Is it just being somebody else for awhile?

[CarlaWestin]

I'm a whole complete male person most of the time. And I entertain mental glimpses of dress-up ideas while doing the daily male thing. But, I think it's a desire to step into that other life of being female that I'm blessed with. It feels like I'm two people.

Are you two (or more) people?

[Marcelle]

Hi Carla,

Nope . . . just one person timesharing one body. Personality doesn't change, routine doesn't change . . . just the exterior :)

Cheers

Isha

[Marie-Claude, France]

I'm a whole complete male person most of the time. And I entertain mental glimpses of dress-up ideas while doing the daily male thing. But, I think it's a desire to step into that other life of being female that I'm blessed with. It feels like I'm two people.

Are you two (or more) people?

No, I am a single person with two facets.

[Sarah-RT]

From the title I thought the thread was going to ask something like "is dressing just an escape from boredom"

With regard to your actual post though, I did feel for a while that I kind of felt like two different people in the same body, not schizophrenia two people mind you but just two different gendered entities, since as a male I love war films, violence, I always get attached to evil characters in films because they express power and control and it was so far removed from being "dainty" and passive that I felt it couldn't be part o my normal self and it must be a back seat driver so to speak

Sarah x

[Ineke Vashon]

Amongst early native Americans, and other native cultures, m2f crossdressers were known as Twin Spirits, or twin spirited, and had a privileged position in their community. Often they became healers.

Personally, I don't feel like two people. Three years ago I stopped refusing my feminine side by coming out to myself at least (and joining this forum). The feminine side has been subtly growing, not as a separate identity but as a compliment to my total personality. I like my total "package" better and it's less stressful .

Ineke

[Katey888]

I'm a whole complete male person most of the time. And I entertain mental glimpses of dress-up ideas while doing the daily male thing.

Carla - to me this says you're not two people... :)

Different facets: yes - and certainly I feel the need to actively modify my physical behaviour, voice, mannerisms, etc. when dressed - but they're all in me all the time... it's like selecting a 'Release Katey' mode: everything that is there in the background now becomes foreground presentation... Any 'other life' for me is largely escapism.

Katey x

[Barbara Black]

Wow Ineke, that is really interesting spiritually. Many times before I even started crossdressing for anything but sexual pleasure, I dropped into the role of healer or confidant. I can see where being familiar with both major aspects of personalities would be a help for spiritual guidance. On the subject at hand though, I'm not dressed enough to really know if I feel too much different while dressed as a woman, but I guess is that I probably don't feel that different personality-wise. I've never been heavy into violence other than wanting the right side of wars and battles to win, even if it does involve death and some gore. ha ha. I think I've always had a somewhat, or perhaps overwhelming feminine personality, which would explain my being here after so many years of being strictly male on the outside.

[Krisi]

I think anyone who thinks strapping on a pair of boobs and a wig changes their personality or causes them to become a different person is confused or trying to fool themselves. We may be acting out a role but our internal feelings and beliefs do not change and cannot change. We still have the same brain and the same life experiences.

[CynthiaD]

No, I don't feel like two people ever. I'm female all the time. I wear male clothing when I have certain duties to perform. I wear female clothing to look and feel normal.

[bridget thronton]

I believe in gender as a continuem so I feel I am the same person all the time - regardless of my clothing

[Tina B.]

I feel more like a coin, I get up in the morning, take a flip, heads I put on a dress, tails, I put on dude stuff. But either way it's just the one and only me.
The only big difference with me is I feel more relaxed in the dress.

[Sandie70]

I feel that the female part of me has always been with me. Her personality, memories, likes and dislikes and sexuality are the same as my male counterpart. But the important thing is that regardless of how I present myself, I'm still me - not a different person, just letting a hidden part of who I am come out to play and have some fun. And boy, what fun it is! In many ways it's like having the best of two worlds... and you choose which world you want to frolic in each day.

[Samantha2015]

Like Tina B. said, 2 sides to 1 coin. But that's not how I decide to get dressed in the morning.
I go by which pile of dude clothes smells better. :D All the dresses are hanging up nicely in the closet.

[Lady_Fiona]

For me it's getting to pretend to be someone else for an evening or a day. I enjoy the idea of not having to be myself for a little while.

[Helen_Highwater]

For those familiar with maths I would describe myself as being like a 2 circle Venn diagram.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venn_diagram

Different persona sharing common traits. How much the circles over lap I'm not sure, probably far more than I would at first think but there are certainly elements of male me that don't normally appear when in femme mode and visa versa.

[charlenemichaels]

For those familiar with maths I would describe myself as being like a 2 circle Venn diagram.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venn_diagram

Hi Helen!
that's how I feel also in regard to the 'dual, lapping traits with distinctions' example you shared.

Must be the 'fluidity' that is spoken of here so often since for me, Charlene is me and some of her is always present (her traits i mean) minus the voice in guy mode.

This must come over a long time. I dont even think about it like second nature.

There have been times i have been under dressed at work and donned a cute pair of heels while sitting at the desk.

Nearly committing a huge social no-no by getting up and strutting to the bathroom in my pumps!

No one noticed that time! I simply forgot about them!

~Char

[pamela7]

no, one person, different behaviours, though i can see how some people could be a complete alter-ego with the CD change.

[jigna]

I feel very special, wearing female dress and feel that I am a different person.

[Pat]

I think people can be forgiven for trying to understand themselves as two personalities sharing a body. When we're first facing ourselves as crossdressers everything we've learned teaches us the male/female is either/or. So when you're expressing female the way you can explain it internally is you're in "female mode." You explain new concepts using the information you understand from previous experience.

Over time we get exposed to the gender continuum concept and we realize we're a single personality sitting between male and female. Then we come to accept that we can express either way. It's probably wrong to cast it as "I'm a guy who expresses female sometimes." It's probably more correct that you're this thing-we-have-no-name-for between male and female all the time but for practical reasons and for reasons of upbringing we favor expressing male.

The fact is, at least for me, when I present male it's just as much of a fiction as when I present female, I'm just better at pretending to be male. I'm reasonably sure the "stress relief "many of us say we feel when we crossdress is a function of being able to stop lying about being male for a little while. I don't think we're deluded. I don't think we're broken. I think we are an actual kind of person who, if there is a Grand Scheme of Things, has a place in it. I think our society has lost it's way on that and it's up to us to re-educate them about what we bring to the table so we can walk in the daylight as who we are. ;)

(I know I uncork that philo on a regular basis -- sorry if you've had to sit through it before.)

[Teresa]

Carla,
Like most replies I remain the same person but with questionable gender ! I'm not CDing to act something out, it's trying to satisfy an inner need through a male body and trying so hard not to upset other people in the process !

[Jazzy Jaz]

The term "twin spirited" is relatively new, having been voted on and chosen at a conference in the early 90's. There are hundreds of Native American Nations that each have thier on descriptions of LGBT. In my cultural understanding our people see a spirit as being a mix of both male and female energy. Gender is viewed as a spectrum. Most males in a male body would have a male dominant energy, same with females. A ts is someone who's dominant spiritual energy is the opposite of thier body. The rest of us LGBT folks fit at various points within this spectrum and even straight non tg people can vary a bit but closer to thier respective ends of the spectrum. Like Ineke said, many of us became healers because of our ability to walk between the genders and we were also sought out for marriage counceling etc because we were able to relate to both partners. Prior to contact, creator/god wasn't he, it was viewed as a mix of both male and female.

[Savannah_Skye]

For me I am always one person, who is just somewhere on the tg/cd spectrum. Sometimes though, going to work, running errands, or attending social gatherings in the traditional masculine clothes, and thereby, hiding part of my identity, makes me feel like a different person.

[Ally 2112]

For the most part i am one person who does feel totally different when i dress (if that makes sense ?) .I know im me but love the girly feeling :)

[Andrea_cd]

At the moment im not sure if i am 2 people or just 1 most of the time im just me but when my lingerie draw opens Andrea comes and my male side fades to the background , am going to see a therapist soon to find out if im a boy or girl or both

[Lorileah]

just one person timesharing one body.
quote of the day...and it was marvelous they bought dinner and a room while throw the sales pitch

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Carla, I spend a lot of drab time thinking about what combination of an outfit I'm going to wear the next session.:daydreaming:

[MissTee]

One person with a very broad gender continuum.

[DarkKnightress]

For me it's getting to pretend to be someone else for an evening or a day. I enjoy the idea of not having to be myself for a little while.

I second that.

How I look at it is I deal with being a man 7 days per so many weeks in a year. I have 6 days to earn that 1 day (saturday) when I can escape my man self for a few hours, go out as one of the towns hottest girls, and have a good time for my soul before I have to tear it down and go back to man mode. Its something real women take for granted: being a woman is escapism. At least for me. Its my weekly therapy, my soul needs it, its all I have.

Thank you

[Lily Catherine]

It's probably more correct that you're this thing-we-have-no-name-for between male and female all the time but for practical reasons and for reasons of upbringing we favor expressing male.

(...)

The fact is, at least for me, when I present male it's just as much of a fiction as when I present female, I'm just better at pretending to be male. I'm reasonably sure the "stress relief "many of us say we feel when we crossdress is a function of being able to stop lying about being male for a little while.

I feel this way, adopting a female name in English purely for shorthand and since a female with my male (English) name would be a little absurd (In Chinese, my male and female names have the exact same pronunciation but are written differently). Perhaps on my part it's less 'better at pretending to be male' than simply being more used to presenting as such. I still consider myself one intact being, the 'female mode' is there but definitely did not come optional, detachable or anything to that effect.

[sometimes_miss]

Are you two (or more) people?
I tend to believe that most of us aren't 'two or more people'. Multiple personality disorder is very, very rare. That said, I'm always 'me'. I have learned to act the part of a standard issue guy; to the outside world, I show zero feminine traits as best as I can. It's an act just like any other actor puts on to do a play or a movie. I just look at it as a job, and my male clothing as my work uniform, no different from when a fireman, astronaut or deep sea diver puts on his uniform. And when I step inside my home, I stop 'working', take off my 'uniform', and wear what I feel normal wearing: Clothing made for a girl.

[Suzie Petersen]

Are you two (or more) people?

No ... but my other personality is !

;)

[Princess Ludwyna]

For me it's just the opportunity to express another aspect of myself.

[TrishaLake]

I did think it was two people for a long time, but now they are merging into one. Today, I am comfortable with both.

[Wen4cd]

The "Him" and the "Her" sort of killed each other a while back. There's just me now.

[TrishaLake]

Further to my post, I think there is also a little hiding in dressing for me. Complete ability to allow myself to be free, express myself and also explore in the bedroom.

[Lilblondecutie1407]

I tend to believe that most of us aren't 'two or more people'. Multiple personality disorder is very, very rare. That said, I'm always 'me'. I have learned to act the part of a standard issue guy; to the outside world, I show zero feminine traits as best as I can. It's an act just like any other actor puts on to do a play or a movie. I just look at it as a job, and my male clothing as my work uniform, no different from when a fireman, astronaut or deep sea diver puts on his uniform. And when I step inside my home, I stop 'working', take off my 'uniform', and wear what I feel normal wearing: Clothing made for a girl.

Very well said, I agree 100%, I used to say I CD for fun as an escape but as I grew it became a second identity and since moving into my own place I'm learning I'm just one person just a little more complex.

[Georgina]

Only one person but with two sets of clothes. No matter what clothes I wear I am the same person.

[Dana44]

Carla, I see your point. Yet we are the same. For me, I may wake up, look in the mirror and say to myself, "yep your a girl today." But in reality I must wear men's clothes. But i'm still a girl at hart. I see the men who are comfortable in their skins. I have never felt that way. It was for me an issue, why am I like this. One thing can be clear though. I felt it was a gift and accomplished many things in my life. I am the same person in male or female attire. Yet I might be male or female on any given day. What a life... think i will paint my nails now...

[Alice Torn]

Carla, Yes, it seems to be that with me. An escape from the lonely,unwanted, solitary, world of being an old bachelor. In my area, no one cares a rat's snotball about the plight of a hurting, loner man. They all have their mates, kids, grandkids, have their houses. My dressing is truly and escape from the prison of being an unwanted, loner, tortured male.

[Stephanie47]

My wife thinks there may be a "past life experience" influencing me. Hey, if she believes it, that's OK with me! I haven't figured it out yet.

[Candice June Lee]

I have fought and thought on this for years. The end result, I am one person. I am a feminine male. Least wise my internal fights say so. So the fight stopped. But now when can Christyna go play and meet some friends. More than at home in a bra panties and shorts and shirt. But this has helped the constricted feeling I have had.

[Emily Grace Carter]

Hi Carla!
For me, the whole reason I began crossdressing was because it was a form of escapism. I am a budding actor so when I am on stage, the confidence I find with being different characters is enormous and I enjoy being these different people. But having two severely mentally ill parents is tough and I tried to find comfort by the only way I know how: being another person. So I thought, well obviously the opposite of me would be a girl! And honestly, even though I am not terribly comfortable after being Emily, the feeling of being a teenage girl with such modest confidence and self respect felt great! I would however say we're not two different people but she is an aspect of me which has not been seen in public :)

Emily