Cross dressing theories

[Ayame]

There are many theories on why people cross dress. What are some theories that you believe may be possible for causing you to cross dress or do you have your own you wish to share? This is not a thread to bash peoples views or theories for it is very likely there is more than one reason for different people cross dressing.

I have two different ones.

The first one has to do with dominance and submissiveness. I've noticed two different types of cross dressers who fit into this category. One type is the ones who wish to be under someone else's control who want to do acts for others such as cooking and cleaning. The other type is the ones who hold some of their masculine values and do not wish to be submissive.
Now I feel that the submissive cross dresser is naturally a submissive person through DNA. They cross dress for one of two reasons. The first is just to feel less dominant by doing things that they look at as not masculine. The second is they feel women are better than men so they feel the need to impersonate them.
Now for the dominant cross dresser I feel their DNA wants them to always be the best. So I feel that with how modern society is both men and women have dominant qualities. They feel the need to embrace both qualities to feel as if they have it all.

Now another theory I believe is I think that o.c.d. may have a very strong link to cross dressing. For an example people who have o.c.d. with washing their hands start off washing their hands because they are scared of germs but before they know it they wash their hands all the time with out even thinking of germs. Kind of like how most cross dressers start out doing it for a sexual thrill then later just cross dressing full time or more often and not so much for the sexual aspect.

Now share some of your possible theories! :cowdance:

[battybattybats]

Interesting ideas.

But I alternate between dominant and submissive in both my male and female aspects.

I don't have OCD or anything like it apparently either.

so for myself I don't think these theories apply (though they may to others! More than one cause may be needed to explain the crossdressing phenomena).

I saw a tv program discussing sex-differences in brain structure. The average female brain is different to the average male brain.

However the difference between any two random male individuals or two female ones are going to be greater than the difference between the average male and the average female with many males having more female brains than the average female and with many females having more male brains than the average male.

Studies on the brains of Transexuals have found female brain structure in them.

So I think crossdressers have inbetween brains. Not as female than transexuals but much more female than the averagre male.

[vikki2020]

Really don't care about the psycho-mumbo-jumbo. There is something there in all of us,usually recognized from an early age,that wants to identify with the oppesette sex. Why? Who knows! A nice scientific explanation might make you feel better about it,but bottom line: If it makes you happy,don"t fight the feeling.Everybody has a big bad wolf inside of them, and the best thing is to make friends with the wolf--and let him out once in a while!

[docrobbysherry]

The first one has to do with dominance and submissiveness. I've noticed two different types of cross dressers who fit into this category. One type is the ones who wish to be under someone else's control who want to do acts for others such as cooking and cleaning. The other type is the ones who hold some of their masculine values and do not wish to be submissive.
Now share some of your possible theories! :cowdance:

I don't know lolita. Your theory mite apply to others, but not me. I had a REALLY difficult time in the Army. Because I didn't like taking or giving orders!

The following is more a question than a theory:
Taking myself as an example, is it possible many CDs r "odd ducks"? I certainly am. I only recently started CDing. But I've always kind of gone my own way, done my own thing, my whole life. Not fitting into any clear cut catagory along the way.

Is it possible that that is NOT uncommon among CDs?

[emmicd]

I believe the experiences of each crossdresser is unique and similar in many ways.

I can't speak for other crossdressers but I believe my desire to crossdress started as a young boy and it has never really let up though it had lied dormant for many years.

I believe most crossdressers are normal in all respects and very responsible and most are married and have children.

My crossdressing just seemed normal and just a secret part of my childhood and adulthood.

I am very comfortable as a male and am very happy in my life. I am very fortunate to have a wife and a beautiful family. My wife and children mean everything to me.

I am very secretive with my crossdressing and though I don't really reveal that side of my life to others I feel it is very much an integral part of me and I feel I can not just walk away from it. I have tried many times but have been able to accept it and after all do enjoy the feel of a dress every now and then. I do not always have to wear a suit and tie. However I will only wear a dress in secrecy. I am not a brave crossdresser. I am a very meek crossdresser.

[LilSissyStevie]

The devil makes me do it!:devil:

[Bernadina]

Its just part of the natural order of things. In spite of the artificial standards imposed by societies.

We are after all part male and part female. There is no choice in having a male and female aspect. Unless of course you were conceived by only one parent.

Its just that the degree which our male and female parts effects our lives, varies from one person to the next.

Embrace who and what you are and remember its really quite normal.

[MarinaTwelve200]

Several come to mind.

"Escapisim"---Some of us dress to "escape" our "real selves", "manhood obligations " or both. This is found to releive stress and is very relaxing

"Fem siders"---Some of us feel we have "a woman inside" and dress to "come home", so to speak---the inverse of the escapist above, but both use dressing to acheive their goal.

Transsexulisim---Some men have "female brains" and actually feel that they are "women trapped in men's bodies" and dress to express their real selves.

Fetishists---Some dress because the clothes turn them on sexually.

Humiliation S/M---Some dress or like to be dressed as a form of SM, tied to humiliation or submission

Thrill seekers---Some dress for the "thrill" of breaking a "brain taboo"--that is the brain produces a big "high" when you cross some of its "lines" or "barriers"--"self preservation", for example--The high soldiers or extreme atheletes get when they risk their lives and get away with it. Crossing identy lines in the brain will do the same thing, only safer.

Taboo Tripping---also produces a high when SOCIAL bariers are broken--and one gets away with it.


Most CDers usually have one main cause and might feel the influences of one or more of the others.

[yms]

What if....

The writer Ayne Rand said that when you reach a logical contradiction, you have to go back and re-evaluate your original premise because a contradiction cannot exist in nature.

What if the medical and psychological assumptions about gender are inherently wrong, that gender never was an either-or condition. After all, those premises were established centuries ago.

Then the conclusions we come to about men and women being so different are basically wrong. Personally, based on the women I've known in my life, men and women have much more in common than they do different.

If the original assumptions are wrong, then science is coming up with the right answers to the wrong questions. Their data is correct, but they are applying the data incorrectly.

[Vicky_Scot]

IMO I think we have no choice in the matter. It is predetermined in the womb.

[satin_luva]

I can photographically remember when I first cross-dressed.

It was at my step mothers old unit. Everone had finished dinner and I was going to the toilet. To get to the toilet you had to go through the laundry and as I was walking through there, I noticed my stepmums sexy bra resting inside the washing basket. I can't remember what I was thinking at the time but I think I was so intrigued by what it would fell like on me. So I picked the bra up, went into the toilet, took my shirt off and slowly put it on. It felt really different and nice I guess.
I ended up flogging it from her and a few other things and that was where it all started.

I believe it's pre-determined in the womb, too. But you can't just randomly decide to get into it (CDing). Something has to guide you there. My theory with my case is that I was exposed to a lot of sexualised women wearing erotic lingerie and 'casual' clothing on TV and some of it in real life. And when I discovered satin and other lovely fabrics, my my new future hobby was set.

[MarciManseau]

I'm neither domme or sub, and no sign of OCD. For me, I dress so that the outside matches the inside, so my appearance to others matches how I feel about myself.

I'm TS but I don't feel any great need for a sex change. I've been full time for 7 years (in May), and I don't have any problems that surgery would fix, and I doubt I could afford it.

Besides, Julie and I both like my current "configuration" :D


Hugs, Marci :hugs:

[StephanieH]

I firmly believe I was born with a few wires mixed up. I like being a guy, but I discovered very early on that I was drawn, or compelled, or whatever you want to call it, to feminine or girly things - way before I knew what sex was.

When I was a kid, I liked playing with traditionally girl's toys, I watched "girl's" cartoons and read "girl's" comic books. Looking back at the old photos, geez, I looked and stood around like a girl when I was a kid - my wife chuckles about it too everytime I show her another discovered old photo of me when I was a kid.

Only possible bizarre theory I have, and this is a reach, but my mother miscarried a girl baby the year before I was born. It was a late miscarraige, something like seven months I believe. My mother always lamented that loss and she spoke about her "lost girl" many times - it really upset her. Mom's gone now, but I believe I may have gotten some of that lost sister's hormones or something.

Take care! :)

[kym]

I'm like several others here, I feel that I was born this way. My mother and her family always wanted a little girl to dress up and such and the got me instead. According to my mother, her mother had me in lacy tights and nightgowns from a very early age and saw no problem with it as I seemed to act more "natural and outgoing" that way.

[Steveo]

i beleave yvonne is bang on the target, my 2 pence worth is that everlution isnt just male or female, but all the spectrum, from pure bull dog male to very girly girl, (im sorry i can't think of an apropeate female equevalent, but you get the jist, it is society that demands how we act, thus male bull dog, and women pretty and effemanate, i suppose you could see their point (there has to be rules) but as a minority group in the huge spectrum of gender we feel ill at ease for not being taken for what we are, just a group of indeviduals on the gender spectrum who for the most part mean no harm to anyone and would like just to be accepted for what we are, i am sorry in advance if i have affended anyone.

[jaina]

No real theories, but of all the crossdressers and TG people I've met or counselled, only 2 were late onset cases. all the others were cases where it surfaced early in life (usually in the 1st 4-5 years), even if it was supressed until later.

[carhill2mn]

As usual, when trying to explain a situation/condition/whatever that is as complex as this one, it is unlikely (impossible ?) to find one or two theories that will "fit all". I happen to believe that for most of us, the desire/need to CD is a result of how our brains formed before we were born.
I do not feel dominant or submissive when presenting as a woman. I just know that I enjoy it.

[kristen6]

for me i started when i was 4or5 yrs old to me its a hormonal inbalance not to say i'm not a man but its more than a feeling to cd and i don't think its just mental.
it has to be a phycail thiing that were all bron with .

i've qiut doing this and come back to it every time and i'm not thinkiing of it. i just see something in the store i've got to have and well that skrit want go with any of my guy clothes so next thing you know i'm back in it again (and staing).

althought those other idea sound good they sound more like an excuse not what you know is ture.

[wishonastar]

I like to think of it as a form of diversity. The most intelligent people will get bored with the same old every day every week. One needs a diversion, also some of us are not born with a fixed, “gender assignment” so we are more diverse in that respect as well.

Then again WHO CARES? Why analyze it? It exists and trying the find the reason why will gust give you a headache. It is the screwed up society with so called experts that have nothing better to do than to find out why some people are “different”.

[Ruth]

I think the fact that there is no generally accepted theory of CDing "out there" indicates that it's a tough one. Either the root cause is very difficult to find, or there are very many different paths to CDing, and each of us may have one or more factors steering us towards CDing.
Wanting to know is natural, but when it comes down to it, we are going to want to do it anyway, however much or little we understand it.
I agree with those who say that CDing, or at least the desire to CD, was with them from an early age. I would say under 5 in my case. Probably as soon as I got the idea of the two genders sorted out in my mind, I knew I wanted to partake of both!

[MarinaTwelve200]

Well yes, I think some of us are born that way. This is especially true of the transsexuals and many "fem sider" CDs. But I think in many OTHER cases the benifits of CD are "DISCOVERED".-----Like the good feeling one has the first time one is dressed---for reasons of curiosity, by force or for a joke or school skit, for examples.
It might just be that one may get off on being humiliated, be "sensitive" to the fabrics or have a fetish that CDing directly maximizes. One might discover the RUSH from violating a social taboo or a brain barrier, and getting away with it, etc. This stuff is usually discovered----and develops into a habbit as one may not know of anything else that feels so good.

Of course one may not know WHY or what is going on at the time, especially if the trigger event happens in childhood, and whether or not the CD event "takes" would depend upon the personality and experiences of the person.----It may be only later in life, or ever,will one derive the element that makes CD exiting for him, but by then it is a well entrenched habbit.

[angelfire]

Now another theory I believe is I think that o.c.d. may have a very strong link to cross dressing. For an example people who have o.c.d. with washing their hands start off washing their hands because they are scared of germs but before they know it they wash their hands all the time with out even thinking of germs. Kind of like how most cross dressers start out doing it for a sexual thrill then later just cross dressing full time or more often and not so much for the sexual aspect.


This is personally, how I feel about my crossdressing. I have very little control over the impulses sometimes, and just feel an urge to do it.

[Nicki B]

Now I feel that the submissive cross dresser is naturally a submissive person through DNA. They cross dress for one of two reasons. The first is just to feel less dominant by doing things that they look at as not masculine. The second is they feel women are better than men so they feel the need to impersonate them.

You don't think that perhaps some people like to be 'made' to cd because it takes away some of the guilt they feel about themselves and their desire? :idontknow:


Taking myself as an example, is it possible many CDs r "odd ducks"? I certainly am. I only recently started CDing. But I've always kind of gone my own way, done my own thing, my whole life. Not fitting into any clear cut catagory along the way.

Is it possible that that is NOT uncommon among CDs?

Is it possible that that's a symptom of a difference, not the cause? :strugglin


Would anyone admit to being 'normal', here? :rofl:

[Nadia-Maria]

Not trying to generalize after my own experience, but I think to be somewhat representative of what quite a few CDers are. In any case I don't fit well any of dominance and ocd theories.


I believe to have identified as a child as partly male AND as partly female.

I know to have been a rather standard boy with prominent masculine features (mind and body), although together with a few more feminine characteristics.

For several various reasons, I had to my mother a very strong relationship from birth, so that my mother exerted a considerable influence over me as a baby and as a child. I wished then I would be born a girl.
My mother held men not in high esteem, and suffered to endure too strong a man as husband so that she was rather ambivalent to him. Nevertheless he was a good person, and a good father as well, honest, right and very hard working, but too much controlling and sometimes abusive due to his violent temper.
I think, very early in life, I preferred to identify, especially in my fantasy, to the female figure of my loved mother whose I shared most temperamental traits, and tried later to escape for some time the standard life of a man.

In the whole process it is as if I had been from birth partly male AND partly female.
Now I have the "double sex-nationality". In any case I have both clothing for life !

Kisses

Nadia

[Carly D.]

If you're asking me what I blame for me dressing up, I guess it would be two things.. first my mom for wearing pantyhose.. and second, I blame myself for getting sick in grade school and then again when I was a junior in high school.. and getting bored enough to rummage through her clothes and find pantyhose.. and try them on.. and get turned on by the feeling. the feeling that pantyhose feel but also the feeling of the rush of excitement that I'm doing something that isn't accepted or wouldn't be accepted..

[Claire3]

All abit too technical 4 me girls.Do it and love it.End of story.:love:XXX

[Rachaelb64]

Mmmm............ very deep question & if i had an answer I'd be very rich right now.

I dress cus I like dessing. I've given up on the reasons way :)

[Joy Carter]

My sister got up before me and got my clothes. :brolleyes:

[noname]

I think cd'ing is natural for all men. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really a mans man so to speak.

The theory: Just look to the tribes in south american, the pacific islands and other remote isolated groups. Notice anything? I do. It's the guys who wear the colorful face paint, feathers, plants and flowers. What I call "blam" Natures of way of saying, "look at me!" Even most of the animal kingdom is that way. Perhaps guys that cd are the portion that really is doing what comes naturally.

[ErikaLadyoftheDesert]

I also do not fit with the dominate/Submissive or OCD theory.

I believe there is some genetic coding at birth.
For me personally, it is not just the clothes, but I exhibit feminine mannerisms as well.

Most importantly though... when I CD it simply "Just feels right."


:)

[Bethany_Anne_Fae]

Part of my issues has been related to the loss of my sister. I think that being born in the wrong body (in essence) had a lot to do with it too. We both agreed that we had somehow gotten switched out.

I wish she were still around (physically) so that I could share with her.

Zara

[Joy Carter]

Read today where they belive that nutrition, may determine the sex of the baby. What else could there be that causes gender variant children ?

[Eugenie]

There are many theories on why people cross dress. What are some theories that you believe may be possible for causing you to cross dress or do you have your own you wish to share?

Just as background, I'm comming from the field of disabilities where identifying causes is always coming up as a difficult task... So bear with me for being a bit technical...

In order to understand where some condition comes from, there is a need to identify as precisely as possible a "Phenotype", that is grouping organisms according to any observed quality, such as its morphology, development, or behavior.

Unless there is an homogeneous phenotype, it is difficult to identify causes or reasons for its existance and evolution. (In medical terms one speaks of Etiology to refer to the study of why things occur, or even the reasons behind the way that things act - Wikipedia)


Now back to crossdressing. Crossdressing takes many morphological behavioral and developmental forms. Trying to find a common cause for all the crossdressers is not realistic. For that it would be necessary to define more homogeneous subgroups (phenotype) from which such an researsch would make more sense...

:hugs:
Eugenie

[DemonicDaughter]

Almost all other species of animals on the planet have the males more colorful, more plumage, more predominant in appearance. Why would humans be any different?

Throughout history, it has been just as common for men to primp and preen over their appearance as it was women. Take a quick look at male fashion over the centuries and you'll see them with endless outfits, looks and styles.

As a matter of fact, most societies throughout history have had some form of "crossdressing" one way or another.

It wasn't until the United States was colonized and we started our trek west that men's clothing became more "dower" and less flamboyant due to the new role of the cowboy. Still, we can find several notes of "plumage" in aristocrats well after that.

Could it just be that crossdressers are more prone to expressing themselves through this form of preening? I mean, do not the majority of you crossdress to feel beautiful? Perhaps its more of your 'true nature' seeping through than previously thought. That would explain how so many of you feel you were born this way as oppose to choosing.

[Nicki B]

Almost all other species of animals on the planet have the males more colorful, more plumage, more predominant in appearance. Why would humans be any different?

All species include genetic 'mosaics' which contain mixtures of genes, i.e. different genetic material in different parts of the body. And certainly in the case of birds, some of these exhibit mixtures of male and female plumage at the same time..

[Alex!]

I suspect a good deal of it has to do with assuming the role of a woman that can be controlled 100 percent of the time (because the "woman" is actually you). Also, it is not without evidence that human brains are not gender-specific. Sexual organs and hormones mix with the complex circuitry of the brain and produce so many unique individuals that the mere notion of "normal" is stupid.

[Mary Morgan]

I do not mean to make light of this question, but I think the answer is very clear. There is a devine plan. I am a part of that plan as are all of my sisters and brothers. I am not to know the reason for this plan until the end comes. Until then, I am one of God's perfect creatures and I am exactly as He intended I should be. I am glad that He chose me to have this special gift. I think we need to think less about why, and think more about what a wonderful gift this is. Imagine a worlld where every man valued every woman. I try to value all of them/us.

[jennifer41356]

cant say I agree with either of those theories...I dont try and analyze why I am like this, I am glad I am and I accept it and I am enjoying it to the fullest, for life is too short and I already missed the first 30 or so years of my life, and I aint going to miss anymore:Peace::Party2:

[Jannette H]

Ladies,

I believe the hardest part about being a cross dresser is believing you are one. The rest is kind of easy. I'm happy with this and feel a little more complete. This was awhile in the coming. I'm happy with myself being a cross dresser.:thumbup:

[Ayame]

Keep the theories and views coming! There are some very good ones I can def agree with. It is more than certain there are more than one reason why people cross dress and some people may have more than one reason. Keep them coming! Also I understand a lot of you have the urge to defend that you are happy or talking about accepting it and that is ok and it is great you are happy however this thread is not looking for why people cross dress and to stop it. It is just to discuss theories from a philosophical view. Keep them coming I'd love to hear what people think! :smilep:

[Lisa Renee]

I think its because in past lives we were women and its still a part of our make up ;"

[Satrana]

Could it just be that crossdressers are more prone to expressing themselves through this form of preening? I mean, do not the majority of you crossdress to feel beautiful? Perhaps its more of your 'true nature' seeping through than previously thought. That would explain how so many of you feel you were born this way as oppose to choosing.

Absolutely. I always end up head butting walls when I see these types of threads because people are seeing this issue the wrong way around.

There are no such things as feminine or masculine behavior, these definitions are artificially created by human society. All behaviors are found in both genders, they are human behavior. It is totally natural for all men to be attracted to the behaviors that are found within the CD community. The only difference between CDs and other men is that we have rebelled against the conditioning that states that we are forbidden to access these behaviors, that these somehow demean us as men.

CDs are simply men who have said NO! I do like this behavior, it is part of my personality, why should I deny this to myself?
Other men have either never considered the issue or are too afraid to because the gender conditioning has been so well established and cemented in place.

Other men will not consider this because it attacks the very essence of what they have been taught is the essence of what a man is. Many women face the same problem when they are asked to accept a crossdressing SO, they struggle to overcome the entrenched conditioning which defines how a man should behave according to society's values. In contrast, because of the feminist movement, women can now exhibit behaviors traditionally considered masculine without worrying about social condemnation.

You don't see women dreaming up fanciful theories of genetics and hormones or things that go wrong in the womb to explain why they want to wear jeans or learn a martial art or climb a mountain.

[Jannette H]

Phyc 270,

Going back to community college days 1982. Taking a CJ course tons of phyc courses and 270 Deviance and Social Disorganization, actually a fun course to take. Yes, we are in there and what it said at that time was that a cross dresser was just starting up a road and when he reached the fork in the road a decision had to made either a drag queen or a transsexual. That was it:brolleyes: At that time there was so little data out about cross dressing nothing in the college library except 4 small very old pamplets. How times have changed.:2c:

[Nadia-Maria]

All behaviors are found in both genders, they are human behavior. It is totally natural for all men to be attracted to the behaviors that are found within the CD community. The only difference between CDs and other men is that we have rebelled against the conditioning that states that we are forbidden to access these behaviors, that these somehow demean us as men.

CDs are simply men who have said NO! I do like this behavior, it is part of my personality, why should I deny this to myself?


I share your opinion for most of it.

I would add that not everybody are expected to actually "like this behaviour". Hence those who don't haven't to "deny this to themselves", so they "haven't to say NO", as CDs did.

Hence, it remains to be explained why some humans do like it whereas some others don't .

Hence this thread seems about correctly stated, I mean.
It is not necessarily as what you said : "because people are seeing this issue the wrong way around".

So you might be the one to be wrong. :battingeyelashes:

Kisses

Nadia

[MarinaTwelve200]

I think cd'ing is natural for all men. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really a mans man so to speak.

The theory: Just look to the tribes in south american, the pacific islands and other remote isolated groups. Notice anything? I do. It's the guys who wear the colorful face paint, feathers, plants and flowers. What I call "blam" Natures of way of saying, "look at me!" Even most of the animal kingdom is that way. Perhaps guys that cd are the portion that really is doing what comes naturally.

As a HETROSEXUAL male, I would think that this could be the case. We ARE attracted to the female form and to actually HAVE 'female" physical aspects via CDing may be an attractive prospect. Some could say it could be "the ultimate penetration"----In the general sense there could be TWO kinds of CDs---Those of us who DO and those of us who DONT--Social and personal concerns about status and "manhood" may be so strong in "non CD" men to keep them from doing it.

[Roberta Rain]

I submitted a thread a while back asking what the first thing people wore was and where they got it. Part of what I was wondering when I posted it was exactly this issue. Similar threads have been posted in the past, and I reviewed them as well. I noticed a few things from the results. Almost everyone started at a very young age. In many cases, the age was way, way before puberty. Secondly, nearly everyone sought out the garments or behavioural accoutrements themselves. Very few were forced, asked, or encouraged to cross dress. Thirdly, it seemed like many accelerated very slowly over time, fighting it all the way, and had a significant commitment to or acceptance of their alternative gender identity only well in to adulthood, often in their 30s to 50s. I don't know what this means, but I thought it was interesting and seemed to suggest that the behaviour/identity is possibly inherent in the individual, and is, at the least, very, very deeply seated at the core of identity.

I, personally, know that as I approached puberty, from the age of about 4 to 11, I kept wondering, in the back of my mind, when I was going to turn in to a girl like I was supposed to. The idea and thoughts only seem strange in retrospect.

[DemonicDaughter]

All species include genetic 'mosaics' which contain mixtures of genes, i.e. different genetic material in different parts of the body. And certainly in the case of birds, some of these exhibit mixtures of male and female plumage at the same time..

So are you saying my Kayla is an exotic bird? I agree! :D


...There are no such things as feminine or masculine behavior, these definitions are artificially created by human society... Other men will not consider this because it attacks the very essence of what they have been taught is the essence of what a man is... In contrast, because of the feminist movement, women can now exhibit behaviors traditionally considered masculine without worrying about social condemnation.

I use to say, one of the saddest things that ever happened to the human race was that is seems to have lost its "natural instincts". People rely far too much on what is printed, published, spoken, viewed and produced by the media. All too often mankind allows others to influence their perception of who they are as an individual.

Change has only been brought about by those who didn't follow the "norm". Those who follow their instincts and do as they deem themselves created to do.

That is why I happen to love crossdressers. It takes an incredibly strong individual to overcome what society considers any gender's "role" and to be their true selves.

[Michelle 51]

I don,t care why i do it anymore i just know it feels really good.

[Mary Morgan]

If I may paraphrase Professor Irwin Corey, why do I crossdress? This is really two separate and distinct questions; first, why? who knows why, womankind has been trying to answer that for centuries. Second, Do I crossdress? Yes, and I love every minute of it.

[Nicki B]

V.S. Ramachandran has been doing various very useful studies recently - he's interested primarily in neuroscience, not trans issues?


GENDER IDENTITY AND PHANTOM GENITALIA
Sandra Blakeslee

San Francisco Chronicle
Sunday, April 13, 2008


Some people know, with absolute certainty, that they were born the wrong gender.
A girl sees that she has no phallus, yet she feels deeply, unambiguously male. A boy is equipped with a penis, yet he feels fundamentally, unarguably female.
Such discord often gets chalked up to the physical - prenatal hormone exposures, abnormal brain structures, gay genes. Or to the psychological - repressed homosexuality, absent dads, overbearing moms, parents who wanted a baby of the opposite sex.
But there is a new explanation: Some transgender men claim to possess phantom penises. From the time they were little girls, they say they had vivid sensations of a penis between their legs. Others develop such a phantom when they begin taking testosterone therapy.
Similarly, transgender women who are born male and later undergo sex reassignment surgery generally do not report having a phantom. They say that their penis was never part of their body image.
V.S. Ramachandran, a neurologist and psychologist at UC San Diego and a leading authority on phantom limb sensations, says it has long been known that some people who are born without arms have vivid phantom arms. They can swing them around, wave goodbye and make complicated gestures.
This suggests that an intact body image - the maps of the body laid down in the brain before and after birth - can develop without actual limbs. So-called mirror neurons that map the actions and intentions of others into one's own brain may help bring the phantoms to life, Ramachandran says.
But phantoms might also exist from the beginning of life. For transgender men and women, he says, the body image laid down prenatally could similarly differ from the external body anatomy.
A study describing this phenomenon appears in the January issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies. But some are skeptical.
Simon LeVay, an expert on human sexuality, says that Ramachandran is comparing those who are extremely pleased with getting rid of their penis to others who are distressed and think about their penis all the time. "Emotions are left out," LeVay said. "I am not sure he has looked at the question of wishful thinking in detail."
Phantom limbs were first described as a medical condition after the Civil War. Amputees said then, as they do now, that they continue to experience bodily sensations as if the absent limb were still present. But without any scientific explanation, phantoms were chalked up to wishful thinking. But in the early 1990s, Ramachandran carried out experiments that demystified phantoms. They are not the stuff of human imagination. Rather they are a product of brain wiring.
When a limb is amputated, the area of the brain representing that limb is no longer activated by touch. But such areas do not become vacant lots. They get invaded by nerve fibers from adjacent brain areas that map intact body parts. When those parts - say the face or shoulder - are touched, sensations are felt in the missing limb.
Not long after this discovery, a few people wrote to Ramachandran to say that they experienced phantom penises after losing the organ in an accident or to disease. They even had phantom orgasms.
This got Ramachandran wondering whether the phantoms applied to transsexuality. To find out, he surveyed 20 male-to-female transsexual women and 29 female-to-male transsexual men.
The first finding was intriguing. Only 6 out of 20, or 30 percent, of the transsexual women who had had their penises removed reported feeling a phantom phallus. But 58 percent of "normal" men have such sensations after the surgery.
The second finding was surprising. A third to a half of "normal" women experience phantom breasts after a mastectomy, as opposed to only 3 out of the 29 transgender men. The third finding was downright astounding. Among the transsexual men, 18 out of 29, or 62 percent, said they had experienced a phantom penis long before their surgery.
In two cases, the phantom appeared shortly after the start of testosterone therapy. "If the phantom is a result of wishful thinking, why would a hormone be required to trigger it?" Ramachandran asks.
The findings imply that transsexuality should not be regarded as abnormal, Ramachandran says. No rigid barriers exist between the sexes. Rather, sexual identity exists along a biological continuum that involves an innate body plan and life experience.
"I expect a lot of criticism," Ramachandran says. "Those who study transsexuality tend to be territorial because they themselves have made so little progress. There is no literature that illuminates the underlying mechanisms, other than psychological mumbo jumbo. And then someone comes striding in and spends two weeks solving the riddle. It must be infuriating."
Sandra Blakeslee is a Santa Fe, N.M., science writer who specializes in brain sciences. E-mail insight@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page G - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfchroniclemarketplace.co...IN5S103FLF.DTL

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2007/1861116.htm

[docrobbysherry]

For adding some interesting scietific documentation to a important thread. Others r listing lots of varied opinions, but with no studies to support them!

I'm still considering whether or not I'm ACTUALLY a CD.

Also, if every guy who dresses like a woman at Halloween, becomes fascinated with CDing?

[Billie Jean]

Just being me. Billie Jean

[Emily Anderson]

There are no such things as feminine or masculine behavior, these definitions are artificially created by human society.....
CDs are simply men who have said NO! I do like this behavior, it is part of my personality, why should I deny this to myself?

100% agree with Satrana. See my thread on "female strawberries" for more of the same.

[MalibuJenny]

I've always been fascinated by this basic question: Why?

I know it doesn't change anything but it's my nature to want to *know* and understand.

But it's pretty clear there are as many reasons for crossdressing as there are crossdressers. And I'm talking about men that enjoy dressing as women but are otherwise comfortable with their male self.

It seems all little boys have a healthy fascination with ultra-feminine (and thus, somewhat taboo) garments. There isn't much interesting about women's slacks at that age, but a bra or pair of stockings, that's another matter.

And for some reason, there is something that clicks with CDers where it's more that just representative of women and silkiness... It's more about the taboo of little boys being drawn to these things.

Why does this 'click' happen? I can only answer for myself and even then I think there were many factors involved:

1) I had four sisters, 2 younger and 2 older and was surrounded by girly things.
2) From an early age, I was told by both my mother and father that many of these things were off-limits to boys. This was done in a pretty extreme way.
3) I was a sensitive and not overly masculine boy. I was good at sports and had lots of friends but I also felt like I was somewhat of a disappointment to my parents, who both clearly favored boys (it's why they kept having kids).
4) I had a hormonal imbalance in early puberty that caused a bit of gynecomastia. It eventually correct itself but I had more female hormones than typical at least for a period of my life.
5) My mother was very un-feminine. Pretty 'butch' and was best described as a grown-up tomboy.

Any one of these things could have caused the trigger that took a natural boyhood interest in women's lingerie to an absolute obsession about all things feminine.

If anyone is aware of clinic studies on this subject -- or would just like to share their own theories -- I'd love to hear more.

[Karren H]

I like my alien abduction theory as good as anyone elses... lol Because, IMHO, it really doesnt matter.... if ya knew why it wouldn't change a thing... so why spend the time searching... There's way too many dresses to try on and so little time!!! :D

[MalibuJenny]

if ya knew why it wouldn't change a thing

I understand this is the view of many and I respect that.

But for some of us, knowing would be it's own reward.

In fact, most knowledge doesn't change anything but that doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile.

[VirginiaX23]

What's interesting reading through this thread is that everyone has so many different and valid reasons for what we do and I just think that sure, we can justify it through science or spirituality or what ever works for us. At the end of the day, we just have to accept that there is something in us that says that wearing the clothing of the opposite sex seems right for whatever reason and the act of doing it satisfies a need we have to be more like women or to be different from who we are...or to be more like ourselves then we can covered in body hair and wearing a pair of boxers, straight cut jeans and polo shirt.

I have always wondered what would happen if society became gender neutral and male and female dress were no longer different (and I really think once clothing manufacturers realize the profit potential in selling men on the idea of wearing the same variety of clothing and make-up and shoes, it will somehow become more okay for men to wear whatever and the lines will subtly become blurred and then, ultimately disappear). This extends to undergarments and, perhaps implants (if men want to have breasts to look better in the fashions of the time, then anything goes, yes?).

How would y'all react to such a society? Would it be a relief or would there be something missing if you were no longer trying to "pass" as something other than yourself?

For me, on one hand, I would have the relief of being able to to wear a cute skirt to work with no worries. On the other hand, I think there is something in the taboo of it all that I enjoy and if that were gone, I would probably search out other taboos to break.

[Karren H]

I understand this is the view of many and I respect that.

But for some of us, knowing would be it's own reward.

In fact, most knowledge doesn't change anything but that doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile.

Sounds like a quest..... good luck!!!!

[jenalex]

Studies on the brains of Transexuals have found female brain structure in them.

yes, but only in one very small area which can only be seen by dissecting the brain post mortem.

[Ziggyplayedgtr]

I remember reading a study where a vast majority of straight crossdressers surveyed were either the first born or had distant or absent fathers. As I belong to both these groups I think that the statistic may have something to do with how I came to crossdress. I imagine that this has to do with the somewhat close relationship I had with my mother since my father died when I was 5. I would assume that even though I lead a healthy happy life as a boy, the homelife with mom somehow reinforced a more feminine mindset, you know? I looked to her when it came to how to think and act. This along with always hearing how she always wanted a girl I think encouraged me to explore my feminine side.

[Joanne f]

I think that there are so many different reasons and forms of cross dressing and that for every theory that has been thought of, you can think of a theory why that theory would not work.
So the only theory that i can come up with, which will have theories against it :doh: is that we have the willingness to explore are feeling and thoughts in away that maybe none Cds do.
And seeing that there seams to be more joining the ever increasing band of Cds it might mean that they are learning from us. OK there is a theory against that as well .:daydreaming:.


joanne


Oh i hate these threads that keep you thinking lol,
just had a thought, if you say it is in are jeans to want to dress as women, are ancestors did not wear clothes and when they did it was mainly for necessity, then for a fashion statement, so clothes are a human invention not a biological one , and if you say it is in are jeans to want to dress like a woman then i am getting worried as the last time i stood in the shopping center and watched the females walk by , 8 out of every 10 had jeans or trousers (pants) on.

[MalibuJenny]

I remember reading a study where a vast majority of straight crossdressers surveyed were either the first born or had distant or absent fathers.

Also, that many of us were first or only sons (I was the only boy with four sisters).

The common thread being there was no older male sibling in the family, and that certainly makes a lot of sense if you think about it. This obviously wouldn't be the only influencing factor but had their been an older brother, I think many of us might not have headed down the CD path.

[TGMarla]

I started dressing up because I liked the look and feel of the clothing. This progressed to me liking the feeling of being feminine, and looking like a female. I still enjoy all of that now, much as I did back then.

It's not rocket science. It seems that for every phenomenon, researchers need to find some universal causal agent. Perhaps that's in our nature as human beings. But as it pertains to me, crossdressing is not that complicated.

People dress everything up. They dress up their homes, their vehicles, even their golf bags. Likewise, we dress women and men up as well. There are lots of women who enjoy being women. Well...there are also a lot of men who enjoy being women. I'm one of them. Simple.

[Syndi]

I guess the reason I do it is because Syndi is the one who doesn't have all the problems I have and when I become her I leave everything else behind for a moment.

[Fab Karen]

This obviously wouldn't be the only influencing factor but had their been an older brother, I think many of us might not have headed down the CD path.

Some of us had an older brother. some did not. Some had a strong father figure, some did not. Some had a nurturing mother, some did not. Just as with sexuality, there's no correlation. You might as well sit & ponder the causes of someone loving broccoli.

[Jilmac]

I don't rely on any theory as to why I crossdress. All I know is that I love doing it and I don't ever intend to stop. Luv and :hugs: Jill

[boy2girl31]

As for why we crossdress it could be something as complicated as estrogen versus testostrone levels or as simple as thinking women are treated more kindly. I have no surefire awnser and don't even think there is any one awnser. I have a pretty good idea about myself and though it was said that knowledge doesn't change anything I have to agree and disagree. Knowledge does not change our situations but it can change how we feel, how we react, how we accept ourselves, and how we view the world. The knowledge changes not the world but changes us.

If the knowledge helps you to understand and love yourself more then I must say seek it with all your heart all your life and all your love.

[MalibuJenny]

Certainly didn't mean to offend anyone by attempting to throw a big blanket over everyone in the community. I fully realize that the reasons we all do this are as complex as any human trait.

I'm just a very naturally curious person and have noticed some things that are much more common among CDers than in the general populations. And even then, it's hard to determine cause and effect.

I think many in the community get a little defensive on this subject because of similar attempts to understand the roots of homosexuality and how all of that implies it's some sort of disease that needs to be researched. And also because the outside world tends to lump us all into categories that don't really apply.

Still, with the huge penetration of the Internet where lots of us can now interact openly -- thousands and thousands of us from all over the world -- well, that presents an opportunity to learn about all types of things that you would never be able to figure out on your own.

I also think by sharing my own background and experiences as a younger person that others may be enlightened as well.

[Bernadina]

There are many theories on why people cross dress. snip..

How about... Men's clothes are just very very very boring.

[Patti Girl]

How about... Men's clothes are just very very very boring.

Bernadina,

I agree very much! No male clothing looks good to me, it just "is". Feminine clothing, OTOH, looks and feels goods. But it's more than that, or I wouldn't add breast forms and makeup and jewelry. So I guess in my mind, looking feminine is nice (even though I only look part feminine).

Writing this made me realize that I've never cared for jewelry when I was dressed in drab. No bracelets, gold chains, extra rings, etc. Just never seemed right on a man. But, as a girl, I love it!

However, if you look at half the women in Walmart, their clothing is boring too. They are dressing like men, LOL.

Interesting discussion.

Patti

[Maria2222]

My explanation is quite simple. We're born that way. At least I feel I was. Perhaps there is no explanation of why that happened. My favorite color is blue. Why? The only answer I have is that I was born that way. Certainly no one else and no scientist or psychologist can tell me why blue is my favorite color. It's just the way it is.
Can I change my favorite color from blue to brown just because someone says I should? No. I'll still like blue best no matter how much I try to like brown. I believe that's why people can't give up being a CD no matter how much someone tells them to. They can't because they were born that way and it's an innate part of them.
Simplistic maybe, and not as dramatic as estrogen wash in the womb, but I believe it. This is also why I've never really questioned the fact that I am a CD. It's simply a part of me.