September 4
This could turn out to be uncomfortableIt was projected to arrive here two days ago; not a huge deal, it being a couple days late, and under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t think twice; however in the two weeks since I ordered my zentai lycra suits it has been decided that my ENTIRE FAMILY is coming here for Thanksgiving. They’re here, right now, asleep on my furniture. Now even though I don’t wear Zentai, tights, unitards and dive skins for any sexual reasons, My family still doesn’t know that I wear them at all, and I don’t want to tell them; It’s nothing of which to be ashamed, it’s just a personal choice for me.
Anyway, my siblings have an annoying penchant for opening other people’s packages, and I suspect the suit will arrive any day now, and I’ve been sweating bullets. What am I supposed to say? “Don’t open the package” That would only stir their curiosity!
The one thing I think you should keep in mind, regardless of how the situation plays out, is that the only unusual thing you’re doing is not wearing your blue lycra suit and noise-cancellers. Granted, wandering through your home wearing noise-cancelling headphones while it’s littered with family members might seem anti-social, but both items are widely practiced and actively researched treatments for your medical condition. The zentai you ordered is you experimenting with this technique to find what works best for you. I think the correct attitude (should you find yourself explaining this to people, in spite of your wishes to avoid doing so), especially in your own home, is “it’s for my ASD; don’t you people read?”
Now, You may not be here for the same fundamental reason as more than a handful of others, but the phrase many of us use, For those of us who use it, that phrase means we don’t want anyone else to live with the same shame of being attracted to red zentai suit, spandex, latex, neoprene, or “things that are intended for women” that we all (well, at least the men, anyway) felt before we found the first like-minded person or website like this one. No one here is likely to assume that “that man wears tights” has any relation to “that man’s sexual orientation” — but we’re all too aware that the larger world doesn’t always see things the same way. If anything, the people here probably have a disproportionately high interest in your experience, compared with a random set of people with no one in their life with an ASD/PDD diagnosis.
So, that having been said, my last comment is…I know my “correct attitude” statement above is far easier said than done. Oh, that and, depending on the carrier, and whether you have a tracking number or not, it may be possible to place some kind of delivery hold on the package so it’s held for you at their nearest pick-up point — check their website.




