Lifestyle or Hobby ?

[Gina X]

Hi girls, I've got to thinking wether my CD'ing is a lifestyle or hobby and it appears to me that as I wear womens clothes 24/7 then this is a lifestyle. It would appear to me that a hobby is something you do in your sparetime just because you want to but to me CD'ing is something I have to do there is no choice in it for me I would be very unhappy if I couldn't wear womens clothes, what do you girls think are you "lifestyle" or "hobby"....................

[Salina]

Definitely a hobby for me given the small amount of time I devote to it. I have too good of a life going to make it anything more than a hobby and I'm perfectly fine with that.

[suzy1]

It’s not a hobby for me it’s a lifestyle. Suzy is who I am. But I don’t dress 24/7 because I enjoy my other life as a man sometimes.
So what dose that make me Gina, a split personality perhaps?
Over to you.

A confused SUZY.

[Jill Devine]

It's more of a hobby for me based on the fact that I'm married with kids so I have very little time for myself. I know that deep down, if I had the freedom, it could easily be a lifestyle. But alas, it isn't.

[Gina X]

Yup Suzy definitely a split personality I used to be like that but now I'm in two minds about it !! LOL. Seriously probably not much different to a GG that likes to wear masculine style clothes at times..............

[suzy1]

You crack me up Gina. But a GG that likes to wear men’s clothes sometimes is spot on! You have just psychoanalyzed me! Wow!

[Gina X]

You crack me up Gina. But a GG that likes to wear men’s clothes sometimes is spot on! You have just psychoanalyzed me! Wow!

Have you been drinking the fizzy pop again ?? It is a gift I'm used to dealing with loonies !! LOL

[juliecdfl]

If I could choose it would be a lifestyle but for right now it is a hobby

[sissystephanie]

Crossdressing is definitely a hobby for me, since I have been a man since birth. As I have said repeatedly, I have no desire to be a woman. I just like to wear their clothes!! I do dress at leat somewhat almost every day, but if not no big loss!! There is always tomorrow!

[Cynthia Anne]

IT'S A LIFE STYLE for me! I wouldn't change it if I could! And to Suzy: Your just saying that because it's TRUE!

[missjoann49]

For me it is a lifestyle..no two ways about it, I fought the battle long enough so to me it is who I am and who I was ment to be

[Vickie_CDTV]

It is more of a hobby for me. It means more to me than, say, fishing for someone who likes to fish, and it is an important part of my being. At the same time, it is only one facet of my being, and only something I do occasionally.

[Gillian]

For me it is a time defined hobby event, that I wish was a lifestyle one. I have a very non-tolerant wife who violently opposes my other side but the need is overpowering even this fierce opposition!

[LitaKelley]

Definitely a lifestyle for me

[sara1985]

For me it's a hobby as I hardly have any alone time to dress, but we'll see what happens when I find my own place

[Christie ann]

I would rather it be a lifestyle, but right now all I get is some hobby time.

[Erica G]

Right now it's just a hobby, but it seems as I get older I want to dress more so maybe one day it will become a lifestyle.

[Cheryl T]

Absolutely a lifestyle for this gal.

[anouk]

For me feminity and crossdressing are so essential parts of me and thus something deeper than just hobby or lifestyle, regardless of whether I'm dressed or not.

[Stephanie47]

Right now I devote as much time as possible to Stephanie. I get to dress seven hours each day, Monday through Friday. If I were able to switch, I'd dress 24/7 en femme. Then I'd have to cross-dress as a male to get manly chores done. A male cross-dressing as a woman, cross-dressing as a man??? Something akin to Victor/Victoria

[Gina X]

Right now I devote as much time as possible to Stephanie. I get to dress seven hours each day, Monday through Friday. If I were able to switch, I'd dress 24/7 en femme. Then I'd have to cross-dress as a male to get manly chores done. A male cross-dressing as a woman, cross-dressing as a man??? Something akin to Victor/Victoria

You need to be careful Stephanie you could meet yourself coming back and then you won't know who you are !! LOL

[Mary Morgan]

For me, it is neither a hobby or a lifestyle. It is an imperative. I am therefore I must.

[Gina X]

For me, it is neither a hobby or a lifestyle. It is an imperative. I am therefore I must.

Yes I should have made it a three way choice to be clearer but I did mean lifestyle to cover your and Anouk's and anybody else's situation, probably a wrong choice of word ..............

[Rachel Morley]

Is it hobby?......hummm....this is maybe a good way of putting it when I'm trying to explain CDing to someone when I'm not quite sure what their reaction might be ... or perhaps this is the term I'd expect someone to say back to me when they don't really understand what CDing is for me.

You see, for me, I'd have to say it's a bit more serious than a hobby. A hobby is what I used to tell myself it was before I accepted what it really actually is for me. It effects me emotionally too much to be a hobby, I'd have to say that for me it's an integral part of who I am. I know I can't be happy without incorporating it into my everyday life. Lifestyle? .. not really as that implies it's a "style" I choose to do and even though you could argue I chosse to dress, I don't really as stopping brings all sorts of problems for me regarding how I feel about myself.

[Eryn]

I'm amazed that this thread made it 21 replies before someone pointed out that, for many (most? all?) of us, CDing is not really an option. Many take exception to the term "lifestyle" as they feel that it implies that a choice exists and "hobby"... well, let's not go there. :eek:

However, as someone who isn't much afraid of words, I'd have to classify myself in the hobby category. I don't have the skills or opportunity to dress well or often, so I do what I can, when I can, around my other obligations.

Perhaps a better way to put it is:

"As femme as possible under the circumstances."

[docrobbysherry]

Dressing for me now is a COMPULSION! I simply MUST DRESS!:eek:

However, I have little or no desire to go out in public as Sherry and I'm VERY CONTENT to dress twice a month!:)

So, u tell me! "hobby or lifestyle?"
Or possibly, there r MORE than just those 2 choices!?:brolleyes:

[Gina X]

Dressing for me now is a COMPULSION! I simply MUST DRESS!:eek:

However, I have little or no desire to go out in public as Sherry and I'm VERY CONTENT to dress twice a month!:)

So, u tell me! "hobby or lifestyle?"
Or possibly, there r MORE than just those 2 choices!?:brolleyes:

I don't know Sherry all I do know is it is more of a compulsion for me that I have very little or no choice in. Which is why I posed the question as some others seem to be able to pick it up when they want to and aren't driven by the same compulsion to do it all the time as I am...............

[S. Lisa Smith]

I describe myself to others as similar to a Civil War reenactor, only I want to be the woman I would be if I had been born a woman. It's something that I love to do, but I am not, nor wish to be, full time. It is an intrigal part of who I am but not all of who I am. It's not a lifestyle, but it's more than a hobby.

[Genny B]

I don't think I would succeed as a women now as I am a man who loves his wife. No interest in the male sex. I underdress 24/7. And I only dress totally up a couple times a month. This is my lifestyle...

[Karinsamatha]

For me it is a not a lifestyle - That implies that I have a choice. Besides ya all got to admit that men's clothes are simply dreadful :D.

[BRANDYJ]

Even though I do not dress often, it's a life-long desire to dress and act feminine. To me, a hobby is something I could give up. Dressing, as most of us know is something we can never give up if we wanted to.
So even though my dressing is at a minimal for now, due to ( I think) missing my SO that lives 1200 miles away. Could be other contributing factors too. But since I can't completely give up crossdressing, to me it is a lifestyle. Dressing 24/7 does not have to be a factor to make it a lifestyle IMHO.
So call it what you will based on your own definition of "lifestyle" and "hobby".

[sissystephanie]

This post is most likely going to get me really flamed!! As those who read the previous posts on this thread know, I have said that crossdressing is a hobby with me! A "lifestyle" denotes something that is done usually because it has to be done!! As Brandy said, we all have to dress because we can't quit! But that doesn't mean we have to dress enfemme!! If you were born a man, you can dress like a man if YOU want to! Unless you are on female hormones and probably have had SRS surgery, or are going to have it! If you haven't done any of those things, the only thing stopping you from dressing as a male is yourself!! You have to use your own brainpower!! I did it for 5 years, until my dear wife begged me start crossdressing again!! So I know it can be done!! Don't say that you have to crossdress, unless you are already a TS, or a pre-TS. Because otherwise, you can stop if YOU want to!!

[katesometimes]

I guess I'd have to say it's a hobby for me. I enjoy trying to look as feminine as possible at times, but for me it's always more about choices. If I could wear anything I wanted, skirts, stockings, heels, lacy, satiny, etc. as male in everyday life (say to work?) I'd be very happy.

[OccasionalSkirt]

Hobby. I would spend an awful lot of time being en-femme 24/7, and I think it would push out all my other hobbies. I don't want it to control my whole life!

[Jessica_Dillon]

I'm amazed that this thread made it 21 replies before someone pointed out that, for many (most? all?) of us, CDing is not really an option. Many take exception to the term "lifestyle" as they feel that it implies that a choice exists and "hobby"... well, let's not go there. :eek:

"As femme as possible under the circumstances."

Well stated. For the ease of the the thread thogh and an "easy" answer, I'd have to say lifestyle. I'm happily married, with two kids and third ont he way, and am blessed witha wife that is both understanding and supportive. I also have a really close friend with five kids and is fully transitioned. Where i lie in that spectrum is still widely open for debate, but I am very happy with who I am now!

[Chastitycd]

It started out as a passtime for me, but marrying an accepting and supporting wife has gave it a shove into a becomming a lifestyle!

[NathalieX66]

The fact that I go out in public places like supermarkets, restaurants, movie theatres, Starbucks while en femme ain't no hobby for me, it is me......though just a part of me, perhaps half of me but I'm out there nonetheless.


Hobby is when I sail on my sailboat, or play my guitar, and buy vintage guitars.

[Rogina B]

Awful serious hobby for this girl! lol..I won't give it up even if I could! lol

[Katesback]

Dont forget Fetish. That fits for some CDs.

[KrystalA]

Hobby or lifestyle? Hmm, that's a difficult question. I sleep in panties every night, and every morning, after putting on the coffee and showering, I put on a fresh pair of panties and a bra w/breast forms. Then, depending on what is on the agenda for he day, I either fully dress en femme, or change into drab if I have to go out for some reason. So it's more than a hobby, but I really don't know whether it's a lifestyle or not. I mean, I never feel any irresistable compulsion to dress, I just do it. But if for some reason, I can't...well, I can live with that with no problem. Now, if I had a choice? Oh yeah, totally en femme all the time.

[MargaretJ]

Hobby for me. I just enjoy the look and the feel of being en femme, and although I would like to take my hobby further, I have no desire to do it 24/7.

[Vale]

The correct category for my dressing would be hobbyist, but it is still a meaningful and important part of me. To make an analogy, I also like to play tennis, and if I don't get to play once a week or so my body starts to feel sluggish. Likewise, if I don't get to dress once a week or so there is an emotional part of me that starts to feel sluggish.

[Anneliese]

Even though I don't go out fully dressed, I could easily call it a lifestyle, as I prefer being dressed at all times while home, and partially while out. I don't plan on ever changing, and if anything, I think I become more daring every day. As a part of this, I shun the possibility of relationships in general, and am certainly not looking. I could give it up...temporarily...if somehow the perfect person fell into my life and I wasn't certain if and when I could tell them. However, I would never purge, on the assumption that my desire to dress up would eventually win out over any relationship.

[leah kernow]

For me, my crossdressing fulfills neither hobby nor lifestyle, it is much more fundamental to my being. I have battled and lost so many times with my need to dress and therefore conclude it is not subject to choice, it is part of how I am configured and I would not be real in denying it to myself, Leah

[Loni]

of the only two choices i would be on the lifestyle side.
but for me it is more a need then a choice. it is just part of me, like breathing.
i rarely put on men things, almost all womens, (except for required work clothing).

and here i sit wishing i could have talked my cancer Dr into giving me hormones instead of cutting me open.

[jennifer24]

Lifestyle for sure, im transgendered so It`s in me

[TGMarla]

It's more than a hobby, but less than a lifestyle for me. Here's why: I will not transition, as much as I'd like to be female. I am committed to my marriage and my current lifestyle. I don't go out much, preferring the safety and anonymity of my own home. As such, I like wearing feminine attire and emulating women when I do so. So it's rendered itself into an elaborate hobby because I will not elevate it to a lifestyle. If I were to allow it, it would easily blossom into a lifestyle, and I don't think I want that.

[Deanna B]

HI Ginax . i would say it is a life style . i go to work with girls clothes on under my work clothes. when i get home i put on girl clothes but not a skirt a pair of ladys trousers
love deanna

[Tomara]

Even though I don't dress fully or try to present as a woman my cross-dressing is definitely a very strong part of who I am as a person , I'm not sure how to label it but it is a constant part of my life.
Tomara

[Lisa X]

I do not relate to my cross dressing as a hobby or lifestyle. I view my cross dressing as a second life, that allows me to be in both worlds. I enjoy my life as a male and I will not give that up especially being a husband and father. However, when I have the desire and opportunity, I cross dress to experience life as a women. As I gain more life experiences as Lisa, I am building this second life, and allowing Lisa to grow. I hope some of you can relate to this way of thinking

Take care,
Lisa,

[Taylermade]

I have always considered it a hobby for me.

[Mahoro]

Well it's certainly Way more than just a hobby for me, but as some others have already pointed out the term 'lifestyle' is often found objectionable, as a 'lifestyle' is generally defined by what what we tend to do, not necessarily by who/what we are inside our innermost beings. However, laying aside my obsession with semantics for a moment, I can say it's my lifestyle, even though the root causes of my displayed behaviors are driven by a much deeper need to express myself to the outside world.

[Crissy Kay]

Dont forget Fetish. That fits for some CDs.

Yes, this very well applies to me. I am spending less time on this stuff now, then I used to. I am spending more time and money on my new hobbie of firearms.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Gina, It's a lifestyle for me.

Orchid

[DebsUK]

I might have said hobby when I started getting back into this, but given the fact that I'm now trying to wear feminine things pretty much every day to a greater or lesser extent (like knickers when I'm not going to the gym, fem jeans or combats, subtly pencilled in eyebrows, clear mascara, frosted lip balm etc) means it's more of a lifestyle even if I don't fully dress more than the odd day a week

[corrinediane]

It's more than a hobby for sure. I don't get to be Corrine everyday but I am always looking for things for her. I'm lucky to have a gf that enjoys my girl side. She says I think like a women more than a man. We have the same taste in clothes, shoes etc. It may become a lifestyle or maybe it already is.

[Tina B.]

I agree with Mary, it is neither a hobby or a lifestyle for me, both of those things suggest a choice, just a hobby or get serious and make it a life style. For me I don't feel it is a choice, it's just a part of my make up, or personality if you will.
Tina B.

[Rachel winters]

totally a hobby. And like most of my other hobbies I like to learn as much as i can to to the best i can. maybe to much. :)

[Pythos]

This is rather hard to answer.

My full on CDing is definitely a hobby. I do not go out with falsies, I rarely go out in wig and makeup. It is fun, but I have no desire to go out dressed full as a female.

That being said, I do wear what are considered feminine items (ironically sold as unisex) like leggings quite regularly. Every one blue moon these days I will go out skirted. But when I do this I am in full male mode, or androgynous mode.

I love my Goth look a lot, but as of late have not been able to get out in it, and the more time goes by, the less likely I ever will again.

I would love to wear a less severe version of my Goth style for daily wear, but it is more acceptable to look like a thug or pimp, than it is to look like death ( :) ). Actually not Death, but definitely different.

I guess my style is a life style, it is an integral part of me.

[joannemarie barker]

well it's not a lifestyle for me but I wouldn't say the undeniable urge to wear dresses was a hobby either :)

[Marcie R.]

This is a hobby for me but on the other hand I wish it could be a lifestile. I have a wife that was so upset when she found out that I was visiting this site. She could never accept me as a CD. I do happen to have a few hours once in a while to enjoy myself as a woman in privacy. At this time that is all I have.

[minalost]

I think the two ended spectrum is a little too simplistic for most of us here. But, given the two choices, I'm going to have to go with BOTH! Between family and work it is impossilbe for me to dress more than once a month or so. I do, however, epilate, moisturize, pluck, and primp on a daily/weekly/monthly schedule. The infrequency of full dressing would make it a hobby, but the constant work would make it a lifestyle. Now maybe my deffinitions here don't match yours, but it's the best I can do, again, with the limited two dimentional scale we are using in this thread. Or maybe I could say it's a hobby verging on a lifestyle?

[BillieJoEllen]

I guess I've never really thought of it like that but for me its neither a lifestyle or a hobby. Its more of a necessity.

[Julie_S]

Both I think. Its a hobby which affects my lifestyle.

[Annaliese2010]

Lifestyle or Hobby? Neither. Escape? Maybe. What I am gender-wise, IDK. I'll say this though...whatever I do, I do 100%. Soul to surface - it begins inside not out. I am not fixed nor rigidly defined - no one is. I believe we become many different people as we go through life - no two are the same. We have or may come to embody and express... any human heart.


152251

[linda allen]

For me it's a hobby. Nobody knows about it and I have too many things going on in my life to make it a lifestyle. Most would have to be dropped.

[LilSissyStevie]

In the same sense that climate is the sum of weather, my lifestyle is the sum of all my assorted activities. Crossdressing is just one of the things I do. It's a way to express the feminine urge I seem to be afflicted with. I read, I play music, I shoot guns, I grow fruit. I'm a husband, a father, a grandfather. I do lots of stuff that taken together constitutes my lifestyle. The only way that crossdressing could be a lifestyle for me is if it were the only thing I did. Even I'm not that obsessed.

[Suzette Muguet de Mai]

Neither, its more of a necessity to feel complete.

[Jaydee]

Neither, its more of a necessity to feel complete.

This says it for me. The options of "lifestyle" or "hobby", makes dressing sound like a casual option. I am not TS, but it is more part of me than something so casual. It is a way for me to express an inner need that I cannot express anyother way.

Jaydee

[eluuzion]

Using the term "hobby" makes the question (comparison with "lifestyle") a bit fuzzy for me, by inviting digression, since the terms define different concepts. It is like trying to define the amount of time required to be able to define a partnership as being a "long- term relationship", :doh:.

If you are looking for the concise method to determine this, I suppose it is simply a process of labeling your physical time commitment to CD behavior as either part-time or full-time.

A hobby is a personally satisfying interest that a person pursues in their spare time.
A lifestyle is a consistent adherence to behavior that clearly demonstrates to other people that it is a way of life.

I probably spend an equal or greater amount of my time crossdressed than I do dressed as a male. But since I do not devote 100% of my time to crossdressing, it is technically a "hobby". I do not consider it a "lifestyle". I have always considered myself to be more of a "social experiment", lol.

So, to clarify...
"I feel much more like I do now, than I did a little while ago." hehehe
:love:

[Gina X]

ASo, to clarify...
"I feel much more like I do now, than I did a little while ago." hehehe
:love:

Right that clears that up then :bonk:

[erickka]

It was sort of a hobby some 40 years ago, but as I realized that this is who I am, it is surely part of me and a lifestyle, which I have come to embrace.

[NicoleScott]

The opening screen for this site offers a third choice definition: secret passion. That describes it best for me. Even though my wife knows, it's mostly secret and personal for me. There are, however, some elements of hobby and lifestyle there. Crossdressing is part of who I am, so there's the lifestyle part. I use sewing and craft work to support and enhance my girl things. For example, I like to make lacy headbands to go with my maid's dress, and sometimes I need to hem a skirt, so there's the hobby aspect. Here's how I'd cut the pie: 5% lifestyle, 10% hobby, 85% secret passion.

[GingerLeigh]

Hobby for certain. Kind of like building models or playing with lego...For the record, I outgrew my lego.

Ginger

[stefanie]

hmmm... let me think about the definition first.....

hobby... an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure : her hobbies are reading and gardening.

lifestyle.... the way in which a person or group lives

Perhaps as I was still figuring out who I was from early childhood, it might have been an odd hobby at best given my confused gender. As I have become more comfortable in my own soft, smooth skin, I think it is now a lifestyle both physically and emotionally. It is not just the dressing but an entire feeling of comfort and well, normalcy. There is more of a deep emotional desire and need than just an 'interest' as is most likely evidenced by my now androgynous physical transformation. Being femme is my lifestyle.

[MichelleP]

Dressing puts life in my lifestyle and style in my life:D

[Gina X]

Hobby for certain. Kind of like building models or playing with lego...For the record, I outgrew my lego.

Ginger

Hope you're not going to outgrow your bras and panties, although needing a bigger bra might be cool............

[RachelF]

At this point in time, it is a hobby for me ... tomorrow, who knows?

[Cari]

I say both

Lifestyle in that I can put aside my hobbies when needed, But need to CD on a regular basis.

Things like learning more about makeup, photography and fashion are hobbies that I enjoy and have come out of my Cding.
I guess I draw that distinction because even if broke I will dress but wont be buying new outfits or trying the latest makeup trends.

I was thinking about this a bit further so am editting the post.

I think any hobby can become a lifestyle when you get serious enough about it.
Say you build models and really enjoy it.
Eventually you go to model shows, hang out at hobby shops and start socializing mainly with others who pursue the same hobby.
At that point I think it it would qualify as a lifestyle.

[sometimes_miss]

I think it would be a misnomer for most of us to accurately refer to it as a hobby. You can change hobbies, and a hobby is something that someone really thinks about before adopting it, whether it is too expensive, or if we have enough time for it, and how we will go about it and how often. That doesn't fit into how the vast majority of us start (and continue) crossdressing. And it's not usually a lifestyle, either.

[Tanya C]

I'm definitly not 24/7 but cding is a necessarey and fairly frequent part of my life. So, I'd have to say it's a lifestyle.
The hobby explanation has always seemed a bit bizarre to me. A hobby is merely something that you do, but being a cder is also a reflection of who you are deep inside, a part of your personaity.
Hobbies come and go, but being a cder is something that will be with me for life.

[Melody Phillips]

A hobby for now. I hardly have any time to dress. I wish I could devote more time to it. I would love to dress all the time but with kids around and work, Its hard.

[GinaD]

There is no doubt that I would dress 24/7 is I had stayed single so it would have become a lifestyle. However, I only dress when I have a rare few hours to myself.

[Vicky Peters]

CDing is a hobby for now. I get one day a week to dress and sofar that satisfying the need.