Then and now

[Lorna]

I recognise that, at my age, I am one of a dwindling number of members whose dressing days were inspired by and began in the very different world of the 1950s. I'm clear about what spiked my interest in women's clothing but I'm also aware that I wouldn't have been similarly fascinated by what women generally wear today. So, I wonder whether younger cross-dressers, brought up in the modern world, can explain what it is that inspires their dressing.

For me, I'm quite clear that the main influence back in the late 1950s was a curiosity about what it was like to wear those items of clothing that were distinctly different from what I, as a man, wore. I can list those. It starts with stockings, suspenders, girdles and bras. Then come skirts, dresses and petticoats/slips. All of those have no equivalent in male dress ? and all feel very different to the wearer. Blouses, tops, etc were pretty well identical to men's shirts, jumpers, etc, so not really of great interest. Two items are in a different category: shoes are worn by men and women but heeled shoes, fashion boots, etc only by women and something similar can be said of pants/panties: men's pants are different (coarser material, fly opening, etc) but essentially they are similar ? so, to me, not the most interesting of contrasts.

I can see that, between about 1970 and the turn of the century, skirts and dresses remained prominent in women's wear but were diminishing together with slips. Tights/pantihose replaced stockings and saw the demise of suspenders and girdles ? but I note how many cross-dressers name tights as their starting point. Today even those are much less in evidence though not yet extinct. That seems to leave only heeled shoes/boots and bras as a total distinction between male and female dress ? and again I notice how much those items plus panties (because of their variety of materials and styles) remain as key items for cross-dressers.

I'm sorry if the length of this post annoys some and sorry, too, if these points are dismissed as the ramblings of an elderly man but I would be interested to hear what equivalent stimuli provoke the start of cross-dressing in young men today. Please note that I am distinguishing between dressing ? clothing ? and the wider world of transitioning and living as a woman which clearly require a high degree of conformity with modern female dress.

[MoniqueAsh743]

Mine was the fact that women looked so attractive and the clothes were the cover. It was desire to see what that was all about. Also as you alluded to the undergarments still number 1 thing that gets you hooked. Also the feeling you don?t get as a man with skirts brushing your legs. I was born in 70s so formative years late 70s early 80s

[alwayshave]

Lorna, I was born in the early sixties and feel the same way.

[Hidey]

Yes Lorna I'm a similar age and 50's and 60's fashions where attractive, in particular wanted a hooped skirt and petticoat. Would also like to try earlier fashions corsets and tightly fitted dresses and long skirts just dreaming as I rarely have a chance to dress at all Hidy

[docrobbysherry]

Let's call a spade a spade, Lorna. Dressers of our age were used to women looking very feminine and totally different than men.
So, u and I may prefer to either dress as men or women. Nothing in between is crossdressing to me. And, why I consider "dressing to blend" to be like a root canal!

Where as today young dressers have a very different view of what women dress like. With no clear difference in clothing, it's no wonder many prefer to present androgenous looks.

[Stephanie47]

Lorna, I'm 76 years old. My interest in women's attired seemed to awake when I hit puberty. Before that I had no use for girls. It was sports, sports and sports. Or playing "cowboys and Indians" brought on by all the westerns on TV in the 1950's or playing "war" as a child of those who served in WW2. I think there was a subconscious element in watching "Ozzie and Harriet" and "Leave It to Beaver" that formed the wishful thinking how a woman should dress. Yes, there are some days when my eyes are pleased, but increasingly those days are few. I have to get my visual fix by watching Vanna White turn those letter every night. I also find it interesting that all the local weather-girls wear dresses; more than the women who are local news anchors. It's perplexing. I wonder if the weather-girls are consciously or subconsciously trying to appeal to an approving audience. I'd really like to see a study on my observation.

As a cross-dresser my taste in women's clothing is dresses, heels and hosiery. Yes, brought on by June Cleaver and fortified by decades of Vanna White. The downside of being 76 is having decades of social oppression to overcome.

[Diane P]

Lorna, I was born in the late 50's but other than underdressing in panties from 2002 to 2022, didn't wear much else in the way of women's clothes, though the panties did feel so much more comfortable than men's underwear. Just started fully crossdressing, dresses, nightgowns, bras, stockings, thigh highs, etc. until Sep of last year after my wife passed. Not sure if it was a reacton to her passing or my subconcious deciding that now I could dress the way I wanted without worrying about what she would have thought about it. I do have about 5 pair of women's jeans, and several tops to go with them, but the majority of my women's clothes are dresses, I'd say probably close to about 60.

[Rhonda Jean]

I'm not that far behind you, Lorna. Like Diane, I was born in the late 50's. It manifested itself differently in me, though. I tried my sister's petticoats when I was a little kid, but that didn't stick. I was never that into stockings and garters. I've worn my share of skirts and dresses, and certainly I can point to a couple of mini dresses that were unequalled as far as thrilling things to wear, but I've probably been less focused on skirts and dresses than most. I probably looked my very best in skinny (REALLY skinny) jeans, a sweater top, and stilettos.

To your point, in the 70's I wore a lot of girl's clothes as my everyday wardrobe and I hardly anybody noticed. Shirt buttons were on the opposite side, sometimes the pants zipper overlapped the other way, and sometimes women's tops had "darts", which my dad observantly pointed out on one of my tops when I was 15 or 16.

My "then" thing that I've never found an equal to is long hair, beauty shops, and roller sets. I was still getting roller sets when nearly all salons had quit doing them. I also hung onto doing makeup like my mother did... Blue eyeshadow (one color), red lips, and red blush. Thankfully I found a wonderful Merle Norman lady who got me out of that when I was still in my early 20's. I slathered on the foundation back then, but I didn't wear much more than my wife did. When we did our makeup at the same time at the bathroom vanity I pretty well followed her lead. The style back then was heavy foundation and adding color back, and I don't think either one of us even had anything besides blue eyeshadow for several years into our marriage. I actually see that coming back now (on TV at least).

[Maria 60]

Your making me wonder about something because sharing room with my slob sister at a young age that lead me to try on a pair of pantyhose she left on my bed post. After so much enjoyment with the pantyhose the biggest thrill came when I picked up a slip on the floor and that was WOW!. The part I'm wondering about is woman don't wear pantyhose or slips anymore. My wife doesn't own any and I believe I lent her a pair a few years back for a work function she had and she gave me her slips about five years ago. With that in mind in this day and age what would have striked the spark for me to crossdress, I'm not really into women's fashion today which they seams to be wearing less and less all the time.
Women now walk around with short tops bras showing and half naked and to think I would freak out when I seen a little lace from a slip showing from the bottom of a skirt worn down to a women's ankles.
So now you got me wondering what prompts a new generation boy to try on what piece of clothing from the opposite sex

[OrdinaryAverageGuy]

Born in the late 60's. While I like wearing skirts and dresses as much as the next guy, if society would let me wear anything I'd be in short shorts and spaghetti straps most of the time, adding fishnet stockings if I felt like dressing up. Honestly I don't remember seeing women in dresses very often except at church, and hoop skirts and the like were reserved for rare themed events (I saw my cousin in one once, and that's the only one I can remember other than women on the stage doing musicals).

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hii Lorna , I will be81 in 2months, and I can totally agree about the 50s' Fashions.

I have been in this program for over 75 years Now, >Orchid**00**

[Bea_]

I was born in '55. If I had any feminine ideal from my childhood, the only thing that stands out is June Allison in "The Glenn Miller Story". The movie was made in '54 but the setting was late thirties - early forties. The big, full dresses and skirts are what I remember and still inspire me. It's not necessarily what I'd wear but I love that era. I saw a pretty young woman working in a local bookstore a couple of years ago with that style clothing and a 40's hairstyle. I wouldn't hate for that style to come back.

But, I came of age in the seventies and the hippie bohemian style is another major inspiration. I've appreciated the evolution of women's fashion all along. I don't hate that women wear yoga pants as everyday wear. That's one of my favorite items to wear as well. The best thing about women's fashion is that it's so diverse and that's the thing I find myself most jealous of. We don't call men's wear "drab" for no reason.

[JulieC]

I was born in the mid 60s. So several points...

For me, the first thought of crossdressing was seeing Batgirl tied up on a conveyor belt, and I wanted to be dressed like her. I was something like 4 or 5. Fast forward a few years, and I tried on my mom's pantyhose. I was absolutely 100% hooked from that moment on. So, if I was inspired, it was by those two things. But, I'm not sure that's the inspiration. I mean, pantyhose is very central to my crossdressing, but it's not all of it.

I'm going to have to disagree slightly about the demise of skirts/dresses. I will grant that women wear pants of some kind far more than they wear skirts and dresses nowadays. But, from April - October, I see plenty...and I mean plenty...of women wearing skirts and dresses, at least in my region. So, I'm sure that at least around these parts, young men see that and it influences them.

Slips have all but disappeared. In large part, they're just not needed anymore. On the rare occasion, I still see some retailers selling slips, but you get the choice of three colors; white, beige, and black. That's IF they have them. I think it very rare for women to wear slips now, and I'm sure the retailers that do have them are only catering to an older demographic. I still have some slips, but I rarely wear them. I do have an absolutely gorgeous pink petticoat that I just adore. There's pink fabric everywhere, and I feel so wonderful wearing it. But, the only time I've ever seen women wearing petticoats anymore are some variety of folk dancing. They aren't part of women's attire anymore. You can still buy them though.

Where I live, there is a strong representation of people in the younger women demographic. I see many of them wearing skirts and dresses, as I mentioned before. I almost never see them wearing pantyhose, and if they are it's part of an outfit for a night out. I do see them wearing more-than-skin-tight shorts that show the shape of every pimple they cover. Black leggings used to be all the rage..more than 60% (yes, I checked one day, counting 200 women and arriving at that 60%+ figure) wore black leggings on cooler days. Now the leggings are all sorts of colors, and some with sheer panels. Tops are similarly tight, and often cropped. Sports bras are common outerwear. In short, on warm days this demographic usually wears as little as possible.

I think if a young man were to get into crossdressing now, it would be over skirts, dresses, heels, bras, and leggings. Certainly pantyhose, slips, petticoats, stockings, garters, girdles, and crinolines would no longer have any role.

For my part, wearing women's pants isn't crossdressing. I've never owned women's pants and have no desire to do so whatsoever. Leggings have no interest for me either. I am naturally drawn to a fashion style that hovers around the 50-60s era, even though I was just a baby in the 60s.

[SuzyZahn]

i guess I`m still addicted to the June Cleaver attires.

[Heather76]

Lorna, I'm 78 and everything you and Stephanie wrote I have to agree with. We are products of our youth and all the beautiful women we were able to admire. I clearly remember being infatuated with the looks of Barbara Billingsly Loretta Young, Patti Page, and others. Seeing them in their beautiful dresses, nylons and heals, makeup, and perfectly styled hair was such a treat. They exuded femininity to the fullest and made woman look 180? the opposite of men.

[Brenda Freeman]

I was born in 1954 and those early days seeing mom in shapewear girdles, nylons garters and slips had a huge influence on my interests. also the old TV shows where the house wives always were dressed in pretty dresses make up and nylons and heels. Still love the classic old wonderful clothes. When I entered the workforce and particularly I in later years I enjoyed the clothes women wore to work when hosiery and dresses and skirts were still the norm with new updated styles. I do like the current styles women wear when they dress up, but yes it sure has changed both in the office and on the streets.

[audreyinalbany]

I guess I'm kind of a freak here because for me, it's not EXACTLY about the clothes....I've got a few dresses that are 'cocktail-ish' and I'm happy to wear them and I enjoy a nice casual skirt from time to time, but for me it's more about presenting as a normal, everyday woman. I too was born in the fifties so my first exposure was rubber girdles and thigh high stockings and clunking around in Mom's high heels, but these days Leggings and a casual top are fine with me as long as I've got the hips and breasts and hair to go with them. I'm not interested in being 'sexy' (whatever that means). I just want a go about my business as your everyday, average woman.

[BobbiKay]

I was born in the early '50s also. During my impressionable years, I don't think that pantyhose were a Thing yet; my mother wore girdles with garters to support her nylons. Another influence for me, in addition to those already mentioned, was the Sears and Wards catalogs. I was looking at other things in addition to the Craftsman tools.

These days I find some items in the poundage store that look old enough to be from that era, notably slips that bear the ILGWU label.

[Karren H]

I may have started dressing based on those old girdles and bras and stockings but I really do enjoy wearing modern versions of those old foundations plus corsets under modern feminine attire! It is just too bad I can?t find any local sources for bullet bras!

[Sometimes Steffi]

I was born in the early '50s also. During my impressionable years, I don't think that pantyhose were a Thing yet; my mother wore girdles with garters to support her nylons.

I was also born in the early fifties. I don't know if pantyhose existed, but my mother wore girdles with garters to support her nylons. For a long time, I couldn't figure out how the contraptions worked. Then I got a real hockey uniform. As Karren can attest, real hockey uniforms come with a garter belt to hold up the (woolen) socks under the padded hockey shorts.

It is just too bad I can't find any local sources for bullet bras!

There are plenty of bullet bras listed on eBay.

[docrobbysherry]

I bought a bullet bra many years ago, Karren. But, have yet to find an occasion to wear it.

And, I can't wear it with any of my breast plates or crop tops because they r all have pre formed breasts!

[MoniqueAsh743]

For those decrying the reduction of women wearing dresses, stockings etc, as a CD who is still in love with my wife, I really appreciate the womens form and also love seeing very attractive women in yoga pants, sports bras, sun dresses etc. I now have 3 pairs of yoga pants and as a male have to say why don?t more men wear them, the feeling is not dissimilar to the first time I wore pantyhose but it is easier to get away with. For those of you who haven?t worn leggings especially in the north going into fall/winter may I suggest you try. you can find dupes of major brands for around 20 US dollars and they feel just amazing.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I probably have about 20 pairs of yoga pants, all from the women's department. I have several florals and most of the others are pink and/or have designs on them. I do have one color-blocked pair, which is the tamest one I have. I've been wearing these exclusively to yoga class. I often go to yoga class with painted nails also, usually pink or blue.

[Brenda Freeman]

I am with you Monique, I wear leggings regularly and agree they are comfortable love the look and feel. I think they look great on women same with jeans. I wear them regularly to an exercise class with my wife, I am usually the only male, all the women wear leggings and I fit right in just one of the exercisers. I also wear them shopping I do live in the NW so they are great when the weather is cooler. I do love the older looks dresses skirts etc., but embrace the newer looks too. I just try to fit in especially if I am out and about.

[Debbie Denier]

Lorna I was born in the mid 60s . Sheer tights and pantyhose were the starting point for me. Slips, stockings and foundation wear from that era also had an affect on me too.