All dressed up and pretty

[Kate Simmons]

What are your real feelings when you are all dressed up and pretty? Do you feel relaxed or do you feel excited? Do you feel the freedom of just being your real self or do you want to go tell the world? Are you happy and giddy or nervous and unsure? Why do you feel that way? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Jean Marie]

when I am dressed nicely I certainly feel good, happy and yes relaxed, I feel like the real me and this is how I was supposed to be, but things got fouled up. I have grown to feel very comfortable in public when enfemme. I feel very blessed to be a crossdresser and be able to express my feminine felings. I know this has mad me a much better and more well rounded person Jean Marie

[cindyscute]

Im not really nervous and unsure. Most of the time Im happy and feel an inner peace or relaxation. But there is excitement factor that goes with it. Now that I have you all confused. To sum it up it just somehow feels right and very nice. Don't know if I'd want to tell the world though.

[Sonia_cd]

Excited about being me and that relaxes me completely. Invariably, within 10-15 minutes of dressing I end up snoozing for about half hour fully dressed. So my answer would be fully relaxed.
I really do not wish to shout it from the roof tops and am completely blissful in my state of being at the time. I don't dress to make a statement but to satisfy a deep inner need for expression. That expression takes many forms in many situations but is most coherent when dressed.
Happy yes becuase it is a more complete feeling. But neither giddy nor unsure nor nervous. The happiness comes from a state of mind that is not continuously at odds with itself or fighting itself in the real world. I think the term I'm looking for is "holistic gender expression". It is a contentment that is only best experienced and not described if you ask me.

I hope I have been able to provide some food for thought to that inquiring mind.

[Dressing Jill]

All of that and more.

It really depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes when I am having a hard day, I come home and get dressed in something relaxing and it is like a breath of fresh air a rush of joy goes over my soul.

Other times I feel very pretty when I am all dressed up in a beautiful dress with all of the trimmings and have put my face on.

Sometimes I feel very strong feminine when I have a cowgirl outfit on, I want to go get on a horse and ride all day long.

Sometimes I feel neutral when I am fishing and have a good time with only mascara and maybe lipstick on and of course under garments.

Sometimes I feel giddy and it doesn't seem to be anything that I am wearing it just comes over me like water in a shower.

Sometimes when I am playing billiards or pool I feel like I am on top of the world like the top women players.

Sometimes when I eat out and am watching what I eat I feel very sensible and proud of my female taking excellent care of me.

Sometimes when I am at the nail salon and have broken a nail and have just told the big dude next to me waiting on his wife that I broke a nail, I feel very mischievous.

Sometimes when I am out with my GG friend I feel all girlie.

Sometimes when I am out shopping for clothes both male and female I get all excited, well that happens whenever I shop.LOL>.... I just love to shop.

Sometimes when I am at work and the customer is talking to me and I say the right things I feel very proud to be both female and male and can adapt to the conversation without them knowing that the women inside is in control.LOL>....

Sometimes when I am rambling on and on I feel that I may have lost my audience.

So enough for now.

[Carol A]

I can't wait to shower and shave every morning knowing I get to dress and look like the lady I always want to be. I go out of my way to look pretty and dress nicely.

For me it's just me as I have been dressing since I was 14 and going out so I feel very much at home and comfortable with me.

My wife has no problems as she said " it's just who I am". Been married to her for 45 years

[deja true]

How do I feel?

Well, kinda like Jill has related, it kinda relates to the situation...

Honestly don't think I'm ever really "pretty" whenever I dress up, but I surely do feel "at home". Otherwise why would I do it when I know there's nobody to see me?

When at a conference or surrounded by lots of brothers and sisters, I feel part of a big family. Safe and accepted for who I am. Comfortable and secure that only good things are happening.

When out on my own (which doesn't get to happen often), I'm still apprehensive and a little nervous. This is what I need to get over! "Pretty" is not really the object of the exercise. But being calm and acceptable and sorta taken for granted surely is.

[Lisa LIckorice]

Honestly, I feel so relaxed when I'm dressed! It's such an amazing stress relief for me! If I didn't have it, I don't know what I'd do! That is a reason that I know that I can never stop!

[Shauna marie]

I feel very relaxed and like this is how I should be. I just feel natural when dressed and wish I could do it more often. I would love to be able to go out sometime and be a girl for awhile.

[Karren H]

I feel very comphy.. But I feel very comphy in drab too.. But I always get this deep seated urge!!! Uber strong and unbearible... And finally I can't resist any more so I reach down and grab my ................. purse and seek out the closest clothing store and try everything and anything on.. Except jeans...

[Carly D.]

Some anxiety.. never sure who might show unannounced.. but for the most part I feel "IT".. that feeling that I always achieve when dressing.. what is that feeling (IT?) I can't really explain.. whatever it is I chase that feeling everytime and everytime I nail it.. unlike a drug, I've heard, I can nail the feeling I'm after no matter what.. and if that means just wearing the least amount to get to the feeling I'm after then there it is then.. (happy days I nailed that one..)

[Kate Simmons]

Well, the "IT" is a taste of getting in touch with our deep feelings Carly. It is not unlike feeling endorphins kick in after exercise or sex but much more powerful. This is why we have to be careful to get a handle on the feelings and take ownership of them as the process itself will tend to take us over otherwise. Navigating the feelings takes experience, however, and is not automatic. This is why it sometimes takes many years to come into our own so to speak after a lot of trial and error. The result if we are lucky is a full spectrum and complete person.

[victoriamwilliams1]

I am relaxed and when I know I will be dressing on that day I get very restless until I can dress.

[jenna_woods]

wen all dressed up and going out I am soooo relaxed its wonderful. Its very nice after a day at work. I have spent all day dressedd and out shopping,

[gennee]

[SIZE="3"]I feel the freedom to be my real self. I go in public quite often. I pray that someone who may be struggling or closeted will be encouraged. I have a strong belief that they are more CDs out there than is to be believed.

Gennee[/SIZE]

[Christina Horton]

when I go out dressed I feel normal but Sexy.

[Kathi Lake]

How do I feel when dressing? You know that almost orgasmic feeling you get when you slip into a nice warm bubble bath after a long and stressful day? That's how I feel when I dress. I get to shed the manly cares of this world and slip into something a lot more comfortable - my girly side.

Kathi

[Kate Simmons]

What I'm mostly getting here is that when we dress or act femme, we basically slip into an alternate reality we have created. I get that and quite honestly I challenge anyone to try and tell me it's not actually real when we do it. Reality is what we make it after all.

[Miranda09]

I agree. When I'm dressed I usually start feeling very sexy and feminine and it really does feel like I've been transformed. It's a great emotional and psychological release from the day to day stresses we all experience.

[Super Amanda]

It's changed over the years... when I was very young I felt confused, and compelled...

When I was a teenager I was still confused but would get a bit excited and felt like I was doing something "naughty" Lots of guilt.

In my early twenties I was less excited, but now anxious because I started venturing "out" dressed. Like an occasional trip to Walmart, or early morning walk. I hated being "all dressed up, with no place to go", so I went. In a way I had more courage then, yet barely could apply makeup and used horrible Halloween wigs!

In my mid twenties I finally got online, and started learning...So I guess I felt very inquisitive on the why's and the if's and how's. That's when I learned for certain that this will not ever, ever go away. I believed myself to be a crossdresser and slowly started to look at forums like this and sites like urnotalone.com. I also got my first camera and used it more as a tool to examine my look and work on things like posture and smile.

Now I'm 29 and going to be 30 in July. In these last couple of years I've been coming to terms with myself. I stopped lying to myself about how much, and how long I've wanted to be a girl. I know I'm going to transition now. Ive felt many, many different things in this period. From fear when I was still in the closet and afraid co-workers would notice things like arm hair and eyebrows, to times of clarity and happiness now that I'm out. Now I spend my time at home, around my family as a woman, and they accept me, and that's a wonderful feeling. I get no sexual thrill at all, and don't miss it. I have been able to feel happy, and that's the best feeling so far!

Over all it was always a mental release, and if I would go too long without it I would become a miserable, despicable human being. And yes, I always have felt pretty while dressed, whether true or not!

[Deedee Dupree]

Uhhuh...

What are your real feelings when you are all dressed up and pretty?

>>Ok, I'll bite. According to HMQ, I walked in with a happy face today, so, I like me as me is. What a babe! What a @#$#! Is that real? Now you have distracted me and I gotta figure if any of the feelings are phoney. At the moment, darned if I know<laugh>

Do you feel relaxed or do you feel excited?

>> Can't I do both?

Do you feel the freedom of just being your real self or do you want to go tell the world?

>>I run on freedom, therefore feedback is beside the point. If I am feeling needy, I show...tell me how good I look...flatters my vanity. Just don't grab my butt without prior approval.<<

Are you happy and giddy or nervous and unsure?

>>Hap, hap happy.<< If I'm out and a knucklehead throws a beer can at me I'm not nervous or unsure, I'm pissed.

Why do you feel that way?

>>Way I am built... elegant effects in design...the product of how many years of evo?<<

Inquiring minds want to know.

>>Write it all down, if you please,<laugh> <<

Take Care, dd

[Carly D.]

What I'm mostly getting here is that when we dress or act femme, we basically slip into an alternate reality we have created. I get that and quite honestly I challenge anyone to try and tell me it's not actually real when we do it. Reality is what we make it after all.

True.. and your response on my prior entry also true.. I went on what I call "Dares" earlier in the year, and they escalated almost out of control (ok completely out of control).. alternate reality is where I was really at at one point I had talked myself into going into a Walmart completely dressed up, chickened out at the moment of truth.. then I came home and had a long look at the pictures I took the night before I went on this "sortie" and realized that I DON'T PASS. and thankfully I chickened out of trying to assault Walmart.. even though it was night, what I forgot to take into consideration is the store has lights, and is well lit at night.. so I would have been clocked right in the front door.. what I know a lot of people here say passing is over rated but that is exactly what I thought I was doing was passing.. now after looking at my pictures I realized that passing is out there (around Pluto) and that I will adopt a 'yeah I'm a guy in drag' type of thing before trying this again.. and as I have also said after years of dressing at home and being more or less closeted or very clever when out dressed that changing my mind about being seen is gonna take some time to do.. I've always tried to keep from being seen, now suddenly I am to think "oh, it's ok now?"..

[Kate Simmons]

Love that response Dee Dee and I have to say I've evolved as well. When I was Victoria I was a submissive type but also prudish. Then I got independent, became Ericka and was an "in your face kick ass" type bitch. I usually went for the jugular. Well, Ma'am I realized I was going too far in the opposite direction so enter Salandra to stabilize things. Once that was accomplished, I went for the more profound stuff. The point is, I actually lived the whole gamut of my femme feelings and emotions in essence becoming a woman so I could become a man finally who was okay just being myself and just being a person. The feelings were indeed real and I did and do live them and enjoy them and as I often say, the simplest things are usually the hardest to understand.

[WandaRae2009]

I would say it is mostly relaxing. The more stressed I am the stronger the urge seems to be. So dressing helps me relax completely.

[Brenda456]

If I am by myself at home, then xecited but comfortable. If I am concerned that a family member might drop by, a bit nervous. But I like it!