Question and Answer - What is a Crossdresser?

[Barbara]

The statistics can not be accurate first of all,due to the high closet ratio.and among them the percentage that will admit it even anonomously is even smaller.
Post Merge: April 25, 2009, 10:32:15 PM
I have been dressing in womans clothes my whole life(i am now 43 yrs old).I still don't know why i do it.I almost don't really want too know either

[Genevieve Swann]

I beleive the percentage is wrong. Maybe 5% are those dress often. All of those who have tried on clothing of the opposite gender is much higher. Transvestites dress for sexual desire, fetish. Drag Queens like to perform. Some of us do it because it feels right. Some studies have found in some persons it increases the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine which gives one a 'Feel Good' feeling and increases the ability to experience emotion.
Post Merge: May 11, 2009, 05:43:54 AM
I must agree with Barbara. I really don't want to know why. I want to know how to be better at it.

[Barbara]

Oh Nikki I'm so sorry for you. I does hurt but give her time.

Jillieann/JR

could not have said it better

[omega1251]

Hmm, so can crossdressing "develop" into other states of mind or underlie a more significant need within a person?

[tekla]

Hmm, so can crossdressing "develop" into other states of mind or underlie a more significant need within a person?

Of course, then again, maybe not.  There was an old joke back in the DOS days of chat - "What's the difference between a CD and a TS?  About 10 years." and there was some truth in that.

[Rebecca.R]

I know this is an old topic, but as it has come to the front again and as i have just started my journey I would like to comment.

I think too much emphasis is placed on the physical person by society.  According to society in many countries, if you are born male or female there are certain and very specific expectations placed upon you.  At no time does anyone, except for the psychs, look at your own character and yet it is your very character that sets you apart from any one other person on this planet, not your gender.

Personally I think your own character, and by that I mean how you think and feel, should dictate how you dress.  I like to wear stockings and dresses and all things pretty, funnily enough my wife likes to wear shorts.

What everybody needs to realise is that: we are born, we live on this planet a very short time, then we die.  Why should it be such a big issue if I, or CindyJames, or Barbara wants to wear clothes that match our character, but not our outsides.

I know it is, but it shouldn't.................. Rebecca

[finally-ROBERTA]

well i am a crossdresser, and i am still somewhat confused as to where it leads but i think i will enjoy the trip and i am beginning to realize that soon....if not already.... there is no turning back

[Barbara]

i dress as a woman ,i really love  being a woman i feel pretty and desirable.I like to be around men when i am dressed...... end of story

[jill_cd_girl]

I was thinking a lot about the percentage of crossdressers in the male population. Leaving aside the question of what attributes they measured and counted for crossdressing, I was thinking "So, when I am in a room of 20 men, chances are there is a crossdresser in the room - is that right?" and then I realized "Oh yeah, that crossdresser is me, duh!

What's interesting is that if you're in a room of 40 men, then chances are there are around 2 crossdressers present. Very fascinating..

[Jafrina]

Emerald, very nice, what do I do about the Closet Crossdresser I am? With the wife and daughter home it is not often I get to CD? Are there many more Closet CD'S out there that wish they could show there spouse? Thank You, Jafrina

[tekla]

I am lead to believe that the huge, vast and sweeping majority of CDs are not out in public, unless they are away from where they live.  And CD can cover a range from wearing pink Haynes Her Way under your Hart Schaffner Marx suit to guys with a thing for wedding dresses and prom gowns in public.

[Ms jennifer]

I have just joined and still dont understand how to post. I have been a closet dresser all my life and after work i can not wait to change into a woman . It is so nice to be able to talk and read about others who are feeling the same turmoil that I feel by hiding. I travel a lot and it can take weeks to find a special resale shop that will let me browse for outfits. Some will even let me try on items since a dress may look good on the hanger and not fit once I get home .Thanks for letting me be the woman I want to be dressed as.

[clare aston]

I have a theory that crossdressing for the older male is part of a lifespan issue, a need for change, a new direction, a new project in life.
Some of us, as men, perceive the capitalistic, macho world as hard, unfriendly, threatening, and not in tune with the kind of person we are, i think.
An obvious answer would seem to lie in that part of the world that presents different values, approaches and ideals.
Perhaps with getting older, the departure/maturing of kids/relationships, and seeing the world in a less black-and-white way - crossdressing presents a viable alternative.....?

[tekla]

I think a lot of these tendencies get stronger as we get older.  That, and the older you get often the less you care about what others think, and the less their thoughts can impact your life.

[Lyric]

I was thinking a lot about the percentage of crossdressers in the male population.

I think, in a way, the percentage of male crossdressers probably much much larger than we think. I suspect that a very large percentage of men visualize it in their minds but never get up the nerve to do it. I'm pretty sure I've known some like that. I think the mindframe component may be the most important thing going on with crossdressing, and, indeed, I spent years as a mental crossdresser before I ever pulled on a pair of panties. We live in a society that has long encouraged it's young that they can grow up to be whatever they want. I think a great many go past imagining themselves as ball players or movie stars and wish imagine themselves as the other gender. The physical action of dressing the part is the natural progression of that, but I'm sure only a small percentage (us!) actually do that. Why us? For many of us the desire is greater, but for some it may just be a matter of the situation and convenience.

Lyric

[PhSensei]

What is a crossdresser? Its what you make of it.  CD/TV/TG etc etc...we are a very diverse bunch.  One label doesn't fit all and we all get something different from dressing however far we take it.

I wear pantyhose and lately panties every day because it makes me feel good.  I slip into a nightie at night, because it makes me feel good.  I put on a skirt and cami when I can, because it makes me feel good.

If you are doing what makes you happy and not hurting anyone....then keep at it.

Worry less about your label and more about finding and following your bliss in life.  Hopefully you can find an SO who accepts, encourages, and helps you express this side of you.

[Josylyn]

I think I'm more than a crossdresser ... have always felt like and wanted to be a girl. I still get urges to be a woman. I'm not really attracted to men, but attracted to the thought of being desired by a man, as if I was a woman. These feelings since as long as I can remember.

[debbiecd]

I am a bisexual crossdresser who wants to transition. How typical am I?

[Midana]

Hi Emerald,

There is also a stigma associated with cross dressing, that cannot be ignored.

Men dressing in Female clothing is sociably more unacceptable than Women dressing in mens clothing?

Girls for instance growing up are considered "tom boys" if they have short hair, wear trousers and dress "boyishly"... But boys are not afforded this luxury, even my nurses outfit was banned!

I also think that it is still considered by many to be "perverted" that men should dress in womens clothes and is still associated in many cases with sexual acts such as masturbation. I am not really sure what sexual thrill women would get out of cross dressing?

Becky

Becky, I agree with you, Yes, usually at the point, for all I know back over a hundred years ago, only a few women can wear trouser for their purpose: to work on farm/ranch. This is a rare case, but until around 1950's. I think several ladies, or young ladies (teenagers) began wearing the blue jeans. This is not the whole point I had in my mind, I mean, Why can't we guys wear skirt for their comfort? I am looking for some comfort. I wear a night gown( a XXl t-shirt) I also went a friend's ranch wearing western style Jean mini skirt with blouse and jacket along with cowboy boots. I felt real comfort better than the trouser.

[JoanneTV]

I have read every post on here and I agree that labels are of no use. I dress because it feels good and makes me complete, as my self esteem/worth skyrocket. The older I get the less I care of what the masses think, the day will come for me when I go out in public in a skirt. I don't care if your a CD/TV or TS, its what you make of it and as long as you enjoy it then who cares! Most men have tried xdressing, to include the macho rednecks who dare not admit it, I would say its more like 75%. Its a way of life for all of us, lets make the best of it!