Having some thoughts about like, how "women" playing with masculinity is only acceptable insofar as straight (cis) men find it sexually appealing and how the idea that transmascs (and butches) reaffirm patriarchy (by being "women" who emulate masculinity) is borne like, entirely out of people not talking to any genuinely masc women or non-passing trans men.
like legit, if you think masculine women aren't seen as a threat to the patriarchy, then you've got your head so far up your own ass that you've come back up the throat again.
every time ppl insist that masculine women are taken more seriously, i tell them about when i stopped wearing makeup, cut my hair short, and started wearing more masculine clothing and how that change caused an abrupt shift in the way people at my old office treated me. the women went from being open and friendly with me to being very standoffish. the men went from treating me like a silly woman to treating me like a freak. people no longer wanted to stop by my office and talk to me. they didn’t want to eat lunch with me. they stopped giving me the benefit of the doubt if i made a mistake. they stopped smiling at me. and then the office found out i was trans while i was off work recovering from top surgery, they passed around social media posts and when i got back and people saw my flat chest they looked at me with such utter disgust. they treated me so poorly that i was forced to quit within a week of getting back.
so when ppl insist that anyone performing masculinity is automatically treated with more respect, it just feels. weird.
