Well we all have a face
That we hide away forever
I was listening to my music collection on shuffle today and Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” came on. That made me think back to this afternoon when I was at work out back enjoying a cigarette and thinking to myself “Nobody around me at work really knows what I’m about or what I get up to.”
And we take them out and
Show ourselves
When everyone has gone
It’s interesting being an “alternative lifestyler”, “kinkster”, <insert term here>. There are some of us that wear our flag with pride be it Leather, BDSM, or what have you. I applaud those individuals that display what they are about and have no shame in discussing what it is they do with whoever asks. Unfortunately I lack the courage or ability to do so in my life. It could have negative ramifications at work, in family, etc so I work on a “need to know” basis and my co-workers, family, neighbours, etc don’t really need to know in my opinion. Why make your life more complicated? I do have a deep admiration for those that are able to do this and have the courage to do so. They are the true trailblazers who will make what we do more acceptable and raise public awareness in a positive light over time.
Some are satin some are steel
Some are silk and some are leather
I think one of the biggest issues I have is the crossdresssing side of my kink. Public perception of it is not the most positive and I think the CD community is probably decades behind where the Gay community is now. Of course, one of the reasons for this is lack of public role models that people can look at and see for themselves that “hey, this person isn’t a mass murderer or child molester, they are just into something different than I am!” There is still a great negative attitude towards it and many stereotypes that are simply not true associated with it that it is hard for those vanilla folks to wrap their heads around. The other parts of my kink life that I get up to I am more willing to discuss or reveal or at the very least would not be too concerned about if others found out. It’s kind of humourous in an ironic way because crossdressing is probably one of the most harmless kinks/fetishes out there as it hurts no-one except your pocket book as it’s probably one of the most expensive kinks out there!!
They’re the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on
Having this intense need for privacy makes it difficult to make close friends. Don’t get me wrong, I have an awesome leather family who I love and respect deeply and they are the core of my private life and that’s ok. It just means when you get to know people you have to make some difficult decisions on how much of yourself you are willing to invest or reveal in the relationship to make it grow. A difficult call sometimes… do they want to meet The Stranger?
Every so often, this same thought runs through my head. I’m pretty open about my lifestyle and the things I enjoy, but I don’t bring it up unless directly asked about it.
It’s hard though, to become close to someone if you’re not able to relax and be completely yourself.
CD can be a hard kink – it seems like there are many many people (even in our scene, so “open & tolerant”) that have many misconceptions about people who express themselves as CDs.
Thanks for your reply. I could not agree more!! It makes life difficult sometimes and as a result is, sadly, one of the more private facets of what I’m about.