Conditioned by Society

[andrea lace]

I thought I would write a post while dressed as Andrea as I have always posted a thread while in guy mode.This forum has been a great relief to find as being conditioned as to what society thinks how a man should act, what a man should wear is how I believed I should be. I am in my early forties and I believe it is my being conditioned by society as to what is right or wrong that has kept my dressing in the closet for so long. While dressed I am starting to feel truly relaxed and comfortable. Am I normal? is there something wrong with me am I harming myself psychologically?
I now realize that these insecurities are because of society and this conditioning of how I am supposed to think and feel are wrong. There is a huge spectrum of people and what cross dressing means to each individual one of them on this forum, and what CDing means to me could be something totally different to someone else. I have met I'm sure this huge spectrum of people on this forum. How I felt before coming out is not how I feel now.
I'm glad to say it has been a wonderful experience to come out to my wife and finally be at peace with myself.
To all those kindred spirits I have met on this forum i would like to say Thank you thank you thank you, I am so grateful to you all that I had to say it at least 3 times and probably would and will say it many times more. :D

[Kate Simmons]

If we really want to be in touch with ourselves, we need to un-learn what we have learned as far as societal conditioning. I am happy you have begun to realize this my friend. It's not what we are so much as it is who we are as a person. :)

[~Joanne~]

I am happy that you have found and accepted yourself :) I agree that we have been told , since birth, what to do, how to do it, what to think .....the list goes on and on. Most people never break free of that insanity even after all the people that tell you it is wrong are found to have been doing it all along. Have a great day!

[Angela Campbell]

I feel similar to this. I have spent a lot of time hiding in my little hole avoiding society as much as possible because there are a lot out there I just do not want to be around. But I haven't surrendered either.

[Joanne f]

If you think about it you/we are a part of society and by you accepting yourself (which I am glad to hear) you have made another leap forward in changing the views of society, through people like you maybe one day all of society may think the same and people will not be made to feel wrong for what they wear .

[bimini1]

My mom just cannot get around it. No matter how you try to explain it, to her it is just plain wrong. She comes from a time when a man is a man and a woman is a woman period. The next time she asks me about it I have resolved to tell her that I have quit CDing.
Not worth the constant turmoil.

[Beverley Sims]

I am happy you are progressing and accepting who you are.