VII. What I Want to Claim

The claim is not only that others should stop assuming things. It is also that skirts and dresses give me something embodied and ordinary: looking down and seeing lots of fun fabric, dancing with more movement, feeling a gentle breeze, and answering small practical questions with posture, leggings, or bloomers.

The claim is also that I like garments in isolation. That matters because my appreciation is not only about my own body, my own identity, or the social category other people put the clothing into.

This is why the clothing can be part of my queerness, wardrobe, self-expression, and identity without every outfit needing to become gender euphoria, costume, or a planned political statement. Sometimes I feel like I am representing queer culture and can use my visibility to inform people about inclusivity. Other times I am just choosing off the top of the stack.

The conversation should not end at permission, as though the only acceptable reasons for someone to dress a certain way are gender identity, rebellion, drag, sexuality, or politics. Those are all possible meanings for people, but they are not the only ones. For me, the simple reason is still enough: I like the fashion. I feel better in skirts. I know what these garments give me, and I know that other people should be able to find their own version of that too.