Similar behavior to crossdressing

[NicoleScott]

I think maladaptive daydreaming does apply to some of us. We see a catalog of pretty women wearing pretty dresses and we fantasize about wearing those pretty dresses after transforming into a feminine image with wigs, makeup, shapewear, etc. The crossdressing is making the fantasy real for us. I can't imagine how I could ever crossdress without first having that fantasy (daydream).
When anything (crossdressing, golf, gambling, drinking, daydreaming......) is done excessively (excessive is part of the definition of MD - see the OP) it can cause disruption of normal life activities, including interaction with others.
But certainly doesn't apply to all crossdressers whose normal life activities are not disrupted.

[Sue101]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

There is obviously some confusion about why I posted about MD.

I am not saying that crossdressing is a daydream or is just fantasy but there are many behavioral commonalities between MD and CDing if you read up about it.

CDing is not unique, it does not stand alone in splendid isolation. By looking at other conditions with an open mind we can better understand our own experiences.

For example who would have thought something as simple and normal as daydreaming could become an addictive behavior? Considering many CDs obsess about dressing then maybe we underestimate the powerful draw of an alternative reality and how it may then affect us in the real world. In MD the fantasies become increasingly more detailed and fleshed out so ultimately more rewarding. How many can relate to that?

Regular fantasies cannot be actualized because we can never be superheroes or the greatest athlete in the world or some mythical being. In CDing we can easily achieve the fantasy, we can live the life we find so rewarding. As Nicole Scott said the fantasy proceeds the enactment. It is the chicken and egg conundrum, which comes first?

Also the majority of those with MD say there was no trauma in their childhood that made them retreat into their fantasies. It simply happened by itself out of the blue. Again many CDs will relate. Maybe it is the overactive child's imagination that creates reality out of fantasy. The cause and effect that we seek to explain our CDing may simply not exist in the first place. If so we can be more relaxed about the what it all means.

There is no need to feel threatened by considering alternative explanations. We all have our own unique life experience and we can take or leave whatever we want from the experiences of others.

[jennifer0918]

Day dreaming you say?
Well who knows
Love&hugs
Good luck with your scholary pursuit on why we dress.
I live

[Jodie_Lynn]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

There is obviously some confusion about why I posted about MD.

I am not saying that crossdressing is a daydream or is just fantasy but there are many behavioral commonalities between MD and CDing if you read up about it.

CDing is not unique, it does not stand alone in splendid isolation. By looking at other conditions with an open mind we can better understand our own experiences.

.

Crossdressing is a 'condition' now, is it? Sounds like a 1950's euphemism for mental illness or alcoholism.

"Yes, Uncle Rupert is going away for a while. He has a 'condition'."

Just because activity "A" has points of commonality with activity "B", it does not correlate that they are similar. And comparing crossdressing to a negative mental state implies that crossdressing is a negative behavior.

While many of us would like to have a reason to explain why we are the way we are, maybe there is no definable reason. You might as well ask why some people are left-handed.

[NicoleScott]

"Methinks thou doth protest too much" over the use of the word "condition". It doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation. I might have used attribute, trait, or characteristic to describe my crossdressing. Sue chose condition.

Daydreaming is good, but living your entire life in a fantasy world is not. How could we invent without daydreaming about it first?

[Becky Blue]

Possibly some people may dream and imagine themselves as the other gender, but that has nothing to do with actually dressing or being transgendered in my opinion.