Under dressing----Why?

[docrobbysherry]

I'm curious about under dressers. Does anyone under dress even if their circumstances would allow them to partially or fully dress? :thumbsup:

Or, r u all forced by your living conditions to under dress or nothing?:sad:

PS: I mean those that underdress with a lot more than JUST PANTIES under their guy clothes!:brolleyes:

[kayegirl]

Sure Doc, I do not possess any "male" underwear at all, so I suppose that you could say that I underdress all of the time. Why, Because I can, and I want to. No more no less than that.
Kaye

[Georgia K]

I wear panties everyday and fully dress at night in the weekends . At this stage I don't wont to go out dressed and still pretty much in the closet

[Krea]

No, for me it is a way of being able to do at least some CDing all the time and wear things i really like, without outing myself to people that i do not wish to know about it. (eg: visiting relatives)
At home, i wear whatever i want all the time now. :c9:
Underdressing was also a good way of building confidence. A stepping stone. Looking back, it seems strange to think that i was so nervous, almost paranoid, before i first tried it.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I've gone "out and about" many times fully dressed. I usually go out to meet with one of my CD social groups. But, I also go out to a GG's clothing swap.

My wife is DADT, and doesn't want to see me dressed. That means I don't dress at home, either to just lounge around en femme, or as a prelude to going out. The only time I dress at home is to try on some new clothes. When I go out and about, I have to find someplace to change, either at a friend's, in a safe bathroom, or in the car.

Since my dressing time is so limited, I underdress, I guess to reduce the stress until I have an opportunity to fully dress. My wife doesn't know that I underdress. Well, she probably knows (wives know everything), but I haven't told her and I do my wash when she's not around. I even throw some clean tighty whities into the regular wash basket, which she might do.

I also used to get a regular pedicure and hide my painted toes from my wife and everyone else. Wearing socks all the time helps.

I had been taking yoga until I broke a bone in my foot, which is still healing. When I went to yoga class, I always wore obviously femme leggings with a femme tank top or racerback, and underdress in my boy yoga clothes before I got home. That was another way to get some free femme time, until the next time that I could go all out.

[Helen_Highwater]

Sherry,

Being in the closet wearing knickers on a regular basis keeps me just that little bit connected to my femme side. It takes me just that little bit closer to going out fully enfemme.

The first times I went out under dressed I was convinced everyone could see my panty line which of course they can't. I was paranoid about being hit by a car and carted off to hospital. As for the first times I wore holdups under trousers I was gripped by fear that any instant they'd be down around my ankles.

So yes I understand the reasoning behind question but I refer you to my first paragraph.

[Rileyaz]

I wear panties all the time. Circumstances don't allow me to dress often, so when I can it is a treat. In the meantime it is panties daily.

[Bobbi46]

Sherry for many it is a starting point on their journey to fully dress one day, I started out that way partly because at that time I did not know where things would go but as time passed by I dressed more fully. And now my freedom is getting better and the days of drab because of who and what are getting less.
But also for many DADT situations, neighbours and such like put constraints on what some can do, sure they no doubt would want to explore things further but circumstances prevent them so for those (or many) underdressing is their own way of connecting with femininity.
To answer your first line I would have thought that if circumstances permitted those that underdressed probably would go further. I also think that we should also factor in a persons financial situation that just maybe (and I might just be a bit wrong on this bit) they cannot persue mor expensive items, dresses and such like.

[HollyGreene]

My wife doesn't like my CDing. She knows I wear panties all the time, but it's not something she can see, so she tolerates it. I suspect she doesn't even think about it - out of sight, out of mind.
I find panties more comfortable than mens underwear, and just because I'm a man, why should I not wear something that is pink or made from satin or decorated with lace or bows or printed with flowers? Who said that those things are exclusive to women?

[NancyJ]

Doc, With due respect to your confusion on this issue, of course if I was full time I would not be “under-dressing.” Doing so is an expression of my femininity that I believe, by its nature, is a practice that is exclusive to us closeted gals. I started the other thread regarding this topic to highlight how IMPORTANT this practice is to me in staying connected to my (true) feminine identity. Seems like many others who are in the closet like me feel similar about the “power of their panties” under their boy clothes :-). Nancy

- - - Updated - - -

Holly, BINGO! I exactly agree. Even though I am in a DADT marriage, my underwear drawer is full of pretty panties and camis. If my wife does the laundry, she dumps them on the bed and I sort them and put them away. She knows that I am always wearing panties and sees me in them most days without comment. Important to me — for her, out of sight. Nancy

[Crissy 107]

Simple answer is, Why not, after all we are on a site that is called Cross Dressers.com.
Truth is some of us are in a DADT relationship or like Nancy said, the closet, so underdressing is what we get to enjoy.

[Bobbi46]

I know I am very much beyond the closet situation but I have every admiration for the ones achieving what they can within the bounds of their lives, each and everyone of them expressing their feminine side in the best way they can and finding a degree of peace of mind in so doing.
I am sure sometimes for them life is not a bed of roses but doing what they do all kudos to them go for it!

[GretchenM]

My identity is not a choice. But its expression is my choice. I wear panties some days and not the other days. It is a matter of what seems sensible at the time considering what I am going to likely be doing that day. But I frequently wear women's T shirts or sweatshirts in plain colors. There isn't that much difference from men's except the color selection is so much more varied and usually the colors are bright and cheery. So the underdressing is just the simplest affirmation of my feminine side. It is personal.

[Ressie]

Does anyone under dress even if their circumstances would allow them to partially or fully dress? :thumbsup:

Anyone? It's rare for me to underdress, but I fell asleep wearing these panties.:o Yes I'm wearing panties under my shorts this morning. Since I live alone I could could get fully dressed but I don't have much time to do that right now.

[Stevann]

Doc, since it is DADT here at home, and I'm not out to family or friends, I am not normally fully dressed. But I am uncertain about your definition of "partially" dressed. I would describe what I wear as androgynous. Yet with the exception of shirts from the men's isle, everything thing else I wear comes from the women's department (underwear, pants, socks & shoes, watch, and glasses). So in my mind I am "mostly" dressed all the time - just not looking feminine. Only rarely do I have the opportunity to "fully" dress in bra, forms, wig, skirts, blouses or dresses.

[Marianne S]

Sherry, I wonder if the need to underdress is not just about "keeping in touch with one's feminine side," but about "getting away from the masculine side."

This is pure speculation on my part because I just don't know. I am speaking from the opposite viewpoint, because I myself never underdress, and don't have any desire to. This is just one of the ways we're all different here.

So why do I not underdress? In my mind it's very simple. For one thing I am perfectly comfortable with my masculine side, along with my feminine side--which I realize some people are not. And some people seem to be happy with blending the two together in some way. But for me that "blending" idea doesn't work. I'm happy enough dressing as a man, and mixing that up with feminine underclothing feels awkward and spoils the image of being masculine. Equally, if I want to be feminine I prefer to be fully feminine. and wearing male clothes on top ruins that whole feeling. So why bother underdressing?

OK, I have gone out a couple of times wearing panties underneath jeans, with a T-shirt. But jeans and a T-shirt are unisex clothing anyway, just as suitable for a woman. So when I did that I could feel I was "really Marianne." But that was only an experiment, something I just don't bother to do as a habit. At home I often toss on a skirt and panties and not much else--no bra or top--and then I "feel feminine." Although I'm not "fully dressed," I'm not wearing any male clothing either.

In my mind I can be either a man or a woman--either one is fine--but not both at the same time! So I wonder if people who like to underdress are so strongly drawn to their feminine side that dressing as a man feels actively uncomfortable, and needs to be neutralized with at least some token of femininity--typically panties, I guess. Just an idea!

[alwayshave]

Doc, I wear panties everyday as I can fully dress rather infrequently. If I could dress more often, I would still underdress.

[ronni white]

In a high stress occupation and underdressing helps ease that stress.

[NancySue]

When I’m not dressed fully, I underdress daily. I only own and wear panties...full cut and hipsters. Lately, I wear a bra as often as possible, as well as hose. As my supportive wife says, “they’re just clothes”. Undressing starts each day with a smile.

[Robertacd]

I still have to be a guy from 6:00AM to 4:00PM weekdays, underdressing helps with the dysphoria.

I don't even call in "underdresing" anymore, it's just "my underwear" as all my underwear is women's and has been for decades

[Cheryl T]

I wear only panties and have for over a decade.
I don't consider that under-dressing as it's all I own. I never wear a bra or other things unless I am dressed fully.
The exception to that is for my jeans as again that's all I own, except for a pair of Wranglers for yard work as I refuse to ruin my Good clothes doing those things.

[Dr.Susan]

Well, I'm one of the different ones. I don't see much of a point of me wearing panties unless I do the full dress up thing but I do get to do that about once a week.

[docrobbysherry]

I wasn't referring to T's who wear just panties. Heaven knows we have enuff pantie threads here!:doh:

I meant those that wear a lot more under their guy clothes: bras, girdles, cinchers, nylons, etc!:battingeyelashes:

[CynthiaD]

I don’t have any male underwear, so I underdress all the time when in male mode. It doesn’t do much for me one way or another. It’s just my underwear. Sometimes I think that because it doesn’t do anything for me, that I could just as well wear male underwear. But I’m a woman, and I have no desire to wear anything male if I don’t absolutely have to.

[Robertacd]

Well Doc, a bra is part of my daily underwear, often a shaper or cincher when I was bigger. As even in drab I try not to look as fat as I am.

[Stephanie47]

Doc, many times I've stated on this forum I tried under dressing because so many on this forum sort of promoted it. Your qualifies is under dressing with more than panties. I do wear Vanity Fair nylons panties (styles 15712 and 13109) in basic white or black frequently. When donning a panty in the morning it soothes the desire to be somewhat en femme when fully dressing is not an option. During the day I really forget I am wearing women's panties unless I have to use the rest room. There is no day long "thrill" involved.

On several occasions during the late fall or winter (winters are mild where I live) I tried under dressing with more than panties; garter girdle with stockings, panty, camisole and bra with soft foam padding. Sometimes pantyhose in lieu of stockings. Standing in front of a mirror before slipping into guy jeans and a flannel shirt was a pleasurable sight. I found that degree of under dressing did nothing for me. Using the restroom especially wearing pantyhose was a pain. I can commiserate with GG's when it comes to using a bathroom. I also discovered why my wife has to adjust her bra straps frequently. Body movements do move the band and straps unnecessarily. I suspect actually having real breasts prevents some issues the band of a bra causes.....i.e., holds the bra band in place...stops the bra from riding up. It has nothing to do with the right bra. Try reaching repetitively above your head during the day without having the band work itself up the torso.

Mentally? Fully under dressing did nothing for me. I prefer the total experience, i.e., dress and slip, heels and wig.

Since my wife and I sleep separately due to medical/pain issues I sleep in floor length nylon gowns and a nylon panty. That is a lot more fulfilling than under dressing to the extreme.

[Seana Summer]

I don't underdress very often or even wear panties when in guy mode. I usually dress or not

I do however always wear panties and pantyhose under my guy cloths when I travel, which is usually in the winter months. I have found that when I wear pantyhose I am not only warmer but my legs don't get as tired or sore as quickly when I do a lot of walking. When I have to sit in a plane or in a car for hours, wearing pantyhose helps prevent leg cramps. In winter months I often wear a camisole under my shirt especially if I am going to be outside. The fact that I love the way they feel is a bonus!!

Maybe its, I like the way they feel and the practical reasons are a bonus??

Doesn't matter .......its my story.....I'm sticking to it!!

[StephanieIndy]

My underwear is basically 100% female at this point, with a few male pairs of boxers for occasions when I think I might be "exposed" such as going for a physical. I did get caught out once when I had to go to ER and receive stitches in my leg from a work injury and of course had to remove my work pants only to reveal my lacy panties. To be fair, the docs and nurses didnt even seem to notice (im sure they see much much worse lol)

I also wear a bra most days and tights in the winter to stay warm.

[Jenny22]

Sherry, I dress completely girly every morning and remain so 'til bed time. But, If I have to go out in drab, I will completely underdress (bra, small forms, panties and hold ups). As others have said, it keeps me in touch with my girl self. I love the hugs of my bra straps and the elastic waist band and stockings' tops.

[audreyinalbany]

underdressing is not a thing which interest/excites me. I'm pretty much full on femme or nothing

[RADER]

YES; I under dress every day now for over 7 years. Panties, Bra, and Women's Jeans.
No one has noticed or said anything about me wearing a Bra.
I enjoy at least partly dressing and going out.
Rader

[Sallee]

Well Doc I generally don't underdress I have and just didn't enjoy it. I do however where panties pretty regularly. For me its pretty much all or nothing

[kayegirl]

OK Doc, following your extension to the original post. Then my answer is still the same. I wear knickers/panties all of the time. I wear a bra, or rather a bralet most of the time, and when it gets a bit cooler and I wear a vest, all of my vests are female.
And my reasons remain the same, because I can and I want to.
Kaye

[Teresa]

Sherry,
I see it as stepping stones for most of us . It progesses from daring to go out and buy your own items to wearing them in private and then pushing the envelope to step out the door . It's slightly confusing because you don't want people to know and yet you do !! I've been through that cycle wondering if your bra had been noticed and then feeling the first high when you know they have and yet nothing bad happened .

I look back knowing it's an obvious progression for most of us, now I'm full time it just feels very normal . Underdressing means nothing to me now , if I have to do male mode on the odd occasion I wear panties simply because I don't have male underpants anymore but I don't see the point of wearing other items as everyone knows I'm TG anyway and they also know I'm now suffering those few hours in male mode .

To some of course it is all to do with a sexual turn-on , again I understand it but thank goodness that is all in the distant past , I might like to dress a little sexy on occasions but then don't some GGs ?

[Frammer32]

I wear panties everyday and most day I also have on hose. I’m a construction worker and I don’t think twice about it. It connects me to my inner self and more comfortable.

[Angie G]

I under dress the most part of 24/7. Why I love the and it helps me relax :hugs:
Angie

[Bobbi46]

Isn't all of this down to the individual expressing their feminine side in the only way they can at that present moment in time, being for that moment constrained by various domestic or societal demands.

[jacques]

Why?
because we can!
luv J

[Rachel05]

I love underdressing, I only wear panties now, been a very long time since I wore man pants and even though it is a daily thing for me, I still get that nice feeling when I dress on a morning, many days I can also wear a bra for work and if I go out on a weekend then I nearly always wear one

Underdressing makes me feel nice, makes me feel happy and there is no way I’m ever going to pass when out there as a lady, just not going to happen, so I fully dress at home and underdress at other times, it is what I enjoy and who I want to be

[Stacy Darling]

My interpretation of the question may be a little Australian Doc,

BUTT:battingeyelashes:

I'm a confident drag chick at present so under for me is just normal!
:rose2:

[Richelle423]

For me it’s just normal everyday underwear ......

[Bobbi46]

Also there is the secret part of it all " I am wearing a bra and panties but you cannot tell I am"

[Lacey New]

Doc,
I’m deep in the closet with very few opportunities to fully dress. However, I can, every now and then manage to wear panties for a few hours and in the colder weather perhaps add a bra and a camisole or even some pantyhose. So, yes, I underdress as often as I can. It’s just because it’s the best deal I can get. Also, because I choose to remain in the closet, I prefer to fully dress only in the privacy of my home

[Gillian Gigs]

I would call myself an underdresser, and it varies according to the day of the week, as well as weather conditions. I always wear nylon panties, add a camisole, and bra depending on the weather. I wouldn't want bra lines showing through a shirt, that would upset the wife, if we are out in public. In the winter I wear pantyhose almost all the time while wearing pants, or jeans. I like skirts and pantyhose, but only do this at home, again this is for the wife's sake. Why do I do it, I like the feel of nylon against my skin, and the snug feeling also. It started off as fetish thing as a teenager and has morphed into more of a life style today.

[EllieOPKS]

Doc
In my world I work with the "C" level at large companies. I have found it to be a thrill under dressing for high level meetings. I sit there many times and wonder if the CEO is wearing his "power panties" or do I have the upper hand with my power panties on. (usually a bright pink bikini cut). I also enjoy doing presentations to a group and thinking to myself they have no idea I am feeling pretty fem right now in these panties and bra.

[LIKETODRESS2]

Panties all the time. Have not owned men underware in 10 years

[Bruce64]

I west Bras, Camisoles, pantyhoses, slips and panties daily, not all of them daily mostly panties, bras mostly at home, sometimes outside too. I couldn't stop under dressing.

[Michele14]

Why do I underdress Simple Because I want to

[April Rose]

I dress in female clothes practically every day at home. When I go out I just change my outer wear. In the summer I will take off my bra, in the winter I won't.

[DDtop]

Hi i under dress every day as wear a bra all the time with matching briefs as much as can find as some bras don't have them in sets.
Mostly wear blouses/tops with female Gilet etc and sometimes if have more time dress more or if Dating dress fully.

[sometimes_miss]

I suppose for some it might be the minimum way of holding back the GID. Everyone has different requirements when it comes to that; some only need to underdress, some need to go the whole 9 yards, including changing their voice, their behavior, the way they walk, and the way they move.
I'm not quite there; it takes more than just underdressing to make me feel normal, and relaxed.

[LingerieLuvr]

I've worn panties for 20+ years, and I don't think I even have male underwear anymore. I wear bras and skirts most days on my commute to my office, and for a while each day at the office before I go to one of my client's office. Right now, with the heat, that's about all for underdressing. Once fall and winter cool things off, I'll add camis, pantyhose and dresses. Unfortunately, it's only an hour or two each day for most of the items, however, it's panties all day every day.

[Karmen]

I underdress on a daily basis, because I like it. Panties all the time and pantyhose more than half of the year, until it's not too hot to wear them under my long pants. It make me feel good and feminine every time I remember what I'm wearing. It's second best to be fully dressed, what I can't do without major consequences for my life.

[Connie D50]

Ok to answer the PS when I was first married and told my wife of my cross dressing. I would sometime underdress to make a game of only we know are little secret. Of course I loved it more then just the game. In fact that gave me a easy transition into Panties on a daily bases.

[Stephj]

I under dress the most part of 24/7. Why I love the and it helps me relax :hugs:
Angie
I feel the same way. I wear a bra and panties everyday. I feel better and handle stress a lot better when I am under dressed

[CD Tammy]

I cannot fully dress at the present time. Therefore, I underdress as often as I can. Under my suit, I can wear lots of stuff, and do. Other times, I put on a pair of sheer pantyhose under my pajamas, or when I go for a morning walk.

[April Rose]

I will often underdress when doing chores outside the house, even in summer. Today I was painting, and discovered that my bra is a convenient place to keep my smartphone out of harms way, so I can listen to music while I paint.

[Diedre]

Doc,

Since my mid teens when full puberty set in, I couldn't pass in a dark room full of people wearing sun glasses. So to me there is not any point in going the full nine yards to dress anymore.

However, I still like to express my softer side and will wear panties and pantyhose under my trousers. In the evenings I lounge around in a nylon night gown with STW pantyhose and panties. My spouse is fine when I do this.

Hope this helps your understanding.

[abbiedrake]

Some interesting replies from those who understood your question more fully, Sherry.

I'll happily add my own thoughts in a mo but first might I ask your own level.of day to day dressing? My 9 months here has given me the impression that your own dressing is thrill-driven rather than to assuage any GID. That's fine. But that being so then the simplest answer to your question is that there is a more constant need than perhaps your own in many here to indulge in a level of gender expression they can get away with.

For myself there's a degree of truth to this. Although I don't identify as having GID I do increasingly see, demonstrably, that I'm NB. I've lost count of the times women have told me I'm not like other men. I do know I have a rebellious streak a mile wide, that my iconoclasm has guided so many of my life decisions. Why the hell shouldn't I propose to the woman I never met who lived 4500 miles away? (We're still together) Why should I continue to fight to see a daughter who doesn't care? (Haven't seen her in 12 years) Why should blood be thicker than water? (It isn't. I've suffered far more abuse at the hands of those I was related to than those I chose in my life)

And so it is with underdressing. A childhood injury means I find the cut of women's underwear more comfortable but I also just damn like em, so why on earth wouldn't I? Same goes for bras, camis etc. I simply don't see a good enough reason not to. Society be damned. My only concern is for my wife's feelings and I'm even endeavouring to explain it better to her.

For instance I'm of the the opinion that in some respects I'm more of a man for dressing as I do. My masculinity is not so fragile as to be shattered by a pair of knickers! I'm certainly more 'ME' for doing so. If being me means sometimes being all woman or all man or anywhere in between well it would take someone very foolhardy to suggest I do otherwise. Society can walk west until its hat floats if it thinks it has any say in how I live my life.

[docrobbysherry]

Yes, u may ask, Abbie. Unlike most of u, I began dressing out of the blue in my 50's. In retrospect, I was suffering from extreme desphoria. It wan't until much later that my dressing began turning me on. And, later still that my dressing became all or nothing. I'd been dressing for 12 years before I worked out that I'm a CD at heart. And, that dressing 4 or 5 times a month satisfies my urges.

I tried underdressing at one time many years ago when the compulsion was constantly on my mind! But, the discomfort of wearing, tite, hot, restricting items under my clothes changed from kinky and exciting, to uncomfortable and distracting in a very short time!:doh:

[Ginni]

I am in the closet and do not want anyone to know about my crossdressing. I under dress to fulfill my desire to dress. Better than nothing.

[A_Pat]

Not out, so yes, circumstances allow underdressing without much risk. And fully dressing for me is not a desire, so underdressing is a comfortable stretch to understand the experience of wearing a bra or having breasts, at least ones bigger than my natural size.

[Michelle1955]

Underdressing daily, all started basically 60 years ago was 4 or 5 years old with a friend pair of panties and she tried on my underwear also. Always felt female with a man body which was confusing at a young age. Wife is accepting for the most part. Underdressing panties mostly or panties and bra every day satisfies most of my inner needs. Once a teen and young adult added the sexual needs, but has not been a sexual need for a good long while grew of it. Now back to my inner needs.On days of additional inner needs then adding cloths mellows things out.

[lingerieLiz]

I guess by definition I don't underdress because I wear women's clothes full time. I don't try to hide my gender most of the time. I can no longer pass, or don't think I could. In some situations I wear women's shirts that look like men's. I do have some boy short panties that I wear to doctors. Most days I wear tops with a bra under it. I own souvenir tees that I wear which are actually mens but that is it. I golf with women on a regular basis that know I wear women's clothes. We talk about clothes and I have been asked where I bought a top and if I had shopped at the new boutique.

[JenniferMBlack]

I have underdressed a few times in my life, but dont every day. When I have done it it was because for one reason or another I couldn't fully dress, but really wanted to wear what ever I was wearing. Useally some kind of sexy lingerie but a fee times just stockings and garter belt.