Richmond’s favorite online purveyor of budget-conscious unmentionables is making an effort to connect with its trans and gender non-conforming customers. CheapUndies,com recently published an “Underwear Guide For Trans Women,” a step motivated by “many requests,” according to an email from CheapUndies owner Edward Upton.
The guide, which can be found on the site’s “articles” page along with a historical examination of corsets, a guide to layering for outdoor winter activities, and an article about nursery rhymes (?), is specifically focused on trans women rather than trans and gender non-conforming people as a whole — no word on whether a similar article for trans men is forthcoming.
However, it does stand to reason that the need is greater for trans women; societal stigma against people assigned male at birth starting to purchase and wear women’s clothes is much greater than that against people who are assigned female at birth wearing clothes intended for men.
Obtaining clothes that match their intended gender presentation is an early and important step for people in the midst of a gender transition, and it has to be done before you actually have the appropriate clothes in which to do such shopping. Thus, a lot of people, including myself when I began my own gender transition a few years ago, find themselves turning to online shopping to fill basic wardrobe needs.
Of course, underwear’s an important part of all this. And finding the right underwear for oneself can be a difficult and complicated process, especially when you’re suddenly switching to a completely different set of undergarments. So yeah, CheapUndies’ “Underwear Guide For Trans Women” definitely fills a need.
While the author’s identity isn’t given, it seems to have been written by someone who knows the struggle. It focuses on those who are earliest in their transition, giving tips to help ease people into the world of women’s underwear, without making anything too complicated.
Notably, where tops are concerned, it talks only of sports bras and bralettes. Once you’ve moved on to the higher math of underwire bras, it seems to imply, you’ve graduated into the same overly complex and difficult fitting situation that every other woman in the world, cis or trans, finds themselves in. Congratulations?
The page ends with a series of links to sites that offer support for trans women, from mental health crisis hotlines and guides to being safe in relationships to makeup tutorials and finding appropriately-sized women’s clothing for trans women… which, of course, is what got us here in the first place.
Check out CheapUndies’ “Underwear Guide For Trans Women” here. And while you’re on the site, if you happen to spot any good deals on bras, drop me a line — I’m in the market.
Photo via CheapUndies.com
