Late bloomers!

[Sophie Yang]

Just wondering how many of you ladies here seriously started dressing after the age of 50 and how many have ventured out? I have a terrible memory, but I think that I started around 52 and am 55 now. I suspect that my femme side has always been there, but never had a chance to blossom until later in life.

When I had my one and only make over, I asked the owner of the shop what the average age of her client's is? She said it is in the early 50's. One of the services she offers is take gals out on the town. I happened to bump into her at a party and she said that she did a make over on a gal and took her out for her first outing. She was 89 years young.

[AllieSF]

I started in late 2006, joined this site in early 2007, met some friends here and went out sometime during 2007. My original goal was to go out, and once out I have never looked back, nor stopped going out. Oh, I was 60 when I started, and I started from zero never wanting to crossdress for crossdressing sake.

[Vickie_CDTV]

I find the late in life experiences fascinating... if you don't mind me asking, do you identify as a crossdresser, or as a transsexual?

[Bonnie Stone]

I'm 60 now, and have finally started to pursue my dreams

[Sophie Yang]

Vicky,

Don't mind you asking, active cross dresser. What do you find interesting about late life experiences? Victoria, the gal who did my makeover, loves her work. I was really happy for the 89 year old newbie going out for the first time. I would love to hear her describe all the emotions and feelings of her first time out.

[Alice B]

Started at age 64 and am will be 71 at DLV this year. Have been out many times, but it took about two years before the first time. Will attend my 3rd DLV this year.

[UNDERDRESSER]

I've been wearing panties, briefs, swimwear , leotards, etc for almost 50 years. In the last year, I have started wearing other items, skirts and stockings specifically. The fetish reasons for wearing the tight stuff earlier, are starting to fade, that's separate. The skirts though, that's something else. I'm still exploring that. It has to do with what i feel is masculinity, or at least my definition of masculinity. or at least, what it isn't.


Amongst other things.

[docrobbysherry]

Started at age 50. Suddenly wanted to become a female rite out of the blue! After a few years, I became serious about dressing in private. No desire to go out dressed until I came out online here 5 years ago. That made me want to go and meet the dressers I chatted with here, at T friendly venues. Which I do regularly now. Including seeing that delightful Alice at my 3rd DLV next month, hopefully. Still no desire to go out dressed amongst the Muggles!

I now know I'm not TS. Don't even feel like I'm trans sometimes.

[Barbara Ella]

I started at age 65, 18 months ago. I got the nerve to go out four times last summer, no events or clubs, just mall walking and shopping, tried on and bought a dress. Still learning, but hope to work up a makeover trip, and a formal gathering before I get too old to attend one....lol

Barbara

[Beverley Sims]

Sophie,
I am glad to see some older ones coming out.
I do wonder why it did not happen earlier, maybe it is a hormonal thing.
I started when I was very young and had my best times when I was in my 20s.
After that I just let it all grow and develop along with me.

[Barbara Maria]

Hi,Sophie. I'm 58 and only started seriously dressing about 6 months ago,though I've always had a very strong feminine side. Like others have said,it was right out of the blue.I just woke up one day with an irresistable urge to dress. Since then I spend every minute I can en femme,and it's not enough. Except for my back yard I haven't gone out yet,but want to very badly. Once in your 50s you start thinking life can't be holding any more new horizons for you. Surprise! Barbara

[ronny0]

I 'started' preteen, but was limited to what I could 'find' was happy with pantyhose for many years. As I aged, married / divorced / married / divorced my clothing grew ever so slight. Then retirement and more time to do as I wanted. Over the past 10 years went from a stash of next to nothing to a full room of everything.
Not sure if it was a change in desire, or just a change in life. As we age, we also grasp that we need to do what really makes us happy and to "H" with what other think. Well not totally, I am still not open to the world, but I have enough clothing to last a multi month vacation w/o washing anything. My SO / GF tells me I have more clothing than I can ever wear, unless I start dressing 24x7. And should that happen (not in the master plan for now) then I would need to buy more casual stuff as I don't have even one pr of pants. Everything is dress's and skirts. Only takes one trip to the mall to see most GG's wear pants (OMG) most of the time. If I am going to wear pants / shorts I would just as soon stay in guy mode. Well maybe shorts and stockings plus heels, but most women / girls never wear heels unless their is something going on.
Not sure I really answered your question.

[Jolene Robertson]

Late Bloomer Here

I always had a desire but I did not understand it. After retiring my dress started becoming more femme and my wife asked if I wanted to dress in womens clothes. She bought me my first bra and forms. Now I dress most of the time at home and it is wonderful to just be me. Last night I put on some new blue nail polish and after wearing it for a while decided it wasn't for me and she said the dark colors were the in thing, I said it was not femme enough and she laughed her a** off.

Hugs
Jolene

[EllenJo]

I have always had the desire since I was 13 years old but kept it to very occasional dressing. Now at 59, I am able to come out since the wife is more accepting and dress more. I think many of us have the desire to dress but not the passion to go for it until a later age. Age brings with it wisdom to realize that life is short and if you are going to be happy with yourself you better use what time you have. Not sure this answers any questions, just my personal observation. I guess what I am trying to say is that many of us with a life long desire also bloomed late as we accepted ourselves.

[Sophie Yang]

Ellenjo -- " Age brings with it wisdom to realize that life is short and if you are going to be happy with yourself you better use what time you have." I agree. I came to the same conclusion when I was coming up with my name. I will post how I chose my name in the "Your Female Name" forum.

[DaniG]

I don't quite qualify since I'm a youngster at 45, but I'm just starting. I realized my transgender nature a few months ago and have been looking forward to dressing.

I just went for a bra fitting today at lunch! :-) Minutes out the door, I had to put it on again. I found a Starbuck's and dipped into the bathroom. I went back to work and wore it all day. It still have it on. It's incredibly affirming. Loving it!

[Eryn]

It wasn't until I was in my 50s before I could acknowledge those thoughts even to myself.

I envy the younger people who have more courage than I did.

[noeleena]

Hi,

Im a bit different not a dresser or trans, because im intersexed it was some what different for me there is not male or female as most see that. i cant seperate the two. so make what you will of that, others struggle with it & most cant comprehend what its like being this different,

So clothes are not an issue though funny now of cause im looking back . i totaly hated anything male hated thier clothes, hated have to wear some of them yet was not interested in wearing female clothes, never wore jeans hated longs of any kind & yet they were so uncomforable on me what i should have done then was wear a kilt well i am a Scot & we have our own tartan , no matter now of cause. dont have or own any male clothes, just my womens wear,

Im a baby boomer 1947. strange as it may be i was dressed in a dress by my Mother for some time, & later 1958 -9 was dressed again by another woman in front of over 80 people with my Mom watching on no issues then ,

my interest in clothes has been over the last 5 years & makeing designing sewing some 16 different outfits for to wear in our groups, & iv traveled over sea's as well dressed up. very out there,

So you could say i do a lot of dressing up. just not quite in the way you mean. Edwardian 1900 to 1914 & Renaissance 1400 to 1700. so to give you an idear

I enjoy it have a lot fun & we do walks down our streets & with our Scottish Soc & band so as a group we are well known ,& vist other towns .

...noeleena...

[donnalee]

I started at 60, although I went through andropause about 6 years before. I did have some earlier experiences of an autoerotic nature, but never connected the dots until then. It took another 2 years to find this site.

[Donna Joanne]

Been dressing since I was 15, through 3 marriages, but only went out dressed for the first time yesterday. And I'm 53 now...Guess what...IT FELT WONDERFUL!!! Good luck on your journey. GOD loves you, and we do too!

[melanie206]

I'm 58. About 3 years ago, something just clicked and I started buying clothes and discovering my fem side. Going out very soon.

[diannecourtney]

Oh,I think I experimented with various phase from when men wore Nehru Suits with 2" heels. Next it was spandex briefs, when they became unavailable, it was the wifes girdles. I was a traveller and at various times the wife disposed of various items which filled my evenings. Than I saw a set of gams in 3 or 4" heels and I had to have those legs in nylons and stelletoes, and the wifes VS bras. She has since thru me out but I am fully femme now. And it fully started at 65....................I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MissJoanne]

I'm 58. About 3 years ago, something just clicked and I started buying clothes and discovering my fem side. Going out very soon.

I'm 55, and that's what happened to me a couple of months ago, although I've been CD since 1970. Must be a mid-life crisis, which is no bad thing, as I'll live to 110.....

[flatlander_48]

My Bloomers have NEVER been late. Whereas I, on the other hand, have been late MANY times.

Anyway, I started dressing in 2002 a the age of 53 (now 64). I went out once in 2003 fully dressed, but no make-up. I continue to underdress most every day and fully dress, but no wig or make-up, on weekends. Currently my opportunities to do outside things have been very limited...

[ReineD]

Just wondering how many of you ladies here seriously started dressing after the age of 50 and how many have ventured out? I have a terrible memory, but I think that I started around 52 and am 55 now. I suspect that my femme side has always been there, but never had a chance to blossom until later in life.

Hi Sophie, welcome to the forum! Do you mind if I ask you what, specifically makes you suspect that your femme side has always been there? I've read many others say this and I'm curious about what hints you may have had throughout your life even though you did not dress. Can you trace it back to childhood, teenagehood, or early adulthood? Was it just a question of being interested in feminine things accompanied by a strange feeling that you wanted to try them on?



When I had my one and only make over, I asked the owner of the shop what the average age of her client's is? She said it is in the early 50's.

There was a rather long thread in this section, I believe sometime last year, asking members their ages. A few of us tabulated the results, and we discovered that the average is between the late 40s to early 60s. This doesn't surprise me. You're the baby boom generation, the unique generation of crossdressers who started out in a world where there was no information, no internet, no one spoke about this, and where men who expressed interest in feminine things were considered perverts. It was terrifying for many of you to even go there, outside of expressing it sexually in private. But then within your lifetimes, all the rules changed. Gender roles at work narrowed and resulted in shared responsibilities at home. The taboos surrounding sex were removed ... gone were the days when Dick and Laura Petrie had twin beds, people started to talk about sex publicly, homosexuality was even removed as a mental disorder from the DSM, the internet came along with more information, more freedom, porn became widespread, support forums sprang up making it possible for like minded people to talk ..... and so many of you during your 50s, for the first time in your lives felt that it might be OK to let your proverbial hair down.

It will be interesting to see if the current new generation of crossdressers will also come out in their 50s. I don't think so. I think that if they are crossdressers, they know it already. I also think that they don't need as much support since young people are more accepting of gender variance than their prior generations. :)

[Loveday]

You can include me and yes I am a boomer. I started around age 50 after I started wearing Doctor ordered compression hose and took the rest of the dressing all the way. It has been going on for about 6 years now and I am very happy with it. I never even had the notion of doing this before.
I also think one of the reasons I started is because I now have nobody to be responsible to any more. They all have moved away, divorced, or have passed on. I have also retired. I truly have time to think about myself for the first time in my life.

[SnowPrincess]

I started at age 69, still mostly in the closet-have never gone out in public. I enjoy dressing but am limited in my opportunities because my wife disapproves. However, still feel most comfortable and relaxed when minimally dressed.

[Lynn Marie]

Seems to me that I've been a late bloomer pretty much all my life in most everything I did. Married at 38, daughter at 40, dressing at 54, out at 67, and starting to understand dressing better at nearly 70!

[happyallie]

I find being "mature" as somewhat an advantage. I have three years on you and have just begun to take it seriously. In fact I'm going for that makeover and shopping adventure. Can't wait. If I were much younger I don't think I would do it.

[Sophie Yang]

Hi Sophie, welcome to the forum! Do you mind if I ask you what, specifically makes you suspect that your femme side has always been there? I've read many others say this and I'm curious about what hints you may have had throughout your life even though you did not dress. Can you trace it back to childhood, teenagehood, or early adulthood? Was it just a question of being interested in feminine things accompanied by a strange feeling that you wanted to try them on?



Reine,

Thanks for the question and I agree with comments about the younger generation.

I cannot trace my feminine side back to childhood, teenage, or early adulthood. Many transgendered people have very vivid gender related memories and feelings from a very young age. Those that have very early memories often say that they did not know that they were different. But sooner or later, social pressures cause them to bury their feminine side possibly setting up a life long guilt-conflict struggle with themselves and society. Fortunately for me, I do not recall such early memories. It is safe to say, in my case, I do not recall much at all from my early childhood. I just have a terrible memory. I make the absent minded professor look attentive.

There really isn't anything that I can think of that hinted at a feminine side. As a boy growing up, I was the little jock playing baseball, basketball, and football with the neighborhood guys. On the last day of school of junior high, I had my left femur broken, spiral fracture, playing football at recess. Tough break. In high school, I wrestled at the 106, 115, and 123 pound weight class my sophomore, junior, and senior years. Never really hung out with many guys or gals. An introvert.

My earliest memory, probably under the age of 10, that possibly hinted at a feminine side occurred when I was at UCLA watching the girls volleyball team play. The women played with such poise, elegance, and finesse. Even at such a young age, I was mesmerized watching the female body in motion. I know that most guys like watching girls, but CD like watching girls for a whole set of different reasons.

Another possible hint at a feminine side is that people have told me some rather personal things that I have no clue as to why they are sharing. I remember having this thought as an RA in college listening to student describe some problem. I do not remember who it was or what was discussed, but I do recall having a moment of insight that some people feel safe opening up to me. Maybe I listen more than most guys. Guys hear a problem, they want to fix it. Women hear a problem, they want to be there for each other. I would say that my empathy for others has gone up over the years.

While writing this, I now remembered something. At around age 33, I did about 10 or more years years of martial arts, Tae Kwon Do and Jiu-Jit-su. Now I do not know how old I was when I thought about dressing up and going out as part of a police vice squad to catch the bad guys. I do not think I was even a teenager. Now that is something one does not think about every day.

The above paragraph doesn't even flow, possibly doesn't even make sense. I am not sure what martial arts has to do with the vice squad or early inklings of a femine side.

I know who Renee Richards is, but do not know why I know this. I have seen a picture of my dad with a wig on at what looks like a party. I cannot remember if he had on a dress.

I remember that the first cross dressers I saw were at a store late at night in either LA or Hollywood. A couple of dudes came in wearing wigs, dresses, hose, and open toed shoes. The outfits were terrible, but they were laughing and having a good time. I know I was pretty young. It is funny that I can remember this event. In particular, I remember the open toed shoes, the cheap stockings with the seam showing.

About 25 years ago, we lived in the SF bay area. My wife and I went to Finocchio's. We had a great time. A couple of years ago we thought we would go back, but it has closed.

About six years ago I started working on the road. We talk every night, A couple of years ago my wife started reading shape shifter and vampire books. One of the characters was a ware wolf. I read the book but do not remember much about it. However, I do remember nicknaming one of characters Wolfie and wanting to get myself a pair of panties with Wolfie's Den printed on them. Now that was an expensive undertaking and it never happened.

Next came the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire series. My wife read them and she would tell me about the stories. She and her girl friend would read and blog about the series with others. I ended up reading them over a long period of time, not voraciously as my wife had. There are a lot of different characters, from vampires, ware wolves, fairies and shape shifters. I knew I would be home for Halloween so I put together a vampire costume, Count Dragula. I had a blast putting that costume together. I am an early riser, my wife is not. So Halloween morning pre-dawn, of course vampires cannot go out during the daylight, Count Dragula got fully dressed and crawled back into bed. When my wife woke up, she laughed her ass off. She had to tell her girl friend who laughed her ass off. That night my wife and I went out to the comedy club.

When I am home, my wife and donate blood platelets at the Red Cross. Halloween fell on a weekend that I was at home and the Count had to go donate blood. She had a great time and the staff still talks about it.

Were there other episodes? Yes, but these are all within the last three years or so.

[ReineD]

Even at such a young age, I was mesmerized watching the female body in motion. I know that most guys like watching girls, but CD like watching girls for a whole set of different reasons.

I know. And it took me a very long time to understand this. For years, I felt threatened over the way that my SO seemed to gobble up other women with his eyes. :p

If you can trace this back to your childhood, I can understand why you suspect that your femme side has always been there.