Yeah, ok, that does sound dumb.

On one hand, it's weird that flaunting some gender stereotypes (like shaving, wearing skirts) makes me feel like I stand out in a bad way, but other things make me feel empowered (like a young person knitting, or a check-out chick having a brain [I used to bleach my hair to be a smart blonde.])

I have that too, plus sometimes it's empowering one day and makes me feel bad the next.