When I was a little boy, everyone thought I was queer. I eschewed the toy trucks and consoles given to me as a boy and instead opted for my sister’s play tea set and pink plastic vanity. What can I say? Dainty things really appealed to me. It has nothing to do with your sexual orientation. I mean there are plenty of same-sex attracted men who like footy and manly things. Me, on the other hand, I like girls and dressing them up too. It came as no surprise to anyone when I graduated high school and started looking into makeup courses. The real surprise came when I got a girlfriend.
My parents are real conservative. Dad’s a protestant and Mum’s a roman catholic, this is a heck of a birthright. Anyway, Dad was pretty unhappy when I stopped eating meat. He called me a girl. Then when I started studying to be a make up artists he almost disowned me. I tried reasoning with him. I said, “When you and Mum got married your parents were unhappy about you choosing a catholic girl, and you went against the grain.” But I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. When I finally got my hot girlfriend, he was so impressed that all of his hostility melted away.
Since studying my make up courses in Melbourne, I feel like I’ve come out of the closet, so to speak. No longer do I need to hide my love of make up from the world. I can freely brandish mascaras and eyeliner pencils and chat openly about my lifestyle choices. It can be pretty rough when people don’t accept you for who you are, the way they sniggger atyou behind your back, and avoid the connection between men and cosmetics in conversation. Not only does it make you feel unwelcome, but it makes you feel unsafe too.