All for the glamour?

[Brittany CD]

As a crossdresser I try to make myself look as good as I can for when I'm dressed as a woman. I will wear a nice dress and look as presentable as a woman going to a formal event. I do this mainly for the glamour of being a woman. Often women won't be presenting this way. They won't be wearing the amazing dresses and they won't have hair done nicely or be wearing makeup, mainly because they're human beings and like comfort and don't always have time to do these things. As crossdressers we often say how much we like being female, but is it an enjoyment based on the glamour of one aspect of the girl life?

[CONSUELO]

I believe it is. If you look at photos of cross dressers at major cross dressing functions, just about all of them dress as glamorously as possible.
When in male mode you probably don't mind just dressing "Down" Yet as a crossdresser we have some other forces at play and one of them is an urge to look like a very pretty and credible female, or at least get as close as we can by dressing as feminine as possible.
With growing confidence some of us do 'dress down" but it still has to meet a high standard of female dressing.

Answering this is a fundamental question that goes to the core of why we love to cross dress.

I know it is controversial but I do recognise a strong fetishistic component to my dressing in female clothes and also I must admit that I am more than a little fascinated by the Consuelo that I create. i do love that "person" and love to be occupying it as much as I can.

[Nikki A.]

I also try to look my best when I dress. However if I dressed 24/7/365 I also could not put in the same effort.
Of course what I wear depends on what I'm doing and where I'm going.

[Cheryl T]

It used to be that then somewhere along the way something changed.
Now I'm just as happy in shorts and t-shirt as I am in a cute summer dress. Don't get me wrong, I still adore being all dolled up and going someplace fabulous, but it's not the end all, be all that it used to be.

[Brianna_H]

I'm very new to crossdressing, but I get a thrill out of just wearing women's clothes, even when I'm not made up. I got to sit last night with my SO and just hang out and play video games while I wore a skirt and had my toenails painted. It was a-mazing. For me, it's about the freedom to be who I really am. If I go to an event or something, I'll get as glamorous as I can, because that's what we do at parties! But for me it is not about the glamour.

Maybe that will change when I get more clothes and get closer to passing, but right now the overwhelming sense of rightness when I let my girl-self come forward is the primary motivation. It's hard to stop smiling when I get to put on make-up.

[Julie Denier]

I only enjoy dressing when it's dresses, heels, wig, makeup and the works. I can be shlubby as a guy, and I like that fine, but my femme side is to the nines or not at all

[Ally 2112]

For the most part when i do dress up it is all about putting everthing together as best as i can but some days it is just about very little .A skirt a top and just whatching television and trying to feel normal (whatever that is lol )

[StephanieinSecret]

I often feel that my desire to fress is partly a desire for glamour, in a sense. Men's clothing is designed for function first, appearance second.
In my daily life as a man, I have minimal fashion sense, and dress in an entirely practical, unadorned way.
It's comfortable, doesn't restrain me, and I can fit all my suff in my pockets.

Women's clothing is totally the opposite. It's impractical, it can be a pain to get on and off, it carries social stigma, and it's quite expensive for how often I get to wear it. But I can indulge myself in the fabric, I can put together outfits, and I can focus on making myself look good. Women often complain about an excess of attention, but how invalidated and unattractive would they feel if no one noticed them visually, or cared about the effort they put into their presentation?

Underwear is much the same. Even if I'm not trying to be convincing, a pair of panties makes my little butt look GREAT- let's see some boring 'ol BOXERS do the same!

[Alice Torn]

I think you are very much right. Glamor starvation, is one reason i dress to the nines when i do dress/ I have heard of GGs complain of way too much male attention. In drab, most men don't get much attention, unless super handsome, charismatic, or super tall. I get asked a lot about how tall i am, when in drab. Dare i go out dressed up, and there will be far more atention, but. i always go out only in dresses, hose, heels and wig, so far, the few times i do go out. Sometime, i would like to try a top and jeans. Sorry karren!

[Kevyn53]

My wife and I have had several discussions about presentation. She jokes that most women try desperately to not have to jump through all the hoops that we do to get dolled up. So we've come up with a talk before I get ready to go out. am I appropriately dressed? When we did out big city trip last week I wore a black tank top with a sheer short sleeve blouse over it, open, and a jeans skirt and 2 inch sandals. and wig and makeup and nails and toenails (which she did for me). I fit right in. Standing out is one of the biggest flaws we make. And I got a lot of maam's that weekend.

My day job is in construction so drab is a given.

[Badwolf]

I'm pretty happy in regular women's PJ's at home too.

[grace7777]

I like getting all dressed up, but I also like to be casual in a skirt with low heels or flats and a top. Around the apartment I like to wear nightgowns. I am in drab only when I need to be. When I get jome from work all the drab clothing comes off.

[Nadine Spirit]

For me, I don't dress just to dress. I dress to go do something. Like travelling for vacation, or shopping, or going to the movies, or a museum, or a restaurant, etc. Thus I have not found good occasions to wear fancy clothes. I mean, I pretty much always dress on the nicer end of the spectrum but I am not interested in wearing an evening gown to the movies.

It is funny to read posts commenting about women and their desire or lack of desire to dress up in nicer clothes. My wife and I were just discussing how there is a lack of good appropriate events to attend in all of the super nice dresses we find.

[Badwolf]

I've done heels to the movies, and definitely not been the only girl there. There are limits to what works in many situations, but still.

[sandra-leigh]

Women's clothing is totally the opposite. It's impractical, it can be a pain to get on and off,

I step into a skirt, pull it up, and if necessary turn it so the label is in the right place. This is faster and easier than pulling on jeans and fastening them and putting on a belt.

If the ink label on my solid-color microfibre hipster panties has worn off, I might have to look at it a couple of times to figure out which part goes in between the legs. I do admit that Y-front mens briefs are never ambiguous that way, but neither are any of a number of other styles of panties (well, excluding some thongs.)

Most of my tops are a little easier to put on then T-shirts as T-shirts tend to have less arm freedom than most of my tops do. Buttoned blouses and button men's shirts are about the same to put on, though the buttons might be smaller on the blouses.

Some of my dresses are simple "pull over the top" -- which completes the dressing of my upper body, except perhaps for tucking in the plastic straps used to hang the dress straight. There is no one-piece equivalent in mens wear. It is true, though, that back-zip dresses or tops can be difficult to fasten by one's self.

When my dressing in women's clothes is slower than when I dressed in men's clothes, it is usually due to my taking more time to select what I am going to wear, and taking a bit more time to do "the sniff test".

"Shapewear" or corsets or bustiers or long-line bras can definitely slow down dressing, but I seldom wear those.

[Adriana Moretti]

but is it an enjoyment based on the glamour of one aspect of the girl life?

I think it is to some girls..and i get why.......I see alotta gals/CD'S in public...just over the top...just ultimate in fem attire Huge boobs, nails,glitter, sparkles,pink,purples,polka dots etc......which i get ...and I love too.. dont get me wrong....some gals dont get to get out that much so when they do they must explode with pink fairy dust....but it is ok to go hang in your sweats, and a comfy pair of sneakers too...

[Katey888]

As crossdressers we often say how much we like being female, but is it an enjoyment based on the glamour of one aspect of the girl life?

Brittany, I know it's true for many here, but equally many - like me - have never said they 'like being female'... I can understand that many want to think and feel that, but being female (as many of our delightful GGs here are quite rightly at pains to point out...) isn't all lollipops and roses, so I think your second assertion is right for me... I love the fact that it is possible to dress glam, even if that's just for my enjoyment and done a little conservatively...

Even conservatively, lipstick is glam, as are dangly earrings, bracelets, nail polish... I think it's perhaps a useful touchstone of what marks out 'pleasure dresser' with 'comfort dresser'... Not using comfort as a pejorative, but just to say it's more about folk who are having to dress to be comfortable presenting as the female gender to satisfy a dysphoria, rather than just for the glamorous aspect.

It is a quagmire of weirdness and individualism, this thing we do...

Katey x

[Katy120]

This is just an opinion without first-hand knowledge or experience, but it wouldn't surprise me to discover in some study of crossdressing that the desire to be glamourous was often the reason someone was unable to successfully pass. Truth be told, at least where I live, seeing someone in a dress is almost a rarity. It happens, but it isn't typical. You are most likely to see individuals in jeans and a top. Dressing up means switching to a more elegant pair of pants and top. It generally doesn't mean wearing a dress. Thus a CD actually calls attention to herself by just wearing a dress at all. This attention factor can be multiplied many times over if the individual has kicked up the glamour-factor several notches. Simply attention or awareness is elevated to scrutiny. If this is what you desire, go for it, but if passing, or perhaps blending would be a better word, wearing a glamourous dress may not advance your cause. It may prove a somewhat unwelcome reality, if you want to dress like a woman, don't wear a dress.

[Krisi]

I think one of the reasons crossdressers stand out in public is that they so often overdress for the occasion or time of day. Personally, I've never been one to overdo it. My highest heels are 3" but I mostly wear flats. I only wear enough makeup to disguise my beard and give the illusion of female. And my skirts and blouses are mostly just normal female casual or business wear.

[Chari]

It is ALWAYS wise to present your best feminine image as possible for the event and the season! Attire/makeup should be more conservative, except for the "party" scene, but the outfit should have an added something that is unique to give an individual look! It is sad to see that many attractive beautiful GG's just throw something on, do not take any time to brush their hair or even add lip color, and walk out into the publics eye! Just my vent! Enjoy.

[BethanyAnn]

I love getting dressed up and presenting elegantly, but for day to day things I will also just throw on some shorts and a tshirt or jeans and a flannel shirt in the winter and run my errands. I wear makeup and usually a wig, but I keep the makeup very basic. It's a part, but not the whole.

Bethany

[amandagurl2014]

A cute casual outfit with the right makeup and a wig is my fav.

[Donna June]

I think if I dressed or lived fulltime as a woman I would dress appropiately and for comfort just like most gg's. Since I dress only occasionally (wish it were a lot more) I do gravitate to the glamour side with sexy feminine dresses etc.

[NicoleScott]

...is it an enjoyment based on the glamour of one aspect of the girl life?

Yes! As a part-time dresser, I don't want to spend my limited en femme time in capri pants, I want to be glamorous. But I think if I were a woman, I would probably live in comfy clothes and glam it up only on special occasions. But I'm not a woman, just a guy who likes to dress up occasionally. Why waste it in a cardigan?

[Beverley Sims]

Dressing for a party is glamour and I like it.
I also live dressing for pleasure.