What need does crossdressing fill in your life?

[Kate Simmons]

What need or purpose does crossdressing fill in your life? I had to ask myself the question before I asked everyone else. At this point, for myself, it fills a need of artistic expression of my feelings. Like most people I also enjoy being admired and this is one vehicle I chose to accomplish that.It also served as a means to be more daring and less mundane in my life and gave me the courage to explore "terra incognita" or unknown territory that I previously would not have had the fortitude to do. Seems like CDing empowered me in many ways and as such has enriched my life overall, especially since it's a total choice for me now rather than a compulsion. So, what need or purpose does CDing fill in your life or do you simply enjoy doing it? :)

[kimdl93]

I simply see myself when I'm dressed.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Kate, All I know is that dressing feels so good when I see that lady looking back in the mirror.

[Carlene]

Whatever it is that we do....dress, walk past the mens clothes without seeing anything on our way to the ladies section, try to be a more gentle and understanding person, walk with a little bounce in our step and so on, just feels so right.

So, I wonder, how can something that feels so right be looked at as so wrong by the public at large? Yet, still, I know that I am okay.

Carlene.....:daydreaming:

[Marcelle]

Hi Kate,

Interesting question. Right now I am still trying to figure things out. I have to admit when I first started dressing there was a sexual component but that has given way to more a sensuality while I go through the transformation process. Once everything is complete and I put clothes on I see the feminine side of me and dressing allows me to express that. Probably has something to do with supressing things for so long . . . really not sure but working through that with my therapist.

Right now it is a bit of a compulsion as I like that side of me as much as I like my male side but I get to be boy me all day and Isha only once and awhile. It is likely I will find balance in the future and the compulsion will subside and it will become more of a choice (boy or girl today?).

Hugs

Isha

[Cynthia Anne]

Cross dressing gets me closer to being the person that my brain says I really am!

[Lynn Marie]

I have this classy older lady friend. We enjoy the same music, the same styles, I love the way she looks, and she's very low maintenance. I love going out with her, she's an incorrigible flirt and great fun to be with. I even get to share her clothes and shoes! What could be better than that?

[bridget thronton]

I quite frankly like to be one of the girls when working on project or sitting down for coffee or wine.

[Beverley Sims]

I missed picking up that book of yours when I was in the bookstore the other day.
"1001 thoughtful questions for Cross Dressers".
You have a propensity for asking questions that need thoughtful answers.
That is why I am delaying answering, I am trying to think of a good reply.

Similar to you when I was younger I appeared in a Sunday night talent show for female impersonators.
I won the prize for the night and I liked the artistic aspect of being able to fool people into thinking I was a girl.
I was eighteen then. Later I met my room mates who sub let a house with me and they recognized my qualities very early in the relationship.
A girl was better to have than a guy in the house and it became a public relations exercise.
That is another story that could fill a book.

[garfield9951]

I would say a more relaxed person, who I fell I should be.

[michelle-]

I'm kind of new to this but I've never thought of it as filling me in any way. I don't feel like I have a need to do it. It's more like I'm curious about a side of me and wonder how much could I develop it.

Since I was little, I would play pretend games. If I was alone at home. I would sometimes pretend I was a cop and just arrived at my house and could tell someone had been there. So would move stealthy and check every room before turning the tv on. I'd act a character. A role. I still do this sometimes when I'm home alone. Let my imagination flow.

With time I'd get more into character and dress like the actual cop, or whatever character I was playing. After dressing like a woman for the first time, I started considering playing a female character. And would just walk around my house and do whatever I had to do, but dressed up. So to me it's been more like challenging myself to play a role and try to be as convincing as possible.

Just to be clear, I don't mean to say CD is a game to me. But I do it to play a character. Maybe one day one of my characters will take over my life. I'll be someone I made up full time. Wouldn't that be something?

[suchacutie]

For both my wife and myself, Tina is an adventure to find out who I am and who I have been. In addition, since Tina is my wife's girlfriend we are able to revel in our relationship from a different perspective.

[docrobbysherry]

Try this on for size, Kate. I lived 65 years as a guy. U could say I've done that and it's become pretty boring.

For the last 5 years I've gotten the chance to live a few moments as a hot, young woman. For me, that's different, new, and exciting!

[Alice Torn]

One need, is , that since the women more and more act like men, and dress like them somewhat, it meets the nned, that since they wear the pants, I can wear the dress LOL!

[barbie54s]

I feel relax and happy when I am dress.

[Karren H]

I fills my need to crossdress.... duhhh.... If I knew why I did this I would know what need it filled......

[Steph_CD_62]

If I don't dress on a regular basis, I get grumpy (according to the wife). So I guess what I get out of crossdressing is feeling more comfortable wearing women's clothing and I am happier.

[Eryn]

When I finally acknowledged my status as a CDer I thought of CDing as fulfilling my desire to present myself aesthetically as I wished and wear the beautiful clothing that GGs take for granted. As I have gone out more and more I realize that I also yearned for the unique modes of social interactions that GGs enjoy. I belong to a CDing group where most of the wives also participate and I find it interesting that when the group meets I usually end up in a group of mostly GGs while most of the other CDers tend to group together. I'm sure that a psychiatrist could find something profound in that.

[RobynP]

Not only do I enjoy it, it is extremely helpful to me. I can easily travel to my fantasy world, my fantasy land. A coping mechanism? You bet! My self-image changes 180 degrees!

[gennee]

It's who I am.

:)

[NicoleScott]

Dang, Karren beat me to it. The answer is in the question. Crossdressing fills the need to crossdress. Of course, the question nobody can answer is where does the need come from?

[chrissy111]

My wife says it makes me complete. To me it is an adventure.

[Stephanie47]

For me cross dressing is an escape from my male inner self. I disassociate my physical being from my spiritual being. I enjoy being the male I am now. I am retired. I have no debt. I have a wonderful family. I have it all. Was it like that in the past? No! It was having a mortgage. It was going to work in an environment that was stressful in dealing with co workers and the public. Basically, none of you would want to come to see me. Then, there is the residual effects of having served my country. Nothing more said on that issue for now.

So, Stephanie came to save the day. That person I loathed in the past pushed the male aside and took over to provide relief. Cross dressing has been my savior. Somehow I still feel the serenity and comfort and disassociation from the crap of life that Stephanie has brought in the past. I see now reason to disavow her now. I still enjoy letting her take over this male body.

[Lady Catherine]

Fills the need to let my feminine side out and be free.

[Chickhe]

It is a lot like answering 'why'. So far, I know it provides me an escape and it is a challenge. It is something enjoyable.

[Cami.Aeris]

Crossdressing allows me to express my feminine side in a complete way. It acts as a complement to the time I send in a macho work environment, cancelling it out, and allowing me to remember that it is okay and important to express myself fully in every way!

[Kate Simmons]

Some responses seem to indicate it can be a form of self therapy. Thoughts on that? :)

[Jenniferpl]

It stops that inner voice and for a brief moment in time my internal struggle goes away. It also allows a needed outlet for my femininity.

[Shari]

It IS therapeutic and approaching what can best be described as a mind altering drug.
Everything else seems to just go away for awhile and I find peace, if only for a short time.

[Alice Torn]

Kate said it well, and i see it the same way. Art and creativity, daring. Karren, what about the need to see that there's more to a hockey player, than meets the eye?

[Kate Simmons]

Same thing with my avatars here Alice. I have a specific point in mind when I post them. Some of them are actually looks I want to try myself but haven't yet.:battingeyelashes: :)

[susiecd13]

Dressing helps me feel free. I can express myself through my dressing.

Susie

[Abbey11]

It's what I enjoy, I enjoy going into the cloth shops and choosing a new dress or heels and then trying them on, it gives me a thrill and allows me to be more expressive in ways that aren't possible in a suit or blazer, the use of makeup and the whole end result can be an art form

[Tara D. Rose]

I would love to give an answer here, about what need and or happiness, or of the fulfillment of something missing, again, I would love to respond here, but I cannot. But don't forget me.

Tara D. Rose

[franlee]

The only Need it fills is physically allowing me to experience the styles, makeup and tactile senses of the persona I want to be at the time, that allows me to escape myself for a brief time. A mini vacation from my everyday life by being consumed in the transformation and maintaining the persona I chose. Just relief and relaxation I think sums it up.

[aleflour]

For me, crossdressing lets me explore a side of myself that I normally don't get to experience. I love the way it feels when wearing soft cotton pj's, skinny jeans and a cute top, or a cute dress that fits me just right. It's so fulfilling. I love it.

[Wildaboutheels]

At home, just one simple means to an end.

In public, it's a means to educate people with an open mind.

[CarissaM]

Still trying to figure it all out and accept myself. As far as I can figure it simple feels good to dress up.

[Brenda Freeman]

I love how women look and dress. and I love how I look when I crossdress. I see some styles on women and beautiful lingerie and am inspired to try. The clothes the fabric it is all good. It makes me feel so good and happy I guess everyone wants to look good and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I suppose anything that makes you happy is a good mood therapy. It does work for me.

[Dena]

I couldn't stop thinking and/or fantasizing about womens' clothes until I had my own wardrobe.

[Tallulah Rose]

I used to think it was an entirely sexual thing. It still is very exciting in that way, but there is so much more to it now.

I am in a very fulfilling relationship and my SO has known about my dressing since we first got together many years ago. It's never been a problem for her, but it took me years to get through the guilt that I carried around during my teenage years.

So, I digress, but it's a lot of things. I appreciate my dresses and I love creating displays from them, hanging them up with necklaces and stoles and just looking at how beautiful they are. I get a lot from just doing that.

The art of working on my makeup skills. I love it too. Thinking about color co-ordination and what fits together. It's such a beautiful thing to think about.

I love shopping too. I am probably worse than most women when it comes to wanting to collect bags or shoes and accessories.

It's a relief of stress also. I can enter this other world and feel really complete and calm for a while. It's therapeutic to be in girl mode for a few hours and then go back to boy mode. I'm finally working out my balance and I just love it.

[irene9999]

There's a strong feminine side to me and this is my way of releasing that. I also like the way i look dressed!

[FemmeElastique]

CDing fulfills my need to feel attractive, desired, to attract men, and feel like a woman. It also fulfills my sexual needs as I can much more easily attract men when I CD.

[Dianne S]

It fulfills my need for self-expression.

[Teresa]

Almost from the start at about 9-10yrs old cding produced my first climax not through masturbation and I see it as a combination lock was set in my brain and the key thrown away, in other words clothes and then sex were permanently linked and still are. This was linked to my feelings for the girl next door also my age so the feeling of wanting to share cding with girls is and still is very strong.

[ShelbyDawn]

Well, I'm 6'3", 230# and don't have a feminine looking part of my body, so it definitely isn't a need to pass as a woman cuz that just ain't gonna happen for this one. :)

Seriously, I can go back through my memories and pick out specific times starting at about age 4 or 5, where I just wanted to wear girls clothes.
I would "borrow" one of my mom's slips or something from one of my three sisters, you all know the story...
It's just always been that way. For me, there has never been a sexual component to it.
Some times the need/urge/desire has been stronger than others and for over 30 years, it wasn't there at all.
Now, it is just a part of who I am and if there is a need it fills, it is a need to be true to myself.
When I get dressed, whether its just panties or all the way with a wig and makeup, it is just another facet of who I am.

I guess that's a long-winded way to say, I haven't got a clue... :)

:hugs:

Shelby

[osteph]

It is where I get my hugs !
Osteph

[Lisa.Stevenson]

I see it as a kind of self expression, letting out what's on the inside in a way. I admire the female body, and grace to such an extent I feel like "joining in" occasionally is the only logical answer. There is also some degree of sexual motivation as well, I'm a bisexual male but in "guy mode" i would simply never have the courage, or drive, or whatever you want to call it to explore with guys. As Lisa I feel more confidant in what I'm doing, and what I'm seeking out. And in turn that has allowed me to explore things I simply never could before, yet always wanted to.

[linda booth]

For me it's really simple. I love the clothes. That wearing the clothes also feels good was a nice bonus.

[Michelle_Phoenix]

It's just fun and I like feeling pretty. On a deeper level it could be because I need a little feminizm in my life, as I am 21 and never had a girlfriend. But it's definitively more for the fun.

[looking_good]

I was looking at some photos of myself dressed with a bit of makeup and thought - sometimes you can see who you are by being who you aren't. I am learning a bit about myself by looking and thinking about who I see dressed.

Yoda am I.

[(Sara)]

Dressing does not fill a need in my life, it is a need in my life. It makes me feel good, which is an end in itself, at least for me.

[Tess]

It is a lot like answering 'why'. So far, I know it provides me an escape and it is a challenge. It is something enjoyable.

Ditto...its an adventure, a thrill, and an escape for me. Its also very enjoyable.

[Edm_Jamie]

Along with other comments below, I also see this yet another thing in life that I crave because I can't have it. Most guys would love to have my tall muscular frame, yet I'm the one wishing I had their smaller 5'7" frame and 140lbs soaking wet.

[Talisker]

Hmm. lets see.
- Escapism and fantasy. Forget and leave behind all the normal stuff and worries for a few hours.
- Sexual stimulation. Yeah I try to look hot !
- Artistic stuff ? Yeah to some extent. Certainly have a better appreciation of what girls would look like if you stripped off the paint and realize how much difference it makes.
- Meeting people. OK so this mainly applies to meeting women but it is so much easier to start conversations since they have hundreds of Qs they want to ask you.
- Makes life less boring. Doing even the most mundane tasks, refueling the car etc becomes more interesting.
- Not really relevant to CD but I also like tight fitting clothes, there just happen to be more of them for women.

Will probably think of some others as soon as I post this.......

[looking_good]

Some responses seem to indicate it can be a form of self therapy. Thoughts on that? :)
Perhaps it is a chance for growing self awareness. 'I have this part of me to listen to as well....'