Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International
Vlasta Černý and his wife Michaela describe themselves as an “almost” normal heterosexual couple. However, when the two of them step outside, they almost never fail to attract attention because of Vlasta’s weakness for women’s dresses. The couple, who usually wears matching outfits, share their pictures on a blog called Gender Blender with the aim to encourage other people to dress as they wish in public. Vlasta, accompanied by his wife, recently paid a visit to Radio Prague to talk about his own journey to fashion freedom:
“I grew up in the Communist era, so it wasn’t really possible. And then later in my life, there were a lot of things happening and although I considered it, I decided against it, because it could have hurt me professionally or privately. So I probably did it too late, but at least I did it.”
So what was the first time you stepped out in women’s clothes, what was it like? How did it feel? And how long did it take you to muster the courage to do something like this?
“It felt like having a dumpling in my throat. I remember standing in front of my door for at least 10 minutes, trying to find the courage to open it and go out.”
So when was that? How long ago?
“It was about 15 years ago. But I really went out for only about five minutes, just walking around the block. Still, I felt like I had conquered Mount Everest.”
So would you say relief was the major emotion you felt at that moment?
“Yes, because you think the world will collapse, but then you realize that nothing happened. When we go out, people sometimes stare at us. Sometimes they say something positive, sometimes it is negative, but it is much less common than you would probably expect.
“And if you feel that you are strong enough to do that and you feel comfortable, then people around you will notice that and then you will naturally dodge the negative comments and reactions.”
See the rest here.
Author: Ruth Fraňková