One of my biggest pet peeves lately has been various people who prey on transitioners and their fears by overcharging by insane amounts for simple things.The first kind I noticed recently are those who prey on fears that many of us have in that first time out shopping for clothes. We all had that fear at one time or another when we went out the first time...the fear that we would be seen as freaks or weird. I remember my first time rather vividly...it was a run through a Meijer store here and I picked up a few things that were rather atrocious now that I think about it! But they had self-service lanes and I made it out safely!
But these particular online stores will charge ridiculous amounts for basic clothes. One place I went was charging $80 for a pair of normal underwear and $120 for nylons. They were selling women's blouses for like $150 and up. Lame wigs you can buy at any wig store for $30-50, they were selling for between $250-350 dollars.
The worst kind, I just read about today in my inbox--that of the post-transition person who offers their 'services' at exorbitant rates for pre-transitioners. The email was from my old therapist who hired on a post-transition assoiciate that ofers these kinds of services. You'll love some of these 'classes' she offers:
Transition Goal Setting and Action Planning $160
Fashion and Color Analysis $120
Undergarments and Foundation Basics $120
Nails – Grooming $80
Techniques for facilitating gender matching (e.g. special under garments, body hair management, etc.) $120
Hair Care/Hair Care Sources and Products $80
Real Life Test: Going Public! (Dealing with public outings during a “field trip”) $240
Yeah! Some nice stuff there! I don't begrudge post-transitioners trying to earn a living, but fleecing our community with these ridiculous classes and prices? That really ticks me off. Transition is hard enough without having to worry about being preyed on. It's even worse when people who have already gone through it "give back" to the community by offering things like this at those prices.
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Wow! I can't type today! Let's try again-
What a horrible, awful shame. And let's not forget trans people in the so-called porn industry who turn around and exploit other, more naive trans folks. Namely, those early in transition who are still struggling to develop an identity or sense of self- and consequently are particularly prone to misplaced trust and bad decisions.
There's a special place in my Asshole Book devoted to those particularly creepy creeps. =(
OMG. Monica! I had almost forgotten about the horrible Dirty Mattress of Evil +4 :( It was almost purged from my memory until you brought it up! But you are so right!!
While I certainly agree with you, there is obviously a market for these kinds of services for people who are transitioning, who have money, and who are not willing to go to a support group and make some friends who can help them. If those people feel the need to engage a "professional" to help them because they don't want to make friends, that's their own business.
Personally, when I see these "transition coaches" on TV shows and such, I think they are indeed taking advantage of people in transition, because all the stuff they teach you will eventually learn through experience. But as I said, if someone is willing to pay someone to hold their hand through what could be a very fragile time for them, then that's their business.
Luckily, as more people get used to seeking information out on the web at least some will come across the various free support structures and information sites available out there before turning to these over-priced service options. But we (in my opinion, to our detriment) live in a straight-up capitalist society so if there's a demand, I guess the prices reflect what the market will bear...
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