Feminine / female feelings

[Jenny22]

In response to the 'attraction feelings' post. Ressie commented, "I don't know what feminine feels like since I'm not a woman." Hmmmm. I propose that any type of M2F trans person CAN feel feminine due to the excitement of a special moment or that tingling feeling you get from something feminine that really pleased you.

What might yours be?

For me, my nails and first ever real shopping outing en femme yesterday made me feel very feminine... Very!

[docrobbysherry]

I haven't a clue what women, cats, or whales feel like. :brolleyes:

But, I KNOW what women look like and I have mirrors! So, I usually go for appearance over feelings. I'm a man after all?:D

[Tracii G]

Your first outing is a milestone but don't read too much in to it.
You are projecting what you think a woman feels like but there is no way you will ever know.
You are free to enjoy being out and about I know I enjoy it.

[April Rose]

I bet if you asked a hundred different women what "feminine" feels like, you would get a hundred different answers.

[RADER]

I have to go with Sherry on this. I have been a man for over 72 years now; and just because I like to
wear Woman's clothes, does not make me a Woman. I just appear to look a little like one. I feel that
by wearing Panties, Bra, a Dress, I can at least find out what it feels like to a woman to wear there
clothes. I know that being in the closet does not give me much to go on, but I at can relate to does that
do get all dressed up and go out. I just wish I could try it some day myself.
Rader

[Macey]

By that same token, how could I truly say what a 'man' feels like? I can only say what *I* feel like.

[Jenny22]

A question as to feelings .. if a female loves the feeling of freshly applied lipstick, and a man does too, since the lipstick is for females, isn't the man experiencing a feminine feeling? This is the type of thing I was relating to.
If a man fully en femme gets a warm hug from a man after a wonderful evening out, and she feels the warmth of the hug as a female would, isn't that a feminine feeling?

[Micki_Finn]

This gets... complicated. So what about women who DON’T like makeup? Wouldn’t that then make NOT wearing lipstick also a feminine feeling? The high heels and hose so many girls are fond of here we’re originally men’s clothes. Does that make wearing those things masculine feelings?

The very heart of the problem is that you can never know what “women” feel, because every woman is different. Any time you say “women are...” “women do...” or “women have...” you’re creating a false narrative because you assume that there are things that are both fundamental and universal to being a woman and quite frankly this is NO universal truth about either gender.

So to answer your questions, no. Those are feelings. They have no gender and they can be experienced by both sexes. The only things that make them “masculine” or “feminine” are old outdated societal standards of segregation.

[Lana Mae]

This is a very touchy subject here! I think a man can feel feminine but not female! Experiences such as pregnancy and child birth are beyond men as is that time of the month! I have felt that "tingling" feeling at times also! It has been as simple as a certain body position when I threw away a piece of trash or looking down at my polished toes! I asked my therapist about this! Her reaction was sure why not! She of course agrees that giving birth, etc are not something we can experience! Feeling feminine and feeling like a female are not the same thing! I know I will probably catch a lot of flack but so be it! That will not change my opinion! Hugs Lana Mae

[sometimes_miss]

As genetic males, we can't ever 'exactly' know how it feels to be a women. The closest we can get, is reports from MTF transsexuals who start on hormone therapy. Many have written that they experience mood changes which seem to be unrelated to anything going on in their life, which is different from what they experienced as males. This corresponds to a lot of female youtube users videos which reflect the same phenomenon. Sudden episodes of sadness and crying for which they cannot determine the reasons.
Most men never experience this. Sure, we get sad, even cry, but to us, the cause is always pretty obvious.


A question as to feelings .. if a female loves the feeling of freshly applied lipstick, and a man does too, since the lipstick is for females, isn't the man experiencing a feminine feeling? This is the type of thing I was relating to.
If a man fully en femme gets a warm hug from a man after a wonderful evening out, and she feels the warmth of the hug as a female would, isn't that a feminine feeling?

We don't know. We can't know. Because we are not females; we don't have the brain which developed under different chemical and hormonal conditions, and we do not have the same of those conditions now, either, even if we have been taking female hormones. It's like asking if we can experience what it's like to be a fish, to live and breath underwater because we can wear a scuba apparatus and go underwater for long periods. It's different. Just ask the fish. Or, in this case, the woman. women's minds are set up differently due to all the years of development under a different set of physical, chemical and hormonal conditions. That's what makes them different.
Women interpret the world differently. They use speech differently. And their relationships are different.

Think for a moment. How may men would you think would find it perfectly normal to have sex, if he knew beforehand that he would not have an orgasm? Pretty much none. Yet, hundreds of millions of women do it every day. And for them, it's considered within the realm of something normal. Plenty of women don't come every time they have sex. Most men would go nuts if they didn't; in fact, even occasional non orgasmic episodes are usually extremely upsetting to men, and often the women they're having sex with, as well. Not coming is simply not 'manly' in our society.
There are plenty of other things about women that seem foreign to men. Try one of the Pease' books such as https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Listen-Women-Cant-Read/dp/1566491568/ref=sr_1_1?crid=340871JLTQRC4&keywords=why+men+dont+listen+and+women+cant+read+m aps&qid=1556666200&s=gateway&sprefix=why+men+%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1

to learn some of the differences which come about from growing up female.

[Tracii G]

I have seen many MtF trans people say things like this because they think they have to.

[Macey]

I've heard it said on this site and previously that gender identity is a spectrum. We use the words 'feminine" and/or "masculine" to describe a whole set of mannerisms, gesticulations, actions, clothing, and all the internal and external stimuli that we associate with these terms, both inwardly, culturally, and perhaps even biologically.

"Femininity" and "Masculinity" are not the sole domain of GGs nor GMs, if we're all in the spectrum, we all have the capacity to experience one, the other, both, or perhaps neither. We can use these imperfect words to describe these experiences and emotions, and might even come close to the mark even if we're separated by a 'common' language.

Words, regardless of how intricately rendered, often fall short of conveying internal feelings and the best we cab do as human beings is open up our mutual empathy to one another and seek how someone else's words of their experiences translate for each of us within our own experiences.

Yes, I do feel feminine. I suppose I could describe the hows and whys, and some would find commonality within that. Others would realize that at times we are like the blind men describing their encounter with an elephant.

In the mean time, I'm glad to be here. Glad to share my experiences and bask in yours! Even if, at times, the GGs on the site are giggling at the blind men describing an elephant :)

So here I am. Feeling feminine right now. Based on my internal associations and cultural conditioning. Is it wrong? I doubt it. It's for me :) and yet I'm glad to share it with you.

[docrobbysherry]

By that same token, how could I truly say what a 'man' feels like? I can only say what *I* feel like.
I prefer this answer to your latter one, Macey. Because I truly DON'T know what men feel like! Just what I feel like!:thumbsup:

Do I feel masculine hitting the home run that wins the game? Defeating another wrestler? Having sex with a woman? Aren't those ALL things women can and do experience? I've experienced them but NEVER thot of them as masculine experiences!:straightface:

I often feel SEXY when I become Sherry. A lot more sexy than Robert ever did. But, do females feel the way I do when they feel sexy? I doubt it! They feel sexy as women. I feel sexy as a man looking like a woman.

If u want to believe u, "feel like a woman"? Good for u! :battingeyelashes:

[Macey]

I doubt I'd know what feeling 'like a woman' is like. Only that I feel 'feminine' … and, of course, it's all very subjective!

[KrissyP]

Sometimes it seems we can all over-think things. "No one can know what anyone else is feeling because you are not that person" has little validity in my experience. Recently I lost my mom. We all feel grief and it falls on a spectrum, but we can relate to certain elements so much so that science and psychologists have developed a standard process of grief. Sure there are outliers, but we can have true empathy and share in the experience of others be they male or female.

Over the last few months I have been able to grow my hair out for the first time. Recently I have been learning how to straighten my very curly hair and style it using blow dryers and curling irons. While I am not a woman, I now share the frustration and pleasure of getting my hair to do what I want it to do in ways that a man with short hair or a masculine style would not. So in this small way, I share in the experiences of many females. It doesn't make me a female, but if anyone wants to talk about how much it stings to burn your ear with a curling iron I can very much participate in the discussion! Just like I have a new appreciation for shoes and how good it sometimes feels to take them off at the end of the day. I certainly can feel some of the things a woman can even though it doesn't "make" me a woman. And those experiences broaden my understanding of the female perspective.

Let's just relax and enjoy our shared experiences. Happy to be here and learn and participate with all of you.

[Aunt Kelly]

I propose that any type of M2F trans person CAN feel feminine due to the excitement of a special moment or that tingling feeling you get from something feminine that really pleased you.

Women don't get feminine feelings from "things" or "moments". I don't dispute that many of us in the TG community get some kind of feeling from this or that stimulus, but it strikes me as more than a bit of a stretch to say that "That's what women feel like."

[Tracii G]

I agree Kelly To me its the old projection thing that CDs do sometimes.
When I hear a CD say "this piece of clothing makes me feel girly" I think how would they know?

[Michellebej]

I spent twelve years, in total, as an interviewer. Or what used to be called an interrogator. Both in a law enforcement setting and a military one. I have interviewed women from North, South and Central America. Africa, Asia, and Europe. There are cultural differences; to be sure. However; women, typically, do think in different ways than your average man does. Occasionally you meet men whose thought patterns are feminine and vice versa. There is a reason that the book "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" sold so well.

While there is a spectrum in the way that men and women think, there is also a recognized typical response. When going into an interview you will typically have one set of rules and responses for men and another for women. Yes; you have to adjust based on the individual. However; the vast majority of people fall into the male and female "thought patterns" categories.

Can a man feel like a woman? Sure. I've seen in a professional capacity. I have had to shift my "patter" from what i would typically use with one sex to a person of the opposite sex. Not very often mind you, but enough to know it happens.

Womens brains ARE different from mens; in a physical sense. Ask anybody with anatomy training. It is fair to assume that these physical difference have a bearing on how the brain functions. Where then are those people who are born male, yet have a female brain? And vice versa. I suspect that this is the foundation to those who identify as trans sexual. Rather than as a crossdresser. It may well be why most crossdressers don't understand most ts people.

[Aunt Kelly]

Yes, Michelle. There is some clinical evidence (though far from conclusive or complete) that TS brains are more like those of their cis counterparts. It's an interesting avenue for research that will, I suspect, be largely unexplored because of the scarcity of sample subjects. Anyway, if we proceed with that assumption, that the TS subject already "feels feminine", innately. For us, it's not about the clothes, or the hair, or the makeup as a stimulus, the way it is for so many crossdressers. The responses in this thread would seem to indicate that, as a group, they do indeed respond to those stimuli, but I'd call it that response something other than "feeling like a girl".

[SaraLin]

You are projecting what you think a woman feels like but there is no way you will ever know.


I'd argue differently.

I've had flashbacks to prior lives and quite clearly remember what it felt like. I've felt everything from the pain and desperation of losing children to disease, to the forbidden joy of making love (first time) on a hillside - on a gentle spring day. But though it seems rather mundane, one of the clearest "memories" was the excitement and simple joy of knowing that my new husband was coming home from work soon. It's hard to put into words, but it was definitely a "feminine" - or at least female feeling.

Of course, feel free to discount my experiences and call them all fantasy, delusion, or whatever you like. It doesn't bother me.

[Crissy 107]

SaraLin, That puts an interesting spin on this thread.

[phili]

Females are assigned and taught to be feminine, and their feeling that it is natural for them and pleasure in it varies, just like the corresponding experiences of males taught to be men. So even though 'feminine' is often thought of as what females are and do, it is more accurate to define it as one pole of the human character spectrum. For example, receptive v assertive, listening compassionately vs exhorting , etc.

CDs are enjoying what females often enjoy, and often go to lengths to conform our body appearance to that of females, as a way of heightening the experience of femininity. With or without that, we can experience a lot of what females experience, and have very similar feelings. That's a wonderful outcome. If we don't assume others are claiming to be exactly like a female, the need for these arguments goes away.

Let's all enjoy our expressions of femininity!

A lot of the things CDs like that females wear and do are things that are meant to frame the female body as sexually attractive, and that cause confuses the interpretation of our CDing in the minds of observers, and the rejection. It is only when they also separate feminine from female that the dilemma is resolved.

[GretchenM]

Wow, what a wonderful thread. And such wonderful responses. The fact is nobody really knows what someone else feels. However, there is a basis for feeling masculine or feminine, but the foundation is very deep and subconscious. In neurology, it has been known for some time that our conscious minds only get the final results from calculations that occur in our subconscious mind. In effect, the prefrontal cortex is the implementer of what the rest of the brain figures out, but we are not aware of all that went on to make those decisions. Thus, they say there is no such thing as a conscious decision; there are only conscious actions that result from subconsciously created decisions.

In behavior genetics, the first principle is that all behavior is ultimately rooted in genetics. But the rules of behavior that behavior are rooted in genetics are modified by experience and choices that create a behavior that is consistent with what the brain calculates is appropriate. If it is not appropriate we have a conscious feeling that we have done something wrong. You feel "dysphoric."

Thus, the typical male and female brain is mostly the same, but has some critical structures that are quite different in typical males and females. Thus they function differently and apparently in a way that allows males and females to create cooperative relationships with different but somewhat overlapping roles. Those roles are the basis of gender behavior differences. However, that is only the foundation; the real important parts are adaptive to circumstances and experiences and memory of what worked before. Thus females, because of female structure in the brain, follow different role rules from those that males follow. Women have richer emotional experiences because their traditional, evolutionary roles were as care givers where emotional sensitivity was critical to survival favored that behavior pattern. Men developed in different pathways that served in their traditional, evolutionary roles as protectors and hunters of food. Those original role definitions are no doubt still present, but in the modern world they tend to be less important than they were in the not so distant past.

However, with over 3,500 genes of the 20,000 or so genes that define us dedicated in some way to gender behavior (i.e. gender identity) errors, even tiny errors, can modify what comes out in the way of behavior. Thus, we see a vast diversity in gender behaviors that is the gender spectrum. A male brain can be configured to produce behaviors that are much like those that females exhibit. But such a brain is not a female brain. Therefore, it cannot produce the same "feelings" that a female brain can, and visa versa. But any deviation from the ideal structure for each sex can produce some feelings that are similar to those experienced by the opposite sex and their brains. So, although a male cannot fully experience what a female feels, a male is perfectly capable of feeling some of what a female feels.

Once those feelings are sensed we adapt our behaviors to fit, to whatever extent produces consistent feedback from the subconscious brain, as to what those feelings expect. Thing is, CD and TG people probably don't experience the complete opposite gender behavior role package. It is mostly just bits and pieces and in some people it is larger bits and pieces than in others. So we get a sub-spectrum in the CD/TG world.

Is all of this true? Well, probably not completely, but this is where the research seems to be headed. In the end it might be rather different as there is still a vast amount not known in detail about what creates gender behaviors that are so well defined between males and females and yet tend to cross-over a great deal in a lot of people. That cross-over process might be increasing in prevalence because there is so little pressure in the evolutionary process to keep roles very defined. Thus the modern world allows much more crossing over than was present in the past. In other words, the genetic behavior in humans is shifting toward a somewhat more psychologically androgynous pattern and away from a pattern that demanded more defined roles. Time will tell.

So this is my contribution that has resulted from 6 1/2 years of reading and studying the scientific literature and fitting it together in a fashion that satisfies my biologist mind as well as my own gender role reconciliation. Your mileage may vary. It is the nature of the beast. The answers are coming, but it might be awhile, even quite awhile. Each little discovery though provides more clarity in where this behavior comes from.

[Sara Jessica]

There are some great responses here. Gretchen went above and beyond and I'm really intrigued by the past lives angle.

That said, I think there is in fact a lot of projection that goes on. Heck, if a Shania Twain song can make one feel like a woman, then all bets are off. Thing is, I've been lucky to have experienced this holy grail. I call these "moments of being" and it has little to do with wearing a particular piece of clothing, makeup, etc. Instead, it is where the stars aligned in my presentation, time, place, weather, my own mental state, and gosh knows what else because it has been so long since I've felt such a moment. One thing I know for certain, the root of this feeling is peace above all else. Peace of mind. Alignment of mind, body and spirit.

I've experienced this alone and also with friends. It is real and it is sublime. I only wish it were easier to recreate and sustain.

[JenniferMBlack]

I get where the I feel like a woman or i feel feminine comes from. There is deffinatly a change in mood and feeling when I am dressed. As it has been said i know i am not a woman so i cant say i feel like a women. However i do think saying I feel more feminine fits.

[Stephanie47]

Time to get into the deep end of the pool. I can only attest to the feeling wearing women's clothing brings to me. It's a feeling of peace and tranquility. Maybe I am different. I do not sit around and gush over makeup and nail polish. I don't know any women who do sit around and gush. I do see women who IMHO waste too much time and money perfecting claws with all sorts of decorations on their finger tips. Is that feminine? My wife does not bother with nail polish. I've never in almost fifty years seen her put nail polish on her toenails. I cannot remember the last time she wore polish on her fingernails. Her use of makeup has been limited to lip gloss. Most of the time she has no lip gloss. Perhaps males ascribe attributes to femininity based on a male mindset. Dare to ask your wife or girlfriend how she feels when she is having her period? Feminine? Or when she goes through labor pains?

What is masculinity? Dragging knuckles along the ground and bashing a woman's head with a club and dragging her back to the cave? Thinking women are no more than sexual gratification objects? Over the years/decades I've done many things and probably more than others that are ascribed to be part of a masculine role. I do not recall feeling "like a man" when I did them.

The best I can relate to the OP question is I like to believe, if I was a woman, this is what I would wear and how I would appear. It has nothing to do with feeling feminine.

[laura.lapinski]

KrissyP You did a great job of articulating a point I can well agree with.

[Ressie]

When I said that it wasn't my original thought. There was a GG that pointed this out on this forum a few years ago. And it made my realize that what I was feeling was the way I imagined a woman would feel. I really doubt that women get the same feelings (that some of us do) from putting on a new dress or other article of clothing.

I could say I feel feminine in the figurative sense, but I can't say that I literally feel feminine. No one wants to say "I feel effeminate" which would be more accurate IMO.

[April Rose]

Ressie, I have been thinking about that a lot lately, and have been trying to "own" my effeminacy. Oddly enough, effeminacy has been no easier to pin down than femininity.

I haven't been working on the problem from this viewpoint long enough to have a fully informed opinion, but I am beginning to suspect this is all; part of a larger, sociological situation that everyone is having to deal with in their own way.

[Peggie Lee]

Being intersex I’ve learned that the some but not all feelings of men and women are hormonal driven, at 13 I was on Testosterone, it change how I would react to people and situations as typical male and when I was off HRT I would change back. I’m now on estrogen and feel more feminine than ever before.

[docrobbysherry]

I think we r getting somewhere now with these deeper posts.:thumbsup:

They may explain why I find seeing an attractive woman in my mirror so important. And, why I go to so much effort to present as one. It's both sexual AND allows me to visualize myself as a woman with no male traces visible. Then, maybe fantasize I'm feeling like one, too? :battingeyelashes:

[ReineD]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s, an era that was just coming out of the wide gender inequality of the late 40s and 50s, when men took their jobs back in manufacturing plants after WWII while women returned to the home, wore dresses and made the baby boomer generation. These remnant gender role attitudes were present in my youth and at that time, I would have said that "feeling feminine" meant feeling protected and taken care of by a man. I wouldn't have characterized "feeling feminine" based on what I was wearing, since I would have felt that way whether I was wearing a dress or blue jeans, wearing or not wearing makeup.

No more. lol

I've grown up since then, had a career, raised a family, and got a divorce. I learned how to live without a man's finances and physical protection. I dare say that modern young women (most of whom work even after having kids), also can survive well on their own compared to the women of the 1950s. The world has changed. The wide gender gap that existed in my youth is no longer there. So terms like "feeling feminine" and "feeling masculine" I think only come up on websites such as this one. Most people not members here just "feel as themselves".

I always feel the same, no matter what I wear. I do feel a gender difference mostly when I want to accomplish a physical task that is beyond my physical strength and need someone stronger (usually a male) to help me. But, I don't engage in these tasks often. And needing help does not make me feel more feminine, it just makes me feel as if I should work out more so I can do more for myself. lol

So I suspect that "feeling feminine" for many members here means feeling wonderful when wearing makeup and skirts, which I suspect crossdressers enjoy much more than GGs. :) I can guarantee that most GGs don't feel that way when they wear makeup or skirts. For us, wearing makeup and skirt is utilitarian and getting dressed up feels the same as any guy who gets dressed up for one occasion or another. Some people love looking magazine-worthy, while some people can't wait to get out of the constrained clothing (dresses & hose or suits and ties) and get back to their comfy clothes. Feeling feminine or masculine doesn't come into it.

[GretchenM]

Thank you Reine, that really helps a great deal. It is pretty much what my wife says and it is pretty much what my cisgender males say. And there in lies some of the problem. Those of us who are trans to some extent or other really cannot relate to what it feels like to have only one identity that is very much the same all the time. We can't because we aren't. Similarly, cisgender people can't feel what it is like to sometimes feel that you are totally, mostly, or partly a person of what society calls the opposite gender. There is no way for us to feel cisgender any more than it is possible for cisgender to know what it feels like for us.

As for the good feelings when you, if male, are expressing feminine/female that starts with the brain generating expectations that are not being met. Those portions that generate gender feelings transmit some gender reversed sense to the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) for implementation. They then switch to checking sensory input to see if the feedback meets expectations - checking up on the PFC to see if it is following instructions. If it doesn't detect confirmation then trouble starts and dysphoria sets in until the "gender control room" sees images and other sensory information coming in that shows that there is compliance with the expectation. When that is detected then the technician in the control room presses the endorphine button which floods the brain with feel good chemicals. You have produced a complete loop from control room to implementation to sensory confirmation and you are richly rewarded with feel good chemicals. Chocolate does the same thing in some people. Lots of things do that. But for us, putting on lipstick when the feeling arises creates good return feelings. Perfectly normal. Our motivation is just a bit different from other people. Why? Because there is something different about our brains, whether genetic, hormonal, learned, experiential, or any combination thereof and that is the way our brains work. The details still need to be worked out though and that is the job of science.

[Teresa]

Reine,
It's possibly a case of familiarity breeds contempt , I admit getting dressed for my social meetings doesn't give me the same buzz anymore not unless it's a special occasion , I now feel just as good wearing a skirt or jeans doing my gardening or slipping on a skirt and quick makeup to go down to the shops and supermarket . I do admit it is lovely to have the best of both Worlds if I really need to , I still have the physical strength and knowhow to do certain jobs but wearing old dirty male working clothes is done under sufferance , it's not a sexual thing , it just feels so alien .

Women did go through a strange period during and after WW2 . They had the mixed feelings of being freed from the kitchen sink to don overalls and take a man's place , they were then given the opportunity to resume the more natural role after the war , to have their man back and resume the role of being taken care of and allowed to dress more feminine . So which did they prefer ? Some possibly never did resume that role because so many men didn't return . I feel the truth is many women did miss the feminine side , the clamour for for more attractive clothes after the austerity years made that fairly clear but the seed was also sown for women to be more independant and take on the men for more of the top jobs . Does it beg the question modern man has become more feminised or at least have the genders become closer as the roles are more equally shared ?

[docrobbysherry]

Thank u, Reine, Gretchen, and Teresa for all your insightful, thot invoking posts! :thumbsup:

Reine, I miss your input when u post the rare comment. Your fem insight and the way u clearly explain things r unique!:)
Thank u!:battingeyelashes:

[fiona de wilde]

An interesting thread is this. My personal experience is that I absolutely feel different when I put female clothes on. A skirt, a bra, a dress, it does something to me. Not when I'm wearing a skirt in combination with my normal t-shirt, but when I complete the transformation. The lipstick and makeup is less important to me than the wig and the clothes. The real moment of the transformation, and the fulfillment of the desire, is the moment that I look into the mirror when I'm fully dressed. It seems that at that point I instantly change into Fiona, which means that I am more relaxed, more soft and more sensitive. I can't explain it, but it works for me this way.

[SaraLin]

SaraLin, That puts an interesting spin on this thread.

thanks, I try :battingeyelashes:

Seriously though - while it's hard to explain - what convinced me it wasn't just imagination was the different mindset. Here's my best effort at describing that difference..

(keep in mind that these 'memories' are all from older days and attitudes have changed)
my "feminine" memories are best described as: <my> identity was defined through my relationship with others (boyfriend, children, husband, etc) They were my life.
My current lifetime seems best described this way: my identity is defined through my ability to contribute (provider, fix things, kill bugs, etc.)
Of course, my "gender issues" tend to skew things. For example - you'll notice that stereotypical traits like leadership or dominance aren't on my ID list.

[Jenny22]

The replies to my post have been most interesting. To me, feeling like a woman (female) or feeling girly in not the same as feeling feminine for a M2F CDer or trans person. Such feeling feminine instances come about, in my opinion, when something special occurs that gives a tingle, so to speak, that is rarely felt and is special at the time. For me, one such feeling occurred this past Monday when I had a manicure, and toe nails polished all in a beautiful red. Believe me, I felt truly feminine.

[Lindseynrva]

Feeling feminine to me is the Experience of dressing in my soft clothes, lingerie and enjoying the feeling of the materials and the shape of my body with the enhancement from my breast forms, those are very feminine feelings. Now I’ve also enjoyed a deeper dive at times having more of a full experience which includes all the above however adds a partner to the mix, male or female, and if you have ever gone down the sexual side of things with a partner then you can enjoy feeling much more feminine as I did in my role.

It’s all about the journey and the experiences we have. We are fortunate to have a forum in which we can safely share.

[Beverley Sims]

Just being dressed does it for me.

[Patience]

Being born must feel the same regardless of gender. Dying too.

Apart from the obvious sensations brought about by physiology, why should the others be so different? We’re the same biological species, after all.

[NancySue]

I’m not sure what defines “feminine feelings”, but the inner tingling/butterflies I experience is a definite sign that I need/want to dress, beginning with any form of nylon stockings. After slipping on my hose, the tingling increases and there’s no turning back. When dressed, I see myself in my full length mirror. I look for adjustments, if any...a smile completes the journey and I still can feel the butterflies. I’ve asked my wife if she feels any special feelings when dressing. She said..dressing daily...no, but when dressing for a special occasion and everything falls in place, she has positive feelings. I asked if she would describe her feelings as being feminine. She said....yes. My conclusion is...yes, because my feelings and hers seem to be similar, when I’m dressed, I’m experiencing my form of femininity....which is very enjoyable.

[Wendy me]

Ok I get it big time heels... boots female footwear omg my weakness for sure now heels sky high and sexy omg i get the shoe rush the right pair of heels my heart beats harder... faster ...looking at those come **ck me heels got to have them need to have them now over to shop for a outfit to go with them yar I feel it I get it ....

[Jodie_Lynn]

What are "feminine/female feelings"?
Can we get a list?

And, for shizz & giggles, what are "masculine/male feelings"?

[Jenny22]

Jodie, perhaps your question should have been "what gives YOU feminine feelings?" We're not female so we really can't express feelings a female might have.
Why don't you start, and we'll see what ensues.

[Rayleen]

The way I see it is that there is as many genders as there are people, so everyone are unique in their behavior and feelings.

[BTWimRobin]

My wife and I have been talking more openly lately and this came up in conversation yesterday. She said that if you truly want to feel feminine you need look inside yourself because it comes from the heart. It's the nurturing, loving, caring, all inclusive feelings that women have. Being feminine to her has nothing to do with what society and the media dictate femininity to be. It has nothing to do with the clothes, shoes and makeup.

She went on to say if my goal is to express my feminine side, I already do it because I express those internal characteristics in my normal everyday activities. The feelings experienced by crossdressing are completely different from really feeling feminine on the inside. To her clothes are just clothes while to me they represent an experience.

Just my :2c: YMMV

[Aunt Kelly]

This! While not every woman exhibits the traits your wife lists, and some genetic makes do, a combination of socialization and instinct, it's fair to call those common feminine feelings. It is even more noteworthy that these things have nothing to do with trappings.