Well I guess that would be dating a guy and him never guessing I was not born a woman, as that is not the case perhaps the title of this post should be the penultimate in passing.
As I seek the restart my career (fruitlessly it sometimes seems) I busy myself as a freelance writer, which unfortunately is too unpredictable to pay the bills.
In this recession bound economy even part time jobs are hard to come by. I remind myself that I am lucky to pick up a position in what is one of Canada’s high-end department stores. I was flattered to be hired for the lingerie department though I spend most of my time in shoes.
I should not be worried about passing after SRS but having surgery is no guarantee one will immediately be accepted as a woman by the public at large. Nor do I think I would have been hired for this particular job had I not passed convincingly.
Beyond the pay, my time in this job is a fascinating personal education in female socialization through both my co-workers and customers. Of course I have worked with women in the past but never as one of them. I am pleased that no one is aware of my past nor has guessed I have not always been female in body if not spirit.
It is interesting to see how the most stern visagd customer will melt when receiving a sincere compliment about her outfit, make up etc. My favorite was an elegant older lady (store demographics skew to a more mature crowd) who after I complimented her amazing eye makeup told me I should be a model. I have since adopted her!
Mostly I take passing for granted, but at least once a day I am caught by surprise when I hear, “oh that young lady is helping me” ….oh yeah that is me :)
It is also remarkable to think that it was only three years ago that I left this same mall in tears convinced I would never transition or be able to pass.
 | ||
| getting ready for work |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
we can wear any colour so long as it is black....lucky it is my favorite colour below...exhausted after a seven hour shift  All told its not quite as fun as "Are You Being Served " made it out to be: |
