Living Full Time

[Suzy Harrison]

I never thought I'd go full time. But I can't stand this double life any longer and plan to do it by May/Jun next year.

But this will not be as a CD, but as a TS, as I'm about to start hormone treatment with surgery to follow later. I feel I don't have a choice in the matter as the urge is so great.

So you might find things can change in your life - it justs take time.

[Jocelyn Renee]

My wife and I have had several discussions about this topic over the last 6 months. She's of the opinion that I am going to desire to transition a few years down the line after our children have embarked on their own lives. At times the idea seems quite compelling, but ultimately I think my bi-gendered status will remain. My wife will be supportive either way, but if I was to transition our relationship would fundamentally change. Tonya and Jocelyn are best friends, but Tonya and Charlie are best friends, lovers, husband and wife - that's something I wouldn't trade for anything.

[Cathytg]

I wonder how many times I have asked myself that same question. I usually come away thinking that, no, I would not dress 24/7. There are ties when it seems like a lot of bother and gets in the way of things I am doing.

But, then, I have not got the opportunity so I really don't know.

[kathtx]

All other considerations aside, I'd transition tomorrow.

But back in the world as it is, at this point I'm still regaining equilibrium after a number of big changes. My wife was quite sick for about four years; she's physically recovered now, but it's only been the last year or so that our emotional health has recovered. We picked up and moved from California to Texas for a number of reasons (back to university teaching for both of us, moving closer to her family, less traffic...). My head needs to catch up with all that before putting transition back on track.

Kath

[Veronica 1]

If circumstances allowed, I would in a heartbeat. Unfortunately life does not allow it at this time.

[melissacd]

I am at a place in my life where it might actually be possible so I am considering this option carefully. I have been living in my own place with a cd room mate for 8 months now and we have both reached a comfort level with our dressing, getting out into the community, dressing around and outside the house. I spent a week's vacation this summer 100% femme and loved every minute of it. I have been getting IPL to remove facial hair, I have grown my hair longer and gotten it properly colored and cut and I contemplate the steps to going full time at this point. There really is very little at this point stopping me other than coming out at work.

Hmmmm...pondering carefully this option.

[Denise01]

If I were not living in an area that is very negative about alternate live styles, i would be full time now.

I am hoping that within a year things will change, and that i will be re-locating.

When I can, i plan on coming out and livng full time femme, and hopefully I will be able to start transition, and some day go all the way with SRS.

Denise

[Sophia de la luz]

Choice about who to be is what makes it fun for me. I recently came back from a six day trip where I was en-femme the whole time. I enjoyed myself, especially the dancing. I didn't bring any men's clothing and found myself quite ready to changeover when I got home.
I like the whole identity issue flexible. What clothes I wear, or what sex I am experiencing myself as, not does seem to define me. I am more drawn to the embodiment of both sex, a hermaprodite.
Or, so it is for now.
Some parts of being a man are quite fun.

[RikkiOfLA]

I wanted to respond to this thread earlier, since I've been dressing full-time as a woman for about 10 years. But I've had a busy day today. Anyway, I wanted to address two assumptions that many people seem to have.

First, many people seem to think that being a full-time crossdresser (I'm not talking about being a transsexual or taking hormones, which are things I really have no experience of) means choosing between the male and female parts of you. Simply not true. You have the same interests, hobbies, sexuality, abilities, and so on. Only the wardrobe and your public identity change. For example, I'm still a railfan, still good with languages, and so on. While some transsexuals give up all remotely male interests, it simply doesn't make sense for a fulltime CROSS dresser. I'm still sexually male, for gosh sakes. I'm transgendered, which means that there are both female and male aspects about me. And I don't dislike the male parts of myself. I'm accepting and trying to integrate all of myself. Why the female identity, then? Because I realized that the core of my personality is much more strongly female than male. So, going full time means coming home to my true self, the male parts as well as the female parts. Taking hormones would change who I am; I don't want to do that.

Secondly, many people assume that the opinions of their neighbors are very important. I must ask why. If you're considering going full time, I assume they've already seen you coming and going en femme. (If not, any thoughts of going full time are simply premature.) The neighbors will talk, of course. So what? If you live in one of those very small towns where everyone knows everybody, you'll be the talk of the town! Maybe better in that case to do your banking, your employment, and your worshipping in another nearby town? So what do the neighbors control? Not much, probably.

Extended family and inlaws are a different matter, of course. But just because you are full time, doesn't mean you can't dress male for family gatherings. (I know post-op TSs who do that, even.) I did that for many years. After all, being full time is not a status symbol or game. It's a matter of choice, convenience, and comfort.

If you want to go full time, and your spouse (if any) is okay with it, figure out a good time in your life to do it, and do it. It's not as hard as it seems.

Hope this helps,
Rikki

[Joy Carter]

My life was already planned for me when I said "I Do."

Nice to dream though.

[KatelynL25]

I'm curious about all of you here that say that you live fulltime. The idea about a fulltime crossdresser is actually something new to me, since I'm accustomed to thinking that the only way you can be fulltime is if you are transsexual or a transgenderist (living fulltime without doing SRS.) As someone that is quite confused with where I am, I'm interested in learning more acceptable "middle grounds."

I'm interested in being able to live fulltime as a woman without having to be a "textbook transsexual". I've been crossdressing for 14 years, I've mostly identified myself as male through my life, though thats partly because I thought I had no choice (and early on I thought girls were inferior). When I dress up and especially within the last half of the time I've been crossdressing, I've identified as female when I dress, imagining that I've always been female. My desire to dress has largely been about feeling feminine and seeing myself as a woman. I for some time now have had a strong desire to have hormones, SRS, and breasts (i.e. a fully female body). I've modified my voice so I can talk really girlish, and I can almost instinctively express myself with female mannerisms. Even though I'm a little tall (5'11), people comment on how fine my face looks, and I'm right now growing my hair (its down to below my jawline now.)

Its not like I'd die if I don't transition, and to be honest there are aspects of the male world that I like from time to time (probably partly due to testosterone levels). However, I'm not happy as a male and I'd prefer to be female. Its just that I don't fit the definition of a transsexual in terms of identification, which keeps me from claiming that I'm a transsexual and thus an excuse to have hormones and surgery. So I look at these comments on this forum and it gives me hope that I can still live fulltime as a woman

[faltenrock]

No, I would not. I've been seriously CDing for more than 15 years now (with a break before then). I do love it and I can't stop.
However, after a few days in a row, it doesn't feel comfortable and I just wish to go back to my male mode. I've experienced that on my recent trip to the US again. Going to the malls dressed and to many places feels great and gives me a lot of pleasure and so on. But I enjoy being a man too much.

Transitioning is nothing for me, but I do understand other feelings.

[sami1952]

i would like to be full time but my job won't let,i would be buying clothes all the time because all my clothes would greasy and i would have to throw them away.

[Empress Lainie]

[SIZE=4]Interesting thread. The concept of a fulltime crossdresser, not transexual or as I prefer to say transgender, is something I was not aware of.

In my own case, HEY RIKKI, I'm also still interested in everything I did before, but due to age not as gungho about working on cars. Yep I have a huge model railroad all electrified with signals that mean something (whether a train can cross a division or not). I engineered and built it myself. I also have over 500 cars and locomotives many of which I have painted and lettered myself.

Now difference is: I can wear the clothes I love, the jewelry I love, be legally female with a name I love (didn't like my old first name and hated always having to use a middle name - no more!) And most importantly be the woman I really am and have been inside for 73years.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=4]I don't follow the textbook either. I still shave, I take herbal hormones, I love my boobs. Would I have srs and take hormones, you bet, also electrolysis, but the fact is that I am always accepted as a woman without those things. Money age and physical history are also certain to preclude me ever doing those things. But I am a woman, not a male crossdresser (NO OFFENSE< PLEASE, NONE INTENDED.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]
i did ask my heart doctor today about taking estrogen hormones and he thought the risk was small for me, regarding blood clots.[/SIZE]

[kristina_va]

hi

I"m new to the site.....i have been dressing part time for a couple of years now (on and off before that)....i am having thoughts about full time, which led me to join the site

as others have said, there would be work and family issues

we shall see what happens

[gerry]

I would do it tomorrow, no today. I am 56, retired, no kids, probably can't get away with it where I currently live, but my short range goal is to relocate another area, and if I can convince my wife, which I see happening, we would live as two women.

[Raychel]

If I were independently wealthy and lived in the woods somewhere were no one would see me. I would most likely dress in womens clothes every day.

But I am certainly not wealthy and don't live in the woods. So I guess it would only happen in my dreams.

[Annemarie]

Funny how many of us say: "Yes, but it's too much like hard work." My sentiments entirely.

The longest I've kept it up for has been five days non-stop (on many occasions, once a year) but wow, it was a nuisance having to shave and re-do all my makeup twice a day. (Why bother? You've never seen me without makeup!) Then there are details like my pet facelift which involves sticky tape on the forehead; after a few days that damages the skin.

But I really would like the opportunity to try, just to discover how long I would last. My hunch is not beyond a few weeks, but habit does strange things.

Katie B

I'll second the above. Shave & make-up twice a day would be difficult to keep up for long without being bored senseless by the whole experience. Would need a very handsome boyfriend to keep me on my toes (and heels !) and motivated for long-term daily dressing. I wonder what the world record is for a CDer as opposed to a TS ?

[KarenSusan]

If ideal circumstances meant a passable face and voice, I would already be doing it. But alas, I look like a man in a dress and no amount of makeup can change that.

Yes, that's the way I feel also.

[jennylogan]

Living full time is my ultimate goal but one needs to be careful what one wishes for. At this point in my life I'm in the last quarter of a lifelong career and am far more concerned about amassing enough for a comfortable retirement that would allow me to live as a full time female than living full time right now. The other huge consideration is how my SO could deal with this in a manner that would allow us to stay married. She very much wants (and deserves) a husband in every sense that the word implies. My instinct is that it's probably going to be a compromise somewhere in the 70-30 range and never 100% full time. There's just too much to lose in terms of marriage, family, etc. to realistically go full time.

[PhillyGuy2Girl]

Personally, I wouldn't want to go full time. I feel if I went full time,then it would become too routine and then might lose interest. I enjoy doing guy stuff as much as CDing,but I wouldn't feel comfortable going out with the guys dressed as Felicity. Plus my wife loves Felicity,but she loves me as a guy even more.


Felicity

*Please do not be offended by my going out with the guys remark.I didn't mean for to it sound like that. If anyone is comfortable going out with their guy friends dressed femme,thats great also.

[suchacutie]

My ideal would be to be able to switch from one gender to the other without a moment's thought. I really love both of my "selves" and much of what I've been doing recently is trying to eliminate the barriers, mental and physical, from shifting from one gender to the other. There are so many issues that get in the way, but that would be my ideal!

tina

[Mariah]

I'm Tech full time almost, and I have nothing! no money no house no job and no friends :P working for me I guess o wait are you talking about cd or TG? if Cd ignore me.

Mariah

[Sophie]

nah not me!

I love the dual aspect to my life! I like being a boy/man. I get to do loads of things that would be tricky as a girl. I love being daring and adventurous in life and being a boy suits that. But I love being a girl too. I love sleeping in a satin nighty, wearing a tight pencil skirt and prancing around in a frilly maid uniform with voluptous petty-coats! Makeup rocks! Being both suits me super fine! my wife enjoys my softer side almost as much as I do!

I really can't say I'd change anything. Long-live duality!!!

Sophie

[nicky]

im at the age where fulltime will be an option with little obstacles and srs is a major goal for me