As I've grown older

[Joyce Swindell]

Is it just me? The thread asking us about F counts sparked something for me. I didn't used to want to dress nearly as much as I do now. I spend more and more time here. Plan more outings as Joyce. Always looking for pretty dresses on women or shopping.

[RADER]

Well I am over the 70 mark, and yes I dress as often as I can at home.
I do not go out dressed, however I do under dress every day; including
fem jeans. As close to going out dressed as I dare. Yes I am having fun doing it.
Rader

[Jaylyn]

The older I get the more I'm enjoying my dressing. My wife puts the blame on my testosterone diminishing, my skin getting thinner and wanting softer fabrics on.
I think it's the lipstick, dressing since I was a toddler, hose, my underdressing now so much and maybe I've gotten more mellow in life.

[GracieRose]

In my case, I attribute the increase in dressing with age to retirement and grown children that have left the the nest.
More 'free time'.
More opportunity with the house to myself.
Less demands requiring my attention.

[Elizabeth G]

I have no explanation for it but my desire to dress has definitely increased with age.

[KarenSusan]

Since I have gotten older it's gotten to the point that I wear pants for only a couple hours a day to run errands. Otherwise at home it's skirts.

[Lana Mae]

I just started to understand all of this at age 65! Before that, I thought it was just a sexual thing! The desire to dress and how it ebbs and flows like the tide was part of a discussion with my counselor! No firm conclusions were drawn! Just enjoy when the desire is there, if you can! Hugs Lana Mae

[Joyce Swindell]

There are so many things that could be the cause of the increased desire. My wife is very accepting and encourages and helps me so much. That might be part of it...dressing more openly (and enjoying it)...not having the restraints. Although we do have a daughter and son in law with grandchild living with us so it isn't completely free rein. My hair is long now...but then I had long hair for a period of time when I was young too. It could be in part the more availability of CD websites and just the fact that things are so much easier to purchase than they used to be. More support groups available maybe? The drop in testosterone as we get older is a very good point. Some time back around 2003/2004 a doctor had diagnosed me with low testosterone levels and put me on all sorts of forms of drugs to try and figure out which one worked best. He started with the cream then the patches then I had to get a shot regularly ( I don't recall the interval ). Then we moved and I had to find a new doctor. The test they did said I didn't need it so the new insurance wouldn't pay for it and so I haven't taken it since. I have it tested at least once a year with my current doctor and I'm told it is ok...at the lower end of ok ...but ok.

I guess we'll just cope and see where it lead us.

[DIANEF]

As I get older the desire to dress has increased markedly, particularly in the last ten years or so. This increase is coupled with the fact I have more free time than ever before and have more disposable income to buy the things I need. Joining this forum also made me realise I needed to up my game as far as my look was concerned after seeing some of the great looking members on here, and I can honestly say my dressing is now more enjoyable than it has ever been.

[Joyce Swindell]

I'm with ya Lana Mae.... thought it was a sexual thing. Although I'm not sure I'll ever understand it.. but I'll be 63 in September so maybe there's still hope! lol

[Rachelish]

There are practical reasons why I dress more often: as with GracieRose, now the kids have left, the opportunities are more numerous, and I also agree with Joyce that it's so much easier to buy stuff. Thank you Click and Collect :)

I also feel less bothered about what other people think of me generally, though why that should make a difference is odd as no one else knows. Maybe it's just being more accepting of myself?

[Becky Blue]

Desire to dress often increases as we age, could it be due to more time/less distractions or could it be connected to a realisation that we are starting to run out of time.. or perhaps its hormone changes as we age.. or all or none of the above...

[DaisyLawrence]

Becky. Indeed, all three of those in that exact order.

[Beverley Sims]

It is called progression. :-)

[audreyinalbany]

it does seem to part of growing up that, as the years go by, we get less and less concerned with what other people think. How else can you explain old guys wearing socks with sandals?

[JeanTG]

I'm another one that dresses more since hitting my sixties. I attribute it to several factors.

-Years of repressing the desire; our male bodies are just bursting at the seams from our female persona trying to fight its way out
-More time (retirement, kids gone, wife still working)
-Reduced testosterone levels, with the ratio of E to T increasing slightly. For many men, andropause causes a crisis of sorts when erections and virility start fading, causing them to go off to their doctor for testosterone supplements. Those of our persuasion just quietly slide into our femme selves.

[NancySue]

Absolutely. It’s now a part of my life. After years of progression and improvements and a supportive, helpful wife, dressing is now the natural thing to do. Makeup skills are fine. Decisions of what to wear are a fun part of everyday life.

[Taylor186]

The frequency of my underdressing and stealth dressing (say wearing tights or leggings to the healthclub or women's shorts) has increased over the last decade or two but my desire (drive, need) to fully dress has definitely fallen off. Could be the former is related to the latter. Or, could be that my wife seems comfortable with my all-the-time underdressing and not so much with frequent fully dressing.

[Angela Marie]

I'm 63 so yes it has increased over the years. I have not dressed for about two years but the desire is still there and i'm going to start again soon.

[LeannS]

I find that I have more time to do the things I enjoy and getting dressed is a big part of that.

Jean I have never heard of andropause before but it makes sense in what is happening to me and how I feel.

[Stephanie47]

I've been retired for over ten years. I have a wife who still works part time for full days. I have plenty of opportunity to be en femme. There is no angst built up because I do have freedom and opportunity. As a retiree I have plenty of time to peck away on the keyboard. I can remember the angst generated by the inability to be en femme. It was frustrating. It would be nice to have a wife who appreciated my desire to wear women's clothing. I wonder sometimes what will happen when my wife fully retires. Joyce, I read your bio and you're lucky to have a wife who is fully supportive.

[jacques]

hello,
I often have similar thoughts - and suspect that the reality is that there are 3 factors in my increased dressing up time - mostly opportunity because the family have left home and I have more free time, but also the diminishing of inhibition that starts when one gets to a certain age and lastly because I realise that time is not on my side!
in the words of the song -

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as you wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself,
It's later than you think

luv J

[Lacy PJs]

It's probably a combination of a lot of things...
o the more you think about it, the more acceptable it becomes.
o you care less about what others think as you get set deeper in your ways, attitudes & opinions
o in retirement, you don't have a career to protect.
o you tend to recognize that there IS an end and you do more things that you want to do.

Lacy PJs

[docrobbysherry]

The "desire to dress increasing"? How would I know?

What desire to dress? Between T events and Sherry's stories, I dress now more than I ever have. Maybe if I ever get a break of 2 weeks I'll remember what it feels like again?:battingeyelashes:

[Devi SM]

For me is transition.
Wife is supportive, my works allow me to dress daily.
I go out weekly and sometimes twice a week and then is when I feel I am. So this increase has moved me to HRT and thinking on move forward as far as I could go.
Even I could do my work as a woman, sales, so both men and women can do it and sometimes women have some advantages. So what stop me to go and live full time as a woman? may be I will loose some "friends" that mans they were no friends.
So finally, because grown older?
The real question is if we would know what we know now, would we transition to fully live as a woman?

[Judy-Somthing]

Don't tell my wife that the desire to dress increases!


I try to talk myself out of dress shopping but I always find my self at the store looking for that perfect dress!
OK the perfect bargain dress. I only wear them once so I don't like to spend to much. The most I spent on a dress was $50 wore it twice then threw it out!

[Kandi Robbins]

There is a common theme throughout this forum, at least since I've been here. The older we get, the stronger the urge becomes. Many reasons for that, experience, a "don't care what others think" attitude, the kids are grown, retirement, etc...

[Dani0948]

I recall reading a chapter in Everything you wanted to know about sex.... back in the sixties about tv. It said that the desire/urge increases with age. I started at 9 and will be 65 in sept. The author was right.

I originally posted this 5 years ago. It seems even more accurate today.

[Sissy_in_pink]

Yep I seem to dress more so now than I use to, Maybe It's because the older we get we realize we won't be able to do it for much longer so we do it as much as we can before the big end comes.

[Glenda58]

At 70 I dress when I can and that's every night when the wife goes to bed. If on a trip it's full out makeup wig and bling.