Do you try to pass or express yourself?

[April_Ligeia]

I crossdress as a form of self-expression, which sometimes means dressing in a way women would not, unless they were goth or punk. Then, sometimes I just dress like a woman, depending on my mood.

[Johnnifer]

The few times I tried dressing at clubs and stuff I didn't care about passing. In part because I am nervous about using make up. But also in part because I do not want to pass. I like to express my feminine side and excape masculine society, but I also want to play with gender.

I wish I was brave and free enough to play with it more. I always wondered about things like heading to a club with my face made up to passing female perfection but my body obviously male, or going with a feminine shirt and breastforms without trying to look like a woman.

[April_Ligeia]

I haven't gone out completely dressed yet, I wear jewelry, nail polish and some makeup with men's clothes. I'm coming closer to going out fully dressed though, I think it's time to come out.

[Dixie]

No pressure just relax and have fun. I do whatever the mood strikes me to do lol

[April_Ligeia]

Yes Dixie I agree, if you aren't having fun, why bother? I joined this forum and feel like coming out because it's becoming more and more fun for me to express myself.

[joanna4]

For me, 1 is to pass and the other is for sexual stimulation or fantasies

[DanaR]

I try to just blend in, so I guess it is to pass. Most of the time, I'll go out in jeans or dress fairly casually; which is what one of my friends said about me last week.

[thechic]

I just dress and act,to pass as a woman,that way i dont get any issues in public,this towns not that TG friendly

[ClosetCDHelp]

I havent ventured out but I dress for the expression and fantasy of feeling hot and sexy and wanting someone to share it with. You all know how good it feels to have your breasts rubbed and your ass slapped.

[Acastina]

Passing is way cool, intoxicating. To have guys be real nice to you and call you "Miss" is for me an emotion that defies description.

Depends on what you want. If it's pushing the genderf*ck envelope, the sky's the limit. If it's feeling confident to go anywhere and express yourself as female, observe carefully, be realistic with your presentation, and watch your back.

Like I said, it's way cool.

[MsMichelle]

Luckily for me I pass about 100% of the time. Even if I didn't, I would still be out in public at least once a week or I would be crawling the walls.
Once I kicked the closet doors right off the hinges, there was no going back....EVER!

[Celeste]

I like to feel that I might be successful in some areas of the passing,walking nicely,dressing and light makeup....but I choose to retain some of the characteristics that make up the whole me.Passing is a mental state as well as physical presentation so just getting there in my head can be all that's needed many times.I really admire a girl that can pull off a good look without going to far,for me that is achieved by blending your true personality with everything else,simply learning to be comfortable with your conception of passing.

[noeleena]

Hi,

What i pass is our front gate . & it dont care how i look or dont, & our female lab dog dont care ether, so long as she comes with me on long walks , & meets friends we both know & talk with, allmost every day. i think youll get the idear.

No i dont pass even tho im a woman. for my self a mascline looking woman best sums up my look . yet a member of women only groups . & some world wide. if we continuly put our selfs down because we ( some of us .) dont happen to look like other women should that stop us enjoying who we are, you can answer that.

Im very expressive my whole body , its because i accepted who i was & am. There are many ways we can express our selfs .

For my self through wood work i make many items or fruniture , i make design & sew my clothes for two different groups im involved with. yet the most importaint one is who i am as a person a woman who is different.
Some times we have to grow into our selfs to be able to do that. so wether its now next month or years down the track makes no matter its in the doing that counts , & we are all different in our own ways so just enjoy your self while haveing fun getting to know who you are,

...noeleena...

[gabimartini]

I dress to pass. Always. Because to me passing is expressing my true self.

[Princess Chantal]

Neither....
I try to impress myself (nope "passing" as a woman does not quite impress me much), try to satisfy my sensual need (don't misread that as sexual, it's SENSUAL as in the silky feeling of pantyhose) and try to have a heck of a fun time.....
If none of that is accomplished, than it's not worthy of my time to crossdress.

[Kate Simmons]

It depends. Sometimes it's just a sort of costume to me to express my inner feelings in an outward way.:)

[linda allen]

I dress to pass. Not to attract attention or challenge anything or anybody, just to be seen as a normal female my age, out and about. And to feel like one.

[kimdl93]

I definately try to blend in. Passing would be setting the bar a bit too high in my case.

[jillleanne]

April, it kills me to say it but you have youth on your side which allows you to dress just about anyway you want without being chastized, unlike older people. It is the older crowd that are the critics, and also, the people that have the ability to ruin someones livelihood in society so when dealing with youth, acceptance is simple as those in control just shake their heads and say," Geez, what next? Must be a phase they are going through'" without giving it a thought, but if that same person was older, they would say, " Hey, what the F&^&!! What's wrong with you? Have you lost it completely? We don't need people like you around here!". And so it goes. And that is one of the main reasons so many live their lives in a closet, sadly. I have been gender enhanced all my life so I know not why I do it and care no less. It is a part of who I am and a part of my self expression. The fact that I love the inner feeling it gives me physicologically and mentally is the addicting bonus.

[Joanna41]

I dress to completely pass...I've challenged myself to be a woman in all that one sees. Combining fashion sense, make-up, hair, nails, walking, mannerisms and a lot of other things is what I strive to achieve. Sadly I have a long ways to go. While I think I look ok...I feel that people still stare. So my goal is to stop that part. What I don't know is if I just look good and that's why or if its because I don't look good. Pretty sure its because I don't but I keep plugging away.

Joanna

[Tasha McIntyre]

Hi April,

My main aim is to blend in. I don't "pass" to anyone who looks at me hard enough, but when I am out and about I find that if I dress to blend in I really don't draw a lot of attention to myself. Having said that, I will only wear the clothes that expresses myself, and that I really enjoy wearing.

Tash :)

[TGMarla]

I do it for with both goals in mind. I wouldn't dress at all if it weren't some form of self expression, if I didn't have some inner need to fulfill by doing so. And when I dress, I do try to pass as well as I can, even though I think even my best efforts might fool someone who wasn't paying attention for a full three seconds or so.

[xristy]

This question is like asking an athlete if they participate in their sport for the health and personal benefits or if they do it to win. I dress because I feel a need too and like to express myself. However, when I dress, the goal is to pass and look as femme as possible. So I guess you could say that I dress for personal expression with a goal of passing. Perhaps that is just part of my competitive nature.

[suchacutie]

I guess the simple answer is, "yes". Tina is an expression of a part of my being, without question. Likewise, that expression is feminine, so being perfectly feminine (i.e. passing) is clearly the supreme goal.

Having said that, there are some things that are very hard to minimize, and I expect it will be some time before Tina has enough experience to "normally" pass, even with reasonable scrutiny.

[Frédérique]

Do you try to pass or express yourself?

I dress to express myself. Since I’m a visual artist, it’s all about expression, all the time, and life is a kind of blank canvas for my experimentation and explorations. That being said, my expression is a bit reserved, but that is allowed – if still waters run deep, then I am expressing that in my choice of female clothing. Call me a representational expressionist, since emulation is my goal. If I pass, so much the better, but expression is the driving force behind my crossdressing...
:straightface:

[docrobbysherry]

Well, I can't PASS or FLY, April! I found trying either can be DANGEROUS!

But, one of the blessings of being a closet dresser is, I NEVER have to try to blend or compromise! That means EVERY TIME I dress, is entirely an expression of who/what I wish to LOOK LIKE that day! Like Freddie said so well above!

[reflections-of]

To me it is about self expression. I see it as an art form, a way to be creative and artsy. I draw and write, which is my main for of self expression. I do feel dressing does and has helped me be a stronger and better artist. Make up to me is just another type of medium, like pen and ink or paints, however, instead of paper I am my own canvas.

In terms of passing. I have had many people tell me I pass. I don't see it, yet that is what I am told. I just see a man dresed as a female.

Here is a interesting article you may like. It is about creative persoanlity types and their traits. One of the traits written is about how said types share both the strengths of a man and a woman..I think you may find this interesting.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199607/the-creative-personality

[sanderlay]

Do you try to pass or express yourself?

Expressing who I am is the most important goal to me. I don't pass as a woman as I present as both the masculine and the feminine. But in my mind I pass as a bi-gender or two-spirited person. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Patrice_CD]

I do dress to pass and enjoy every minute when I am dressed. When I am in male mode I express myself. I get some looks but I really don't care. I wear polish, my ears are double pierced with ear rings and I wear light makeup including light eye shadow, curled eye lashes with mascara, blush and a light lip gloss. When I do get comments. they have all been positive. As with anything else, a little goes a long way so I keep it simple and don't over do things :)

[Samantha_Smile]

I dont dress to pass. I dont go out so theres no need for me to do so, Ive accepted that I look like a dude in a dress. Unless I can look in the mirror and genuinely think,
"OMG Im a girl!" Then my door wont even open.
I dress to feel pretty and chill out for a while, pretending Im someone else, enjoying the escapism... Whilst not escaping the dishes and laundry :D

[AllieSF]

I probably dress to do both. I will call "pass" more "blending in" for me. My goal is to dress and go out, which I do all the time. So, I want to blend in and present myself how I would like a partner/mate to dress. I also like to express myself by stepping outside the envelope occasionally and push my style comfort zone into something I like seeing other women wear but may or not work for me.

[KellyCT2011]

I dress to try to pass(have met many men who said I dress/physically passable(except for my voice). Am just getting back into dressing. Hope to have a pic or two to post soon!

[Beverley Sims]

What about Nelson, Matakana, Invercargill, Picton, Hamilton.
I think Queenstown is the only town that appears tolerant to me.
Having travelled from Cape Reianga to Stewart Island I think the bigotry increases the further south you go.
If you go west multiply it by 2. I think Greymouth was ok for a small town.
In Hawaii it is summer all the time and if you look a little out of place they say you look cool.
Oh! I dress to pass.
Today I was in drab at Disneyland.
Target shirt type blouse, skinny jeans small pull on boots, no or little pockets, so where did I store my express lane tickets.
In my bra along with other paper souvenirs.
When I got back to the motel I had grown little mounds...
No one seemed to notice.

[Marleena]

April, I dress because I need too. I can't pass (facial hair). Even without it I'd be lucky to blend in. I'm not leaving the house anyways.:)

[jenniferoonus]

To me, I am a lady, despite some family factors that prevent me from going all the way to changing my sex. Because of family constraints, I can only be Jennifer 5 days a week. When I am Jennifer, I express my truth selves - a lady. I also pass 100% and have never been read. Jennifer has many friends and none of them knows her secrete (i.e., she wasn't a gg).

So, my answer to this tread is: I want to express myself and to pass 100%.

Disclaimer: I have not been here for a few months because some members here didn't believe my posts and had accused me of creating fictions. This time I include my real photo in my profile and hopefully the situation will get better. I'm trying again because as many of the members agree, this is a great site.