Fishnets, Rocky Horror and the secret lives of Husbands left home alone..

Another Saturday afternoon and evening spent wandering around Cardiff with my wife, doing one of our favourite activities: people watching, then a meal, live music and drinks.

Cardiff was busy, it's always busy this myth that online shopping has stripped city shopping centres of shoppers, ok may be true for some parts of Cardiffs main strip of shops at the Queen Street end but it's always busy with shopper's on a weekend.

The bars and restaurants were also full, shoppers were everywhere, and there seemed to be a noticeable increase in women wearing black fishnet tights / stockings, heels and bright red lipstick.

It didn't take long to work out why.

The Rocky Horror Show was in town.

Suddenly it all made sense.

Groups of women were out enjoying brunches and cocktails and before heading to the theatre.

Some had gone all in with the look, others had just added a subtle nod with fishnets or dramatic makeup.

It was clear that for many of them, dressing up was part of the event itself.

My wife looked around and announced that Rocky Horror wasn't really her cup of tea.

To be fair, I'm not entirely convinced it's mine either as a show, not that we've been to the show it might be really good noting Jason Donovan I think is playing the main "Sweet Transvestite" main character in the Cardiff show.

But watching the crowds got me thinking.

What is it about Rocky Horror that encourages perfectly ordinary people to step outside their usual appearance for a day?

Women who might never normally wear fishnets suddenly embrace them. Heels appear. Red lipstick appears.

Perhaps that's part of the magic.

For one evening people are given permission to be someone slightly different.

Then my thoughts wandered into territory that probably only someone like me would consider.

I started wondering how many crossdressers were in that audience.

Not because they necessarily love the story, the songs or the characters, but because Rocky Horror provides the perfect cover.

If anyone asks why you're wearing fishnets, heels, makeup or a corset, the answer is simple.

"I'm just a fan of the show."

Nobody questions it.

Nobody stares.

Nobody thinks twice.

And suddenly I found myself thinking: why didn't I ever think of that? I actually think on my forum I've blogged about it before.

Imagine Davina heading into Cardiff for Rocky Horror. Fishnets, heels, lipstick .. But then I think of the train journey down about 20 or moor teenagers, drinking, smoking vapes and just really rowdy on a packed train where we were packed in like sardines standing all the way and boiling hot. The abuse I may have gotten as Davina from them and my poor feet stood on a train for 45 mins in heels

But if I could have I'd have been in a theatre full of people dressed just as extravagantly and some of the women if they read me as a tgirl would probably pass comment on my makeup and my legs and how I looked as Davina, maybe even chatted to my wife about her "bringing me to the Rocky Horror show in drag" would she cope with that attention.

It would probably be one of the easiest places in the world to blend in.

Then another observation struck me.

As I watched groups of women laughing together in their Rocky Horror outfits, I couldn't help wondering how many would be shocked to discover that their own husbands secretly enjoyed dressing up themselves.

It's one of those fascinating aspects of human nature.

We walk past hundreds of strangers every day, convinced we know roughly who they are and what their lives look like. Yet every person has private interests, hobbies, dreams and secrets that nobody around them would ever guess.

Some of the women I saw yesterday might have husbands who spend Sunday afternoons watching football.

Some might have husbands restoring classic cars.

Some might have husbands secretly wearing tights and heels when nobody is home.

The reality is that you'd never know.

That's what makes people watching so endlessly interesting.

Every face has a story.

Every couple has a story.

Every person walking through Cardiff has an entire private world hidden behind the version they present to everybody else.

Perhaps that's why Rocky Horror remains popular after all these years.

Beneath the songs and costumes, it's really about giving people permission to explore a side of themselves that everyday life often keeps hidden.

And whether you're wearing fishnets for the theatre, football colours for the match, or simply your favourite outfit for a day out, maybe we're all looking for the same thing:

A chance to be ourselves, or perhaps a slightly different version of ourselves, for a little while.

Davina