cool, but very pleasant. 

This is a contrast to the colder day I encountered in London this time back in 2010 when I went on a protest march as Sue. I've posted the photo before but as someone recently complimented me on the grey suede boots I was wearing, I thought it was worth revisiting.

They were a favourite pair and I had them reheeled at least twice. In the end, very sadly, they wore out and I had to say goodbye to them. They complimented the heather tartan skirt so well that I wore that combo a lot, as here:

I still have the skirt although it no longer fits my more matronly girth these days! Still, it remains an old favourite.

Sue x