Excuses we have used

[prettytoes]

Before my wife new about my "other side", I had a bunch of reasons (excuses) that I used to explain certain things. Here goes just a few of them:

Pantyhose- There's a couple here..."pantyhose are great as a bottom layer when dressing for warmth." They really help keep legs warmer. "Also,they help a wetsuit slide on much easier (when leg hair is involved!)." I now have a drawer full of tights in every color under the rainbow...and I still wear them as a base layer when dressing to go out into the cold.

Panties- I used to wear thongs all the time. "Women's thongs are much less expensive than men's, and the fabric is lighter and more comfortable." I usually tried to lean towards colors that were not super girly. I have also used "all my underwear was in the wash, so I had to borrow some of yours." Quite another story now...my panty drawer is much more fun than my SO's...lace, lots of fem colors and patterns, bloomers, thongs, and bikinis...love them all!

Shaving legs and armpits- "Shaving armpits helps keep odor down; great when hunting for scent control. Smooth legs slide into a wetsuit much easier" (I am a scuba instructor-in and out of wetsuits often). My legs and underarms are always smooth now.

Sleepwear- I always liked oversized dormshirts or nightshirts. Most of them are fairly gender-neutral, but all were bought in women's dept. More comfortable than men's pajamas. I now have lots of women's PJ's now...capri sets, cute patterns and colors (pink camo, Tweety, etc.), and several gowns and babydolls.

Now that my wife knows, I no longer need these excuses. I never came up with any for skirts, bras, dresses, or painted toenails...fortunately I no longer need excuses, so I won't be needing any for those things!

Has anyone else had to try to come up with excuses to justify their dressing to an unknowing or unaccepting SO?

[pamela7]

Thank you Pretty Toes,
I have a couple to add ...

1. I have sensitive balls, and knickers hold them tighter and more comfortably than mens' briefs.
2. I'm experimenting to understand a client.
3. They're more comfortable than my clothes.

do you have different excuses for SO and for other people?

[Jenniferathome]

Have you asked your wife is she ever believed any of your "excuses"?

[Juliax35]

Good thread, I'm taking notes in case of ... :)

[kimdl93]

Nope, never tried to bluff out of it.

[cdinmd206]

Prettytoes - Yep I sure have, especially the one about the wet suit.

[DorothyElizabeth]

Never used any. DId not "discover" my need to dress until after my last wife and I were separated. Since then I have had two long-term relationships (several years each), and both of those women knew about my dressing. I told them on the third date, when it looked as if things might be semi-serious. The last thing I wanted to do was start a relationship with a lie, or an elephant in the living room.

[Bea]

Well before my wife knew about my dressing we took SCUBA lessons. For one of our certification dives we went to a very cold lake. Our instructor suggested using pantyhose to help get the heavy wet suit on. I was in heaven! I had a reason to wear pantyhose! After about 10 dive trips my wife surprised me with a new dive skin so that I wouldn't have to be embarrassed with the pantyhose. I was crushed, but managed to smile and give her a big thank you kiss. :heehee:

[vicky_cd99_2]

Some good excuses. I will have to remember some of them.

[bridget thronton]

No leg hair does make wet suits easier on and off

[julia ann]

I have a perfectly valid excuse for no eye brow hair, lost one completely in a natural gas flash fire so I shaved off the other one because it looked silly with just one eye brow and since the burned one is trying to grow so much slower than the other I just keep them shaved complete off, no one even questions it anymore! :-)

[Alice Torn]

When a policeman pulled me over on my second time out, I told him that i was trying to see how it is to be a woman, and see what they go through. He was great, and said he doesn't care what i wear, just how i drive.

[Lorileah]

If I remember correctly I said "I like then and they are pretty"

[Julogden]

Going off on a bit of a tangent: Your mention of pantyhose helping a wet suit slide on reminds me of the day I went for my certification check-out dive. There was a an attractive, very tall girl there helping us newbies, and she offered me a pair of tan pantyhose to wear under my wet suit, sure wish I could have taken her up on the offer. Problem was that I was married, wife was there and would have gone ballistic if I'd accepted the pantyhose, as she was totally against any sort of dressing for any reason. My younger brother was there too, also getting certified, and he would have been mortified if I'd slipped on the pantyhose. :)

[Allison Chaynes]

-I need pantyhose because it helps compress the leg muscles to help my restless leg syndrome .
-Panties are more comfortable.
-I need a couple bras because my insurance company won't pay for a compression brace, and my doctor suggested it would be cheaper.
-I can't get dressed in my normal clothes so I had to borrow the wife's pink velour sweatpants because they're easy to get on and off.
-My feet are weirdly sized and the Payless associate recommended wearing women's shoes because the arch is different.

-This dress? It's for my wife, I swear.

[Tammy Lynn Tx]

Prettytoes, you are absolutely right. Keeping your armpits shaved really does help keep the pit odor down. I learned that from a female Dr. when I was stationed in the Philipines in the Navy. She also suggested keeping all body hair in h0t places trimmed or shaved. I kept it trimmed for years, now its a switch between trimming and shaving.

[DonnaP]

Do SO really believe all these I think it may be questionable Although I believe the pantyhose and wet suit is very believable

[Closeted Kat]

i've never used any excuses as I have no SO or people poking around. But being an avid gardener you can get away with hose for use in gardening as plant ties, protecting fruit like tomatos or veggies like cucumbers from being attacked by bugs/birds by hanging them inside, i've even seen people who grow things like melons vertically use bras and bikini's to hold melons up. So if you do any gardening you can get some of that stuff for the garden of your old stuff, and get new stuff, and just say they are your backups for when the other stuff wears out. :)

[prettytoes]

Have you asked your wife is she ever believed any of your "excuses"?

When she found my stash of clothing, and I was forced to come clean, she really had no clue as to the extent of it. We have been married over 30 years. Now that she knows, I don't need excuses. So to answer your question, yes,I do think she believed them. She is very intelligent, and is a highly regarded professional. I just think she "chose" to believe it, because of her love for me...if that makes sense?

[DorothyElizabeth]

@ Closeted Kat - If you have ever worked with really small items that are sensitive to magnetism, like clock and watch parts, for example, you'd know that the only way to find ones that got dropped on the floor is to vacuum them up. Putting one leg of a pair of panty hose in the vacuum cleaner wand. turns it into a fine nylon mesh bag, that catches the parts, and you don't need to de magnetize them afterward.

[CynthiaD]

I have the perfect excuse for pantyhose. The doctor told me I should after having a couple of dangerous blood clots. (True in my case.) But excuses for a bra? How about

"I thought I was getting moobs, so I wear this to keep my chest from getting saggy."

Or "It's for sensitivity training at work." (If she buys that, you could really ride it for all it's worth.)

Or "I wear it to keep my breast forms, no no I mean chest warmers from falling off. I get chest colds a lot."

But the one I like best is, "I'm transgendered and it makes me feel normal." Being in the closet is such a pain.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi PT, I never really had to make excuses.:daydreaming:

[Diane Smith]

- High heels are good exercise for my legs and ankles and feel better on my flat feet.
- Long nails are useful as little tweezers when picking up small parts.
- Nail polish helps with eye-hand coordination.
- Eyeshadow helps keep the glare out of my eyes when I'm doing photography outside on a sunny day.
- Similarly, false eyelashes help keep dust out of my eyes.
- Shaved arms and legs are cooler in the summer. And underarms don't smell as bad.
- Women's jeans with a little spandex fit better.

I doubt anybody buys any of these statements for a second, but I'm always ready!

- Diane

[bcpmax]

I've come up with a few stories for my roommates.

Shaved Arms/Legs - "I'm moonlighting as a body builder."
High heels - "I need them to clean the top shelf; Your welcome"

I've yet to think up something to say if someone found my dresses other than; "I wear them to not be naked"; still working on that one.

[Sara Jessica]

These are called excuses because that's what they are. Simple rationalizations. I was going to point out the wetsuit thing as absolute BS but that would relate to surfing wetsuits. Can't say I've tried diving suits though, could be something there for all I know because they are heavier.

[susan54]

I get quite a lot of "feedback" from women about the length of my nails. I do not give excuses - they are my nails and I can have them as long as I like. Having said that, it is actually true that I use them for picking up small objects and I use my thumbnail as a tool - I just don't share this. It is also true that I hate cutting my nails and toenails and do so only when they become unbearable. When I was getting pedicures regularly (for about five years the only time I saw my natural toenails was at the beauty salon) the best bit was having someone else do the horrible job of trimming my toenails.

Partly the cross-dressing has identified good ways of living that make sense independently of the cross-dressing, like shaving underarms. So the excuses do actually make sense on their own. I just won't use them as excuses because I do not feel the need to excuse my cross-dressing.

If you like wearing particular clothes and you look good in them, what is your excuse for NOT wearing them? Only society. I have to admit I am careful where I wear womenswear in public, whether it is as a man in a skirt or fully dressed. I would rather be thought of as a crossdresser than a liar. You could go for the double-bluff to avoid lying by saying the skirt is from your vast skirt wardrobe, or claim assertively that you are getting in touch with your feminine side - but you HAVE to assertive about this or they will believe you! Or you can go on the counter-attack (possibly you need even more confidence for this one) - "Do my long nails disturb you? Why do you think that is? or So why is it exactly you find my underwear an issue? And fix them with a scary stare.

All of this is of course so much easier of you don't have a partner who disapproves.

[Lauri K]

Same here Cynthia, I wear pantyhose for DVT prevention and annoying vein issues. (no excuse needed for the pantyhose)

Over the course of 20 years, my wife does not need any more of my excuses for bras, make up, nail polish, and list goes on she has finally accepted that she cannot change me, but once in a while she will try to, but it blows over.

[WandaRae2009]

"pantyhose are great as a bottom layer when dressing for warmth." They really help keep legs warmer. ?

This is the one that I used when my wife found pantyhose stuffed in my briefcase. She didn't really buy it 100% thought I was having an affair, and ended up coming out to her. And I don't have to use that excuse, we are at a DADT stage, and she always asks before entering my briefcase so there are no surprises.

[Sarasometimes]

Women's running tights are cheaper than men's.
Women's spandex shorts are cheaper then men's.
They don't make men's support undies without that uncomfortable super wide 1950's style waistbands which also cost more than the comfy supportive plain panties.
When I did hair "My legs are killing me, I'm trying pantyhose." She was game but they were way to hot under men's slacks. i wonder if she new that and figured I would better understand why she hates to wear them too.
Unscented deodorant can be worn by either gender, it doesn't smell. Secret Unscented.
-In the early 80's with a steady girlfriend. "Hey if I get a perm you wont have to share your blow dryer with me when I stay over." She actually got into making me perm appointments although she hating going for hers (she had fine flat hair). She often times would come with me for mine, I don't know if she ever realized how much I loved getting them.

Fun thread and I agree that few ever believe these excuses.

[Sometimes Steffi]

The pantyhose thing for wet suits is really true. When the wet suit is wet, it stick to the skin and is really hard to pull up.

Also, wet suits need to be really tight when you're wearing them. The way they keep you warm is by soaking up water an allowing your body to warm it up. If the wet suit is too big, you just get a lot of cold water sloshing around in there and it's too much water to warm up. Just ask me how I know that.

In high school, I was on the track team. We showed up at one school for an outdoor meet, and one of the guys on the other team was wearing pantyhose under his track pants. We thought it was pretty funny, until he neat the pants off of us running the race.

Once I was having lower back problems. I went to a physical medicine doctor. She told me I should wear compression pants, and she showed me some in a catalog. I wanted to kiss her because the compression shorts looked just like girdles. I actually bought some girdles because that's what I wanted, and because they were much cheaper, but my wife had a hissy fit when she saw them. This was before I was out to her.

I have a rib that pops out every once in a while. I'll normally wear an ace bandage around my chest to immobilize it until I can get to the chiropractor. I was in a lot of pain once and couldn't find my ace bandage. My wife borrowed a bandeau bra from my daughter to use.

[Genny B]

One of my favorites is that wearing pantyhose in the woods helps to keep the ticks off your legs. To many guys actually doing this for it to only be an 'excuse!'

Genny B

[Erika Lyne]

My best pair of jeans that fit are women's. I wear them all the time. I have shorter legs and they are the right leangth. Also, women's jeans seem to shrink less. My brother asked why I was wearing them. I said, "because they fit."

As far as the painted toe nails, "My girls were playing 'Nail Salon' & I like to spend time with my kids. That makes me a good parent."

[sara.rafaela]

The pantyhose is no big deal. I am a mountaineer and wear them during fall and winter as my first layer. This actually has nothing to do with my other hobby of dressing. The pantyhose, or more likely tights keep me warm and do not retain sweat. At 14,000 ft. it is typically well below freezing at night even in early fall. My climbing buddies have seen this and have no reason to think I am nothing but a tough mountaineer.

[katarina dovic]

Panty hose to keep your legs warm at winter
Shaved legs if your into cycling better aero dynamics apparently
Shaved legs or arms - gives you a better sun tan
Trimming down below - sorry hon the shaver got carried away lol

Oh and girdles or body shaping stuff because it helps to get in shape

[macada10]

For the bra: To avoid sweating under my male boobs.

[Krististeph]

Of course leg shaving for cycling, no matter i rarely wear tights or massage... I get the occasional looks at the health club but usually not when doing heavy leg lifts. I have learned one thing- do not use the health club's razors for your legs- lots of nicks! Eek!

[Rebekah_uk]

When i am out shopping for
me I usually say i am shopping for my wife. Which I am sure every shop assistant has heard a thousand times before. I actually plucked up the courage to try on a ladies pair of shoes at Payless today. I had a default excuse ready just in case. The thing is I have had to out myself to my family Doctor. So it's time that I started owning this and when somebody asks me who are they for. Then I should say screw it they are for myself.

[carahawkwind]

Early in my relationship with my wife before I was out to her, she found a glass in my kitchen with lipstick on it and my explanation was basically that it had been like that for a while and was just lazy and incompetent doing dishes, because you know that is attractive. I came out to her a little after that and corrected my story.

[MelanieAnne]

Thigh top stockings are good for leg circulation problems, and cheaper than compression stockings.

[CrackedFacade]

- Having no body hair makes it easier to get clean after obstacle/endurance races.
- Stocking keep me warm when I walk to work and are thinner than thermals.
- You always make fun of my runners toenails so I painted them!

[Andy66]

Im enjoying reading some of these excuses.


i've even seen people who grow things like melons vertically use bras and bikini's to hold melons up.
Yep, thats what bras and bikinis are for... to hold yer melons up. :loc:

And poor Julia Ann with the one eyebrow. I do hope youre okay. :heehee: :hugs:

Even I have excuses sometimes. It depends how self conscious Im feeling. Some mens clothes seem to fit better, some cost less than the female equivalent, or are warmer. My mens watch is easier to read. My mens wallet is less bulky than a womens. Excuses, excuses. One day I hope to be above feeling like I need to explain myself to others.