Hello everybody! I know there have all ready been pictures posted of men in dresses, but I thought one more couldn't hurt. The back story behind this photo is certainly worth writing about. To start, the individual pictured here is a very good friend of mine. He is a guy that is pretty secure with his sexuality, and didn't have any reservations about dressing in women's clothes; it was after all his Halloween costume. I understand that a lot of men dress in drag or cross-dress to make fun of women in an overt or exaggerated way, but my friend's intentions were much purer than the usual myriad of mindless intention; he portrayed the "female" form with dignity and respect--not steeping to the depths of caricature. When we went out in public, I expected a fair amount of stares or muffled comments of judgement, instead, we encountered smiles and appreciation from men and women alike. I was really taken back by the positive reciprocation that my friend received in all sorts of public spheres. I'm astounded by the progressive-mindedness that now exists on college campuses and other urban environments. One young man actually came up to my friend and said, " Wow, you don't see a lot of dudes around here that are brave enough to wear a dress. People might think your'e gay or something, but I think you pull it off, bro. Your'e a braver soul than I." So it seems in regard to a man wearing a dress, there is a perceived notion of EXTRA "courage" or EXTRA "bravery" involved in the act. I cannot discern what this absolutely means for mankind, but I think that if feminine expressions of constructed gender are so terrifying to "straight" males then that indicates troubling, even negative, associations with women. There is a blossoming acceptance for changing gender norms, yet, we have a long way to go before masculinity reaches equilibrium with femininity.