Do u have a, "woman inside u"? Do u ever, "feel or act like a woman"?

[docrobbysherry]

For years, after finding this site, I waited for the woman inside me to show herself!:battingeyelashes:
But, I don't have one!:sad:

I read countless posts here about how u do things that make u "feel like a woman". I don't. But, even if I see a woman in my mirror, I still feel like a man inside her!:daydreaming:

And then, there's "acting like a woman". At which I'm terrible! Having to be instructed by the male director on moving like female in a pro video.:doh:
And, have to be physically posed in my modeling sessions by a GG friend!:heehee:

This all makes me wonder: How do u know u have a woman inside? What makes u feel fem and/or act like a female?

[Robertacd]

Well I kinda figured it out by the time I was 10 so I don't know what to say besides I have always known...

[sara66]

Some days I feel like there is a woman trapped within. Most of the time I feel more feminine than like having a woman trapped in me. Mind you this is not all the time, just when the pink fog sets in. As far as acting like a lady, I try to be conscious of it when i am out dressed. But mostly i feel like I am a bull in a china shop.
Sara

[Vikky]

When I wake up in the mornings when I am wearing a nightdress etc and I feel the bust I often think to myself ?I am a woman?. And its a strong feeling.
I can also feel the same way when dressed, but then (like now as I am dressed en femme), its more a ?I want to be a woman?.
However, I also like being a guy ? how it all ends remains to be seen.
Vikky

[Angela Marie]

I, of course, act like a woman when I'm dressed; but I also feel like a woman. And that is what is most important to me.

[ShelbyDawn]

For me, feeling like a woman is what it's all about. I don't like to look at myself when I'm dressed because I never look like I feel.
As for a woman inside me, I think I do because more than feeling like a woman when I'm dressed, I just feel right.

[Ashlee]

It's been the thing on my profile since i joined this site, like 14 years ago? (woman on the inside)

[Bobbi46]

In one respect I think there is a part of all of us that is the feeling of being or wanting to be a woman. I have noticed that I walk differently when dressed, if somebody stops to let me cross the road, I give a sort of feminine wave of thanks, something inside me makes me be this way.
But I like being this way, it gives me a new purpose in life, long gone are the days of "do I dress today", now it is a matter of course to to wake up and think which skirt do I where today.
The one big thing I enjoy most is making sure I have a matching bra and panty set to put on.
I just love every part of my life right now.

[Georgina]

No woman inside and don't feel like a woman. If I act like a woman it would be due to the clothes that I am wearing.

[kimdl93]

I hesitate to say that I feel like a woman. It seems presumptuous for me to think that I would know how a GG feels. At the same time, I cannot say the I feel like a man. Its not as though its a constant awareness, like the tinnitus i live with. All I can say is that I am far more at ease...comfortable...and dare I say happier simply to live my day to day life presenting as a woman. Of course, I would prefer being perceived by others as a woman, and sometimes people do give me the benefit of the doubt. But even if they read me as a transgender person, i am grateful if they accord me the same courtesies they would extend to any other woman.

[Jean 103]

Being the lady of the house, living with my boyfriend at the time, plus another roommate with his five year old daughter. Instant family. I did this for over a year before the worst brake up ever.

This experience plus everything else answered the question for me. Yes I want to be a woman.

Wearing dress does make me feel more girly.

Being with my current boyfriend, because he is bigger than me. I have to stand on my tip toes to kiss him, or wear 5 inch heels. I saw him the other day and he said I seamed giddy. I get this very happy feeling. When situation like paints me as a woman, if you can understand that.

Being out with me friends (GGs)

It's not wanting this feeling to ever end. And yes I'm very hi maintenance.

[Joni T]

Having never been a woman, I can't possibly "know" what it feels like to be a woman. I can only imagine.
Joni

[SaraLin]

Well Doc,

I used to say that I had a "woman inside" - but I don't any more. The long term battle between "him" and "her" was finally settled (more or less) peacefully, and a "war baby" was born - ME.
I don't spend my days wishing for the impossible - nor do I suppress my more "girly" impulses the way I did. I'm a blend. At home, I wear feminine things as much as masculine - but abide by the SO's "don't show others" request.

Do I ever feel or act like a woman? I'd say so, but good luck defining what that means.
I do know that I'm more comfortable chatting with a group of women than I am with men and have been told that it's like I'm "just one of the girls".

What makes me feel/act like a female? Nothing, really. It's just that when I can truly relax into my comfort zone - there I am.

[Brandi Christine]

I don't really think there is a woman inside me trying to get out, instead I feel as though there is a feminine side to me.

As for feeling like a woman, since I'm not a woman I can't say if what I feel when dressed up is feeling like a woman, but whatever that feeling is I truly enjoy it, and it is definitely there...

[Paulie Birmingham]

Maybe you are a miad like me. I dont have a woman inside me and dont want to be a woman.

[Teresa]

Sherry,
To me the answer is possibly when the sexual component has died down and there's still a gut feeling something isn't right , it took me years to discover with the help of counselling it's called gender dysphoria .

Many of us have lived with the stereotype of a woman and what a wonderful feeling it must be but in the RW it's not like that for many women , I admire women not so much for their feminity but for their ability to deal with a tough life on occcasions . How we look , move , talk doesn't make a perfect woman because there isn't one , GGs possibly struggle with life more than men do .

Personally to dress as a woman I feel is a window to show the world how I feel inside , I believe it's a trait I was born with and endured the battle beween the male and female side until I've finally found a balance , the battle or dysphoria is fine now .

To answer your question some but not all do have female traits inside us , I don't particularly act up to it , I'm just ME , to some I'm possibly more male than female and to others a fairly passable female . I feel more comfortable and happy appearing as Teresa , if people are also happy with that I don't have a problem .

I'm not passing judgement on you but if you stopped wearing your silicon suit could you dress and go out comfortably as Sherry . I know from past comments you possibly couldn't . At first it isn't easy , it takes time and belief in yourself , I was going to say it's easier for you because you can transform almost instantly to appear female .
So my question to you is do you have any dysphoria or do you just love acting the female part ?

[GretchenM]

In terms of psychology and neurology, most all of the behavior you exhibit is right on the money. In your case, you may not be consciously aware of the female-like aspects in your brain function, but they are there. Your behavior proves they are there.

The conscious mind, for the most part, implements what the subconscious mind decides is appropriate with regard to the configuration of your brain and the circumstances you are in at the moment. You would very likely not crossdress if those female-like neural networks were not present or had a weak effect on your behavior. It is simply the way your brain is configured as a result of genetic conditions, hormonal effects, and a vast amount of experience in the world all wrapped up in a fairly incomprehensible network of interactions. So, even though you may not be aware of those subconscious processes that direct you conscious behaviors, they are there and the proof lies in your behavior.

It is unusual for that to happen and not have the feelings most of us have, but it does happen. It is PART of the real you that is being expressed in your behavior. Solution? Enjoy the journey. There is not a girl inside you but there are patterns in your brain that are more or less fixed that produces certain female-like behaviors that are unique to you. And there is nothing that can be done about it other than to manage the behavior and that is where the conscious mind comes in.

Your subconscious ultimately drives the behavior, but it is your conscious mind that regulates exactly how you express that behavior. The conscious mind is rational; the subconscious is not. And the conscious mind is capable of blocking or deleting or modifying much of what the subconscious directs the conscious mind to do such that you are not aware of the source of the behavior. The subconscious produces the behavior orders; the conscious mind can, to some extent, choose how to perform those behaviors. We are all different, but the fact is you are fundamentally very much like the rest of us even though you may not be aware of it. Your behavior is satisfying something in your subconscious mind. Your conscious mind is just filtering that in a unique way. In conclusion, you are human and also gender variant relative to our social standards. Otherwise you are as normal as anybody else.

[CynthiaD]

I’m female inside and out no matter how I’m dressed. She is me, and she isn’t trapped anywhere. Female mannerisms and female voice come natural to me. I can act male when I want to, but it’s just an act. (An act I enjoy, by the way. I think it’s hilarious.) How do I know all this? I haven’t the slightest idea. How do you know you’re human?

[Aunt Kelly]

That "feel like a woman..." trope drives me crazy sometimes. Oh, I won't deny that female clothes, makeup, etc. don't produce sensations, but to even suggest that those are what women feel when getting dressed is absurd. To be fair, it's an easy assumption to make because those feelings are often... profound, but those are not "woman" feelings.

[NancySue]

Ditto Brandi. Neither do I think there?s a woman within me, but whatever part of the brain that involves femininity clearly comes out. All I know is how much I enjoy dressing. My wife hates underwire bras, hose, heels, etc. and can?t understand how I can wear them. I just smile. She kids me...in that I can?t wait to put on, what she can?t wait to take off. I?m not sure if I?m transitioning, but I now dress daily.

[Cheryl T]

Do I feel like a woman? I don't know...what does a woman feel like?
Can a woman describe what a woman feels like so I can compare my feelings?

Is there a woman inside trying to get out? Once I can answer the first maybe I can answer the second.

All I know is that since I was little, and I mean 5 or 6, I've known that I wasn't like other little boys. I had something inside me that was never at ease, never truly comfortable until I began to crossdress fully. There was this awareness that sparked. A little voice that said hello and thank you for letting me express myself. Until I began venturing into the world, leaving the closet behind, I was still always on edge. Something was missing.
Now with Covid I've been nearly full time and so at peace. Will I take this farther, is there a woman inside? I still don't know.
What I do know is that I've never been happier.

[Vale]

I love the breadth of experience we see in this thread. Good choice Doc. I have had 2 wives in my life over the years. Both have told therapists that yes, there is a distinguishable woman inside me. They both said they relate to me differently when that ?personality? is active. On the other hand, I prefer to think of myself as simply having a wider behavioral/emotional reportoire than most. I think the impression of a distinguishable women is a result of my feeling that certain behaviors, attitudes, and even clothes harmonize better together and just feel right together.

Vale

[Kimberly A.]

Doc, when I'm all dolled up, of course I feel like a woman. Honestly, I like to feel feminine most if not all the time. Like right now, I have on what I always put on when I first wake up in the morning..... A nightgown and a pair of pantyhose. LOL But I don't sleep in a nightgown and every once in a while, I'll sleep in pantyhose but I mostly just sleep in a pair of panties. LOL

Like so many others here, I have loved girls' and women's clothes, especially pantyhose ever since I was a little boy. I have said that I have a woman inside that needs to come out, but I'm not confused as to my gender and as I've said before, I do not ever want to fully transition into a woman. I like to be able to become a woman temporarily and be able to quickly and easily remove all feminine items from my body. I love being a man who fully CD's and wears women's clothes, makeup and wigs and I love to act feminine when I'm all dolled up and out in public.

Now a few years ago, it was pointed out to me by a woman that I dated for a very short time that I act feminine and for this reason, (she said), she dumped me. I had never noticed that about myself before she pointed that out to me but ever since then, I have noticed that I DO act feminine, even in "male mode" or, (as some of y'all like to put it), "drab". I contribute that to being raised around all girls when I was growing up, but also it's just part of me, part of who I am and my personality. And now, of course I realize that I am much, MUCH happier when I'm en femme. :D Getting the chance to cross-dress and become a woman for a while is a very exciting, relaxing and exhilarating feeling.

[docrobbysherry]

That "feel like a woman..." trope drives me crazy sometimes. Oh, I won't deny that female clothes, makeup, etc. don't produce sensations, but to even suggest that those are what women feel when getting dressed is absurd. To be fair, it's an easy assumption to make because those feelings are often... profound, but those are not "woman" feelings.

Having never been a woman, I can't possibly "know" what it feels like to be a woman. I can only imagine.
Joni
When I hear so many here say that they feel like a woman it bothers me!:sad:
#1. Because I've no clue what real women feel like.
#2. And, I'm jealous that they feel that way and I don't!:straightface:


Sherry,
To me the answer is possibly when the sexual component has died down and there's still a gut feeling something isn't right , it took me years to discover with the help of counselling it's called gender dysphoria .

Many of us have lived with the stereotype of a woman and what a wonderful feeling it must be but in the RW it's not like that for many women , I admire women not so much for their feminity but for their ability to deal with a tough life on occcasions . How we look , move , talk doesn't make a perfect woman because there isn't one , GGs possibly struggle with life more than men do .

Personally to dress as a woman I feel is a window to show the world how I feel inside , I believe it's a trait I was born with and endured the battle beween the male and female side until I've finally found a balance , the battle or dysphoria is fine now .

To answer your question some but not all do have female traits inside us , I don't particularly act up to it , I'm just ME , to some I'm possibly more male than female and to others a fairly passable female . I feel more comfortable and happy appearing as Teresa , if people are also happy with that I don't have a problem .

I'm not passing judgement on you but if you stopped wearing your silicon suit could you dress and go out comfortably as Sherry . I know from past comments you possibly couldn't . At first it isn't easy , it takes time and belief in yourself , I was going to say it's easier for you because you can transform almost instantly to appear female .
So my question to you is do you have any dysphoria or do you just love acting the female part ?
Teresa, I thot u knew? Before corona virus I attended countless T events. Where Sherry rarely shows up. I practically never wear suits or masks to those outings. Just a breast plate.
Two things bother me about appearing in public dressed. One, is having Muggles see me. They all know I'm a man in a dress and assume I'm trans. But, I don't feel like I'm trans and ashamed that I'm out as a fake! Fake, because altho I'm used to going out without masks now? That's NOT Sherry! And like it or not, Sherry is my female persona!:doh:

Actually, I suffered from dysphoria on my own for over 10 years until I went online. I discovered cd.com and other T friendly sites. I also discovered my female suit maker. That 1st suit removed all my disturbing trans issues of wanting to become female. What I really wanted was to appear to be a female apparently. And, wearing that silicone suit, I definitely do now!:heehee:

[Teresa]

Sherry,
If it's any consolation , I feel it takes some guts to go out in a silicon suit , I couldn't do it . I understand the thought of being a fake , I struggled with that until I realised and accepted being born with a female trait , it was something I could do nothing about so I had to come to terms with it .

[Nadine Spirit]

I'm curious...... what does it mean to feel like a woman? What does it feel like to be a man for that matter?

I have never felt as though I had a woman inside of me, I've always thought that has sounded a bit odd. But the bigger question really is, how do we know what anyone feels like inside. It is not as though we have some super easy test that we can use to correlate that information with what gender people are. That makes the implication that men feel one way while women feel another, which is just not the case. Even online "gender assessment tests" are so foolish..... pick one..... do you feel like staying home and raising the children or do you feel like getting a job and earning money? Like if you pick one or the other it says anything about your gender? What rubbish. What those types of things, and these types of questions in general imply, are gender stereotypes. As in, I put on a bra and some forms and when I felt them bounce, I felt like such a woman. Ergo, if an AFAB does not have breasts that bounce she apparently does not know what it feels like to be a woman? No. If you feel breasts bounce, what you are feeling is breasts bouncing not a male or female feeling.

My point, I have never felt like a man or a woman, I have only ever felt like myself. And that self just happens to be female.

[GretchenM]

You are quite right, Nadine. Everybody feels like themselves. Nobody can know exactly how someone else feels. There is no such thing as a male brain or a female brain - in fact, they are almost interchangeable they are so similar. When a person says they feel like this or feel like that it is an illusion based on what the person imagines that other person must feel like in contrast to the speaker's sense of self. So, it is all assumption and projection of what a person must feel like on yourself. It seems real. It make sense. But it is false.

That is why it comes down to behavior - the actions a person engages in to interact with their environment. Most of that is learned and not innate and it is learned by imitation. Nevertheless, the individual's sense of self drives the basic behavior patterns even though the particulars are learned. So, it seems there are two levels. There is the basic neurological drivers of behavior and then there are the modifiers that are learned and direct the actual expression of the basics produced by the brain. Mannerisms are learned; but the ability to be empathetic, compassionate, aggressive, competitive, etc. are behavioral patterns that are driven by the neurological configuration of your brain. The actual implementation of those patterns are imitative and culturally based. They are an interpretation that is individualized. It may superficially appear like what somebody else does and it may produce emotional reactions in the person who implements it, but it cannot be assumed that what one person feels is what another person feels. They may be similar, but they are not the same. What a person feels is theirs and theirs alone. Everything else is assumption and cannot be measured. No body has invented a Feel-O-Meter. And probably that tool will never be invented because feelings are not tangible - they just are. By analogy, you can feel and see the effects of gravity, but you cannot see gravity. It is just a property of matter and mass - invisible, but powerful.

[Lana Mae]

I am the "woman inside me"! I feel "feminine" at times but this may or may not be how a female feels! Once being a man, I can not describe what feeling like a man is like! I am now a women 24/7 and I am still me! YMMV Hugs Lana Mae

[SophyV]

When a person says they feel like this or feel like that it is an illusion based on what the person imagines that other person must feel like in contrast to the speaker's sense of self. So, it is all assumption and projection of what a person must feel like on yourself. It seems real. It make sense. But it is false.



Gretchen, I disagree. There is such a thing as empathy. If it is true that we all have some form of a feminine side just for some it is more prominent than others and if it is true that the male and female brain is almost identical, then it is possible to tap into that feminine side and understand what another is feeling to some degree. When someone says they feel like a woman because they are experiencing some physical sensation uniquely associated with females to say they feel like a woman is not to say they feel like a GG but to say they feel that connection to their female side. It is not fake but it can be an exaggerated feeling compared to a GG who has experienced those sensations all of their life and are therefore normal.

This is an existential question that has been debated since at least Plato. And while we know more about psychology and physiology now. We are still no closer to answering the question of whether we are just seeing shadows of Forms on the cave wall or experiencing true reality. When a CD says they feel like a woman how much fainter of a shadow of true Womanhood is it than a GG? That we may never know. But we can say the CD sees enough to recognize that is womanhood.

[Aunt Kelly]

We'll put, Lana Mae.

[Tracy Irving]

I feel like me (whatever that is) with no compartments to try and fit into. I don't even have the curiosity to figure "it" out as long as I am happy doing what I do.

[Rachelakld]

Easy - if she doesn't get time to dress, shop etc, she mopes around and brings your mood down without you even noticing

[Jenny22]

As a wee lad I asked my mom if I could be a girl. I've known since then that I was very different. With my wife's two pregnancies, and the birth of our sons, I wanted to be her, cause I wanted those experiences. After her passing, and my examining myself at length, I confirmed that I was TG and knew I could never become TS at my age and health. So, is there a woman inside of me? You tell me. I dress 24/7 and must.