Where does your AGE figure in?

[Wildaboutheels]

From reading multiple thousands of responses here over the years, it would seem for the vast majority, full/"all or nothing" presentation seems to increase exponentially with increasing age. Has it worked that way for you or have you "progressed" in the opposite direction?

For those in the former group, has the ability to purchase stuff ONLINE, with (almost) complete anonymity, contributed to your current thoughts on presentation?

[Cheryl T]

Yes, as I've aged I've grown less concerned with what others think and more with how I feel.
It's all or nothing (mostly all now) and I go out whenever, where ever I please.

I have more time to be me and I love it.
I have grown in many ways and I love my life now.

[Robertacd]

Well I have never been an all or nothing dresser and don't see myself ever becoming one.

[Brenda Summers]

I to have grown to care less what others think. I now put more effort into doing what I like and sometimes wish I had this feeling when I was younger and enjoyed more. But glad I've made it this far and enjoying what I do. Love and Peace Brenda.

[Megan Nicole]

Yes to both. As I’ve aged, I’m less concerned about what I wear and when. I even wear light makeup when leaving home most days. Used to be I was scared to underdress and leave the house. Always feared getting caught somehow, in a vehicle accident or whatever. Sure, this could still happen, but I’m at peace with it now I guess if something should it happen. I underdress 24/7 now and occasionally go out stealthily wearing items from my female wardrobe. And...yes, online shopping has made shopping much easier. I’m waiting on another pair of jeans right now! -Meg

[Nikki A.]

I'm more comfortable in full mode than partial. However with practice and better make-up I can get ready a lot quicker than usual. Partial make me feel incomplete although I have done it occasionally when I know I'd have to switch from femme to male mode.

[Rhonda Jean]

Nope and nope.

[Tracii G]

I can present enfemme or a mix of both anytime it just depends on how I feel in the morning and what I have planned for the day.
Age has mode no difference that I can tell.

[kimdl93]

For me, I have grown/progressed because I realized greater possibilities...buying on line wasn’t the driver. Every increment of new experience added to my realization of what was/is possible. Once I was convinced that I could present as a woman, I stepped out into the world and realized that it was possible, safe and really wonderful.

i suppose age played a role. As I grow older, it’s clear I only have so many days left, have fewer constraints and I’m more inclined to live on my own terms.

[Alice B]

I am sure that my aging has slowed me down. Age brings changes to your look, surgery,s and changes to what you feel looks best on you. All these have played a big part for me the past 2-3 years. I can express myself more, and I do, but in diferent ways. But mostly at home and I do not get out as much as I used to.

[DIANEF]

Since I started dressing I've been in the all or nothing camp. Under dressing, andro look, partial dressing just doesn't interest me. I have found as I get older the need to dress has been increasing, and after a long wait I now have the time for that increase to be accommodated.

[Teresa]

Wild,
On the whole it does appear to increase rather than decrease providing you are in good health . There are several factors for this and no single reason .

With my freedom and being totally out most if not all of my purchases are from retail shops , I find it far more enjoyable and I know everything fits , I see no reason to hide any of it .

[Jenny22]

MY age, 84, and now being single, has led me to full time dressing at home (sans wig and makeup) and 100% underdressing when out in drab, except for Doctors' appointments or being where I might be hugged and bra straps being felt by those not in the know. I've purchased little on line. Almost all buying of my femme needs have been in drab person.

[Tahoegurl]

I think it depends on your level of comfort and whether or not you are out. I am an "all or nothing" kinda gal and the online part makes it convenient but I still like to shop sales in the store. I shop in either mode. Mostly being a little older (relative) I don't care about what others think. Cheers

[RADER]

Well I am 71, And dress at home every day. I do not go out dressed, I would never pass in a million years.
I wish I could go out, but I will stay in my "Closet" for now.
Rader

[Wildaboutheels]

Surely.........most of the "all or nothing" ladies were NOT "all or nothing" ladies in your teenage years....?

Or even in your twenties or possibly thirties?

The P&V gallery does not really support this.

[GeorgeA]

When I started crossdressing regularly I thought that there were regulations of crossdressing.You had to do that, wear that, etc.

As I got older I realised that the there is no code of behaviour for transvestites and I started doing things my way. I discarded bras and shoes, no jewellery or makeup.

That's how I evolved into what I am now: a MIAD. I spend all day in skirts and lingerie, but as a male. I do not impersonate a woman.

When going out I am almost always underdressed. I am not ready to go out as a bearded guy in a skirt, yet. But at home I no longer care if someone sees me in my normal attire, the way I spend the whole day.

[marlacd]

I suppose it depends on who you may have to explain yourself to, dressed. If your finances aren't dependant on those who know you dress, then you could get bold, and not care what people think. Until that time come, if it comes, then I'll adjust accordingly. Happily.

[April Rose]

For me it hasn't been age so much as retirement. Since I no longer have to go to work every day and am essentially a caregiver , I can dress as a woman every day while I'm at home doing house work. Then change into drab in the afternoon if I have errands. I only do make up on tuesday evenings, when I go to TCNE.

[Patience]

Have you considered going out shopping dressed, April?

As for me, age comes into my dressing in the appropriateness of the vestments.

[Beverley Sims]

Never bought on line and the age thing is only through practice and general lifestyle that help me increase to almost 24/7.

In my early twentiesI was already out 40 percent of the time.

I just needed to hone my skills over the years.

[docrobbysherry]

I was probably all or nothing when I dressed completely after I had a full set of fem things. That was 20 years ago.
I STILL have to dress all the way. Because unless I can see a woman in my mirror when I finish, I'm wasting my time!:daydreaming:

Before buying "online" I bought things "mail order". So, no difference!:brolleyes:

[Teresa]

Wild..,
Cding for me in teenage and early twenties was very different for me , I had GFs who had no objections to my Cding but in those days it was all about sex . My work colleagues often joked that I went to work for a rest !!

The clothes weren't a visual thing then so going out didn't mean anything . It was only in my forties the situation changed , sex wasn't as important but I still had the deep need to dress . It wasn't until I started taking and processing my own pictures that the visiual aspect kicked in . The first time I did a reasonable effort on my makeup and I tried my first wig on was when gut feelings and vision came together , the guy had disappeared and a not unattractive woman had emerged , I guess the light bulb moment , the turning point !

[Asew]

I was never a dress all the way dresser. As a teenager, it was limited resources and now it is realizing I like some things and not other things. So the mixture has changed over the years, but I never go full femme.

[JeanTG]

I think for some, like myself, it's a progressive condition. It used to be a fetish when I was young, now in my 60s it's part of my identity. I go out dressed, I shop dressed. So I wouldn't say that the ability to on-line shop has affected me as I mostly shop in person. I will buy the odd item on-line but tend do so mostly for convenience or lack of availability in my area, not because I fear buying them in person.

Where will this go? I have no idea. But keeping the lid on the kettle is clearly impossible for me now. Alas, my wife is not only not supportive, she's hostile. With the work of a good therapist I'm trying to find the balance between male and female, that will work for me.

[Stephanie47]

In my teenage years I only had access to my mother's clothing. Size was a limitation. It wasn't until my thirties I felt comfortable purchasing my owns bras, panties and slips. Finally it was dresses and hosiery and heels. Of course a wig came next. The wigs were purchased under the pretext of Halloween costumes. I have to wear a wig to make the illusion work due to male pattern baldness. Underdressing does nothing for me. So, it is always a dress, heels and hosiery, all the proper undergarments, and, wig. I do forego makeup as I am an in-home dresser. The only skimping on the clothes is sleeping at night. Then , it is a nylon gown and panty. I frankly do not understand the appeal of wearing a bra under male clothing.

[DIANEF]

Surely.........most of the "all or nothing" ladies were NOT "all or nothing" ladies in your teenage years....?

Or even in your twenties or possibly thirties?

The P&V gallery does not really support this.

I first put on a dress aged 15. Ever since I have fully dressed, at least as much as I could in the early days.

[sometimes_miss]

It hasn't increased over the years. Just my ability to dress up more, has, I no longer feel like there's any reason NOT to dress as a girl when I'm alone at home. It just feels right.
I can't speak for everyone, but I get the feeling that most of us usually only dress up as much as we feel the need to. Whether that be completely from head to toe including make up & accessories, and body movement and voice changes, or just wearing a nightgown to sleep in every night, or something in between, we go as far as we do because it's a need to quash the GID monster lurking in the subconscious, demanding that we shuck off the man costume and do whatever female things we want. Feeding the monster a few bites of femininity is sometimes all it takes. At other times it's hungry enough to want a whole meal.

At least that's how I experience it.

[Periwinkle]

I'm fairly young I think, and I'm pretty sure it's accurate to say I'm an all or nothing crossdresser now. That said, guys wearing feminine styles or pastel colors are less stigmatized these days. I have plenty of makeup and skinny jeans and pastel sweaters, but when I wear those on their own I'm still presenting myself to the world as male. I only consider myself to be crossdressing at all if I put on a wig and a skirt or dress. I rarely ever wear one without the other, if ever. So in my case, there is a very clear line between whether I'm crossdressing or not. I'm not really sure why this is. I believe it's just because I want to present my feminine self in a very specific way. But it's been a pretty big standard in my crossdressing method from day one, so I expect this distinction to continue as I get older.

[Lana Mae]

I am always dressed! Sometimes it is with out wig, forms and make up and sometimes with! My "male" mode(I call it natural self!) gets more and more feminine! It is not about the clothes for me! It is about how I feel! As I have said before, gender "me"! Hugs Lana Mae

[Jane G]

It's always felt natrual for me to dress as a female. Before I was married I would go out dressed on occasion. I still sometimes walk high on the moors dressed and sometimes I will sit admiring the view accross a valley and contemplate how life could have been different. The simple truth is my wife prefers that I remain closeted and I respect her feelings far above my own desire to dress and always will. I guess for us there are more important things in life.

[Aaron Zwidling]

I have never been all or nothing, with no major changes from when I was a teenager to now in my fifties. I take much the same approach now as I did thirty years ago, which is typically partial dressing and no makeup although I sometimes fully dress and/or wear makeup. For me it's whatever I'm in the mood for on a particular day.

[Leslie Mary S]

Due to my age and being retired I have the option to wear what I want when I want but the fear of nosy neighbors etc keeps me from doing makeup every day and dressing only at night. I always wonder if the neighbors wonder about all the random flashing of light ( me taking selfies) creeping out the cracks around the blocked window.

[Jenny22]

Stephanie, when in drab, my bra is a constant hug, and I love it!

[Diane Taylor]

Age has never been a factor in how or how much I dress or present myself.

[t-girlxsophie]

Not really due to age but Basically my new found confidence to leave home dressed has led to me being much more visable

Sophie

[AllieSF]

Surely.........most of the "all or nothing" ladies were NOT "all or nothing" ladies in your teenage years....?

Or even in your twenties or possibly thirties?

The P&V gallery does not really support this.

I was an all or nothing dresser. I also started late in life. I knew from the beginning, like the first time I fully dressed with all the accessories and looked myself in the mirror that I had to take "the show" on the road, and I did very shortly after that. However, as I progressed from starting to now I have aged and continued to mature in many ways, especially in recognizing and accepting who I am. I think a lot of serious dressers go through that same process in their own way up to the point they start going out and build up their own confidence to be who they are, whatever that may be. I totally get how hard it may have been when younger for others and how most of them never went out fully dressed. Many may have gone out partially dressed, but not so much so that others would see their presentation as feminine, like underdressing or wearing feminine jeans, shoes or other items that could also be seen as male attire.

I am wondering what your true question is since as I understand your way of presenting to be more in the MIAD camp. Also, what is P&V?