Full-Time 'Crossdressing'

[Kriyanishpatti]

I actually don't think there is essentially such a thing as crossdressing, inthat the 'rules' as to what hommes are 'permitted' to wear & what femmes are 'permitted' to are purely artificial & arbitrary. There has been colossal progress in establishing the rights of persons of other-than-cis-het-normative-constitution - which is a supremely excellent thing per se ... but I feel that those to whom it is an imperative to deconstruct the dress-codes have been grievously left-behind in all this, and their case dismissed as 'merely flaky' - or that kind of thing.

[NancyBalik]

I wish I could agree, and maybe things are GRADUALLY going in the direction you suggest, but I am sure that a man "discovered" wearing pink nylon panties with lace trim and a cami under his homme clothes (as you might find me many days) would still be considered to be crossdressing. Even a nicely dressed and "presentable" (not "passable") t-girl is still thought of, by most segments of society, as "crossdressed."  Times might be changing, but a genetic male wearing clothing designed and marketed for women, like I LOVE, is still considered to be crossdressing.

[Kriyanishpatti]

@NancyBalik -- I don't know whether there is a way of attaching this reply to your reply ... so I'll just do it this way, for the time-being. What I'm getting at - and it seems to me that you concur with me in the main - is that the imperative to deconstruct or 'dig-out' the system of gender-evincing 'channels' into which our affect & self-presentation is sluiced, and of some one channel of which it is required by gender-orthodoxy that it be a 'current', is not necessarily merely the arbitrary - or even strongly-preferred -  'choice to wear womens' clothes': it can be & often is a deep-seated 'item' of one's true gender status, and ought to incur a thorough lawful upholding.

[zirconia]

To me personally "crossdressing" refers to wearing articles of clothing designed for use by and to fit the body of one's opposite sex.

Due to this, unless one's body shape is close enough to the target user, they for the most part can't fit very well/be very comfortable. E.g. for most normal men female shorts small enough to not fall off would probably feel tight in the crotch, and bras would be totally meaningless due to the lack of anything they need to support.

To me this would suggest that wearing especially underwear purely as a "fashion" choice is not very likely.

On the other hand, there are articles (e.g. purely cosmetic brassieres meant for men. I can't provide links since I've not yet accrued enough posts—but google 男性用ブラジャー メンズブラ if you're interested) that are actually meant for the male physique. Wearing those would probably "technically" not be crossdressing... although most men today would probably not make them a regular part of their wardrobe any more than they'd start wearing the men's foundations, eyeliners and such that regularly pop up on pharmacy and supermarket shelves once every decade or so.

But then, perhaps sometime they will... after all, extremely long toes on men's shoes have also apparently been resurrected for the first time since 1400s, to be seen not only in the winklepicker market but also on the shelves of regular men's shoe stores.

[Kriyanishpatti]

@Zirconia -- is it the way here to just list all the replies to a post, rather than making a 'tree' of them ... becsuse I see no way of 'attaching' a reply to that to which it's replying.

That problem of garments not fitting very well does not actually arise in my case, because the 'femininity' of my raiment is a matter of skirts & high-heeled shoes - neither of which are essentially 'for' ladies, in terms of design & functionality - and, to my mind, in any other terms either. I do not wear ladies' underwear precisely because it doesn't fit very well (but I assure you, any inhibition asto doing so is utterly extinct!)... and a top that doesn't fit well is just a top that doesn't fit very well!

Having said all this ... I do wear a sports brasière - but the 'misfitting' in that case is not such that it is any more difficult to keep on!

Infact ... one of the things I love about skirts is the simplicity of them & unfussiness of the fitting of them.

[zirconia]

Hi Kriyanishpatti

@Zirconia -- is it the way here to just list all the replies to a post, rather than making a 'tree' of them ... becsuse I see no way of 'attaching' a reply to that to which it's replying.

Do you mean quoting previous posts? If so, try the "quote" button at the top of any quote you wish to reply to.

That problem of garments not fitting very well does not actually arise in my case, because the 'femininity' of my raiment is a matter of skirts & high-heeled shoes - neither of which are essentially 'for' ladies, in terms of design & functionality - and, to my mind, in any other terms either.

You're right that skirts can be worn by anyone. Certain subcultures at least in japan wear them pretty often. Again, the site disallows posting links until we have at least 500 posts, but if you google e.g. V系レザーカンパニー they have a whole dedicated section... and in this sense the fashion has already arrived. Most are currently black, (it's also a part of the subculture) but some are also at the same time quite fancy—e.g. try googling "ゴシック メンズファッション V系 スカート パンク ロング ティアード ヘム チュール ゴスロリ v系 ファッション レディース ユニセックス 黒 ダンス 衣装 ライブ"

I do not wear ladies' underwear precisely because it doesn't fit very well (but I assure you, any inhibition asto doing so is utterly extinct!)... and a top that doesn't fit well is just a top that doesn't fit very well!

Having said all this ... I do wear a sports brasière - but the 'misfitting' in that case is not such that it is any more difficult to keep on!

I see what you mean. That said, I guess not everyone necessarily has the same motivations. Some try to find clothes made for the opposite sex that bring them in a sense closer to the opposite sex. Others try to find them because they feel they are the opposite sex. Some find excitement in them. Some do wear them just for fashion. From your post I guess you belong to the lattermost category.

Infact ... one of the things I love about skirts is the simplicity of them & unfussiness of the fitting of them.

Yes—the simple ones are for the most part quite easy to wear.

[sally0196]

Crossdressing, like so many other terms used under the transgender umbrella, is just a label, and the problem with labels, is that overall, they don't do a very good job of describing individuals.  That said, I have always thought of crossdressing as the simple act of wearing clothing generally made and marketed to the opposite gender.  Back when I thought I was a crossdresser and attached myself to that label, I began to realize that for me, it was so much more than the clothes.  I just wasn't satisfied wearing the garments, I wanted to look feminine, feel feminine, and when I am en femme, I act feminine as well.  So, it's way more than just the clothes, yet I also accept the fact that I don't want to transition or be full-time.

Hugs,

Sally 

[Maid Marion]

I am blessed/cursed with a petite XS figure that many GGs would be envious of when they get to be my age, and even a lot of younger ones.

[JaimeL71]

Crossdressing, like so many other terms used under the transgender umbrella, is just a label, and the problem with labels, is that overall, they don't do a very good job of describing individuals.  That said, I have always thought of crossdressing as the simple act of wearing clothing generally made and marketed to the opposite gender.  Back when I thought I was a crossdresser and attached myself to that label, I began to realize that for me, it was so much more than the clothes.  I just wasn't satisfied wearing the garments, I wanted to look feminine, feel feminine, and when I am en femme, I act feminine as well.  So, it's way more than just the clothes, yet I also accept the fact that I don't want to transition or be full-time.

Hugs,

Sally

You and I are pretty much in the same boat.  What started as a sexual outlet in my teens and early 20s became something more to me.  I realized that there is a distinct female side to me and she wants to express herself.

As for the op...  Yes, "cross-dressing" is an artificial social construct.  Realistically, when the wife and I are out running errands, the only difference in our clothes is that her jeans and t-shirt are cut slightly different.  I added Gloria Vanderbilt jeans to my wardrobe and found that they are actually more comfortable and fit better than most of my male-sized jeans.  I've worn them running errands and to work and have not got a second look. 

There is a point I'm grasping at here, but I am having trouble putting it to words.  I guess it is two-fold... 

1) Society has programmed us to accept that men don't do "pretty" when it comes to dress. 

2) You can look at a man in unflattering female clothing the same way you look at a woman in unflattering female clothing.  Sometimes the look just doesn't work.

So...  If I were to put on a floral-print, spaghetti strap maxi dress without "help", even I feel it would look wrong on me.  It just wouldn't be flattering.

[Scarlett Rose]

I know this is a super old thread but still has some content in it that fits.
I suppose I am a full time crossdresser, but it doesn't feel like it. I wear leggings and women's top all the time, have long polished fingernails, sleep in nightgowns etc. I still present as male. I guess there is a huge grey area around this.
To me the full time thing is wig, makeup, breast forms (etc). So I am... but I'm not     

[ChrissyRyan]

I know this is a super old thread but still has some content in it that fits.
I suppose I am a full time crossdresser, but it doesn't feel like it. I wear leggings and women's top all the time, have long polished fingernails, sleep in nightgowns etc. I still present as male. I guess there is a huge grey area around this.
To me the full time thing is wig, makeup, breast forms (etc). So I am... but I'm not     

Well I would not be too concerned with labels but I can understand why one would want some clarity about this.  An AMAB person does not have to completely present as female to be considered a crossdresser.  Plus the percentage of time one crossdresses does not have to approach 100% to be considered a crossdresser.

I used to be a crossdresser but that was just the external appearance part of me.  Now I wear my female clothes and that is the natural wardrobe for me as a MTF transgender person.  That means I do not consider myself to be crossdressing.  I wear gender conforming clothing.

Chrissy