Unexpected Difference?

[BillieS]

Did any single step for you result in an unexpectedly big difference?

A CD friend and I had an interesting exchange on this the other day.

For me, it was switching from contacts to in-between style eyeglasses (purple frames; you can sort of see them in my profile pic).

Part of the change was vision-driven. I found I was constantly taking my reading glasses on and off (over my distance contacts), and it was giving me headaches.

But the purple glasses, well, that was my new fashion sense coming out!

Still, it made a much bigger difference in my appearance than I imagined — and an even bigger difference in how I perceived myself. I suddenly started seeing myself as this feminine person!

Anything like that for you?

[Cassandra Lynn]

difference in how I perceived myself. I suddenly started seeing myself as this feminine person!
Anything like that for you?
Only about everything I've done........truly.

Once I was fully comfortable with and accepting of being non-binary, and realized that the only way to be at peace with myself in the real world was to live as both genders (and I seem to be slowly chipping away at my masculine self), i set about these little 'projects'.

None of these things are in any order:
One set pf ear piercings was followed with the second set one yr later, started slowly plucking, thinning and shaping my eye brows and 6 months later started slowly wearing more and more make-up, the body hair had already been gone for quite some time, and the only item of men's clothing i wear on any given day is a shirt, nails on toes and fingers always salon done and obvious.

I could prolly go on.

Actually, if i were to pick the one thing that stands out for me each day is my hands.......i have small hands and with the long womanly nails and since they draw attention it tends to cause me to see them and feel the influence.

But to be totally honest, my perception of myself has happened as much internally as it has happened from external changes, or maybe as a result of the external.

Nice thread Billie, i look forward to the replies.
Cass

[docrobbysherry]

My one big change occurred when I bought my female suit. After 10+ years of wanting to physically become a female?:battingeyelashes:

I quite literally discovered overnite that I am actually a CD! All those surgery, hormone thots simply vanished!:D

[Pat]

Interesting. Of course, those "surgery, hormone thots" are all about a person conforming their body to the image their mind requires to be happy. So you kinda did it all in one go. I think the difference between you and me is that I require that look every time I see myself and you (seemingly) only need it on occasion. As always, it makes me happy to know that there are people out there who have different solutions to "the problem" and we each have the best solution for ourselves. ;)

[Jenny22]

My wigs! VOILA! Cherche la femme!

[DIANEF]

Going back a long time (in my teens) I was really only into underwear and swimming costumes, things like that. Then one day I found my older sister had bought a new dress. It was brown and blue (better than it sounds), and one day I tried it on. It was a real turning point, and from that day what was on the outside became more important that what was underneath, and still is.

[tylia]

After having been married for a number of years to a woman that used my love of skirts,heels and pantyhose as a "tool" to punish me anytime we argued,we finally divorced. I spent a few years living alone and loving it,but my CDing didn't increase .....still just loved to dress in skirts and heels. I could never imagine myself in a bra or make up,or trying to look more femme in any way. A few years passed and i met my current wife and i promised myself i would never get into another long term relationship unless i told her about my "fetish".....so,i did. Well...what a delight to have my wife show me make up skills,encouraged me to get a wig, bra, and some forms,corset also....even help me find panties with padding to balance my broader shoulders with my hips.We continue to shop together and she still encourages me to acquire anything Tylia thinks she needs. The day i told her about my skirt and heel fetish was the beginning of a big wonderful change in my life.

Whew......sorry to run on so long.....i Didnt realize it was such a long story
Hugs
Tylia

[Lana Mae]

When I looked in the mirror at my transformation and saw Lana Mae staring back! Jennifer did an excellent job and I probably will never be able to duplicate it! Then I got my own wig and the ante went up in this "game"! LOL Then, recently, I went to Keystone conference and it went up even higher! The journey goes on and on and what is around the next bend? Who knows? Hugs Lana Mae

[Allisa]

I don't know if it made a difference in how I perceive myself but getting my hair dyed and styled did make my appearance more feminine and younger too.

[Taylor186]

Three things, so far.

1. Telling my wife (and a few joint counseling sessions): I found her somewhat tolerant and this opened up our relationship and allowed me to explore what crossdressing really meant to me.

2. Joining a social support group: I met dozens and dozens of CDs, TGs, and TSs during the four years of monthly meetings that I was a member. It was my first time trying to really present as a woman. Before that all my CDing adventures at home or out were basically incomplete as I was presenting as a CDer and not a woman. We had great discussions and it was comforting to know I wasn't alone on this journey.

3. After four year in the group I concluded I was not like most of them. Don't get me wrong they were all great people and fun to be around, but, they were constantly working on whether or not they were really trans and whether or not they should transition. I finally concluded that I was happy being a man and happy being an occasional CDer. Even when dressed to pass I knew I was still a man at the core and happily so. I also found out that dressing fully once a month was just too much for me.

These events helped me push past my comfort zone to know where my desired limits really were. I'm a much happier crossdresser as a result.

[Jodi]

About a year after my divorce (20 years ago), I decided to get a professional makeover. Got the guts to call a Merle Normal salon and made a appointment. The owner was fantastic. Showed me what needed done and taught me how to do it. I went in dressed looking horrible and left looking ang feeling fabulous.

I dropped over $200 on makeup, but it was money well spent. My confidence to go out soared.

I never looked back.

Jodi

[Sometimes Steffi]

When I got my first makeover.

The MA let me face the mirror while she was doing my foundation. She kept working on it slowly and deliberately, and all I could see was a dude wearing makeup. Then, she turned me away from the mirror, and did my eyes and lips, and pulled on my wig and combed it out.

Then she spun me around to face the mirror. The guy was gone, and staring back at me was a really hot woman. That was the first time that the inner girl came into the real world.

[Beverley Sims]

When I was seventeen I was made up by some girls who wanted to see me as a girl.

I remained a girl for a week.

It was the most wonderful experience of my life and Iam sure provided a grounding for where I am today.

[Asew]

Initially I scrapped together from donation piles and such and it felt like I was just like I was trying to be somebody else. Buying my own clothes made a huge difference since I got to pick out the styles and colors I liked and would properly fit me, it finally felt that dressing truly was part of my identity.

[sometimes_miss]

My wigs! VOILA! Cherche la femme!
^this. Nothing else had such an immediate effect on my feeling of what I am. To me, long pretty hair defines one as definitely FEMALE to me.

[BillieS]

The end of every professional makeover is a real “aha” moment for me — because of my glasses (there they are again).

I take them off during the makeover and I’m blind as a bat, so the second I put them back on is always a wonderful surprise!