Today, we welcome Alex from Switzerland to Profiles of Beskirted Men!
What is your name?
Alex
Where are you from?
Geneva, Switzerland
Which types of gender non-conforming clothing do you enjoy wearing?
I love and enjoy to wear long skirts, long dresses, evening gowns, tights and high heels
When did you start wearing gender non-conforming clothing?
I started to wear skirts secretly very early in my childhood, in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I started to wear my dresses and skirts in public in May 2023 and very recently, I added tights for warmth in the cold season and high heels to fit well with skirts and dresses
How did you start wearing gender non-conforming clothing and why?
I think it started as a kind of fetish, firstly, I was pleased by light fabrics in wind, it progressively transformed to a fetish to skirts in wind, then to wearing skirts and dress in general. I have a big family with a mother and two sisters. I started to wear sarongs and scarfs around my waist to please me, then I tried on the skirts and dresses of my mother and sisters, and I loved that, since that, I regularly have worn skirts secretly during my life, including always having a secret stash of sarongs, skirts and dresses until I decided to wear them publicly.
What is your motivation now for putting on gender non-conforming clothing?
Now, skirts and dresses has different meanings to me. Firstly, I wear them because I love that and it please me. It started as a clothing fetish and it’s still somewhat the case. It’s so great to wear, confortable and convenient, so beatiful, elegant and gracious, and it’s so pleasant to feel the fabric on the legs, especially when moving, walking and when there’s wind. Tights are warm when in winter and heels add even more touch of elegance and grace of a skirt/dress outfit. Secondly, as I told the positive side of wearing skirts, I ever been frustrated that no man could profit of it and are not allowed to wear them, as a tacit and arbitral gendered social rule say. I even seen when assisting to several weddings, special events, watching red carpet events and in the everyday life how women wore nice dresses, skirts and a large variety of different outfits but men can only wear the same uncomfortable clothes, like “penguin suit” tuxedos, tight pants and shirts. I hate shirts. Men’s fashion has so monotone and boring fashion and women has litteral fashion freedom. As I’m frustrated of that and been inspired by others men who wear skirts on instagram, I wear skirts and dresses to show my rebellion and make the things change, to have gender equality even in clothing and fashion.
What do gender non-conforming clothes mean to you?
Skirts and dresses represent to me what I love to wear and as a cis hetero man and proud of what I am and what choices I do, I wear what I want. I declare to being free to do so and don’t be restricted by social norms, showing that I gained the courage to go against dress code rules in order to be free to do and wear what I like. It’s also a way to have an uncommon and peculiar personal and personalised look and being more freely creative in composing my look when showing myself to others.
How often do you wear gender non-conforming clothing?
everyday, every time I can
Do you go out in public dressed in gender non-conforming clothes? If not, why not? If so, how often and where do you go? Are there any places you wouldn’t go?
yes, I go out in public wearing my dresses and skirts. I do not wear them at my workplace because I work in a private bank which have a somewhat strict dress code and at my family’s home as my family is not receptive to my choice of wearing gender non conforming clothes. Aside of that, I always wear a skirted outfit when I go outside for anything else I do. I only wear pants when I’m forced to, when it’s too unpractical to, risking damaging my skirts, or where it can be dangerous, where there are risks of aggression. so I prefer to stay not too long outside at night and don’t travel to radical conservative countries or places.
Do you find it hard to go out in public in gender non-conforming clothes?
no, not at all. I don’t care of other’s stare or feel, they can think what they want about me, my look is my personal concern.
What is your best and/or worst experience in gender non-conforming clothes?
one of my best experience was when I participed to my company’s summer party in an evening dress. Colleagues and other employee said that they liked the dress and said how much I have the courage to wear a gender non conforming outfit and that maybe many men would secretly want to do it too but they don’t have the guts.
my worst expercience is when a group of thugs in a car teased me by saying if I’m gay and in couple with the friend that accompanied me during an afterwork evening. I had to defend myself and shout that these ignorants had to go fuck themself/to take care of their ognons.
Do your family or friends know about how you dress?
yes, I don’t hide this to anyone anymore
Are there people you don’t want to know about it?
no, not really. The only case I would not reveal it to someone is when meeting and dating with a love interest. I’m single, I search a girlfriend but I don’t want that my gender non conforming look would fear any girl I want to date for the first moments and be sure to introduce it slowly to a love interest so she would be more receptive to it.
Does your partner accept your clothing choices?
I don’t have a partner but about other relatives, the answer is no. My parents and family has so much difficulty to accept it. They understand that they can’t decide of my life choices and how I want to look, but they impose menswear for men at their home and when in presence of young nephews/nieces to not influence them. Aside of that, about friend, they are receptive or just don’t care.
What is your favorite style?
I love to wear long skirts and dresses with thin, airy and fluid fabrics. Satin, chiffon, silks. I wear tights to stay warm in cold season and above all, I love to wear evening dresses and heels for any special event. I want to wear the most beautiful gowns I can have and want to marry in a wedding dress
Where do you shop for your clothes?
mostly on the internet, and sometimes at real shops, I shop at women’s department, it’s where there are the garments in the style I love.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I am really pleased and proud to tell about my passion to dresses, skirts and heels. I enjoy so much to wear them and I enjoy to talk about it freely. I hid my passion for a long time so it’s liberating to tell at last what I think and how I feel to people who will understand me. skirts and dress are so good but not only just that, it’s partially because I don’t really like men’s wear that are dull, restrictive, monotone and boring. and I have psychologic allergy to shirts, they are ugly to me. The few times I were forced to wear them has guided me in a path of choosing and claiming frankly what I want to wear even if I have to face criticism for that. Breaking gender stereotypes may be a secondary consequence of wearing freely what I love but I also enjoy to do it.
I hope I can inspire other men, like I was inspired to wear what they want and not be restricted by any tacit, archaic and incoherent fashion rules, be free to show their personal style and feel good in their skin and also their clothes. I think that the world is meant to change and evolve constantly, some people can’t understand that fact and I know that while we are in minority but the more we are the more chance we have to change our society and its rules and I know that one day our passion for fashion freedom and fashion gender equality will be more and more famous to be considered normal at last.
Do you have any links you would like to share (i.e. social media profiles or websites)?
here is my instagram account where I’ve posted my personnal style, clothing preference and outfits I like to wear: https://www.instagram.com/alex.rohrak/
Thank you for sharing, Alex!
If you would like to have your profile featured in Profiles of Beskirted Men, take a look at the post I wrote about it for more details.
Bravo, Mssr. Rohrak!
I see you prefer sleeveless styles in your dress choices, yes? They look good. Still, I wonder if it is a purely style choice, or if it’s more difficult to find dresses with sleeves and shoulders that fit well. What have you found in your searches?
Just a purely personnal style choice. Maybe because I was used to wear short sleeve T-shirts and, if needed, long sleeve overwear for warmth, but also because I was influenced to women evening attires which I love and that are less prone to have sleeves.
Cool bio, I think I understand the “hate” towards shirts (not sure if you mean just shirts or all kind of, including T-shirts) although one year ago I would never expect that I’ll wear shirts/T-shirts so rarely as I do today. Maybe this also has something to do with the cold weather for several months in Europe, but on the other side it’s usually warm enough at home to wear shirts, and still I pick up rather thin blouses.
It sucks that your family is not accepting your choice, but since you wear what you really want to wear outside already, maybe one day they will change their minds, probably not in a ‘sudden’ manner, but one by one in longer time frame.