Obsession, hobby, perversion, habit, desire, need, natural, want?

[Lena]

What would be the one word you would use to describe your motivation to crossdress? And why?

Those are just my guesses, feel free to add your own words.

[Alice_2014_B]

..Desire

[Allisa]

Need no motivation but one word would be "must". If I want to stay sane I "must" dress as my femme self.

[AllieSF]

Enjoyment!

[Princess Chantal]

Out of your chosen words, hobby by a long shot.

[Amy Lynn3]

Satisfaction

[Jill_cd]

Need, desire, obsession. All of the above.

[Tracii G]

Because it helps me feel like myself.

[Sara Marshall]

A very satisfying hobby that I feel is wanted but not understood...

[Kate Simmons]

I'd say want--to look nice. :)

[Shelly Preston]

Survival

[pamela7]

freedom ....

[Raychel]

how about much needed natural obsession

[s.e.al]

natural and normal

[Lorileah]

:cute: cuz...just cuz

[Laurana]

I'm gonna use two words;

Natural want.

I use those two because I think it is natural to want to be comfortable with/in what you wear.

I feel comfortable in both mens and womens clothes but I love being able to see a different side of myself dressed in womens clothes.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Satisfaction !!!!!

[naomi2009]

It's the real me.

[JeanetteX]

My true personality

[Joanne108]

In one word it is fun.

[Rachael Leigh]

Desire...

[Rachel05]

The word is "me"

I dress because I want to be me, it is part of who I am

[daphne_L]

Satisfaction

Dressing satisfies something in me that is more than a want, but not quite a need.

Daphne

[heatherdress]

Idontknow.

[Samantha2015]

Need ?

need to try and look good,sexy, feminine.

[Evie82]

Urge, desire, need, want are 4 motivators for me. I always feel happier when I'm dressed, but I do wonder if it's a borderline obsession sometimes.

[alwayshave]

Desire, like none other that I've had in my life.

[Infused]

Expression. I be who I want to be.

[Robin414]

I'd say expression, I feel and act like a woman and I like it, I like to look like I feel!

[PamTG]

Destiny to be the real me!

[lisalove]

I guess natural would be the one word for me.
I've basically been dressing since the age of 5. I've never purged, I've never questioned it, or had any guilt etc.
It's just natural to me.

[SweetVicky]

Just plain love it !!! Taking the time...as long as you want...to become who you really want to be....a positive obsession to be a woman!!!

[RobinCA]

Self is my word. It's who I am and who I need to be.

[TrishaLake]

comfortability

[IamWren]

Interesting question Lena.
I'm not sure. To pick one... ugh. That's hard.
I'm new at this but to pick one would be 'hobby'
a competitive (challenging to look as close to passing and feminine as I can) erotic (I do get sexually aroused) fun, expensive, social (i love this forum), natural (i love this part of my person that is expressed by Sayyidah) HOBBY.

[Traceyjo]

Pleasure

[Lena]

I think we found the winner.... "Expensive.". Ha-ha

[Melissa18]

To feel like I'm me
So I suppose a need!

[Gabby6790]

I think desire would be the best word.

I don't need, I am not obsessed. I do have an addictive personality so I take whatever I am into to a pretty extreme level but that is true for all kinds of things good and bad.

I really just desire to express this feminine side of me that I have had for as long as I can remember.

BTW great question.

[AmyVanessa]

Passion. How I stay motivated working toward my weight goals.

[Buttercup's Princess]

It sounds liberating.

[cdheels]

I guess it started as a desire to try something new, but more recently I feel it's more a natural, wanting situation. I feel so good, so powerful and I do it in a daily basis, closet though and I really love it

[Melanie 0339]

Not sure if I can pick just one, I have a desire to dress and when I do I feel pretty and right within myself.

[Bobbi46]

In a few words, calm, contentment and a feeling of being comfortable. certainly not an obsession more of wanting.

[Michelle123]

To feel like I'm me
So I suppose a need!

Yes. I feel the same. Even my mother says it is something I need to do

[Alice Torn]

Beauty and escape from male misery.

[Ann WA]

Natural It feels like what I want to be

[Veronica27]

Of your words I would say "hobby" followed by "desire". To add my own word I would say "curiosity".

[Anne K]

Laurana, you have expressed my thoughts exactly. I feel so nature when I dress and am so very comfortable.

[franlee]

Satisfaction.

[Jessicaf]

Obsessed with a natural desire :)

[Junius]

An obsession that feels natural.

I'm still new so maybe the obsession will wane in time but I don't think that the woman that I see in the mirror will ever return to the depths of repression. Nor do I want her to.

[Julie Denier]

It's really a little bit of everything ... ;)

[CynthiaD]

Normal.

I dress to look and feel normal.

[GeorgeA]

I could pick a few of your words, but will go with my own: comfort.
I fell much more comfortable in a skirt than trousers.

[Dana44]

I would say mine is Desire. To be happy with myself as male or female.

[AndreaSC]

The natural NEED, to the TRUE ME!!!

[Xandra]

It is me.

[Valery L]

Irrational.

It is an "unnecessary" load in my life, but also an irrational and irresistible pleasure.

[Vala]

My wife is afraid that I have an obsession for what she calls my hobby, although I don't agree. I do understand her, because of how my brain naturaly works I have a habit that i want to dress because I feel the need to give into my desire to feel femme. And I am afraid that if my secret comes out people i know would call it perversion.

[biannne]

Its my inner need to become sexy and feminine.

Anna

[latex-steph]

The urge to be feel sexy and for a little while pretend to be what I've desired/objectified my whole life. I'm normally a fairly reserved and shy guy, but when I'm Stephany, I feel empowered in a totally different way then I can as a guy. I have a friend who was a female runway model and described a very similar experience modeling, "Normally I'm afraid to put myself out there, but when I have my makeup done, dressed up, and put my model face on, I feel like a different person who is afraid of nothing"

[Saikotsu]

Synchronize.
I dress to synchronize my external self with my internal. They're not women's clothes. They're not men's clothes. They're MY clothes. And I dress however I feel.

[Josie]

An overwhelming desire for peace and tranquility.

[annecwesley]

Obsession or compulsion or both.

[carrie001]

Natural. Comfortable. Relaxing.

[fiona frisson]

When truly and tastefully en femne, liberated - your essence untethered,,unleashed

[Ina Girdle]

Fulfillment!!

[Krisi]

I don't think it can be put into a single word any more than the reason you love your wife can be put into a single word. I also don't think anyone here has a logical explanation of why they want to strap on a pair of boobs and pretend they are a woman.

I often use the term "hobby" when talking about crossdressing but it's really much more than that. If we were looking for a hobby, we would take up more socially acceptable hobbies like golf or fishing. Some of us have lost wives and families over our crossdressing so maybe it's a compulsion. Maybe it's a mental illness. Who knows?

[Krististeph]

........ ylem

[Adron2009]

Need before I am dressed. Peace when I am dressed. Satisfaction after (for a time until need arises again).

[Lori Kurtz]

Ecstasy.

[CONSUELO]

I don't think one word can sum up the attraction of cross dressing. For me it is a deep NEED that fills a gap in who I am and fills me with calmness and satisfaction.

It is never a hobby and NOT a perversion.

[Rachel PT]

For me, it is more sexually based.....so sexual

[Cheryl T]

I'm with Rachel05.... the word is ME !

[Karine]

For me, I would say it's between a a hobby and a passion. A hobby because it is only a (small) part of my life, and a passion because when i did not crossress for a long time i really miss it and think about it.

[TaminaPurefoy]

I have no idea yet. I'm doing it mostly out of curiosity, to understand most of this social constructs that determine feminity, but I'm sure (so is my therapist) it doesn't go beyond that, for now.

[laurenp245]

For me it's both a need & natural. Being able to fully express my fem side is a deeply ingrained need that I have in order to be a happy & balanced person. I fully agree with what several of the others have said above, it's simply a matter of me being myself!

<3 Lauren

[Amanda James]

Happy , I don't know why it just makes me happy .

[Lacey New]

Anticipation followed by excitement followed by satisfaction - who knows?

[Sweetalex]

I was thinking about this the other day and I would say all of the above.

[LydiaL]

Desire... the best definition fit for me.

[Samantha_Smile]

You can't only have one word for such a multi faceted way of life!
That is to say I can't.

My words - Plural LOL would be (in no specific order) - Need, release, pleasure, expression, vanity, empowerment, excitement, calm...
There are more, but it's really late here :)

[Nicole90]

I agree. It's a need and desire, but it brings such pleasure.

[lisa_vin]

Very strong physiological and psychological NEED/DRIVE to complete the whole me. I feel "right", "together", like a puzzle with ALL of the pieces interconnected, with a satisfied, happy and blissful inner and outer calm and peace. I feel united, integrated, plugged-in..........even if I'm just underdressed!

[Luciana]

Above all things Compulsion here. Then, when I am dressed I feel arousing.

[Sandy Clifton]

Splunge!

[NotSoSocial]

Comfort, I guess. It's like a new skin.

[flatlander_48]

I would say Desire as it works to complete a side of my personality that wouldn't get exercised otherwise.

DeeAnn

[Tina_gm]

I would say desire is the best word for me. Although all of them work except obsession.

[stockings_jane]

I guess it would have to be - 'renewal' Why? because I feel like a new person dressed en femme. I can feel different, more attractive certainly (to me). I feel a little daring when out because I look so very different. I feel sexy and that's a new feeling. I feel very feminine and that's a new feeling and one that I can't see ever tiring of.

In short.... I feel renewed and it's great!

Jane

[Giselle(Oshawa)]

compulsion

[MissTee]

Fulfillment for me as well.

[vicky_cd99_2]

I would have to say all of them. Since I don't get to be Vicky very often I have so so many emotions and feelings every time I get to dress.

[CourtneyBme]

Other than perversion, I would have to say all apply for me

[QueenShorty]

Mainly desire.

[MargaretJ]

Hobby. It's just something I enjoy doing.

[Herbie]

I'm new to dressing. Right now I have a strong desire and need to wear women's clothing. When I'm dressed I feel excited and satisfied.

[Sindeycd]

For me its just a way of life now.Im not 24/7 but I'm Sindey most of the time other than at my workplace.

[AllieBellema]

Like most things I do, it's a hobby for me. :)