What was the pebble that started the avalanche?

[Solange]

I loved Patience's question about first female apparel purchase. So fun reading everyone's responses! But for me, the first purchase was kind of dull. However, there was a purchase later in life that tipped the scale, hard. For many of you, it may have occurred with your first purchase, but maybe not.

The purchase that sent me tumbling down the precipice into the pink fog was my first dress, a slinky striped spandex mini I picked up at a second hand store. The material clung to me in a way that made me feel SO FEMININE. Over the next several weeks the compulsion to discover reigned. I needed shoes, then higher heels, then a bra stuffed with tissue, then forms, then my legs needed to be shaved, then everything needed to be shaved, and I needed a wig, and to do my nails. I've had to pull back dramatically to maintain DADT, but OMG, I would fall down that cliff again in a heartbeat.

How about you ladies? Remember that precipitous moment when you first discovered the power and euphoria of the pink fog?

[docrobbysherry]

To be completely honest, Solange? For me it was discovering this site 12+ years ago.:hugs:

Up until then, I had dealt with my dressing completely alone in my closet. Discovering there were others, "like me", really sent Sherry and me down the rabbit hole!:devil:

[caitlyn louisa]

Halloween. I was as convincing as possible and loved it when girls made comments about me enjoying it too much or looking like I had some experience with dressing up!

[Stephanie47]

Probably the vivid red Vanity Fair bra I bought myself one year as a Christmas present. That was my first bra. After that I started buying undergarments which were as color matched as possible to slips and panties. Back in the 1980's manufacturers/designers were making sets of matching bra, panty, full and half slips.

[Jenny22]

My mom's red lipstick at a very early age .. 7 or 8.

[Crissy 107]

Looking back it was trying on my Moms panties, bra and girdle at around 11-12 years old. I just loved it so much and although at that time I did not know it I was hooked for life.

[Robbin_Sinclair]

A black mini skirt. Still have it.

[Marianne S]

It was my mother's light blue floral summer skirt, just lying around one evening while my parents were out. Although I knew they might be back at any momen, I couldn't resist the urge to put it on. I was twelve or thirteen. After that there was an "avalanche"! Before long I was into everything: bra and panties, girdle and nylons, slip, blouses and skirtx, dresses...

[Sandraellen]

My first pair of tights, and then stockings and a suspender belt.

[sometimes_miss]

I was molested by an older boy, who had me try on his younger sister's clothes. When they fit, I just assumed that I was really supposed to be a girl, just like he told me; after I was 'dressed', when I looked in the mirror, I thought I saw a little girl looking back at me, so it sort of made sense.
I hadn't known that at such a young age, boys and girls bodies are sort of the same, other than the obvious slight differences. Thinking that eventually god would 'fix' me, I would later try on my older sister's clothes that she had grown out of, which were stored in our attic. Of course, they fit, too, confirming my now gender confused mind. I would pray and pray, but of course, god never answered. When I didn't reach puberty until I was seventeen, I suspected that he either forgot about me or was punishing me for some reason that I could not figure out. But it was too late; the self identification as a girl was sort of stuck into my mind. It wasn't until decades later, that I figured out that nothing else matched, though, so I'm stuck as a male that will always feel like I'm supposed to be a girl. Apparently, some things become permanent during certain stages of development, and perhaps gender identity is one of them.

[Gia]

I think for me was the first set of bra and panties I bought. The urge to buy clothes began when I have asked my wife to help me buying clothes. That day we bought a black fake leather mini-skirt and a stretchy black top.
It is still one of my favorite combo 😍.

[Lacey New]

It was nylon brief panties. I entered puberty in the age of the miniskirt and sitting at a school desk and dropping a pencil could sometimes be rewarded with a peek of panties. I was quite naturally very interested in what was being those bits of silky looking cloth. Well, we had a shared hamper at home and both my mother and sister deposited their panties in the same place. I don?t remember whose pair I tried on first but they were delightful full cut nylon briefs. Needless to say, the reaction was very exciting and the addiction started.

[Connie D50]

It was a sleep wear set my mom had I found it in my parents bathroom one morning (looking for something else) . It was a light blue ruffles panties matching bar and the cutes share cover up again with ruffles that went just pass the panties. I just had to try it on :o

[Sidney]

I believe it was the first time I wore heels and a velvet dress. When i saw me in a mirror i was hooked for life.

[MonicaPVD]

When I was around ten years old, I discovered my mother's vast hosiery collection which included lots of shimmery nylons. I immediately became addicted to the way they looked on my then smooth legs and also how they made me feel constrained by their tightness. My mother was very observant and organized, which leads me to believe that she knew all about my little habit yet she never mentioned it. Later, when I had spending money of my own, I purchased several pairs and hid them in our basement. During most of my high school years, if I was wearing long pants you could be certain that I had a pair of tights on underneath. It was exhilarating to feel them hug my body and slide against my pants with every move.

[BrendaPDX]

I am sure I have posted this before but here I go again... Early high school, I was at the Salvation Army thrift store, I ran across a dress and just had to have it! I paid for with shaking hands, and tried it on that night. Of course it had to fit perfectly! I remember the side zipper, I had never seen one before, but when I sipped it it pulled the dress around me and fit perfectly! I was stunned at the pretty girl in the mirror looking back at me. A girl like "that" would never date a boy like me. I must have stood there an hour... The die was cast!!!

[Cheryl T]

If there was one item that nudged me over the edge it was my first pair of silicone forms.
The feeling was incredible and something I knew I had been seeking forever.

[kimdl93]

The first pebble was probably discovering one of my older sister?s slips in the laundry. I can remember having a fascination with all feminine things and this was somehow symbolic of that.

The last straw for me was added many decades later, when, like Cheryl, I finally succumbed to the temptation to order breast forms. The moment I first put them on something clicked in my head...it was as though I now possessed the missing piece to the puzzle.

[Kay J]

Five years old. Moms nylon and never stoped and at 70 still going strong!!!

[Bea_]

I tried on my mom's and sister's bras left hanging to dry when I was a preteen/teen. There was no real draw to wearing them on a regular basis, it was just a mix of curiosity and something feminine at which to aim my newfound testosterone. After marrying, I tried on some of my wife's things a few times, but again no real draw to wear those things on a regular basis. It wasn't until my fifties that I tried on some of my wife's things, this time with more of an wish to have equivalent things of my own.

Panties were definitely the gateway drug, but the real 'precipitous moment' was when my wife showed real acceptance of my curiosity. She has come to be supportive, although she definitely wants it kept 'in house'. I think that if I wanted to, or tried to present as a woman rather than a man-in-a-dress, her support would evaporate. But, since I definitely identify as a guy and present as eccentric rather than truly feminine, she takes it all in stride with a fair amount of good humor.

[Angela Marie]

A pair of my mothers tights (now called leggings) when I was about 11 or 12.

[jacques]

hello Solange,
the Pink Fog scares me,
luv J

[Ressie]

Like many others here, the pebble wasn't a purchase I made as an adult. It was something in my childhood. There were several CD events in my childhood and there may be some that I'm not consciously aware of.

[Christina89]

For me it was when I was watching a show called Totally Spies and then trying on my mother's clothes

[CynthiaD]

I started crossdressing when I was 3 when I begged my mother to paint my nails with red nail polish. Things progressed from there until I was in high school and was dressing fully in my mother?s clothes. (In secret, of course.) Then one day, for reasons that I can?t explain, I said to myself, ?I?m a boy. I?m going to give up these girly things and learn to be just like the other boys.? And I did. I learned how to cuss, how to smoke, how to get into fights, how to run from the cops, and how to get into real trouble. Looking back, I know now that I had given up the best part of myself. Up to that time, I was a sweet loving person who loved children and animals. But I gave that up and learned to be mean.

I kept it up for a long time, pretending to be male. Despite having a great family and a successful career I was always frustrated and unhappy. Then, for reasons I have never understood, my wife decided that we would no longer be a couple. We?re still married, but she made it clear that we wouldn?t be doing things together anymore. Separate vacations, separate activities, separate lives. We still slept in the same bed, but just sleep, nothing else. I was on a driving tour of the gulf coast when it occurred to me that since I was alone, I could dress however I wanted. I had been looking at crossdressing sites on the internet for quite some time, and I was ready to go to the next level. I bought some pantyhose and sexy nighties and was en femme in my hotel room every night. This went on for a while. I?d plan weekend excursions for myself, and the first thing I would do is buy female clothing to wear in my hotel room. I?d purge everything before returning home. Then one day I said to myself, ?these are my clothes and I?m not going to throw them away.? So I started hiding stuff around the house. Then I discovered this site, and I thought ?this is for me, I?m definitely a cross dresser.? One of the things that I read over and over here was ?tell your spouse.? I screwed up my courage and told her about ?my problem.? I wore my sexiest black panties for the occasion. I expected the worst, but she surprised me. She was ok with the idea but not completely accepting. I moved all my female underwear from their hiding places into my underwear drawer. I haven?t worn male underwear since. At first my wife would get cross about it, but then later she?d make up for it by being especially nice to me. (Something she hadn?t done in a long time.) There was always an air of mild disapproval until I bought my first wig and started wearing it around the house. Oddly enough this seemed to smooth things out between us. I think what it was when wearing female clothing, looking like a man, she saw it as making fun of femininity. The wig changed my appearance profoundly and I looked like a woman with it on. I think she saw this more as paying homage to femininity. (Which is what I was doing all along.) My first pair of breast forms bothered her at first, but eventually she accepted them as my new normal. With the current state of affairs, I?m essentially 24/7, and all is well. Things have never quite healed between us, but they?re better than they?ve ever been. I?m back to being the kind loving person I?ve always wanted to be. I no longer have to pretend to be male, and I think that?s helped.

[evadan]

Probably the vivid red Vanity Fair bra I bought myself one year as a Christmas present. That was my first bra. After that I started buying undergarments which were as color matched as possible to slips and panties. Back in the 1980's manufacturers/designers were making sets of matching bra, panty, full and half slips.

Yes, I too had some matching Vanity Fair and Maidenform bra, panty and slip sets. My favorite set included a mini-slip with see-through lace inserts on the sides. I loved wearing that over my garter belt and stockings. Oh how I miss the lingerie of that era!

[GeorgeA]

Nylons. I tried them when I was 5 and wore them ever since,well, maybe from late teen years. For me crossdressing=nylons, everything else is incidental. One day I dressed but with bare legs. It felt all wrong. Quickly pulled the nylons on and voila! everything was right again.

[Crissy 107]

CynthiaD, I absolutely loved your post and am happy for you both that you have reached somewhat of a middle ground in your marriage. I wish you continued happiness.

[Brandie.n]

Curiosity at first then I had a chance to dress up as a witch for halloween I did that a few time. Then I dressed as a hooker for work on halloween I got so many positive responses that caused the leek in the damn to burst.

[MichaelM]

Buying my own tights as an adult after repressing my thoughts of crossdressing for the best part of 25 years.

First pair kind of sucked as I was so nervous but I got hooked and own more than my wife.

[Solange]

What a beautiful story! So glad you've found peace, Cynthia

[April Rose]

Sometime around early puberty I realized I could fit pretty well in my mother's clothes.

[Lana Mae]

The pebble started a long time ago when a little girl threw her dress over her head! I wanted a dress! No,you are a boy! I tried to be a boy! I fooled everyone even myself! The truth would not be denied! Now 69 and realizing my feminine self 24/7! I am Lana Mae! Hugs Lana Mae

[DianaW]

I loved reading all your posts. I'm brand new to crossdressing. I've only been doing this for a month. But the moment I first tried on a dress, I was hooked! It's one of my wife's old dresses that she never wears. It's too heavy for summer wear but will be perfect for the fall. That moment as I felt the fabric of the dress encase my body was indescribable. I actually let out a soft moan. I'm totally hooked now. My favourite is a long flowing dress.

[Solange]

Diana, indeed nothing feels like the soft swirl of a dress!

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Brandie, I've never had the chance to dress for Halloween but last year when a SA was teasing me about pantyhose purchases I smiled slyly and replied, "Halloween is coming!"

[MarinaTwelve200]

My mother's red lipstick I tried on in 1962 when she was out at work and I was home from school. I wanted to see what I looked like as a girl. (red lips was the big thing then every woman and girl had them)------I did this several times when I had the chance, and one day, when I was home alone, decided to go "whole hog" Lipstick, mascara, nylons, a girdle, bra slip and dress. no wig or shoes though. The cheap wigs were not around back then (I had to use a scarf) and my moms shoes were just a tad too small.-----I lounged around a bit and then "released the pressure"---It was heavenly!

[praderas]

My sister's dancing dress, when I was between eight or ten. I still remember how I felt. Maybe is the first time that I felt sexually aroused.

[FrannGurl]

I have a very early memory of being caught trying on a pair of hose by my grandmother. It had to be 1967-68 when it happened because we lived with her for a short time between those years. ( ...Yea, Im old...lol).... After that nothing at all for years , and it didn't even occur to me to wear womens clothes, so it was probably just curiousity but who knows?.....Years later it started up again with panties, when I was a teenager, that my first boyfriend encouraged me to wear. Then it was blouses, and simple skirts or shorts that he thought I looked good in, and i enjoyed the attention from him.

BUT the big one?..... When the internet exploded....Suddenly there was so much information out there and I didn't feel so alone . Which also includes this site, as Docrobbysherry said. I was a lurker here for years before I decided to join and comment, although I still mostly just read unless I feel I have something to share.

The internet also made shopping for literally anything, available at your fingertips without feeling "weird " about shopping in a dept. store for womens clothes, which I only did at Christmastime or Valentines day before that time as a cover. I'm older now, and regularly shopping in stores doesn't bother me at all, but when I was younger, I was so nervous!

It literally went off the rails for me after the internet and I LOVE the makeup tutorials on YouTube... Dressing, makeup, ect. for me is something I do almost daily now, especially when my boyfriend and I are going to see each other.

[Solange]

Franngurl, I?m sooo jealous. Make-up is my major fail. DADT simply makes finding safe time to experiment impossible.

[Felicia M]

mine was when i began to get good at makeup and saw myself as a woman for the first time.....omg i needed everything from that moment on

[MeshelleCD]

A pair of my mother's pantyhose that she had left on her bed. They just felt so "right" when I put them on. Think I was 6 or 7 at the time. My first purchase was Size A, sheer to waist, nude, L'egg's pantyhose. Was probably 12 when I bought those.

A side note, L'eggs used to have vans that drove from store to store to stock the egg shaped display. I think only women had the stock job. Everyone I saw was wearing pantyhose. I always wanted that job when I grew up as it would give me an excuse to wear pantyhose every day.

[Bruce64]

I used to paint my finger nail around 12 years old or younger as far as I can remember

[Solange]

Meschelle, I think that would be a dream job too.

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Felicia, you add to the fire! Where will I ever find the time to experiment with makeup.

[Felicia M]

Felicia, you add to the fire! Where will I ever find the time to experiment with makeup.

Solange, I hope you can find the time! I had been dressing for decades before I really got serious with makeup. Seeing yourself as a woman is a life changing experience. It literally changed my worldview forever.

[DanniBell]

When I was in 7th grade and tried on a blue and white one-piece of my sister's, and realized how well it fit, and how natural I looked in it. I honestly don't know where my head was before then, but that was when I realized I could probably pass and knew I wanted to.

-D

[Solange]

Danni, I still love one pieces and bodysuits. They feel so amazing.

[Terri Semes]

My experience too !

[rian]

When I found my passion in dressing lingeries from mom drawer I decided to go shopping for bras and undies ,,,,where I entered a big mall in which no one payed attention ,,I then picked a red sexy bras with a string with made me hard for a long time ,,,that was the first avalanche for my crossdressing in which I own a whole wardrobe today for all kind of dresses and high heels ...and my joy

[Patience]

I?m glad you found value and enjoyed one of my threads, Solange.

In my case, the pebbles were my mothers or grandmothers makeup; including the lipstick, Ponds cold cream and other things. I used to love the way they smelled and there was no equivalent male product with the same smell, so the outcome was pretty much inevitable.

[NancySue]

In my youth, next door sisters playing dress up. Invited me to join them. Nothing happened until I slipped on a pair of pantyhose...Crash, Bam Alakazam. Unbelievable, pleasurable sensation. I was hooked. Next came panties, heels, then a bra...the rest is history. I still wear pantyhose or thigh highs almost daily.

[Visitor]

I don't know whether calling it an avalanche is accurate but it was certainly the beginning of my crossdressing adventure. I was 12 years old, much fixated on the curvaceous woman living next door. When I was asked to babysit her daughter, I immediately went to the parents' bedroom and rummaged through drawers until I came upon her lingerie. It was very exciting putting on a bustier with large cups for her breasts, then putting on a nightgown. I think I stuffed panties into those cups. I dressed in her lingerie every time I babysat and eventually started applying makeup. I was about five feet tall and could wear any of her clothes and without a beard the makeup was very believable. That seemed to set the stage for what has happened since, though not all of it has been easy or playful. I'm working with that right now. I'd still say that recalling those first experiences is still very exciting.

[Casey41]

For me. I remember changing in an Aunts changing room at the age of 10. I remember that room was more of a dressing area and had multiple dresses and womanly items. While I was changing there, I saw a g string pair of panties. Black with roses or something on them.

But I vaguely remember seeing myself in the mirror and thinking how sexy girls underwear is. And how boring mine were. Lol.

My first purchase was at la senza at the age of 32. Two bras and two panties. A very sexy pink one and a more plain blue one. I wore them for a month off and on. Then regretfully purged them.