Influencial women in your early days

a comment i made on another thread got me thinking about this. i know there has been some discussion lately about the influence of Mother during early childhood, but are there other females from your early days who might have inadvertently shaped your destiny?

i've been thinking about my dad's first girlfriend after he split from my mum. her name was Julie and she was a lot younger than him..probably only 19 years old when they met so only about 10 years older than me. she was living with my dad around the time i hit puberty and her clothes were everywhere around the house. like i say she was young and fashionable and had lots of stockings, lingerie and high heels just lying around the place which i would try on at every opportunity i could. i wasn't yet very hairy and my legs looked and felt so nice in her white stocking and my feet were still small enough then that i could slip on a pair of women's shoes easily. i remember a really high-heeled court shoe with peep-toe that drove me crazy everytime i put them on.

after they split there was another girlfriend called Sue who moved in for a while and she also had piles of lingerie just lying around waiting for me to borrow and in particular a beautiful pair of classic '80s white stiletto pumps. i don't think i ever saw her wear them (she seemed to prefer more strappy heels generally) but i cherished every moment i could in those shoes. and those are still my all-time favourite style of shoe.

i think those two ladies really shaped the way things would go for the rest of my life...if only they knew!

I would have to say my mother. She was a classy lady, always dressed nicely, her hair and makeup was always perfect. She had a lot of clothes, lingerie, makeup, and shoes. She also did some modeling for a local department shore. One of my favorite things to do, other than try on her clothes, was to sit on my mom and dad's bed, and watch her put on he makeup. This was back in the day of the Platex rubber girdles, she had a few of these, and i just loved the feeling of one of those hugging my young body.

Today, I remember my mother as a beer drinking. piano playing heavy woman who was the life of the local tavern. But when I was very young, my mother tried to have me take ballet lessons, even giving me a pair of ballet slippers, I am told.

My father would have none of that for his manly son. That was long ago and they are both dead. The point of this post is that a half century later, that thought has been part of my Robbin persona.

Even in drab, when I am alone, I wear ballet slippers. The ones I have are called "Sidekicks" and are fantastic. They come with a wonderful bag that doubles as a clutch purse. I even hike damp hilly trails in them. Every step I take reminds me of who I may really be. Lady Robbin.

These days, I wonder how much my mother really influenced my life. Things she said and did. The expression on her face when she washed me. They slowly sneak their way back into my recollection.

Too much thinking for now. The repair man is on his way. Time to dress the way dad wanted me to.

:hugs:

I'm with you, Lacie. I was influenced before I can recall - as long as I can remember I was attracted to certain things feminine - I don't remember any single event or person that did it for me. In my teen years I wore the same size clothes and shoes (including some very nice very high heels) as my older sister, but that was just availability. My brain was already set.
I'm lucky my eyes still focus on one object, as seeing women throughout my childhood one eye was always looking at the beautiful red lips and the other was fixed on the high heels.

I was nearly 7 when I first met my mother in court where she was awarded custody of me. She was wearing a skirtsuit, stockings and heels and looked gorgeous. I lived with her for a grand total of 3 years and she never looked as good as that first day in court again! I still love stockings, heels, and skirtsuits, among many other accouterments of female attire.

I don't think my mother influenced me in that way - of course, availability of her clothing played some part but actually she was quite mumsy. I do remember the wife of one of my father's friends (scarily, I've just remembered she was called Kath! What's my pseudonym...?) - she was pretty, brunette, slim and I remember her in those mid-60s fashions that thirty-somethings wore: stiletto heels, smart skirts and jumpers - almost harking back to the 50s. Wow! - good question. I have never consciously connected my passion back to that time but there's clearly something there.
The only other big influence I distinctly remember at that time was Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) from the original British 'Avengers' series - I thought she was gorgeous (and still is not bad today, actually) - smart, elegant and could beat the living daylights out of most blokes. But that's another side to me...
Good question, Lacie - these things do run deep!
Kateyx

My mom was the most influential for me

Without question, it would have to be my older sister. She's almost two years older and always supported my feminine side, even butting heads with my mother when mom tried to make me be "more like a real boy". She lent me her clothes, and often gave me pretty things on my birthday or Xmas when we were older. She's still my best friend. I love her so much for all she's done for me.

It was the lovely ladies of Playboy when stockings and heels overwhelmed the beautiful legs of these women, accented with stylish and classic heels. I'm still ever attracted to these types of art and photos.....including lingerie and hosiery ads.....

.....very warm and very yummy! ;)

Defiantly my mother played a big part in this... and my grandmother.... she had the most amazing girdle collection I have every worn! lol ..... wish I had inherited it instead of the spinning wheel......

It was my three housemates that had the biggest influence on me.
They laid the bait and I took it.
"If you want to come out with us you had better dress like us."
"You can come with us but you have to be one of the girls."

Two lines amongst many that were used to "encourage" me. :)

My mother, most definitely.

Beyond the usual stolen moments in her shoes and undergarments, it is the person. She did crosswords in ink. You could look through whole puzzle books and only find one or two changes, if that. In the early 50's, the Army trained her to be a Cobol programmer even though she had never been to college. She continued doing that and system management until she passed away in '88. Rarely did I ever broach a subject that she didn't know something about. And of all the people that you could think of, her person hero was Admiral Grace Hopper. I remember being a bit surprised when she told me that, but on second thought, it seemed perfectly logical...

My mom's clothes were the most available to me growing up (I didn't have any siblings), and it was her dressing up to go out from time to time that first planted the seeds of my passion for feminine fashion. But it was her mother, my grandmother, who was the bigger influence on my dressing in the long term. She was a woman of some influence in the community, involved in lots of local organizations, and could be described as one of those "ladies who lunch" back in the '50s and '60s. Although not really wealthy, my grandparents had a solid professional income, and she needed to look good for her social commitments and my grandfather's business trips. She had a closet full of business wear, cocktail dresses, elegant shoes and lingerie from the likes of Marshall Field's and Neiman Marcus. Opportunities were few for me to access these, unfortunately, until after she had a terrible accident and had to move into a nursing home when I was 15 years old. It fell to my mom and me to keep up the house in her absence, and I frequently managed to arrange to get left there to "hold the fort" for an afternoon, or a couple of times overnight, while mom took care of other business. At that time, it happened that Grandmother's things fit me pretty well (although I'm bigger now), so you can imagine how I spent those days. I do wish her shoes had been a size or so larger, but I managed to fall in love with her heels anyway!

- Diane

MarciManseau,

Just thought I would say thanks for the post. Reading about your sister helping you and then seeing the signature line about Julie gave me a real sense of peace. There are great things that can happen in all this Crossdressing..Happy Holidays to you both.

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Originally Posted by flatlander_48

My mother, most definitely.
Rarely did I ever broach a subject that she didn't know something about. And of all the people that you could think of, her person hero was Admiral Grace Hopper. I remember being a bit surprised when she told me that, but on second thought, it seemed perfectly logical...

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flatlander_48, I met Grace Hopper when I worked at DEC, she was a hell of a computer scientist and mathematician. Even though my career is now in a non related field, I hold working with her one of the highlights of my two careers. I understand your mother holding her as a hero.

I watched waaay too much television, and of course one of my favorite shows was Wonder Woman. My mom helped me make a costume; I had this notion that I could just spin in place a few times, and there would be a great flash of light and then suddenly I would resemble Lynda Carter! It never worked, but I did grow up to be an Amazon of sorts...

My very first was Betty Boop. She still is to this day. My next favorite, was my art teacher in 7th grade. Oh my she was beautiful. I used to fantasize about her all the time. I still do in small quantities. Daviolin

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Originally Posted by larry

MarciManseau,

Just thought I would say thanks for the post. Reading about your sister helping you and then seeing the signature line about Julie gave me a real sense of peace. There are great things that can happen in all this Crossdressing..Happy Holidays to you both.

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I'm glad you're feeling peaceful, Larry. It's the perfect season for it :)

I would have to say that while growing up.. my main influences were my female family members (mainly cousins, but also a few aunts). Compared to Dutch women who usually wear flat shoes and almost no make-up at all, I remembered that most of the female members of the Hindu community would wear high heels and considerably more make-up.

Nowadays, I try to pick and choose from a lot of different sources of inspiration.. magazines, tv shows, YouTube beauty gurus, street style. Not copying, but taking what feels right for me mixed with my own style.. :)

My earliest memory of real interst in womens clothes was when I was probably 6 or 7, the Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs came in the mail before Christmas and my favorite sections were the girdles and hosiery and dresses followed by toys. I enjoyed looking through those. I was probably 10 or so when I ventured into my moms drawers and tried on her girdle and stockings and snapped them in loved looking in the mirror would tuck and love the feminine look just like the catalogs and had to add the slip I would consider it was a dress. Fun memories looking in the full length mirror so loved it adreniline rush dressing up some fear of getting caught. I think the catalogs were my first inspiration. My Mom was petite and pretty so her clothes fit perfect when I was young so she provided thee source.And today I pruse the internet looking at outfits and styles and magazines, but I also look at women at work and walking downtown and admire those wonderful styles and looks.

mom was not in the mix, parents divorced by the time i was 2, was in my blood early, at a drive in movie "gunn" there was a transvestite character that fascinated me I was 7 then so i new pretty early, and seeing the Rockettes at radio city, mmmmmm....

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Originally Posted by alwayshave

flatlander_48, I met Grace Hopper when I worked at DEC, she was a hell of a computer scientist and mathematician. Even though my career is now in a non related field, I hold working with her one of the highlights of my two careers. I understand your mother holding her as a hero.

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I think the Admiral's intellectual prowess was part of it. The other part was, I suspect, that there were very very few women in STEM disciplines in the 50's and 60's. That notion of women being viewed in something other than a traditional light was important at the time and still is, to an extent. Certainly women have come a long way (note the appointment Mary Barra to the head of GM), but there's still a ways to go. As long as appointments such as her's remain a novelty and evidently worthy of much media discussion, there is work to do. In the broader sense, this is also true for LGBT folks and ethnic minorities.

Had to be my mum just for the opportunity it provided. But another influence was my aunt, who dressed nicely skirts, tights etc. Loved it when I was asked to look after her house for a few hours now and again it was heaven. Stockings, skirts I wore them all. Still look back at it with a smile.

My mom was the only female in close proximity to me while growing up. There were no other female children nearby. I often wonder how things would have turned out if I had had more close female female contact while I was a child.

I can't say it was any one thing or person. I have 5 older sisters, and likely watched more beauty pageants in my formative years, than most boys.

Like Brenda, I discovered the department store catalogs and was fascinated by the lingerie section. I actually had dreams about lingerie from when I was about 8 till I started buying my own when I was 20. The first lingerie dream I had, I was looking through a catalog and saw a pic of three guys wearing white undershirts and half slips (I don't know how long I looked for that catalog before realizing it was a dream)! I then frequently had dreams, where instead of being naked in public, I'd be wearing a full slip.

It was the TV Batman show that gave the first hint,
I found I did not want to dress as Batman or Robin but thought Catwoman was cool, and really wanted to dress like her.

Have not managed it yet but maybe next year.

Patricia

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Originally Posted by Dena

I can't say it was any one thing or person. I have 5 older sisters, and likely watched more beauty pageants in my formative years, than most boys.

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No sisters, but a mother, grandmother and aunt who seemed to never miss any of the telecasts. I developed a deep dislike for Bert Parks...

The most influential women in my childhood were dancers on TV shows here in the UK. When I was small, the early 1980s version of the 1920s was massive here and TV dance troupes did flapper numbers all the time. Even at such a young age, I was completely mesmerized by it - all these beautifully talented, beautifully dressed and beautifully made up ladies. It was the weirdest feeling - somewhere between excitement, embarrassment, shame and a hot flush. A true guilty pleasure. It was so formative for me, so here I am now.

My oldest sister Martha. She was 10 years older than me and since I was a surprise baby my Mom left my raising to her. When she was in nursing school in '58-'60, she would have to drag me all over. I hung out with all her nursing friends and never regreted a moment. I made the mistake of telling her about Steph in the mid '80s and it killed our relationship. However, it never killed my love for her or what she taught me about being a good person who should contribute to society. I finally got my RN in 1994.

First to embrace and encourage me at 15, was my Aunt Claudine(whose name I adopted). Very bohemian type who took me on first snooping trip to start my wardrobe rather than "borrowing" from my sisters.....part of a divorced situation, with father who travelled extensively, allowing me to come out to my mother and sisters at 15......became regular routine to be Claudine at all times when not in school in those years....older sister also a godsend.....we attended same college for awhile ( University of Vermont-very liberal) where she got me to attend class and present as Claudine basically full time.....mother FULLY embraced me with Aunt's help.....and it is all history from there.......

I would have to say my mother was the first to influence me and she never knew it.

Emma Peel,
Spy played by Diana Rigg in the British 1960s adventure television series The Avengers.
I real wanted to be her !