The Gym Bunny Cometh

It's just like my regular gym classes Not so sure about a wet-look leotard, mind

So, this is the first of my (planned to be) weekly blogs on my adventures in gender as a non-binary being in the body of a short, ginger, middle-aged male.

I'm currently in the middle of RED January for what is (I think) the 6th year. Rather than Running Every Day (hence RED) , I've been doing gym sessions exclusively so far. Not that I won't run (I might), but I much prefer my cosy studio for a hardcore 45 or 60 minutes of systematic mainly cardio activity than heading out into the wild blue yonder (or, more accruarately,the cold, dark yonder) of early January to run, but it all counts. Besides, not only does my ageing knee complain if I do too much running, but not when I'm bouncing around for, say, Body Combat, but I've always been a confirmed gym bunny (see below).

GYM BUNNY I think I've mastered the art of tucking

My presentation for gym classes is one of the main arenas for my non-binary gender expression, pushing the femme-leaning androgyny. This started after I vowed to myself maybe three years ago, once I'd established a decent collection of Tikiboo leggings, that I would always wear Tiki bottoms for any exercise activty, be it in leggings, capris or shorts. In fact, the gym was, for all intents and purposes, the beachhead for my progression towards realisation that I was non-binary and how I started to get out there.

Some of Tikiboos's finest Mr Men Hallowe'en leggings

By now I do have extensive collection of beautiful legwear and I am always the brightest one in the class, so much more jolly than the other women almost all in dull black. My hair is another aspect of my gym look. Since I've been growing it out, the number of ways I can style it is just wonderful. I sometimes go with a Hyggeband to hold it back, or else use hair bobbles to tie it up or back. When I tie it, I can go with a low ponytail, a mid-height ponytail, a high ponytail on my crown, even bunches (where I channel Red from Fraggle Rock) or just tying back the top and sides, leaving the back loose. I've got a few reasons for choosing which style I go for. I need it out of my face, especially at the front as I really hate may glasses getting lashed by sweaty strands when I'm working out. I like to have it fairly neat (though a meticulously messier style is also fun), but one of the main reasons for choosing one style over another is because it was the best one that makes FaceApp code me as female. The styles that most do that are those that show me as having longer hair. I really want to try a bun or plaits, but I've not managed to achieve putting my hair into either style.

Gym tops are another aspect of the whole presentation at the gym. I had been gravitating towards more androgynous or unisex tops for a while, especially ones that match some of my leggings, but more recently I've been going for outright women's tops. The styles are so much nicer, and there are so many more to choose from. Some of them don't quite look as good on my male-shaped body (a lot of them would look so much better if I had boobs, for example), but generally they add the femme-leaning androgyny to my gym look I go for. This look does see me mis-gendered (for want of a better word) fairly often. For example, last week, when setting up for a session, and standing by the weights rack, a male user called me "love". I'll come onto my mis-genders of the week below.

Otherwise, this week was also my monthly comedy night. Besides the gym, this is the other place I express my non-binary nature the most. In fact, over the last few months, my expression has been drifting more beyond androgynous to the feminine end of gender expression. I mean, for my December edition I did wear a dress, but that was a special occasion. No, I'm using more makeup is what I mean. Previously it was just a slick of eyeliner and mascara plus some nude lippy with some concealer and BB cream, but now I'm working more on my eyeshadow and a stronger lipstick, blusher and more emphasis on my almost invisible eyebrows. I am really liking my look once I straighten my hair. It's a definite shot of euphoria.

This week's misgenders (that I'm aware of, at least): Obviously the being called "love" in the gym as mentioned above, and there was the time on Sunday when I was sat with a cappuchino in the cafe at the National Coalmining Museum on my own while I waited for my wife and son at the end of a long table (there were no smaller ones) and a man asked "Are these seats free, love?" I liked this one as I wasn't trying. No makeup. I had scrunch-dried my hair after the gym session in the morning instead of wearing it in a ponytail and I was wearing an Animal hoodie which has a vaguely femme logo on it, though it's dull dark grey, so not especially girly. Androgyny achievement unlocked