Technology and CD'ing...

[Robin414]

'Grandpa speech': "You young'uns got it sooo good! When we cross dressed we didn't have them fancy silly - cone pads 'n forms 'n such...we had ta use straw and manure, and we had to walk 10 miles...up hill...both ways... IN HEELS, just ta get it, and we appreciated it dammit! 😠"

Wow,* times have changed! I'm not THAT old but I remember the first time I dressed up, I used socks and towels for the 'curves', luckily it was the 80's and no one noticed 😊.

Now there are completely natural looking silicone everything you can even wear with a bathing suit and look good (and it* don't attract as many flies when it gits wet 😠 )

Looking forward reminds me of a Bruce Willis movie where people lived by proxy in completely realistic robotic bodies entirely of their choosing...wonder if Google's working on that one yet. 😄

[Infused]

I'm still young but old enough that I grew up without the internet. It is quite amazing that you can shop browse and buy things on the internet and have them delivered to your door. Not to mention the things you find that you never knew existed, or the people you never knew existed! I'm very thankful for all the benefits of technology and what it's brought us. I would be a much different person without the internet and limitless information.

[docrobbysherry]

Apparently, not many here, Robin. I'm ancient, but only began dressing 18 years ago. It's been 7 years since I bought my first silicone female suit. Which makes my outer layer female from neck to ankles. It's a most amazing device. And, a way to see what you'd look like after transitioning. Only, reversible in minutes! Yet, I know of only 2 other girls here that have them.

About 5 years ago I bought another quality silicone prosthesis. A breast plate. Which allows me to show better cleavage than most females! These r as common as dirt now. So many available online from many manufacturers. Yet, I continually read of T's pathetic, tedious, and bizarre efforts to make their breasts or forms look good in low cut tops. While I put my prosthesis on in 10 seconds!:heehee:

[Kate Simmons]

Before they offered them on the market, I used to make my own hip and butt pads out of foam rubber. I originally make my boobs out of foam also but after seeing a TV movie about saline implants, made new ones out of surgical gloves and a 50/50 antifreeze mix. Gave them more "bounce". Now I just use the ready made forms and pads. :battingeyelashes::)

[Erica Marie]

I found my girl side some 30 yrs ago. Oh how I wish I knew then what I know now. Most of it can be related to the rise of the internet. The resources that are out there is amazing,: shopping, social sites, forums, oh did I mention shopping. Besides resources for us, I think it helps the general public search for answers and lets them know we are real people.

[CarlaWestin]

I started "girling" back in the sixties. It was mom's bra with rolled up panties. Then, I had a Bali longline that I rode the bus into the big city to purchase at a real lingerie shop. Stuffed that with t-shirts. I later figured out that I could keep a bra and a pair of large punch ball balloons under the dashboard of the car. Any public restroom became a "filling station". And it was so nice when one of those decided to break. It wasn't until I was in my 30's that I acquired the first pair of silicone forms and discovered thrift stores.

Now with today's growing acceptance, any retail outlet is permissible. And the internet has really opened things up.

[Cheryl_Layton]

For me it's got to be digital photography and photoshop. I think you can only get a better idea of how you look when you see photographs of yourself (and of course, movies which are just as easy to shoot).
I love doing a (self) modelling shoot trying on allsorts of different outfits and jewellery and I love the fact you can take hundreds of photos and see the results instantly; something you couldn't do 20+ years ago!

[Robin414]

I think the single most profound thing has to be the internet...not only the material stuff we may not have known existed but the social media as well, we may be a small group locally but globally, wow, inspirational 😅

[Kaze_]

I can't imagine CDing before the internet. :eek:

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Robin, I agree about Crossdressing and the internet were made for each other.
I've been in this program for over 68yrs. now and this forum has helped
me so much, If it was not for this forum I would probably not have
been able to get my ears pierced with out the encouragement of the
wonderful ladies of this forum.~~~~~~>Orchid ...:)... Triple Pierced

[Claire Cook]

I can't imagine CDing before the internet. :eek:

Well, some of us older ladies tried and it was not the same. As Blue Orchid and others have said, for me it's the support and knowing that we are not alone. But ... it is much more fun to shop as a girl and try things on than buying stuff fromn Amazon or where-ever .. just one girl's opinion!

[CynthiaD]

Let's see --- the first time I wore nail polish was in 1951. Harry Truman was president. CDing is possible without the internet, but it's a lot more fun with it.

[Dana44]

Yep, I never tried to have big boobs so I didn't do any thing crazy like some of you did. Way back sears and Fredrick's, eve and others had magazines and you would order from those. When Victoria's Secret came out that changed my outlook and it made it easier to find nice bras that supported you. Bought undies and hose through a mag also. Since the internet came out it became so easy to order stuff and now you can browse different sites to find anything. Then very recently I found this site. Wow, I was finally able to find out what my funky gender switch was about. Man growing up from a small kid with that switching occurring. I was sure a confused kid and dressed for I knew not why. We were forced to be men. So when a switch occurred I never let on to anyone why I was feminine at that time LOL. It was sure fun to be male on a trip to the Caribbean scuba diving. I was standing on the fore deck looking into the horizon wondering what the f... Girls would come up and put their arms around me and ask my what was wrong. I could not tell them, but I generally got with those girls. They thought I was a deep person.
Now we have the internet and this site to air out any question if we can't find a tread on one. This site actually is a tremendous resource for the younger one to lean from us. Robin, what they are working on is robots that can be our companions. We are not too far away from that. The living doll companies have mated with the robot companies and they are moving forward.

[Robin414]

@Dana44 OMG, I was google'ing robotics two years ago and stumbled on the robotic companion doll! It's not my cup o' tee per se but wow, that might be the 'next big thing'!

[flatlander_48]

'Grandpa speech': "You young'uns got it sooo good! When we cross dressed we didn't have them fancy silly - cone pads 'n forms 'n such...we had ta use straw and manure, and we had to walk 10 miles...up hill...both ways... IN HEELS, just ta get it, and we appreciated it dammit! "

And that's the way it was and we liked it!!


Looking forward reminds me of a Bruce Willis movie where people lived by proxy in completely realistic robotic bodies entirely of their choosing...wonder if Google's working on that one yet. 

SURROGATES

[sometimes_miss]

I can't imagine CDing before the internet. :eek:

It was challenging. I mean, once you get up enough nerve, and realize that the sales people really don't care what you're buying, it was no big deal. But being 19 and picking out peasant dresses and such, I swear that the eyes of he world were upon me. Fit was another problem; I didn't make a lot of money, and intimate attire was all 'final sale', you couldn't return worn panties and such. Standing in Macy's intimates section, going through the rack to find the ONE and only ONE 38A cup bra felt embarrassing as he!!. OTOH, buying pantyhose was a piece of cake. Those lovely Leggs displays in the supermarket made it oh so easy to get my queen size hose, and a free 'egg' toy to put stuff in. And of course, what was a huge embarrassment as a young man was a real blessing as a crossdresser. I'm talking about man boobs. I've had 'em since I was about 10. Endless teasing whenever I took off my shirt in public or whenever I went swimming, as I got a little older it felt wonderful to have something to put into that bra.

[Dana P]

I agree with lots of these comments. It's taken a while but I've gotten better at buying clothes (including intimates) with the help of internet previews...and yes, you can spend lots on clothes that don't fit. I am lucky enough to have some man boobs too, so (with my silicone prosthetics) that's my best feature. I live in SoCal so I can get heels in Hollywood...shoes are HARD to buy on line...my feet are not 'tiny' ;-).

Let's hope this keeps getting easier!