Is it a hobby, compulsion or addiction?

[SallySC]

Just wondering how y'all classify this common pastime of ours?

In my case I would call it a "compulsive hobby" .

Also, just curious, CDing is my adsolute favorite thing to do. I literally can't wait to dress when ever I can. I have other interests but they are all distant seconds. Is it just me or do others kinda of feel the same?

Thanks...take care

[gokatiegirl]

All three

[cdterri]

Have many other interests but dressing is #1

[Dana44]

Sally, I would also add necessity as we don't do well not dong it.

[Teresa]

Sally,
No it's more than a hobby for me, if it were just the clothes I wouldn't be doing it !
Secondly through circumstances of my CDing I nearly ended my life twenty years ago, hobbies certainly don't have that outcome !
I do now realise it's a hobby to some members , I wouldn't want the mental anguish over a hobby !

[Jane G]

Definitely all three at various times. Excluding family, one other thing in my life will often come ahead of cross dressing and that is my body surfing/boarding. Alas time and tide wait for no cross-dresser. :eek: Important point here is that I get plenty of time to cross-dress these days. I do think that normalizes things a little and allows other thing a bit more of a look in. 40 years ago cross dressing was a total obsession and having very little time to cross dress made it all the more so.

[EllieMayxxx]

Its sometimes all 3 with me too but it's more of a hobby than anything else

[MissDanielle]

It's a necessity.

[CarlaWestin]

I'm generally obsessed with crossdressing. But, my priorities are in healthy logical order. Crossdressing gets a lot of mental mind play during the course of normal activities. I so love women and it's a constant study of their makeup, dress and mannerisms. And, there's the constant evaluation of scheduling to see where the next opportunity will be.

[cdsara]

I think it's a stress relief! I just feel better

[Rachael Leigh]

Sally I would have to agree, it seems the more it gets into my blood the more I enjoy it.
Unfortunately it can have bad consequences for some like me and my marriage.
So not all a bed of roses

[Crissy Kay]

All three

I would agree with that.

[Veronica27]

A compulsive hobby for me. There are twelve step programs to help with addictions, but I have never heard of anything like that for crossdressing. An addiction controls you; not the other way around. I have no problem setting crossdressing aside for lengthy periods of time when necessary, so I feel I have an element of control over it.

Veronica

[SandraInHose]

Definitely all three for me.

The hobby part is rare occasions when the house is empty for a few hours and I get to dress up as I please.

The compulsion aspect is planning things in order to get that time alone, then literally running into the bedroom and digging through my stash deciding what to wear for those precious couple of hours.

And the addiction, well, I don't really need to explain that part, now do I? LOL

My wife can always tell when it's been a while, as she thinks she notices an increase in my irritability. Even though we're primarily DA/DT, she'll even tell me that I need some 'alone' time, knowing that spending an hour or so dressed does wonders for making my demeanor much calmer.

[suzy1]

Its part of who I am. I am Suzy as much as I am John.

[Julie Denier]

Definitely all three for me. It's a hobby in that I don't have a lot of time to do it amid life's responsibilities (plus I'm closeted), but I definitely feel compelled to do it and I think about it often.

[sometimes_miss]

The one constant is that it's different for each of us. It can depend more on why we do it, yet, most haven't a clue. All they know, is that it's something they either feel the need to do, or something they like to do and don't see why they shouldn't do it. The difficult thing is, crossdressing doesn't usually respond to the treatments for compulsions, addictions, or anything else, for that matter. I believe that there was record of some success with electroconvulsive therapy, but that seems to work by destroying memories and stored thoughts in the brain, leaving the patient less than fully functional. I'd rather be a crossdresser than a vegetable.

[Kate Simmons]

The only way to stop it from being a compulsion is to make it a total choice. That's what I did and for myself anyway I look at it as an art form and have pure fun with it. :battingeyelashes::)

[Saikotsu]

I've seen this post before, or at least some incarnation of it. Honestly, I'd say none of the above. It's not a hobby, because I don't do it for fun. It's not a compulsion because I can choose not to do it. It's not an addiction because I can handle prolonged time without it. So what does that leave?

When I put on women's clothes, I don't consider myself a crossdresser, because I'm dressing to match my current internal gender. I don't have to do it. I don't need to do it. I don't get any particular enjoyment from doing it. I just do it, simple as that.

That said, if I feel feminine and can't dress the part, I get irritable and I feel stressed out. One might point to addiction there, but that feeling comes and goes with my gender identity. An addiction stays with you all the time. I guess that means for me, "its a choice."

[flatlander_48]

SSC:

I cannot classify the dressing that I do as a hobby. A hobby has an entirely different feel to it.

I am a motorsports fan. Since the early 60's I've been to all sorts of events, all around the country. I collect books on cars and motorsports and many have been signed by famous people. I am a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, motorsports history branch, although I'm not an historian. In short, this is a hobby to me.

For me, dressing is much too personal to consider it as a hobby. It touches something on more of a subconscious level. I like doing it. It feels good when I do it. I don't associate shame or guilt with dressing. So, to me, it would seem that anything that resonates on such a fundamental level is beyond the idea of a hobby.

Anyway, I do find it fascinating that there are MANY different ways of looking at this activity. It's almost like each one of us brings something unique to the party. It may be more interesting or less interesting at any given time, but it is NEVER dull.

DeeAnn

[kittie60]

It's none of the above. It's my life,who I am

[paulaprimo]

none of the above. it was never a hobby, and maybe in the beginning a compulsion and addiction
but now, it is a part of me. :)

[audreyinalbany]

I"m gonna go with the "compulsive hobby"

[CynthiaD]

None of the above. I dress every day. Usually for several hours at a stretch. On weekends and holidays I dress en femme all day. I've reached the point where these are just my clothes. I still feel a lot less stressed when dressed en femme, but that's because I am female (despite appearances). It's so much easier just to be myself and not have to pretend to be male.

[Brooke B]

It had started as a hobby but now I don't know what to think. I know for a fact its an addiction right now and it's scaring the living snot out of me. It fun and exhilarating, feels so natural, buy scared to see where it's leading.

[Eryn]

It is what I am.

[Vala]

For me it's not a hobby, I actually hate it when my (ex)wife calls it that.
And although I regularly feel the compulsion to dress it isn't that either. And one could call it an addiction because I can't stop doing it, but it really isn't.
I dress because it is a part of me, it's in my nature, it's hard wired into my brain, it's a part of who or what I am.
The best way I currently know to explain it so that everyone understand, I used this sentence when trying to explain my feelings to my mom. Wearing girls clothes is kind of like having intercourse, I never missed it until I had it and now I can't live without it.

[Lily Catherine]

I'm in the choice camp as dressing for me is by and large a conscious decision rather than something I subject myself to. Not exactly a hobby either as it's not on the surface and hasn't been something I have been willing to forsake completely, only delay. It's a decision for me to put on a dress, wig and make-up. A privilege, even.

[trisha kobichenko]

During my life I have probably considered myself all of the above, but the reality is that as I grew older I came to realize that those definitions were in my head, based on cultural definition of what society considers deviance from the norm. There is guilt associated with 'addiction' and 'compulsion', and 'hobby' reeks of a rationale for our unconventional behavior, intimating that it is just a mere distraction/aberration from 'correct' gender expression.
Now for me it is none of the above. I am left of center on the gender identity scale, expressing myself as male most of the time, since that is how I grew up, and is how most of my public world views me. Then at the same time I express myself (almost daily, in my home) as female. My SO is aware and accepts my feminine expression at home...
It's hard enough to be who I am without trying to squeeze myself into three categories, so I just don't.

[Martina]

I dress because it is a part of me, it's in my nature, it's hard wired into my brain, it's a part of who or what I am.
The best way I currently know to explain it so that everyone understand, I used this sentence when trying to explain my feelings to my mom. Wearing girls clothes is kind of like having intercourse, I never missed it until I had it and now I can't live without it.

Vala, I think you hit the nail on the head with one blow.
That is just the way I feel about dressing, it may have started off as a curiosity at first but I was hooked with those first feeling that I did't want to give up, even though I passed it over for nearly 30 yrs before coming out of the closet.

Martina

[Claire Cook]

I dress because it is a part of me, it's in my nature, it's hard wired into my brain, it's a part of who or what I am.


Yes, Vala, you've said it for me as well.


It had started as a hobby but now I don't know what to think. I know for a fact its an addiction right now and it's scaring the living snot out of me. It fun and exhilarating, feels so natural, buy scared to see where it's leading.

Tammy, I've been there too and I'm sure others have as well. All I can say is that at some point I just accepted it and whatever fear or angst I had just went out the window. And I still keep my male self.

[CarlaWestin]

............those definitions were in my head, based on cultural definition of what society considers deviance from the norm. There is guilt associated with 'addiction' and 'compulsion', and 'hobby' reeks of a rationale for our unconventional behavior, intimating that it is just a mere distraction/aberration from 'correct' gender expression.
Now for me it is none of the above. I am left of center on the gender identity scale, expressing myself as male most of the time, since that is how I grew up, and is how most of my public world views me. It's hard enough to be who I am without trying to squeeze myself into three categories................

This one of the best, respectful responses so far.

[Krististeph]

not a pastime.

Very not.

A neurological predilection of the most feminine appreciation.


Silly goose.

[Michelle123]

I would also add "need" to the list

[Giselle(Oshawa)]

COMPULSION it controls my life wish it didn't but it does

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Sally:hugs:, I don't know what you call it all I know is that I totally enjoy it. ~~...:daydreaming:...

[Taylor186]

Like MissDanielle above it is a necessity for me, for my overall well being. It is definitely not a hobby. And while I am innately driven to crossdress, my crossdressing does not meet the definition of compulsion or addiction, as I understand them.

[Nikki Elle]

Hobby - sounds to simple
Addiction - that would deny any self-control
Compulsion - at times there are urges, but I can go either way
.....
Expression - most definitely, another side can be fully exposed
Art-form - love the transformation, the presentation
Need - its another outlet to find balance in life

[Beverley Sims]

It is always a hobby, and something I try to improve on nowdays.

[Tomara]

For me my dressing is part of my lifestyle , it's part of my everyday routine .

[Adriana Moretti]

none of those terms describe it for me....lifestyle choice fits me better...it is an everyday part of life....i also used to go with the artistic expression thingy....cause it can def be that too...but after a while...its just life.

[AllieBellema]

It's pretty much a hobby with me and I got many different hobbies to be involved with, but sometimes I just wanna put one of my dresses on and feel like a princess!

[MissDanielle]

Don't we all want to be a princess? I'm still looking for that perfect gown that speaks to me.

[fionna]

A necessity, as it been said before.

If I need to choose. A compulsion.

[Jaymees22]

It's all of the above and it's my true self.

[sbay06]

I find that my crossdressing is often in response to my stress level. When I am more stressed, I find that the ability to crossdress brings comfort and a peace that I can't find through any other means. So, in that case, I'd say that it is more a compulsion. But I also enjoy just dressing up and feeling attractive. My wife describes it similarly to how women go through moments of just wanting to feel like a princess for a night. So, they doll themselves up. I think all men have that same need to feel attractive. Maintaining the chiseled body that media tells us to strive for is much harder to upkeep than giving yourself curves and a pretty face. I think I also just enjoy female fashion better. They have a lot more variety and color choice than men's clothing.

I am just now starting to be more open about this part of me. So, it hasn't become an addiction yet, but shopping is a lot more fun now that I am indulging a bit! So, I hope that I can spot the signs of it becoming that way if necessary. Thanks for asking this question. It's really interesting to see how different crossdressing is for all of us.

[MischaSummers]

It's primarily a hobby, because its something I do for fun a couple of times a week. But there's a few times every couple of months where it feels like an obsession: those times when the pink fog takes hold, and you just spend spend spend on anything that suits your other persona.

I think for some people, especially if they're TG or transitioning, calling it a hobby is offensive because this is a huge part of who they are. And I understand that, but for a straight guy like me that has no interest in going the Caitlyn Jenner route, this is just a fun thing that I enjoy doing that releases me from the stresses and ills of my life.

[faltenrock]

It's part of my life, I couldn't live healthy without crossdressing, really not a hobby, it's necessary.

[Vicky_Scot]

Its part of who I am. I am Suzy as much as I am John.

100% correct Suzy. I was born this way and had no choice in the matter.

[suzy1]

100% correct Suzy. I was born this way and had no choice in the matter.

Its also the icing on the cake of life. :)

[Krisi]

I call it a "hobby" from time to time but it's probably more than that. If you define it as an "addiction" (I do not), it's probably time for you to get some help or at least step back and think of what you're doing to yourself.

[EileenW]

If my SO known of my cross dressing she would call it an obsession. I get involve in a new activity/hobby and jump in with both feet. I have had an interest in cross dressing from a young age but only recently have I had a chance to fully explore this. I think the pink fog has rolled in.

[debstar]

All of the above

[MissDanielle]

I call it a "hobby" from time to time but it's probably more than that. If you define it as an "addiction" (I do not), it's probably time for you to get some help or at least step back and think of what you're doing to yourself.

I think anyone who CDs has some sort of gender identity issues. And if it's an addiction, I agree that help is needed.

[Tina_gm]

None of the above. I am feminine, and dressing is a way to express the femininity.

[s.e.al]

Well to me its nne of them its, just a way of life that I really love.

[Chloe75]

It's primarily a hobby, because its something I do for fun a couple of times a week. But there's a few times every couple of months where it feels like an obsession: those times when the pink fog takes hold, and you just spend spend spend on anything that suits your other persona.

I think for some people, especially if they're TG or transitioning, calling it a hobby is offensive because this is a huge part of who they are. And I understand that, but for a straight guy like me that has no interest in going the Caitlyn Jenner route, this is just a fun thing that I enjoy doing that releases me from the stresses and ills of my life.

I totally agree, Mischa!

[NicoleScott]

"It", crossdressing, is not the same drive, style, intensity, frequency, etc. for all of us, so it may be a hobby for some, and/or an addiction, compulsion, lifestyle, etc. for others.
If one (or more) descriptions doesn't apply, can't it just be ignored instead of taking offense?

[jjjjohanne]

I have considered it an addiction. Primarily because I have felt the, "I can stop at any time," but I never could. I think the criteria for and addiction is that it is a strong craving that negatively affects your normal life. Kind of like how an alcoholic might show up at work drunk and can endanger others or lose their job, etc. That is harder to map to my behavior... but it might be accurate to a (hopefully) small degree.

[xNicolex]

I suppose you could call it a compulsion or addiction, I find crossdressing to me anyway is more of a necessity. Its a necessity that you are compelled to do as often as you can and I guess that is a form of addiction :) There are some of us that can go long periods of time in between dressing, for me its at least 3 times a week :daydreaming:

[Nurse Sally]

It is who we are. I don't think any of us choose it, it is chosen for us, and to deny it in our selves would only make you unhappy!

- - - Updated - - -


It's part of my life, I couldn't live healthy without crossdressing, really not a hobby, it's necessary.

Absolutely right!

[Patty Phose]

Maybe it's all three, but for me it's also fun, stress relieving, a rush and a thrill. I was 18, the first time I dressed up for a party. My intention was to show off my legs in shiny pantyhose. I did that but the experience turned out to be so much more. Dressing became my hobby. Partying became my compulsion and I guess I got addicted to it.

[Veronica27]

[QUOTE=NicoleScott;3854352If one (or more) descriptions doesn't apply, can't it just be ignored instead of taking offense?[/QUOTE]

Well said. There is no correct answer to the question and the opening post did not ask for one. She specifically said "how y'all classify ...." and "In my case I would call it ....." The intention appeared to be that there would be multiple answers. She also asked if others found their other interests to be distant seconds. The only answer to that appears to be the second reply by cdterri who skipped the first question.

Veronica

[Nurse Sally]

I think you are right in the sense there is a 'scale of cd' and intensity. I think sometimes just having a wardrobe and the pleasure of adding to it, knowing how to choose your own style. Learning to apply makeup etc. Knowing I can do it is sometimes enough. I appreciate the way women make the effort to present themselves well in public. Sometimes I find my most feminine moments are in my mind without cd. But, hey it is also very pleasurable to dress up once in while!

[suchacutie]

It's not any of those words. Tina is a part of my life. She simply IS. A hobby would be something that "we" do. LOL, actually, life is something "we" do.

[tanya_cd]

I'm sure it could easily be described as an addictive and compulsive hobby, but it could also be described as other things as well. Meditation, coping mechanism and fetish are a couple terms that also come to mind. However, I think for some gurls including myself, it is much more than those things. It is just who we are on the inside, with a desire to look that way on the outside. Its simple math for me, since I was caught wearing a dress at 4.

Even real women approach beauty as a hobby, compulsion, and or addiction. It doesn't not still make them a woman. :)

[Confucius]

While it may mimic an addiction, hobby or compulsion it is actual our identity, just as much as our ethnic group, or our gender.

In one sense all humans are addicted to dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that gives us the expectation of gratification, and is the driver that gets us going, and doing the things we enjoy. I believe that crossdressing not only releases dopamine in my brain, but also serotonin, oxytocin and other neurotransmitters which produce sensations of well-being, pleasure, sexual gratification, comfort, and bonding. It is just the way our brains are hardwired.

[Just4me]

Im compovsivly addicted to what some may call a hobby. I like to think of it as my twin. beings I am a Gemini it is a part of me

[Michaelasfun]

Compulsive hobby is the term for me too...compulsive in that I feel the need building in me in between Michaela times, and hobby because I like to try and make little improvements each time I dress-

[heatherdress]

It's me and I don't try to classify it or analyze it.

[Andrea2656]

hob·by
ˈhäbē/Submit
noun
1.
an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
"her hobbies are reading and gardening"
synonyms: pastime, leisure activity, leisure pursuit

com·pul·sion
kəmˈpəlSHən/Submit
noun
1.
the action or state of forcing or being forced to do something; constraint.
"the payment was made under compulsion"
synonyms: obligation, constraint, coercion, duress, pressure, intimidation
"he is under no compulsion to go"
2.
an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one's conscious wishes.
"he felt a compulsion to babble on about what had happened"
synonyms: urge, impulse, need, desire, drive

ad·dic·tion
əˈdikSH(ə)n/
noun
the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.
"he committed the theft to finance his drug addiction"
synonyms: dependency, dependence, habit, problem

As I read though this thread I was impressed by the varied and thoughtful responses. I found myself shifting my own thoughts as I read the posts. However, to really determine what my answer was I decided to return to the definitions. For me, I certain feel that crossdressing is "an activity done regularly in my leisure time for pleasure" fulfilling the definition of a hobby. Personally, I restrict my crossdressing to my leisure time. I agree with the comment that anyone who crossdresses must have some gender identity issues. However, this can be very variable. For me, crossdressing is an opportunity to feel more feminine but does not alter my strictly heterosexual orientation for physical intimacy. As for compulsion "an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one's conscious wishes" is partially correct. I agree with the first part that my crossdressing is an irresistible urge but it is not against my conscious wish. Addiction has a strong negative connotation which I do not feel is appropriate for me or most (all?) crossdressers.

Therefore, I have to agree that I like the term compulsive hobby which soften the negative side of compulsion by making it clear that it is something that is done for pleasure.

[psion128]

I'd say its a hobby and its a compulsive. For me, its just that a man's body isn't as pretty or hot. So, the closest to being hot and sexy is to dress as a woman from my perspective. I don't know how others perceive themselves and this hobby but for sure that is the way I see it. What is everyone's take on this?

[AlleyKat]

Sally, I would also add necessity as we don't do well not dong it.

Personally, I think this is it for me.
Sure, I've gone so long with out doing it, or even truly admitting the desire to wa a part of me, but in the end, this is a decision I made because it is what I feel I need to do to be myself, and none of the original terms seem to capture that as well as "necessity"

[Wen4cd]

I more often tend to use the term "Possession."

Not in a 'demon come out!" type of way, but you know, in the Jungian sense that people do have a constantly, fluidly shifting 'locus of identity' and that who you are at any given moment is not necessarily who you were beofore you shaved your legs, even though both parts of you will freely say 'this is me.'

[TinaW]

For me it's a combination of all 3. Sometimes I need to dress to help me cope with stress,when I let Tina out Ifeel calmer and centered. Tphere are other times I just want to dress but if I can't, no big deal. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode if I can't get something feminine on...