What causes the urge to crossdress?

[busker]

I agree with Busker, mostly. Crossdressing is not genetic as it would run in families and be double present in twins. Perhaps epigenetics could explain crossdressing.

I feel that crossdressing begins before birth and perhaps is a result of incomplete masculinization of the early fetus' brain (hypothalamus). Perhaps it is a mild form of transexualism. If crossdressers are different from transexuals...then there should be examples of transexuals who are crossdressers...and examples of transexuals who are not crossdressers. CD, TS, both or neither.

Jennifer, I read of a study that looked for illness occurrence in identical twins and the conclusion of the study was that only about 12% get the same disease.
What keeps me on the line of thinking about body chemistry is that being a CD occurs world wide, so it lets out local influences and family influences which is unknowingly based on Lamarck's ideas: "Lamarckism is the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring."
familial influence theory has been --obviously--discredited as an evolutionary theory. Perhaps some people don' like the idea because it takes them out of the loop--they had nothing to do with being a CD--they are "just following (biological) orders". well, we do that anyway, but I think that CDs make this special in their lives and to be sort of a puppet to nature is a little disheartening. As I pointed out, there are musical prodigies, math whizzes and all sorts of children born into ordinary families, and they generally follow their "star". Some eventually become just "ordinary " people but most excel within their gift area. The value of this being chemical in nature is that it IS the answer that we can provide that seems to support "we don't know" and supports the "I yam what I yam" crowd to boot, and the frequency world wide indicates that we are indeed NOT ALONE.

[VickiTheGamer]

I started when I was really young and find it to be exhilarating, but I have found the URGE to do so a great deal stronger when certain circumstances are in effect. I find I like being a male and female, but chose to live as a male and my CD interests have stayed behind closed doors. As for the circumstances that urge me to dress MORE often, they are.

When Single:
If I have not been out on a date in a long time
If I am dating but I don't have sex at all with her
If the women I date might be sexual BUT she is not very Feminine (may not dress feminine, or her behavior is too masculine to find her to be as attractive as she might be otherwise to me. Any number of ideas that could portray a lack of femininity on this one).

When I have a Girl Friend (how it is currently for me):
I found the urge is greater the longer we go without having sex (many many months now)
I also found that I really like "sexy" looks and if my GF chooses not to be sexy much, I tend to want it and start to do it myself. It's like wanting to dress her up, but there isn't any way in hell she will dress the way I want her to, so, instead I do.

It's like, the less I am around a sexy (and sexually active) women, the more I desire dressing up.

When younger, (5 years old up to puberty), I found I dressed because it felt good. Once I hit puberty, I found it as a sexual release. Now that I am older, it is one, the other, or both. Sometimes I dress up and get excited and masturbate, other times I dress up and just feel good and hang around the house all day (not a work day of course) doing what ever. No urge to masturbate or anything.

[missmars]

For internal pease

[FrillyShelly]

What causes the urge to Crossdress ??? The answer to that is easy - SATIN !!!

[busker]

I started when I was really young and find it to be exhilarating, but I have found the URGE to do so a great deal stronger when certain circumstances are in effect. I find I like being a male and female, but chose to live as a male and my CD interests have stayed behind closed doors. As for the circumstances that urge me to dress MORE often, they are.

When Single:
If I have not been out on a date in a long time
If I am dating but I don't have sex at all with her
If the women I date might be sexual BUT she is not very Feminine (may not dress feminine, or her behavior is too masculine to find her to be as attractive as she might be otherwise to me. Any number of ideas that could portray a lack of femininity on this one).

When I have a Girl Friend (how it is currently for me):
I found the urge is greater the longer we go without having sex (many many months now)
I also found that I really like "sexy" looks and if my GF chooses not to be sexy much, I tend to want it and start to do it myself. It's like wanting to dress her up, but there isn't any way in hell she will dress the way I want her to, so, instead I do.

It's like, the less I am around a sexy (and sexually active) women, the more I desire dressing up.

When younger, (5 years old up to puberty), I found I dressed because it felt good. Once I hit puberty, I found it as a sexual release. Now that I am older, it is one, the other, or both. Sometimes I dress up and get excited and masturbate, other times I dress up and just feel good and hang around the house all day (not a work day of course) doing what ever. No urge to masturbate or anything.

This may actually be a mistake to think that dressing and masturbation are on an equal footing here. Puberty is the TIME we get sexual urges, get the urge to flog the dog because NATURE is pushing us to become sexually mature. We may be combining the fact that we have on panties and are now masturbating and thus we have cause and effect when in reality, the 2 things may not be connected at all---just in our own minds. Other kids at 12 masturbate but don't wear panties, so it makes sense that the 2 things don't necesssarily go together. However, if one makes the association that wearing panties causes us to masturbate, then we will probably always have that k\l ink in our minds. The shame that some feel may be realy due to MASTURBATION--not panties.

[MssHyde]

good input here! I'm sure many think the desire is spiritual as well, my wife thinks I need to rebuke satan away.

I told her thats not the reason, I have felt the pull all my life. (It does give me a inner high though)

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Adrienner, It's just who we are and it's just what we do.

[Leila Be]

To feel what I otherwise don't feel. An alternative comfort zone. That feels good.

[Nichola]

Genetics is an underlying theme and/or ingredient throughout the professions. Another ingredient needed is a trigger. The long or short fuse which ignites the inborn disposition and proclivity to crossdress. Multitudes of events, persons, and physiological events can trigger our genetic behavior, no matter how long the dormancy. So we are indeed varied when tasked to come up with a valid reason.

This is how I feel Teresa, I do think it could it could be genetics & there was certainly a trigger point for me at a very early age.

[Jeanna]

"The cause of the urge crossdress" I crossdress every day in men's clothing because I have too (work,play, social stuff). I dress normally when I get the chance.

[Ariel111]

For me it's two-fold, sticking it to society and rejecting the norms and being able to feel and let out the feminine side. My wife loves the fem side because I'm more open and emotional. It's a balance that is much needed.

[CassandraSmith]

Jeanna,

LOL! That was the best response I've ever seen.

[Stefanie Miller]

No idea but having been dressing since mid teens and now mid 50's I accept it as part of who I am. And having my wife accept it makes life that much better. She has said it makes me happy and that is good enough for her. I am one very lucky person.

[Alice Torn]

I really do not know why. I know i was picked on and ridiculed by boys in school, and by brothers at home. I wet the bed until 20. I joined the Air Force, to prove i was a man, to my brothers. I seldomed talked to girls, because i was shy, afraid, and felt unworthy to talk to them I saw later, after i started experimenting with my sister's and mom's clothes, that the Bible condemned crossdressing, in Deut 22:5. So, my like has been dominated by fear, guilt, and shame, and at 58, still is. However, i accept this vice i have more, now, and just try to keep it under control, as an older odd single man.

[Diversity]

It's a good question, and one which I try to understand everytime the urge hits me, which is becoming ever stronger and more frequent. I just enjoy wearing women's clothes. Why? I just don't know.....
Di

[April_Ligeia]

I look at makeup and women's clothes and just want it. Life would be simpler if I knew why. Actually, life would be simpler if it were socially acceptable.

[larissa-laurie]

I think it might have something to do with some form of sexual desire. When I was 13 and my sister dressed me up totally girly from nylons to a wig with makeup and jewelry for an evening, I slowly felt the stimulation and arrousal for the bedroom. I asked her for two nights after that and she dressed me up saying I made a good looking girl and I should go to school with her to the all girls school. I really wanted to fulfill fantasy after fantasy and it was difficult when dressing was not possible. Usually my feminine dressing ended up leading towards sexual fulfillment if even in the mind only.

[prene]

Just seems natural for me.

I just wish I had the 100% original female body

[PaulaQ]

I think it might have something to do with some form of sexual desire.

I used to think this was the case for me, and I suppose it still is to some degree. I think it started out that way, when I was young, and this disturbed me. But I've noticed lately that this isn't always the case anymore, and that sometimes, it just feels more normal. Part of me finds that more disturbing, to be honest.

[Karencd37]

I might be in the minority here, but I why does it really matter? How many wonder why they like the arts or sports?
I enjoy it and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Where did I leave my glass of wine?

A perfect response. It doesn't matter. As a youth it was a concern for me....(why am I different?) Then, when I discovered I wasn't alone, I relaxed and enjoyed both sides of me - my male life and my female side. I don't want to become a woman,or wish I was female (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) I just enjoy the times I have to bring out and express my feminine desires. I think the hard part is many of us need to keep this special part of our personality concealed for one reason or another.