why we started crossdressing

[jacques]

hello,
this information was gathered from groups like this one and I published it in 2009.
luv J

11.2% - dress up games with a girl

8% - feel of the fabric

6.8% - wanted to be a female

6.5% - wanted to dress as a female

6.2% - mother dressed me in the clothes

4.9% - Halloween costumes

4.6% - curiosity

4.5% - self pleasure (after puberty)

3.1% - dress up games with a boy

2.6% - own clothes were dirty, wet or lost (as child)

2.5% - 'just had to do it'

2.4% - costume for school plays

2.3% - stress relief and relaxation (as adult)



2.1% - 'why not do it?' (adult diminishing of inhibitions)

2.1% - punishment as a child

2.0% - dressed by babysitter

1.8% - inspired by CD (cross-dressing) imagery

1.7% - as a dare

1.5% - 'I felt I had more in common with females'

1.4% - after looking at fashion catalogue

1.4% - watching women dressing or undressing

1.4% - adult bedroom games with female partner

1.4% - mother wanted a girl

1.3% - gay

1.2% - noticed girls as a teenager



1.1% - after reading magazine article about cross-dressing or seeing images of cross-dressers

1.0% - after death of close female relative

1.0% - wanted to dress like hero or superhero

0.8% - abused as a child

0.8% - female domination as adult

0.7% - bullied as a child

0.6% - dance class

0.6% - divorce of parents

0.6% - used as mannequin for dressmaking

0.6% - 'hand me down' clothes as child

0.6% - developed breasts

0.6% - because of soft porn images



0.5% - breast envy

0.5% - after visiting cross-dressing Internet site

0.5% - more comfortable than men's clothes

0.5% - the smell

0.5% - for warmth or sport

0. 5% - wife suggested it

0.4% - father cross-dressed

0.4% - "sissy"

0.3% - keep fit

0.2% - advertising

0.2% - for medical or disability reasons

0.2% - because of the packaging



0.2% - teacher wore

0.2% - brother cross-dressed

0.2% - own divorce

0.2% - hair style

0.2% - wanted a sister

0.1% - had to help mother dress

0.1% - Goth

0.1% - video game

[Robbiegirl]

I really don't think I ever thought about wearing my sisters clothes till I was around 5 and my mother thoight it would be funny to try and fool and old nanny who was coming to visit. I did seem to know enough that boys don't wear dresses and tried to protest ! I eneded up in a day dress of my sisters very similiar to what Lucy wears in Peanuts. I was in complete shock how well the dress fit and much they got me to look like a little girl! The other shock was just how funny and fun my sisters and mother had with treating me like a Girl and telling me how adorable I looked. After that event i think i really started to be curious as to how I would look in some of my sisters other outfits but knew i had to keep it secret. Balerina tutus were next and since I wasn't caught it just took off after that ! LOL There were just too many gilry thing around to aviod !

[Kris Burton]

A compelling post Jacques! I may be different in that I had absolutely no CD experiences as a child or teen - the thought never even crossed my mind to be frank. It's a completely adult phenomena for me, and even a late adult onset as I didn't begin to actively Cd until last summer, at age 69. I've mostly just enjoyed it, reaped its positive psychological benefits without too much analysis. I see it as a combination of factors, and as far as I can tell these are my "triggers", not necessarily in this order (from your list):

8% - feel of the fabric
6.5% - wanted to dress as a female
4.6% - curiosity
4.5% - self pleasure (after puberty)
2.3% - stress relief and relaxation (as adult)
2.1% - 'why not do it?' (adult diminishing of inhibitions)
1.8% - inspired by CD (cross-dressing) imagery
1.4% - adult bedroom games with female partner
1.1% - after reading magazine article about cross-dressing or seeing images of cross-dressers

[AndyB]

I started with curiosity, but once my curiosity was satisfied, it was feel, self pleasure, warmth in winter, and avoiding chafing when cycling.

[Debbie Denier]

The feel of the fabric and curiosity come to mind.I saw some graffiti on a bus seat that started things, The graffiti ?I love wearing panties, bras and womens nylons . They are great Dave?This seemed naughty but nice.I tried on my mothers tights/ pantyhose . It started from there aged about 10 . Developed more in teens and twenties . I was fascinated with the images In mail order catalogues in the 70s of women in underwear, foundation wear etc.

[AmeeJo]

For me it was the feel of the fabric and the thrill of seeing myself dressed. I think it still is too...

[MarinaTwelve200]

At least I told myself I was curious to see what it felt like and how I would look in makeup and girl clothing.---Which might have been true. Even the very concept seemed to turn my 12 year old mind "On" sexually. I started with my mom's lipstick and moved onto full dressing in a year. Soon I found it was about the "buzz" or "High" it gave me and how I became ANOTHER person ---"NOT ME" and effectively, was able to take a "Vacation from myself" (escapism) and totally unwind and relax, dropping my worries or male obligations.

I am straight and attracted to women, even as a little boy, I preferred older teen Girls and young adult women. (never was attracted to little girls my own age).
I do not consider Gays" or Transsexuals as "Crossdressers", even though many of THEM "cross-dress" (the verb) They have their OWN Terminology ( I.E. Gay, Transsexual) and their own unique motivations for CDing. Cross-Dressers are, by the usual definition, "Straight people who cross-dress. "

[Natalie56]

I may be an abberation, I remember when I was 8 or 9 trying on my older sisters tights. Then there is a 47 year hiatus. I find myself single and alone in my flat and why not! I did 7 years of marriage and three kids, 15 years in another relationship. I think I just want to feel nice, Pretty even. Never abused, Never even thought about CD, Big macho man most of the time. But Im hooked.

[docrobbysherry]

.0001%

"I wonder if those women's jeans will fit me?":straightface:

[RoxieChristine]

I've been trying to figure it all out. What brought me to this? Well it isn't really any one thing I believe, but a culmination of things.
As I've said before my first crossdressing experience was before I can even remember it. My sister would dress me up so I could be her little sister she wanted. There were other things along the way, and it all added up to m3 suddenly going full crossdressed a couple months ago. I think it is a multitude of reasons that caused it.
I will say one thing though, I do feel that there is a strong desire to BE a female in me. Given where I am in life and the life I've built, that will never be able to happen. I applaud those who aren't where I am that do have that avenue available to them. I can't let myself dwell on that and simply try to enjoy being Roxie as often as possible.

[jayme357]

For me it was easy. I was an only child with an abusive father. I adored my mother and wanted to be just like her. What else is there to say?

[Stephanie47]

For me it was the allure of the feel of my mother's nylon slips.

[Karren H]

Really thought Lost a Bet or Alien Abduction would make the list!

[mbmeen12]

Started with sisters blue dance tights....Where was it published?

Side note, I always suspect/ed college students come here and initiate click bait for their theises, with that said it should be disclosed....just saying ��

[SaraLin]

The main reason is: I've always - ALWAYS felt I should have been born a girl, even though I was also always painfully aware that I wasn't.

From your list - these apply too:

wanted to be a female (see above)
wanted to dress as a female (The clothes are so much softer and prettier - and there is a much wider selection)
Halloween costumes (once as a kid, several times as adult)
costume for school plays (well - cub scouts)
'I felt I had more in common with females' (still do)

[Mermaiden]

?Why?is a question I used to think about, but now just leave it as ?I like it? A lot of this discussion is more about ?how? we started.

[alwayshave]

I have no idea why I first dressed. I love the feel of satin and silk. But it was so long agoI just don't recall what was going on in my 4/5 yo brain.

[Lacey New]

For me it became an addiction. I first tried on a pair of my mothers or sisters nylon briefs when I was a early teenager , 13 or 14 out of curiosity. It was a sexual high. Instant arousal and self gratification. I repeated as often as I could. Eventually, the instant arousal started to fade a bit and again, curiosity and a sense of adventure made me wonder if I tried on a bra would the feeling be better. Oooh yes! That was wonderful. Well, the next thing was a slip, even better. And, while I knew I had to cool my jets, as soon as I was out on my own, I started accumulating more and more lingerie enjoying my play time. Now the instant rush is way gone, but the good feeling of all that silky nylon is still there.

[Tiffany355]

Very interesting for sure. As I do fall into some of these categories I feel for all my life I was extremely masculine. Worked in extreme jobs where we were extremely tough and dangerous. I believe we all need to flow between feminine and masculine in our lives but I never did. I used to have bisexual fantasies but I have never been attracted to men. I have worn panties for quite some time but NEVER thought it would take me somewhere like this. Last year I tried a bra on which led to other things and BAM. I?m wearing a wig, body stockings and high heels. Crazy truth though is I no longer have the bisexual thoughts as much. I think maybe it was just a feminine side dying to come out. Be fun and silly. Feel pretty and desired. Every chance I get when alone I become Tiff and simply walk around the house, maybe do some accounting, read part of a book and that?s it.

So makes me wonder if anyone else feels similar about being locked up as an extreme masculine man needing his feminine side to show.

[Kris Burton]

I keep thinking about this thread, so I'd like to add to my earlier list a quality that may be unique to my situation and psychology:

How about - the EXHILARATION of finally embracing a long beckoning yet untried path. Putting my stilted past in the rear view mirror and finally experiencing the joy of exploring that side of my socio-sexual self. Living on the edge just a bit, at least for me. No longer totally vanilla (butter pecan perhaps), and accepting of myself and my tendencies without shame or guilt. It never gets old!

[Elspeth]

At the age of 12 I took part in a boy scout gang show. In one scene I was cast as a girl, I had to wear a dress, which I was reluctuntant to do ...at first, however when I got the dress on I changed my mind. I loved the silky feel of it, wearing it made me feel wonderful. I Wanted to take the dress home, but they wouldn't let me.

[StacyG]

I can't recall why exactly I picked a pair of my sister nylon panties up and tried them on when i was just a kid. I loved the way they felt and was hooked. I was born wit a cleft palette and was often ashamed of the way I looked. I loved seeing the girls and women in the Sears, JC Penny, Montgomery wards... Sunday adverts in the Dallas Morning News right there with the comics. I wanted to be pretty like them and wanted to feel the way they made me feel. I wanted to be desirable. I still do at 53, but I need to lose weight.
I came across an adult magazine that men "only read for the articles". lol There was a beautiful woman in a matching satin green bra, panty and robe set. I can still see her clearly in my mind 40 years later. Dressing was the only way i could feel the way she made me feel.

[Shiny]

I grew up around women, mom, grandmas, aunts etc... I'd seen how they dressed and for sure noted the difference between men's suits and shirts and ties and I was also around to hear them banter the ideas of fashion, dresses, hair sets, shoes, purses, jewelry and what they were going to wear for this or that. All average conversation picked up while being the kid in the corner playing with the toys and staying out of the way. I had always seen the stockings hanging on the shower curtain rod but never made he connection until the age of ten.

What got me was the women's legs and how they shined in the light and the sound, that "shick-shick-shick" zip the nylons made whenever they'd walk, and the even louder "zip" you'd hear when they would sit and cross their legs and the rustle of the skirt and slips when they'd smooth their dresses down. And still, the nylons were there, visible, tight, sheer and shiny. Then one day, out of the blue it was back to the shower curtain rod. And there they were, several pairs of those sheer, vintage reinforced heel and toe stockings now dry and waiting to be collected, folded and put away. I looked them over, remembering hearing that sound, seeing that shine then continued by actually feeling the sheer fabric between my fingers. It was slippery to the touch, nearly frictionless! And, the sunlight streaming in through the window set off that classic, wispy, gleaming sheen the stockings made. There was only one recourse, and that was to try them out for myself!

At my young age, of course the stockings fit, and fit perfectly. It took great care and a lot of time to put them on that first time but sure enough, there was the same shine I had seen before and when I brushed my knees and thighs and calves together? Wallah! That exquisite zipping sound, the shine, the smoothness that glow all there at once. What really got my attention was just how slippery they were in addition to the shine and the zip. An unconquerable tri-fecta fetish that hit me like a baseball bat from day one!

Of course I took them off quickly and hung them back with the others on the rod and "forgot" about it for a while. But over time I continued whenever I could. As I got older the nylons got smaller and didn't fit as well. Of course I was growing and growing quickly. And then years later the dreaded leg-hair began! Trying stockings on over leg hair was a hideous enterprise, the hair matting and pulling--grotesque. Until one day over the long holiday vacation I took the chance to shave my legs!

I had also managed to find a larger pair of stockings and with newly shaved legs tried the stockings on once again. And with smooth legs it was all new again, like the first time! I marveled at the tightness, the glossy shine gleaming from the fluorescent lights and the sunlight and the zipping sound and of course the liquid sensation of frictionless smoothness. Well, that was it for me. An addiction that has lasted ever since. And then I happened upon a sheer, nylon chiffon baby doll nightie and was just as enthralled. I then wondered just how far this would go!

[AllieBellema]

Some very interesting categories and I know I fall into a couple of them myself. I used Halloween as an excuse to start buying stuff, but it was just wanting to feel en femme. I think alot of that was due to seeing movies like Gone With The Wind and seeing what they wore really perked my interests and it went from there. Now I'm an adult and I have a few things that I can wear, granted most isn't exactly along todays clothing trends.

Female domination in the closet is another one that I feel I could land under. I grew up in my mom's room so I ended up with all her toys. I wanted to play with Barbies when I was a young boy. I got all kinds of feminine toys and such when I was young, it wasn't until early in my school years when that phased out and I started getting more boy stuff. Now that I look at that, that's probably when the seeds were planted in my head for my feminine side.

[BLUE ORCHID]

It just seamed like the right thing to Do,

[Tiffany355]

I can't recall why exactly I picked a pair of my sister nylon panties up and tried them on when i was just a kid. I loved the way they felt and was hooked. I was born wit a cleft palette and was often ashamed of the way I looked. I loved seeing the girls and women in the Sears, JC Penny, Montgomery wards... Sunday adverts in the Dallas Morning News right there with the comics. I wanted to be pretty like them and wanted to feel the way they made me feel. I wanted to be desirable. I still do at 53, but I need to lose weight.
I came across an adult magazine that men "only read for the articles". lol There was a beautiful woman in a matching satin green bra, panty and robe set. I can still see her clearly in my mind 40 years later. Dressing was the only way i could feel the way she made me feel.

I share that same ?wanna be, and feel sexy. Be desired?. Weird that seeing those magazines with beautiful women. Yes I?ve always been attracted to them but at the same time thinking wow, that outfit would feel amazing on.

[Jade P]

I love women and love to be like a woman sometimes! Not sure why I am the way I am, but I accept being gender fluid.

[jacques]

Really thought Lost a Bet or Alien Abduction would make the list!

hello Karren,
if that is why you started I will add it to my next survey!
stay healthy!
luv J

[Crissy 107]

Just drawn to it like a bee to honey

[Diane426]

Age 7 it just seems so natural. I was always more comfortable in girls clothes. My most favorite pastime was the Sears catalog.

[Jane G]

Tricky to know which came first. Certainly used to play dress up games with my female cousins. Definitely wanted to be a girl, they just had so much nicer clothes and toys. Who doesn't prefer the feel of female clothing to drab?

[Geena75]

I definitely fall into a combination of curiosity and wanted to dress like a woman. Curiosity about how it felt to wear such clothes. It wasn't until 40 years later I started trying to look like a woman.

[Lorna]

An interesting categoriastion of motives.... I hadn't previously tried to classify the origins of my dressing in this way but I'm quite sure that "Curiosity" is the one main factor.
Not having any sisters or close female relatives, I didn't pay any attention to girls and what they wore until, understandably, in my young teens, girls became very interesting. Observing the ones I knew - neighbours, girls at the local youth club, girls on their way to school (all our schools were single-sex back in the 1950s) - there was a dramatic change when they (and I) reached our young teens. Suddenly the girls were changing shape and wearing different clothes. They still wore dresses and skirts (very few girls in trousers in those days) but increasingly socks were replaced by nylon stockings....so I became curious to know what that felt like. Suddenly the mysteries of girls' underwear became interesting. How did they keep their stockings up? What did it feel like to have that lovely smooth nylon right up your legs? That's what started it: curiosity.
Experimentation (with mother's stockings) only partially answered the questions. Over quite a few years, limited by knowledge and availability (no internet, just magazines and catalogues for information - and getting to know some girls a bit better!) I was able to satisfy the curiosity - suspenders to hold up the stockings, a girdle, a slip, a dress....a bra.... That was it! For me, no wish to appear as a woman, only to feel what it was like to wear those clothes. Yes, over many years there was more curiosity to be satisfied: tight skirts, short skirts (tights and panty-girdles in the 70s), high-waist girdles, long-line bras, corselettes, stiffened petticoats, high-heels. All those experienced to find out what it was like for girls and women to wear such things - but no wigs, no make-up, no association with others. Great enjoyment of the sensations and regret at not being able to have the full experience of going out and about in those clothes. So some curiosity never satisfied: yes, under-dressing is a way to find out how it feels to wear a bra, girdle and stockings or tights all day, go shopping, get on a bus, walk in the park, etc, etc. but never to do it with the freedom - or limitation - of a dress or skirt out in the fresh air.
So there we are: many, many years later, some curiosity remains and will ever remain unsatisfied. But it's all been enjoyable.

[NancySue]

It was curiosity. At age 6, I was invited to play ?dress up? with our next door sisters. I had no idea what to expect. It was no big deal until I slipped on pantyhose and high heels. I?ll never forget the ecstatic pleasureful feelings I felt. Of course things definitely progressed to panties, slips, and bras. I?m now retired and dressing is part of my daily activities..definitely panties, bra, hose and a light touch of makeup and perfume. Having a supportive wife makes my dressing all the more natural and enjoyable.

[Natalie56]

I am 56, I started for a few reasons, Mosly I suffer from low self esteem, And have been single and alone for 7 years. I wanted to feel nice for a change, One night a couple of months ago while a bit tipsy, I bought a bra sone knickers and a lovely red flowery summer dress. When I (Trembling) tried them on, I was walking around my flat saying why have I never done this before!. Now Im hooked. Every night I transform from my oil stained working clothes and transform myself into Natalie. It very comforting to me now and my wardrobe is growing like mad!

[Joanne108]

Because I wanted to wear the same clothes as the pretty actresses on TV when I was a kid.

[BrendaPDX]

I never really had a reason or a choice.

[ShirleyN]

Hi Jacques. That's one of the most comprehensive lists I've ever seen. I think for me the following applies: 0.2% 2 teachers and school receptionist wore. 0.5% more comfortable than men's clothing. 1.2% I always noticed what girls were wearing at the time. Let me add one here: 1.3% may have been influenced by TV Adverts. 1 4% after looking at a womens fashion catalogue (Definitely in my case). 2.1% why not do it? 2.3% definitely. 4.6% out of pure curiousity (100% accurate). 6.5% and 10% (again, 100%).

[Brenda Freeman]

Looking at the Christmas catalogs, shapewear and slip section sparked my interest and I eventually got the urge to try on my Mom's girdle and nylons and later added the slip. The feeling of the nylons and snug feeling in the girdle and the look in the mirror is how I started.

[Patience]

I was 5 or 6 when I put on a dress for the first time. It was both liberating and exhilarating. I felt like I was getting in touch with a part of me I could not reach otherwise.

I also like the variety of clothing designs, fabrics, colors, patterns, and the entire ritual of beautifying oneself and how some relatively simple procedures brings out a feminine side not even hinted at by my plain look. The process of beautifying oneself is fun and fascinating to behold.


Furthermore, living in an LGBT friendly area, I notice I am treated better and people are generally more considerate and concerned about my well-being when I present as female, so I feel safer. Go figure.

[KatieV]

Why was I born this way? There's no answer to that question, it's just the way it is. Everything else - just conjecture.

[Terri Semes]

Don?t remember even thinking about it .
When I was about 12-13 noticed some of my mom?s underwear and lingerie laying on here bed and decided to put them on .
Then I went running around the house wearing the lingere in front of my siblings and my mom , thinking it was fun till my mom fussed at me and told me to take her clothes off and never touch them again .
That was many years ago and the unrecognized thrill I had that day has never left!

[ScientiaMetallum]

The first time, for me, it was curiosity. I was a child (8 or 9, I think), and, at the pool, got curious about why women's swimsuits were different.
A few days later, I got an opportunity to secretely try on my mother's swimsuit and did.


But of course that only moves the question back a tiny bit: why was I curious about women's swimsuits to the point of wanting to try one on? Most boys ask the question, get an answer and leave it at that.
So, there has to be some other root cause.

[Amelie]

.1% Goth, the same as a video game, eh? I wasn't a goth to begin with, I was a punk girl first. Now I am a pastel goth girl, which probably makes the list at .0001%.

[Diedre]

0.6% My mother did sewing and alterations and I got used as the dress dummy. Hated it at first. But then the the sensations of all the soft, smooth fabrics took over and I was hooked. My desires to stay dressed way after the fittings didn't go unnoticed and I was soon replaced by a form my mother got from a second hand store.

[Karmen]

I would say, for me is the right answer: "wanted to dress as a female".

I don't know why, I just always wanted to do this. I don't want to be a woman, just want to dress like them and use makeup. I just love women's clothes. More feminine, the better.

[Bea_]

I was a late bloomer in that I didn't dress until my mid-fifties. The draw for me can best be described by analogy. Being able to choose from the huge selection of women's clothes is like staying in a high end hotel or resort while men's clothes are like staying in a Motel 6. Of course, not all women indulge in lace or nicer things, but it is available to them if desired.

[Robin777]

I started dressing when I was 11 or 12 and got attracted to my mothers fancy underwear. I was always attracted to the women's section of the Sears and Pennys catalogs. Something just went off in my brain and I started sneaking my mothers clothing and wearing it. I do remember trying on her shoes when I was younger. I always thought I should have been born female.

[marieclaire]

When I was about 11 years old, I noticed the girls at school starting to wear bras and I was curious. I tried on my sisters bra (hidden) and liked the feeling.