For how many is this just a hobby? Something you feel you can quit at any time?

[sometimes_miss]

I came across this in Jon_mtf's thread.
1. So I was just wondering how many out there crossdress just for fun, and believe that they feel no need to do it?
2. Have you ever stopped crossdressing, and if so, for how long?
3. Did you ever replace this hobby with something else, and at a later date, stop THAT hobby and return to crossdressing?

Further, I'd be curious when the urge to crossdress started for you, if you can remember a specific moment or event that triggered the feeling, 'gee, I want to put on [panties, bra, dress, pantyhose, whatever (and could you specify what it was)], or perhaps style your hair like a female would.

[Janine cd]

For me, this has never been a hobby. Crossdressing has been a compulsion since I was 9 or 10 years old. I have never felt comfortable in male clothes. Since I became an adult, the need has increased and I try to see myself as a woman as much as I can.

[SharonDenise]

This is not a hobby for me. I've been doing this at least since puberty and I'm now 70 years old. I could (and I should) give up drinking which I like too much before I would give up crossdressing.

[Jennifer B]

I would be surprised if any crossdresser would ever describe the way we are, as a 'hobby'. But if I'm wrong, I have no issue with that.

It's never been something that I can quit at anytime.

In response to the specific questions:

1. It's fun to crossdress but I don't do it because it's fun. I do it because it's who I am. There is a need there for sure.

2. The longest I ever stopped crossdressing was 6 months. In over 30 years minus the 7 years before I started that's not much.

3. It's not a hobby. It's an intrinsic part of who I am. I may have stopped in the past due to societal pressure, but I've never not been who I am. And whenever I've stopped or purged, it has had a diminishing effect on my life in the long term.

My awakenings were at a very early age in the linen basket, when I became a serial pantie and bra thief. The reason? Adventure, curiosity, a need to understand, a willingness to experience. All the feelings that I believe make me a rounded and receptive person today.

That's probably not all of it. But it's a start. Great question(s)! :)

[Fiona123]

Not a hobby for me. I find that description to be very insulting. Crossdressing, being transgendered is who I am, it's part of my identity. I have tried to quit but now understand that will never happen. Yes, I do it for fun, crossdressing is at the same time both sexually and emotionally satisfying.🌺

[Jaylyn]

1. I CD for fun and there seems to be a desire that calls to me and also a need to be dressed. The feeling is sometimes stronger than other times. I sometimes can just see a lipstick commercial on tv and feel the need. It makes me feel a calmness I can't get in regular male attire.
2. I've quit several times. I have always returned with a stronger urge to dress. Longest was maybe a year. Except in high school when I tried to quit and did for several years. In college I was stressed a lot over making good grades and returned to relax.
3. I've tried many hobbies from guitar playing, to fishing and hunting. Still haven't found one to replace my dressing though.

[Judy-Somthing]

hob·by1/ˈhäbē/


noun


an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
a small horse or pony. maybe a Cross-dresser


I don't know if I would call it a hobby but when I dress up full fem I love it.

I've tried over the years to half dress, no wig or makeup but it was a big turn off!

I did stop for over ten years when my kids were young and I was so busy!

I have noticed that if I don't dress at least once a month I get bitchie! Could it be the moon?

[Robin777]

It is definitely not a hobby for me. It is something I have to do. If I don't dress for a few days I become irritated easily. Once I can dress I find it to be a calming influence. I have been dressing for too many years for it to be a hobby. It has become a part of my identity.

[Kim_Bitzflick]

I echo the others messages.

It is not a hobby for me but I can push it aside for a few months if need be.

[cdtraveler]

Its not a hobby for me. Started at approx age 7 or 8 and while I've stopped for lengthy periods before (5 years being the longest stretch), I now accept that it's not healthy for me to fight the desire. I do however manage things for.me family's sake and am forgoing certain experiences along the continum for them.

[Nikki.]

1. Nope. intrinsic to my personality.
2. High school. Why I don't know.
3. N/A as it is not a hobby. Plenty of hobbies have came and gone. Some have returned.

[Maria_mtf]

I read the title and thought hmm, could this have stemmed from my post?
Given I mentioned it as a hobby first you may be suprised with my answer.

1. I cannot stop where as I can stop my hobbies, so it cannot be a hobby. If I could stop I would.

2. Tried a few times, think a couple of months is the longest. If looking at clothes online and imagine wearing them counts then it's weeks.

3. Have to be careful with choices of words here, I didn't swap for hobby but tried to stop when I got a gf.

I can't seem to remember much of my early childhood but I can remember putting on my mum's bras from the Washington bin when I was about 11. Litterally put it on and Sat there, I don't remember why. Currently for me it's very sexual but it clearly wasn't when I was younger.

[Jane G]

No hobby. It,s far more generic / nnormal to me than something specific ,like golf or surfing. It's more like sport. I gave up golf after 20 years. I have even stopped surfing after 35 years. I can't ever see me giving up sport though. Currently I enjoy walkingto\climbing to keep fit. Like wise I underdressed for perods of my youth and never since. But being fully dressed and just doing every day stuff is never going to stop, while I'm still breathing. :)

To your other points. 5 or 6 . I think I just wanted to be lke my sister's back then.

[Lana Mae]

I enjoy it! (don't we all!) I need it and it won't go away! Started very young-few times can not remember well. Later as teen but more gather, wear, purge. Wife disapproved but again gather,wear, purge once or twice in 34+ year marriage. Shortly after wife's death (over a month) the pink fog rolled in! So I have stopped for most of 34 years! Nothing replaces it! It is just another side of who I am! Understand that I love(d) my wife more than anything or anyone but when the pink fog hit it was with a realization that I was free to pursue my feminine side! So at 64 I set forth! Hugs Lana Mae

[Anne K]

My first memory is at 7 years old and sneaking into my mother's dresser to try on her stockings. Up until a couple years ago, I was deeply closeted. Then, a combination of the right partner, age, and time sprung the box open and I dress as often as I can. This is not a hobby, it is a passion. Why not? BTW, the wonderful spectrum of opinions and experiences expressed by the members of this forum have really helped me to not be afraid and know that my passion is OK. Thank you!

[Taylor186]

Some might crossdress as a hobby or for a pageant or party or even as a profession, but for a Crossdresser (and I am one) it is not a hobby or a passion or an event. It is a compulsion. For someone truly gender dysphoric it is probably destiny. I too am put off by those who want to hide the reality of our situation by calling it a hobby.

[audreyinalbany]

for me it's not exactly a 'hobby,' but it's something in a separate category. not really what I consider the 'real me'...I have no desire to transition or live full time as a woman,and yet it's not something that I feel I can completely quit.It's not an 'addiction,' but it KIND of is. Whereas I MIGHT be able to quit, I don't think i'd be very happy if I never ever dressed again. So, I dunno what it is.. Lets say a 'facet' of who I am.
Started at preschool age...like many of us....going through Mom's drawer, trying on her stuff. Then let go of it for many years until there was another female figure in my life...my SO, then the desire returned. Started as lingerie fixation...stockings and garter belts...but over time grew to full female presentation, wigs, makeup
And no, never tried to replace it with another 'hobby.'

[wendy]

No, CDing for me is not a hobby. I've been CDing since I was 5-6 years old, and I've come to accept who I am and embraced the woman inside me.

That being said, I did stop CDing for about 4-5 years, this was before my wife and I married but were living together + not coming out to her about Wendy. On top of that, I encountered severe medical issues which "forced" me to stop.

Since I came out to my wife about my CDing, and I've undergone positive medical treatments, my CDing is back at full bloom.

[Claire Cook]

Hey, they are my clothes and it just feels natural to wear them. Wouldn't call that a hobby.

[Ressie]

It's always been more of a sexual obsession/compulsion for me. Calling it an addiction or habit would be more descriptive in my case.

Abstaining for periods of time? Yes. Quit? Not very likely...

[Nadine Robles]

1. I like to convince myself that it is a hobby, something I do just for fun, not a need et all, but the truth is, as times goes by it becomes more and more a part of me. I dont really know hat to think anymore. I just do it!
2. The logest Ive been without dressing is about a year, occupying myself as much as I could to keep away from the closet. but the urge always returns...
3. Ive tried everything, the only thing that can "replace" it is working the shit out of me until Im so tired I cant think of anything but sleep.

I cant remember a specific moment but yes I do recall my early teens, looking myself in the mirror and imagining I was seing the soft skin of a young girl gave me the thrills!

[ronda]

its never been a hobby for me remember wearing heels panties and a night gown when I was 3 have never been able to stop I have quit drinking and smoking years ago but do not even want to stop dressing fem

[Cristy2]

It started out years ago more of a "just for kicks" thing I did once in a blue moon than it was a hobby. As time progressed it became more and more, especially in recent years, a case of dressing to reflect who I am inside.

Yes I did quit dressing for a long time while I was mixed up with a religious organization, but I came back to it after leaving the religious crack pots.

[NicoleScott]

It's an internal drive that compels me to transform. The main drive is hair, makeup, and high heels. Clothes are less important, but I love it most when it's a complete head-to-toe over-the-top transformation.
There is a hobby aspect, but it's not the primary drive. I sew, mostly to shorten skirts. HA. I have made jewellery, chokers, and my favorite, headbands.
I have quit for long periods: 3 yesrs in the Army, 2 years just married.

[Alexa CD]

I wouldn't call it a hobby, for me it's part of who I am. I can and have stopped before, but I've never really wanted to, it's always an external pressure or a self conscious thing that comes with urges to fit in etc. I guess I went through phases throughout my teenage years of being more or less inclined to do it, but I've never really stopped and started again, it's more of a more or less frequent fluctuation. I've been through maybe two major phases of being less likely to do what we'd call crossdress, but it was never a preferable option to me. It was when I was figuring what I liked I think, I would make myself more appealing to girls then go back to an androgynous look then back again, my hair would grow out then I'd eventually cut it, it really influences me like that.

My urge to look like a girl and have a female hairstyle probably began most notably when I was about eight or nine. At first it wasn't clothing it was my hair, it had been quite long for years and I liked it like that, I eventually began to want it longer or more feminine, I wanted to look like the girls. I started with clothing at about twelve I think. There was never any event I can link this all too, it's just always been in my mind somewhere.

[Stephanie47]

1. Not a hobby. I do feel a need to wear women's clothing. I really cannot figure out what pulls me to wear women's clothing, although I do have some thoughts at it. I know there are some you believe wearing women's clothing is a personal choice. I cannot imagine there are men who would endure criticism and scorn by loved ones and society rather than change "hobbies."

2. Yes, I did stop wearing women's clothing and had absolutely no thoughts about wearing women's clothing. I was in the army. Specifically I was in the infantry and in combat. Yes, I realize I had no opportunity to wear or buy women's clothing or anything for that matter. I suspect my male hormones were raging and totally overwhelmed any DNA given traits of femininity in order to stay alive. Sounds plausible?

3. I have other hobbies that I engage in. There's a ebb and flow all the time with those hobbies. Since I've become accepting of my inner self I've never stopped wearing women's clothing. Even when I do not have the opportunity to wear women's clothing as in the summer I am on this site or buying clothing. If one may call it a hobby within cross-dressing, then I am guilty. Guilty of collecting way too many slips for any woman to ever wear. I have way over 400 full slips.

[JanetM.]

I agree with Nicole. In my case, it is sort of a drive that requires occasional exercise. Like many of you, I too have purged several times to prevent being "caught" without logical explanation. In all cases, I end up returning to my drive to crossdress mostly alone and in a hotel room. On occasion, I have ventured out to cd friendly bars for one or two drinks which proved to be tremendously exciting to me. I think a hobby is something one undertakes when time permits and is not the drive found in occasional crossdressing.

[Mark/Rebecca]

How about none of us. Gender Dysphoria is no hobby.

[Alice Torn]

If i ever have to go to jail or prison, like my older brothers have and still are, I know I would adapt, and put it all on hold, until i was out. It is kind of a hobby, but is really not, just a hobby, is an inner need because it seems like a strong compulsion. Hobbies are not. I never got to have a close relationship, sex, and marriage. Always been a loner. Fishing, shooting basketball, bicycling, history, weather watching are hobbies i have.

[Lee Andrews]

Far from a hobby even though I joke that it is at times. I have no idea why I have this need but over time I have accepted it as a part of me.
I have stopped at times but not because I wanted to. Life gets busy and I'm either too tired or not in the mood for Lee. I find it ebbs and flows. The last year it has been flowing pretty strong. Not full out Lee but various stages like needing to sleep in a nightgown every night.
I have other hobbies that come and go, then come back again. I have a compulsion to dress and more of an interest to say, engage in model railroading or fishing.

[Samantha_Smile]

To have a choice not to be confused and confudled would be a blessing.

I can see how someone oblivious to the facts may draw similarities to a hobby (it requires a great deal of money to procure all the necessary kit (clothes, makeup, jewelery, wig, shoes, perfume, purses etc etc) and also a lot of time to learn how to best use the a fore mentioned kit, and then more time still just being in femme guise and then learning how to move, stand, walk and even talk (if that's what you're in to) like a woman.

However, traditionally, hobbyists have a choice in when and if they partake in their hobby. I get that some people get crazy enthusiastic over a new hobby and eat, sleep and breathe said hobby for a while.
But I'm not sure many hobbyists can relate to a 20 year struggle with their hobby.
Fighting off urges, shame, guilt and worry if someone were to discover their secret hobby.

I see the similarities, but I feel and know there are a great many more dissimilarities .

[Teresa]

Lexi,
The first time I read a member talking about CDing as I hobby I was very outspoken ! When I relate to my CDing situation when I nearly ended my life, I commented that hobbies don't cause that .

Since then I do realise that some people do treat it as a hobby and a very enjoyable one but it's far more to me, I need to satisfy an inner need.

As to how it started , yes there was a specific and traumatic time at 8-9 years old when my male side and female trait became intertwined with my sexual needs. A feeling I've lived everyday since no ebb and flow and no breaks . So it didn't start as a hobby and it still isn't a hobby,

The hobby I do enjoy is painting , combing dressing with it is a wonderful.

Samantha,
The deal I have with my wife is my dressing doesn't cost a fortune you can look very good and do it very reasonably . The whole outfit including dress, jacket, shoes and jewellery in my avatar was about £20.00.

[Rachael Leigh]

I try to think of my dressing as a hobby but in reality it is a part of me, have I quit yes a couple of times but it just comes back and then once I finally got over the hump of going out its even more fun and enjoyable.
My other hobby as it were is golf and honestly I can't give that up either I've tried but just enjoy it too much.
Not sure what that says about a hobby for me, I do think it's different though.

[PaulaQ]

Oh yeah, I can quit any time...

[irene9999]

The desire comes and goes, I've gone months without feeling the need to dress but last month I dressed quite a bit. I'm not sure I could quit, at best I can not do it for a very long time but eventually I would want to do it again

[marlacd]

It's not a hobby for any of us.

Clearly, I might be one that did physically stop for a long period of time-16 years, and again for about 2 1/2 years. But I never stopped thinking about it, during those times. I may loose myself in my interests from time to time. But I never really left them behind at any point.

Sometimes I wonder if we have some sort of chemical deficiency, that makes us want to dress. Or perhaps it's our mental makeup, or the way we think. One thing is for certain- if there is a god, (and I hope there is) I want to ask him why he did this to me. I think since I struggled with these feelings over the course of my life, I deserve an answer.

[Alice Torn]

Marla, There are so many mysteries I hope someday, someway,, will be revealed. It is so unusual for men to want to dress up, and look beautiful as women.

[Dana44]

I never ever though it was a hobby. As gender fluid and the fact that gender dysphoria is prevalent in most or all of us. It is a basic function of life. When I was on a ranch and after all the work was done. I dressed at night and would walk up the road to my gate. Pitch dark and felt like a woman in the breeze that was always present. On the full moon it was special. Nope defiantly not a hobby.

[CatchQueen]

For me it's far more than a hobby...it's an essential part of who I am and it's always been that way, since way before I knew what it was that I was doing. I've always been femme and crossdressing has always been a natural expression for me.

[ChastityInFemme]

1. I don't do it because it's fun. I do it because there's some sort of internal drive to dress. Definitely not a hobby for me. I wish it were that simple though.

2. I've stopped before but not by choice. I suffered a spinal cord injury 10 years ago and the internal drive to dress was so great that I eventually learned how to do it on my own. No matter what point I've been at in my life, the urge hasn't diminished. It's only grown stronger.

3. It's not a hobby for me so....haha. The ONLY thing that keeps me from dressing is being busy with life. School and work...they own me.

My earliest memory of wearing women's attire was when I was really young. Probably 5-6 years old. My grandma kept her shoes in the room I slept in when I stayed over. Of course I tried them on! As I got older, into my teens, it was more of a sexual thing. But now, Idk what the hell to think of myself. Am I just a crossdresser? Is it more than that? Will I eventually transition to live as a woman? I have no idea...and it scares me. For now the only thing I know is that my greatest goal out of dressing is to pass as a female.

[Charlessa]

I do it for fun. that I won't deny. but it's way more than a hobby. I've crossdressed in some fashion since maybe 8 years old. I've had to quit for a few years because I got locked up. but it was always on my mind. now though , I can't quit and don't want to

[Joan58]

Definitely not "just" a hobby. Hobbies have come and gone over time."This" for me has never gone.

[Raychel]

Definitely not a hobby here either, This is definitely a part of me.
has been since I was very young and still around.

I feel more comfortable in my skin when I have Raychel time.
the rest of the time when I have to be Ray, I just dont feel right.
Like a theater performance I am acting out
I don't feel that way during Raychel time.
Doesn't make alot of sense, but that is how I feel.

[MissTee]

Not a hobby. More like a calling. I've learned to accept it as a part of me and simply enjoy it for what it is.

[NancySue]

This is definitely not a hobby for me. Like many others, I began at an early age with a sheer pair of RHT nylon stockings. Hobbies are fickle. I've enjoyed various hobbies (model airplanes, ships, stained glass) for which I could each give up and move on to another one. There's no giving up my dressing. I've happily never changed course as I've progressed from nylons (still #1) to a complete wardrobe. It's been a fantastic journey. 👠👗👡💋💄

[Sharon B.]

Hobby no, like some have said there is something in us that wants us to dress as a woman. I haven't dressed as a woman going on five months now and it is driving me crazy. I fell back in February and dislocated my shoulder and torn three muscles, surgery in June to stitch them back together. Body has grown back that has been in places for the last twenty plus years, arm constantly in a sling. I am looking forward to the day when I get use out of it and can once again dress as a woman.

[CONSUELO]

I believe we have touched on this "hobby" topic several times in threads from long ago.
I have hobbies. I have a stamp collection that I can take up or put down without any feelings of loss or internal conflict. But for me cross dressing is something that comes from my very core. I saw something recently about aversion therapy for cross dressers. Yes, I know that it doesn't work but it made me think of what would it be like if cross dressing was expunged from my being. My first reaction was one of great loss. For me cross dressing has been a strong continual thread in my life. While it has brought anxiety and conflict it has also brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction. My love of cross dressing is so deeply and subtly interwoven with my sexuality that to even think of such a thing as unravelling it makes me feel physical pain. So no, most definitely not a hobby.

[leannejacobs]

Like Jon I would stop if I could, I started about 10 years old to about 14 then stopped, I went through many years where it lay dormant and I never ever gave it a thought, then when I was in my 30's I started to dabble in just under wear and tights to start with, this developed to a few items, my wife found my stash when I was 39, I stopped again for a couple of years then started again about 7 years ago, again just a few items of clothing, about 3 or 4 years ago I came clean to my wife and after she came to terms with it my need to dress went out of control, I now dress up fully en femme, I do wish I could stop now though as it's taken over my life, there is so much I need to do and catch up on in my spare time, dressing should not be one of them, I might pack everything away soon and give it a break, throw myself into the gym or something.

[Julie1123]

Its almost on the fence for me. While I don't have the feeling that it is intrinsic to my identity, there is a level of compulsion to it that hobbies don't typically have.

[TanyaWonder]

I guess hobby dressers won't need this forum, huh? It is my belief that CDing is (at least usually) a result of a certain situation(s) at early age - an emotional trauma, if you will. I definitely wouldn't call it intrinsic though. For me personally, it feels like a stash of so called "female" expressions I had to lock away to seem male enough in the society's viewpoint and only open in the safety of privacy - via crossdressing. I kinda blame distorted view of gender in our culture (don't get me wrong here, we are where we are as a society and it's not meant as a rant). It can be changed, just seems very hard to figure out how.

[Kate Simmons]

For myself this has become an art form which I enjoy doing. I did quit for a couple of years after I made it a choice rather that leave it as a compulsion. I had other hobbies but this one is specific to itself. Hard to say when things started exactly but in general I began CDing at age 12. :)

[CarlaWestin]

I could never downplay this passionate compulsion as just a hobby. It's an expression of a whole other self.
And starting was not my fault. Mom's bras kept calling me from the drawer!

[DaniChan]

I seem to be the exception here...I DO feel this is a hobby for me. Like other hobbies it would suck to stop. Also just because it's a hobby doesn't mean you can easily stop. If you think about hobbies, they don't make much sense ether. Suppose you like carpentry, why bother to make a table when you can buy one for maybe less then the raw materials to make one? You do it because you like!
The point is it doesn't have to make sense nor be easy to stop to be a hobby. Of course I'm not saying it is a hobby for everyone, as this thread clearly shows.
I'm just saying it can be a hobby for some, it just seems it's not often the case.

I've stopped dressing for a few months recently (mostly because I haven' had much time to do it) and didn't really feel the need to dress. Now that I have a bit more free time, I came back to it.
During that same period, I've stopped playing games and was way more eager to play again then I was to dress.

I'm not quite sure how I've started dressing, but I think I've always liked the way girls look and their clothes. I do like the male stuff too and would like to just be able to dress in whichever cloth items I feel like at the time, mix and matching from both sides...or not, depending on my mood :)

[Lily Catherine]

I wouldn't use the term 'hobby' - this is hardly anything I do for enjoyment. Yes, I enjoy it, but enjoyment isn't exactly the end in my decision to wear the appearance of the gender opposite my birth sex. I'm into modeling (well, scale modeling, not being a fashion model, booth babe or race queen) - and I can put off my next build without any qualms, but not the compulsion to 'get dressed'.

It likely started from an urge, a compulsion of some form - like a nagging voice in the back of my head that all means have failed to shut up. In order not to make myself a victim to it, I declared the physical act of crossdressing a habit. Something that I am compelled to repeatedly do. And in this habit I seek and derive a lasting sense of solace and comfort, rather than firework-like gratification. And unlike my other hobbies, I don't really get any sense of achievement from it. For that matter, there isn't any pride in this affliction, only a desire not to be ashamed on my part.

If my hobbies are seven star resorts, then my crossdressing compulsion is the Hotel California.

[JUSTME]

For me it is an urge. Something within compelling the activity. I don't feel like it defines me in any way. Early on it was a curiosity about girls. What was it like to touch their boobs. That quickly morphed into, what would it feel like to have my own. I had a 6th grade teacher that wore sleeveless shirts and every time she held up something you could see right in. No wonder I had a 105 grade in her class. :) All of this was extremely sexual in nature and in large part still is today. But it really depends on how much time I have as to what happens. It could be a quickie, or being dressed all day/night. But either way it is extremely pleasurable!!

Sadly with kiddos running around "me time" is hard to find.

I am absolutely drawn to bras. The design, materials, etc. Could be on a woman, in the store window, doesn't matter. I love it when a bra strap is showing or you can make out the lines under a shirt. They are amazing to me. Some days I will sit and shop online just looking at all of the styles etc. Corsets, garters, all of that gets the blood pumping. I appreciate other clothing but not as compelled to wear it.

[cdveronica27]

I am a part time crossdresser, although I would never call it a hobby. I have urges to dress, but they're not overwhelming. I know I could go for a long time without dressing if I needed to, but I don't think I could ever give it up. I tried to quit before, twice, but ended up coming back to it. I don't think I could ever replace it with something else, because I don't think there is anything else that gives the thrill and satisfaction that comes from crossdressing.

[suzanne]

To me, the word "hobby" implies an activity, enjoyable though it may be, that is less important than the general business of daily life. The word "frivolous" comes to mind. That's definitely not the case with my dressing. While I have no plans to undergo transition or even to live full time, my time spent dressed up is precious to me and I refuse to give it up. I am not happy, healthy or whole if my femme side cannot be a full partner in my life. Fortunately, my wife understands this and has never given me the ultimatum.

[Alice Torn]

Kate. An art form, and creativity, artistic expression, for sure, here, too. As many are turned off by today's automobiles, and eally get into vintage ones. And vintage airplanes, and trains, so , it seems like many of us older CD's have a kind of hobby of getting into older vintage styles, and also because so very few GG's wear older vintage syles we so badly miss.

[Gretchen_To_Be]

It's far more than a hobby for me, it's definitely a strong compulsion. I want to dress and look as much like a woman as I can. If I ever get really good at it, I will have a problem, because I will want to do it more and more. Maybe that why subconsciously I keep eating cheeseburgers and drinking beer instead of eating properly to fit into that size 12! Seriously though, I wish it were just a hobby. It's far deeper for me.

[Phoebe Reece]

I don't want to get caught up in discussing just what constitutes a "hobby". I am retired and have an accepting wife. I can crossdress almost any day that I want to. However, I only dress and get out and about en femme on average about 4 days a month. That is simply because that's all I choose to do. I am not interested in crossdressing full time. I crossdress because it is enjoyable for me. Is it a compulsion for me? Perhaps it is. Certainly there is something inside me that pushes me to do it. I do think I will stop crossdressing when it's not any fun anymore. That day may come someday - but, I hope not.

[Melissa McLachlan]

I'm not entirely sure as this is still relatively early days for me. It's something I enjoy and something I would like to spend more time doing and getting better at but I've never felt that I need to dress. I suppose I'm still on the fence at the minute.

[Sarasometimes]

There is no way this is a "hobby" for me! When I can't dress for a while I get much more impatient and irritable. In fact this can happen in advance of those dress-less times just from the anticipation. I can get some relief from doing some typical feminine things like a pedicure or facial but they are just poor stop-gap measures.

[Elizabeth G]

Sure I can quit... I've done it any number of times. And I can quit again after I start back up next time :laughing:

It's definitely not a hobby for me.

Elizabeth

[Giselle(Oshawa)]

for me it is a compulsion i am in the middle of a purge and cessation of dressing right now
i have tried exercise,alcohol, drugs and a multitude of other things to stop but only when
i pass away will these urges stop its no hobby golf and bowling are hobbies dressing is a
COMPULSION!

[Andrea Evadne]

I don't think I could ever quit. I am a heterosexual male, yet the desire to look and feel like a woman is overwhelming. It's an odd feeling, looking at a beautiful woman and being simultaneously sexually attracted to her, and envious of how she looks

[Tina_gm]

I could stop it yes. The feminine expression, or my overall femininity would be actually harder to deal with than dressing in women's clothing. I do not consider it to be a hobby. My 1st actual urge happened when I was 17. Saw a woman I was attracted to, and then suddenly it wasn't I want to be with her, I just wanted to be her. Life hasn't been the same since....

[Tina81]

Not a hobby, but as Chastity said "it's some sort of internal drive..."

[Alice Torn]

Gendermutt, I can relate. There was a very tall, beautiful young farm girl a mile up the road from us, and at about14, she really blossomed, and got on and off the school bus in sleeveless fairly tight knee length dresses, and showing her amazingly beautiful long legs in nylons, and low heels. She blossomed a lot more, became a six foot two Amazon, in superb shape from hard farm work. I tried to date her when she was 18, but she rejected me. I found myself wanted to dress up and look like her, thus the name Alice Torn, which is one letter different from her maiden name. I portray her fairly well. Dressing became a compulsion, more than any hobby. I quit for many years, though, and at age 51, it hit me hard again.

[sometimes_miss]

You do it because you like!
See, that's the difference. Sure, I felt better when dressed as a girl when I was a kid. But it wasn't for fun that I did it. I did it then, as today, because I felt like I was supposed to. I don't get any enjoyment out of it. It's the reverse, actually; I feel bad when I don't wear girl clothes.
When I'm wearing mens clothing, I feel like I'm doing something that I'm not supposed to do.

[Shely]

That's the 64,000 dollar question ins't it. i have stopped a couple of times and of course purged everything. I have started back up a year or so ago and am off to the races with many dresses and even five or 6 wigs. Right now I feel it is my happy that doesn't hurt anyone and doesn't cost too much (i am a cheap shopper). i did start this in my teens and am now in many late 60's. I don't see me doing this in my 80's though, but that's a ways away. so I will stay tuned and we will see.

[wanda66]

Dressed in my special wardrobe i am much more comfortable with everything in general. There is no need to become a woman just to be me.I love dresses and my painted toes,no Hobby or special need to be someone else. Ladys underwear, or panties are lighter and more comfortable that's why i prefer them. No mystery! Quite often these days we over think things,to me ......it is what it is..

[gabyespinotv]

as much as i enjoy it...it's more like an addiction than a hobby...i would get rid of it if i could even tough i obviously like it...but if i had the choice..i really wish i wouldn't have the urge