Ever wonder what i was like to be a CD back in the 1950s or 1960s

From Teresa:

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I liked my pink shirts and soft salmon pink sweaters and very flaired jeans and boots .

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I remember The Great Gatsby movie, the 1974 version with Robert Redford. He wore a gorgeous pink suit that was awesome. I remember the women saying that how wonderful RR looked in that suit!

Of course, in general, the 70's had awesome clothes for men. My hubby had beautiful, colorful silk shirts. He owned a powder blue suit that was almost a distraction when we went out. Women were always complimenting him on his clothes.

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Originally Posted by jacques

hello Darla,
is it much different now?
If you can pass you can pass; but if you are a "man in a dress" ...?
stay healthy,
luv J

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thanks jacques, yes i do think it is different today. Much different.
If you are that proverbial "man in a dress" walking around the mall and someone "makes you", at least you won't get thrown in jail!

I'd say that is improvement.

I lived it in the late 60's
It was tough always hiding and being afraid of getting caught

And shopping is so much easier now, Either in store or online

Times sure have changed, Now if the issue comes up
I just tell the truth, I have not yet had a bad reaction from anyone.

Didn’t go out much in the 70’s but was far more worried about being beaten up than arrested.

I was in my teens in the 60’s so didn’t get past the driveway!

I can tell you it was not much fun. I'm 66 and grew up in a large conservative Italian American family. My crossdressing was limited to trying on my mothers tights. My older sister took ballet and I mentioned to my mother I wanted to take lessons also. As you can imagine the reaction was not one of support. She was worried about what people would say and she said my father would hit the roof. I actually think she was all right with it and if she were still alive she would understand. Things may not be perfect today but compared to back then, light years better.

https://youtu.be/puZ08eJtWWo

https://youtu.be/d0CLLGq8oFA

Here are 2 different movies on crossdressing

I started in the early 50’s but I was very young at the time, being born in '48. Oddly enough, I thought all boys were like me. It wasn’t until I was 10 that I began to realize that most boys didn’t want to wear dresses or sneak into their mother's closet and try on her things. Not liking girl clothes seemed weird to me at the time.

One thing I remember was reading an article in Life magazine about transvestites who wore women's slacks because it was illegal for men to wear skirts or dresses. Thank goodness that's changed.

Guilt and fear of discovery. I've lived with both.

I don't feel the guilt so much any more. But fear of discovery plagues me.

My mother passed 5 years ago she was 90. Like you I'm fairly certain my Mother would be ok with me dressing as a girl. I wouldn't even consider bringing it up with my dad, he hated my hair down to my ears when I was in high school and made me cut it.

A great thread - fascinating to read about Casa Susanna. I grew up in the 50s and started dressing when quite young, I believe because I was very effeminate as a youngster. Before the internet, I thought I was the only one! On film, CDs were ridiculed and never seemed very feminine whereas I developed breasts and stayed very small down below. I borrowed my mother's clothes and still wear stockings and suspenders and 50s style makeup. When the internet appeared (and this website) I suddenly realised I was not alone and now have the confidence to go out and meet people. It is a tragedy that so many CDs are plagued by guilt and shame even now; I never felt that way because, being so much more effeminate than my school friends, it always seemed natural to dress as a girl, as long as I didn't get caught. It would have been very serious then whereas now we can laugh it off.

More video on Casa Susanna. I have to admit this has always fascinated me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEbmzkLD2-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrPJOLcNFj4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVNOE06lpGo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rrXslSDP0Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6i4kVncGbI

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Originally Posted by Kelli_cd

I don't feel the guilt so much any more. But fear of discovery plagues me.

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Oddly enough it's the reverse with me. My background is one that raised the concept of "guilt" to a both an art form and a science. I'm out to everyone so there's not much to "discover" any more.

darla_g: very cool!

Born in 1947, I know exactly how it was in the '50s. The female lingerie and other clothes were amazing. I also started (secretively) dressing a bit when quite young
Female impersonation was a bit popular in the media of the day but, it was usually just for some comic effect.

However, most states still had laws prohibiting males from wearing female clothes in public and a CD always took the chance of being arrested.
The general public of the day also viewed a transvestite as some kind of homosexual predator.

Young CDs and TS today have no idea how great they have it today in comparison. :)

So i don't know if anyone has been watching the series on HBO Lady and the Dale (i want to do a separate discussion thread on that series)

But episode 4 goes through a short history of various states efforts to criminalize cross dressing. Where cross dressing was even used as a defense against a sexual assault charge.

BTW, the younger generations have to understand one thing. about that general era...

The was no internet no social media, etc.
So, most CDs thought that they might be the only male who liked to wear female clothes
It was often only as they got older and could go into a porn shop where they could at last get any sort of transvestite literature they could at least finally learn that they were no alone in this .

I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to be a crossdresser in decades past. Just as I began to explore it in my youth, the internet was pretty well established. The only hurdle for me was at this point in time the "family computer" was still a thing, no tablets/smartphones/everyone in the family has a laptop. So it wasn't like I could hop on a site like this whenever I wanted. I had to wait for the rare opportunity where for whatever reason the rest of the family was out of the house and I could browse a bunch of cd related sites.

Of course I was super scared about getting caught. I didn't know how tech-savvy my siblings were and if I had covered my digital tracks enough. So either no one ever found me out on the computer or if they did, they just kept it a secret.

Once I was in college, I had my own laptop computer which was great. But I lived in the dorms and had roommates so I still didn't really have a ton of privacy.

But besides just discovering other people who share this interest, I can't imagine trying to find fem things before the internet. I find very few things my style in stores that would fit me, and amazon has been my saving grace for clothes shoes and wigs.

I buy panties, bras, stockings/pantyhose and makeup in stores which I imagine in the past would definitely be not as unnoticed as today. Although I still get an occasional cashier ask me if what I'm buying is for me. But its not like the end of the world if that happens like she's going to tell the whole town.

So I really have a lot of sympathy for other crossdressers who have had it much harder than I did or even younger people who have so much available to them now.

Blame and dread of disclosure. I've lived with both.

I don't feel the blame such a lot of any more. Yet, dread of disclosure plagues me.

Ahh the old days were special. Without the internet I recall absolutely believing I was the only male who had a desire to wear female clothing. This desire I could not shake no matter how guilty I felt. It was quite a feeling of being alone. I recall looking at the Sears Catalog viewing women's lingerie I dreamed of being able to buy the pretty bras, panties, and nighties I could see there. Not until I found the internet did I come to find that the world was full of others who had similar feelings. Now rather than just see what the Sears catalog had to offer the whole world of stores and pretty things is at my finger tips. This forum has been a blessing to me to share thoughts and feelings and to learn from others how they deal with this desire.