How about outside influences and cross-dressing?

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

Hey girls - I just thought of an interesting question. Have there been any outside influences in your life (as opposed to inner ones such as the desire to cross-dress in the first place) that have affected your cross-dressing?

You could probably think of outside influences things like the media, advertisements, the internet, books, other people, etc. etc.
That is to say, outside influences are things you are exposed to in the world that influence whether or not, how much, when, what you wear when, etc. you dress.

I don't have anything clear for myself yet, but I'll sure let you know when I think of something. How 'bout the rest of you?

[DeeInGeorgia]

A lot of my CDing can be related to outside influences. Much due to lack of physical affection and loneliness. I did not have many friends, particularly that lived nearby. If I wanted to play with someone, all I really had was my sister and her next door neighbor friend. So I would have to play girl games if I wanted to play with them. One day at about age 10, we all dressed up in leotards and played ballet.

I also helped make Barbie doll dresses for my sister.

Later in my teen years and into my 20's, I would crossdress and imagine I was my imaginary girlfriend. I was so lonely and shy.

But there was also the part of me that wanted to grow breasts in my early teens, which still haunts me today.

Even today, when my wife and I are seperated physically for whatever reason, the need to crossdress increases tremendously.

Dee

[janetcd2]

My mother was a big help taking me shopping and having me dress. If not people I guess the Sears catalog had a profound influence, I can remember a lot of happy hours looking through in at the girls shoes.

[Marcie Sexton]

Contrary to most, mine is mostly internal...perhaps some day with a few hours to spend here I will spell itout, but for now mine is INTERNAL

[Kate Simmons]

The only thing I can think of is that I always wanted to be like Wonder Woman, having power and beauty to boot. I especially liked the secret identity part. I've pretty much fulfilled that dream in a way.:happy:

[Karren H]

Well if they didn't advertise womens clothing everywhere and if they didn't sell it everywhere then I probably wouldn't crossdress..... That's kind of outside foreces at least to me it is.... So it's the clothing company's fault!!! Not mine........

:D

Karren

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

Off the top of my head I'd have to say that most of my dressing was the result of internal influences, like Marcie said up there. But there was at least one thing that reinforced my dressing behavior...
I remember always seeing the girls wearing the pretty dresses and gloves in parades, riding the floats, smiling, and waving; as well as women wearing gowns and gloves on T.V. I had always wanted to dress like them and wear clothes like those. I guess I wanted to be a princess essentially, and by seeing girls dressed prettily it made me want to dress that way too.

I also know that I probably wouldn't have started dressing (at all or at least when I did) if I had not seen and been exposed to women's formal gloves. They were the article of clothing that got this whole cross-dressing ball rolling.

Other than those two things, I can't think of anything else. I'll fill you girls in later if I do. I still want to hear about yours though! Thanks ladies!

[Eugenie]

For me, the various Women magazines in the Fifties and Sixties, with all their commercials with beautiful women, wearing lovely girdles, has definitely played a role in my desire to try on these wonderful apparels that girdles are... Especially those with a satin front...

Then the rest followed up... Progressively...

:hugs:
Eugenie

[cindychan]

Dorthy from Wizard of OZ, Crossdressing Episode of Chip and Dale's rescue rangers (Yup blame Disney and Baum from this lol), Jerry Springer, Main character from The planet of Treason, Ranma 1/2, an after school special called My summer as a girl, Hedwig and the angry inch, Rocky Horror Ladybugs, and most recently Iron Ladies.:hugs:

[Angie G]

Natasha no it all in me :hugs:
Angie

[Colleentg]

Other than personal weakness/drive, I have to blame the media. I'm sure many of you can recall when television ads really pushed their items, such as L'eggs, Playtex, even Victoria's Secret still! I know there's many more I can't think of at the moment. Those new luscious VC bras and panties - oh, I have to have one too! I want to experience that fit and allure, too. Then there's those Sunday paper sale flyers, too. Lots of feminine things on sale, and in big pictures on some items. The local Kohl's does it badly here. How's a girl to resist? It was always a Sunday tradition to go shopping, anyway. "Somebody stop me"!

[marissa_darling]

My mom. She said she just wants me to be hapy so she is really cool about it.

[danielle_from_cal]

For me the "outside" influences were hearing people tell my mother that I looked like "such a nice girl with such nice skin", seeing the girls around me start to wear makeup (and noticing what a difference it made to their appearances), and watching television shows like Mary Tyler Moore. I envied the girls in school for their makeup and wanted to be a free spirited woman like Mary Tyler Moore.

[Alice Torn]

The beautiful girls, in school, and down the road, that rejected me, and, I thought I could never have one, so , I dressed like one. Also, the clothing catalogs, etc.

I read a book, about how hard it is to find the right mate. In one place, the author, compares a nice looking gg's world, of attention, to an average looking male's world of attention, and loving touch. For a nice looking gg, walking into a restaurant, or bar, there is lots of head turning. For an average looking male, little notice. For attractive gg's, the world, is like a RAIN FOREST OF MALE ATTENTION, WANTED, AND UNWANTED ! For an average looking guy, the world, is most often, A DRY DESERT, without much female attention, or loving touch. The attractively dressed female, lives in a "rainforest" of male attention, while, many males, live in a lonely, "dry desert", with little positive attention. I agree with that author. I believe it is why some males dress up.

[Rachel Morley]

My wife. Marla was very encouraging in the beginning (and still is today as a matter of fact). I used to feel guilty and a little shy about wanting to dress. She pushed me (in a nice way) to dress more and I would often come home from work to find that she had laid out on the bed something new for my wardrobe....and that's (certain) women's clothes to wear in boy mode as well as en femme. :happy:

So yeah... outside influences, for me it's my wife.

[XDW Nathan-Natasha]

Thanks for all the insights girls! I can't beleive that there are so many different influences in all of your lives. Despite the variety here I don't think that any of us can deny that the desire to dress first came from within, only to be modified by outside influences - if any - later.

I think a couple of other influences for me were seeing men wearing women's clothing on t.v., movies, and cartoons - like some of you have mentioned.

I also think my sister was inadvertantly a big influence on me. She had all the pretty outfits I wanted to try on, and if she would not have had those, perhaps I would not have started dressing up when I did.

There are probably more but those are the other two I can think of now.
Thanks again, ladies!

[marie354]

The main outside influance for me has been this place. Oh yea, I love the catalogs & stores and I'm sure that they have had their effect, but this forum has helped me to understand myself sooo much better. My SO has peeked in on here and I've printed things out from here for her to read and that has effected both of us to the point that I now dress much more freely than I ever had in the past. Of course, my wardrobe is expanding much faster now too.

Yeah! The internet has been great.

[Kristen Kelly]

The main outside influance for me has been this place. Oh yea, I love the catalogs & stores and I'm sure that they have had their effect, but this forum has helped me to understand myself sooo much better. My SO has peeked in on here and I've printed things out from here for her to read and that has effected both of us to the point that I now dress much more freely than I ever had in the past. Of course, my wardrobe is expanding much faster now too.

Yeah! The internet has been great.

I agree totally with you. I would have still been in the closet if not for this forum, meet a very close friend from here and we have been out very often together, and have done much more than I might have done on my own.

[RachelDenise]

I can't ay that I've had any real external influences. Nobody has encouraged me or even helped me, it's been a lonely solo pathway. Of course there has been media images (print, movies and now the internet) but I feel that just strikes a chord from within me. I would love to meet an understanding person to help Rachel grow.

[Suzie S.]

My wife was an outside influence, I guess. She was the first and only woman I've ever lived with. Suddenly being surrounded by all of her pretty clothes and tons of makeup did me in! I couldn't resist starting to wear them, and eventually added my own stuff also. Just interacting with any women, or just seeing women in public is also a trigger that influences my dressing. Just seeing a GG in a nice outfit can send me into a 'pink fog'. I'm always checking out what GG's are wearing, or their makeup techniques. :happy:

[Charleen]

Growing up all my neighhbors were girls, so I played house, played with dolls, and of course dress up. I was also facinated with how my mom dressed for work. She worked in a dress shop so she always looked great going to work. One of my earliest memorys is walking around in her heels. She actually let me use her low heels so I wouldn't hurt myself or break her higher heels. I was about 3 at that time.
I've heard it many times here- Nature and nurture. I believe I was born this way, my early environment just re-enforced it.
Love and xxxx, Lily

[silkie h]

In my early 20's my best Friend's mother had quite an influence on my dressing & I suppose was responsible for a change in direction for me. She was a sweet person & I was quite fond of her.