An observation

[Ras]

One thing I have noticed while reading the introductions and m-f sections is that there seems to be a distinct ages in which most start dressing. Ages 5 - 7 or very early, mid teens or mid life.

Curious as to what others thing as to why some start early, and some start significantly later in live. Is it some sexual experience or other exterior input that drives us to dress at different ages.

I myself started in the early stage and in the past 5 yrs or so have increased the frequency and amount of dressing I am doing

[Engendered]

I'm frustrated that I can't remember exactly when I started. I remember certain things, but not how old I was at the time. But then it's like anything. I don't remember my first strawberry either, or much of anything specific about my childhood.

I am fascinated though, by people who start much later in life. How does *that* happen? I mean, were the thoughts just never there? Was it simply a lack of opportunity, or something that never crossed your mind? And then, what suddenly triggered it?

[celeste26]

I suspect that there might have been an underlying vulnerability that remained unexplored until later in life when the opportunity came and it sprouted wings and showed itself.

I'm from the "younger starting group" myself.

[tricia_uktv]

We're all different, we all started at different ages and we all want different things. I suppose that's life.

[Jaclyn NM]

I don't have any answers to your question, other than, I loved watching my mother dress and put on makeup from my earliest memories. And at one point I decided to try on some of her clothes, and immediately fell in love with the feel and look. From there it just continued to progress to where I am today, which is that if I could, which I can't, I would totally dress female full time.

[stevie34]

Me too - first time I was about 6 years old. Bit only once so far as I remember. I don't have the memory for the time but I don't think I got serious until puberty in the teens - that was what really set it off for me.

[Kalley]

I too started very early,like 6-7 years old. But really wasn't too extreme til I got into my teen years and I could really experiment more.

Everyone's situation is sorta different though. Some don't discover how much they like it until years and years later because for whatever reason they just didn't try it until then.

[Jannis]

My first memories were trying on my mothers slips and lacy nightgown when I was 7 or 8. Loved the feel of the silky fabric. I was very much a boy growing up. Loved sports, was a good student, but always played the "wife" of Davy Crockett, or Lois Lane to Superman. I remember dressing as a girl a lot for Halloween and my mother and aunt, who lived with us, would put me in petti- coats and prom dresses. They would do my makeup and the neighbor women would always comment,"You look like you were meant to be a girl." I didn't tell anyone, but those were my favorite childhood memories.
I am now over 60, and the urge to dress and live as a woman are almost constant and are a real source of distraction to me. I dressed on and off over my lifetime, but for the most part, have been a closet dresser. Now I want to do so much more to make up for lost time, but I am married and my wife does not know. She seems to tolerate my long hair, wearing nylon knee stockings and shaved legs. More later.

[Sylvermane]

While one can consider a whole life a point of self discovery those 3 spots in particular are very potent parts of it. Youngest 6-7 a child is starting to get the idea and explore aspects. Teens = puberty which is a hormone rush along with to many changes to fast often resulting in doing anything to feel somewhat normal as well as exploring damn near anything. As for mid-life, the phrase mid-life crisis is to most people self explanatory, not saying beginning this is a crisis but it's a time when people tend to re-examine themselves.

As for the reason its impossible to say, if it's even a triggered thing. For some it is, other's the reason they start at a certain age may be more situational. Regardless of how you feel maybe you can't or couldn't express it due to environment.

[Kate Simmons]

Children are essentially genderless up to a certain point. I wore my Mom's panties once when I was 5 but I think that was more to get closer to Mommy than anything else. I didn't "officially" start CDing until I was around 12.:)

[Rachaelb64]

In my early years I would say for me it was a 'dress up game'.

In my teens in was a sexual thing something I thought I would 'grow out of'.

In was only in my 20s & 30s that things started to 'get complicated' and my crossdressing became less sexual and more wanting to wear and liking to wear women's clothes, this is also the period of guilt, confusion, depression, secrets and lies etc etc.

In my 40s after a long and very hard road I have learnt to accept myself for who I am no more secrets and lies just honesty.

Rach :)

[Frédérique]

Curious as to what others thing as to why some start early, and some start significantly later in live. Is it some sexual experience or other exterior input that drives us to dress at different ages.


The situation wasn’t right for me to “start” early, something I’ve come to regret, but nothing could have been done about it. There were too many people around, my older sister’s clothes were too big for me (and I couldn’t get near them without being punished), and I was expected to be a boy, period. Later on, when there were fewer people keeping an eye on me, I had money to buy experimental clothing, and I was firmly entrenched in the “abnormal” camp, I proceeded to quickly emerge as the little flower you see before your eyes…

[Nicole Brown]

Hi Rebecca,

I cannot specifically remember at what age I began dressing but I do know it was pretty early in life. I remember my mother taking me to a friend of her's children clothing store and having me model dresses and bonnets because of my curly blond hair. I cannot say whether or not that was a catalyst to my dressing, but shortly after my 'forced crossdressing' I began to crossdress on my own.

Like most, it started with mom's lingerie and ended with that plus a dress and heels. It has advanced ever since then to the point where I started venturing out about two and a half years ago and now make trips out as Nicole 3 - 4 times a week.

Nicole

[Southern Jenni]

I started with puberty so there's always been a distinct connection between dressing and sexual arousal. I think I've always been trying to BE that ideal girl I wanted to meet so bad. I went many years without dressing, regrettably the years I was on my own and could've had a ball with it. Rediscovering it later in life was more about just the feel of wearing the clothes and escaping my regular life rather than trying to sexually arouse myself by the reflection in the mirror as I did when I was a teenager... Like anything else I believe the dressing offers different things at different times.

[suchacutie]

My first time with a garter skirt, stockings, and platforms...and I was modeling it for my wife...I had just turned 55. We had already been married for over 30 years. It really came to a head from a couple of joking comments about how great my legs were, and that I could fit a couple pieces of her lingerie better than she could at that point (I had just lost 30 pounds). I joked back saying that I'd need heels and stockings. She joked back that I should do it.

I did. She couldn't get over my legs in stockings and my 6" platforms. She said we needed to buy me a dress.

That started the snowball down the hill!

Could it have been started before? Were there incidents that I can find earlier in life that show a tendency toward feminine things? Sure, looking back. However, I enjoyed (still do) being a man, so there were no negative issues about that. We had noticed for a long time that I'm very empathetic, and that I have some understanding of how women tend to organize and what their expectations are.

Was it just that I had been a male for so long that these other tendencies, the newness of them, became intriguing? Was I simply ready for that series of jokes that my wife and I traded? Of course, it was critical that she was as curious about my femme side as I became!

I really can't follow the path any better than that, but I'm glad we got here!

tina

[sherri52]

My guess yes only a guess, is that most i not all of us get the urge early. Due to peer pressure, family, and or friends we are taught the thier girls and we are boys and boys don't wear dresses and boys don't cry and boys don't like romance movies. Boys only like sports, boys only like war movies, and only boys like to play in the dirt. Some of us listened some of us didn't, I didn't. If I only lived my life as a boy I could never feel as good as I do right now.

[Wen4cd]

It's usually said that in child development, an individual becomes aware of the concept of gender by about 3 years old. The average 3 year old can say whether it's a boy or a girl.

However, the ability to conserve (to recognize that certain qualities of an object remain the same despite changes of appearance or aesthetics) doesn't develop until later, usually around 5-7 for most things. Before this time, gender is an idea, a label that doesn't have 'permanence', like "hot and cold". A child knows she is a girl, but it hasn't 'sunk in' that she will remain one.

After conservation of the gender idea sets in at age 5-7, wearing clothing not 'fitting' to your gender, which might have meant 'nothing' before, now becomes 'cross-dressing.' You might have been wearing that stuff since you were 3, but you won't usually remember seeing it as 'cross-dressing' until conservation of the gender concept has developed at 5-7.

[Diane Smith]

I don't have any answers to your question, other than, I loved watching my mother dress and put on makeup from my earliest memories. And at one point I decided to try on some of her clothes, and immediately fell in love with the feel and look. From there it just continued to progress to where I am today, which is that if I could, which I can't, I would totally dress female full time.

This completely resonates with me -- when I was very small, not more than two or three, I became fascinated with the "transformation" of my mom, almost from one person to a different one, when she would dress up to go out in the evenings. (And that would have been in the very late 1950s, when fashions and lingerie were particularly exquisite!) I was obsessed by all aspects of the clothes, makeup and jewelry she put on to make this happen. It wasn't the only thing that led me to explore women's clothes, but it was certainly one of the strong emotional triggers.

- Diane

[SheriM]

For me, it was very early in life, in fact, my first memories are of wanting to see up a womans skirt. I was on Mom's lap and althought the memory is vague, I knew I liked womens underwear and also that it was not something to tell anybody about, not Mom, not friends.
As I grew older, I tried on Moms girdles and eventually bought my own and for the first half of my life, my fetish stayed below the belt. It wasn't until later in life that I started wearing a bra and womens outerwear.
My wife knows that I like to wear panties, pantyhose and a girdle (at this point, she only allows the panties) but the rest is still a total secret.
SheriM

[JezzLynn]

When I was 5 or 6 y.o. my older sister used to dress me up in a little dress and makeup. I guess I liked it because after that I used to sneak into her closet and look at her clothes all the time. Then when I got a little older and bigger, like 12-13 y.o. I used to sneak in and try on her clothes. Then sneaking in and wearing her clothes became very erotic experiences. So I always assumed that's how I became a CD.

[Donna Marie]

I tried on my aunt's high heels at around age 5-6, then later my mom's bra and girdle, but then no further thoughts of CDing until I was 62. The triggers were a separation from my wife and a sighting of a lovely young GG in killer heels and miniskirt at a Sam's Club, no less. I suddenly needed to find out for myself what it would be like to walk in those heels. I guess what I felt that first time as a child came rushing back to me. Then I had to shave my legs, try on a bra, buy a skirt, try makeup - you know the rest. I just wish I could look like that sweet young "thang" but alas, it will never be. But I still have fun!!

[Karren H]

Two words..... Alien Abduction!!! Lol

I have yet to figure out exactually who was abducted.............. Or why I wandered into my mothers closet at age 7.... And it really doesn't mater to me either... Because I will never really know.. And even if I did find out it wouldn't change a thing... I'd still love to do what I love to do.... So I'd rather spend the time I would of used searching for an answer... Towards more loftier goals.. Like shopping... or working around the house... Or world peace.. :).

[docrobbysherry]

No thots or desires to wear ladies things before then.

And, yes, sex is an important part of dressing for ME!:o

[MarinaTwelve200]

Since there are about 10 or so different conditions that can motivate one to Crossdress, I would think the age one begins might be a factor---it would be interesting to do a study and correlation.
For example, inborn Transsexual tendancies, might motivate crossdressing at an early age(pre sexial) Fetish based and sex turn on cding might begin in early puberty, And identity/escapist based cding might happen set in later in life. Thrill seeking and Humiliation SM based CDing might set in in nearly any age group.
Just a speculation, of course, but it makes sense. What age one begins depends upon the common "motivaters" present at the time.