Quote Originally Posted by Gramul View Post
I'm pretty sure those are speculations based in expectation and hearsay.

I mean, how would you define femininity? As the quality of being female. But how do you define being female? The only objective definition "is of or denoting the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs, distinguished biologically by the production of gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes." ie. XY.

And that's pretty much it. Everything else is social contract. And I have yet to hear an argument I find strong enough that supports the idea that one must adhere to those so strictly.

I mean. Why does it upset anyone? What's the true core problem that causes so much duress in some people?
I've said it before but it doesn't matter why it stirs up duress in people, it only matters that it does.
This thread is 40 pages of people arguing why or why not men should be able to wear dresses. Specifically, one of the most feminine dresses (by STANDARD Japanese and STANDARD North American, I can't speak for Europe, societal perceptions of masculinity and femininity) the development team has ever come up with.
It doesn't matter whether WE like it or not. It only matters if doing so would cause more problems than not doing so.
The very fact that there is even a point of contention is likely their reason for avoiding the issue in the first place. Which is a VERY Japanese thing to do.
Again, the "Why" is not important. Only the fact that you have to ask why in the first place is important.
"But why is it ok for women to be wearing the masculine outfits?" you ask.
For the opposite reason: They would catch more heat for keeping the outfits locked to men than they would for making them wearable by both genders.
There's also one simple, irrefutable fact: In Japan and America, if a woman walks into work one day wearing pants and the next a skirt, no one will say a word.
If a man walks in wearing a skirt, he attracts attention. It may be as simple as some co-workers laughing about it around the water cooler, or it could be as bad as getting called into the boss's office. And drawing attention to yourself in Japanese culture in such a way is frowned upon.
You may not like it, and to be honest I'm not happy about it either, but this is simply reality.