If you could tell a GG...?
I've been debating whether or not to actually post this, but I have another question if you don't mind. I'm just curious that if you could tell a GG anything about crossdressing in general, what would it be? It could be about your physical appearance, about what you think, or anything.
Please share your thoughts, inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks,
AJ
Absolutely Important . . .
AJ_GG:
You surely have put forth some very deep and important inquiries over the last few weeks. IMO, some of the replies have been the very essence of what CDing is all about!
I am a crossdresser b/c that IS what I am! I cannot change this aspect of my very being!!! It IS a part of who I am, and I have known this since I was very young (5 y.o.)! I guess this is why I refer to my CDing as my "second self" -- that my very being is absolutely and unequivocally dichotomous!!! I have a masculine aspect and a feminine aspect; the latter is expressed through, and manifested by, my dressing! True, I could force myself to not dress, but that would be emotionally and mentally painful beyond all belief!!! I used to try and deny it. I used to purge frequently. But, no longer -- I will NEVER again lose the duality that is me!!!
I was upfront and honest with my wife early in our dating -- and I guess, to answer your question, that is THE most important thing to tell a gg about my crossdressing!!! When I was a teenager, and into my early twenties, I would try and tell girls I dated that I was a CD -- usually by "feeling" out their opinions through jokes, etc. I knew better when my wife and I started dating and we saw it was destined to get serious -- I absolutely HAD to be honest!!! WHY??? B/c I had come to realize, and she needed to know, that much of what she found attractive about me (attractive vis-a-vis my personality, beliefs, etc.) came from the feminine aspect of my being!!! Thankfully, she quickly understood this and became accepting, supportive, and encouraging. Yes, there were a few times she would come up with a problem (or, better said, concern or question), but these times were few and over quickly b/c we sat down and discussed them fully and openly! (They mainly came when she was chatting on a SO-only site -- NOT the one that is part of this site -- and ran into an overwhelming majority of highly negative SO's who only, as my wife puts it, wanted a forum to BigITCH on and not to really discover and grow. Funny thing: my wife quickly quit chatting on that site, but about three/four years later went back for a visit only to find that, for the most part, the EXACT SAME negative SO's were still dominating that site -- they, more or less, had made it their private bash club.)
Anyway, I have digressed: I would have to say that my answer to you would be to explain what I am very, very early in the relationship, adding that I am absolutely heterosexual, and underscoring that this IS a deep and abiding part of me -- and explain what I mean by having a "second self." I hope this makes sense!!!
By the way, Kathleen Ann Trees is dead on correct AND I did follow what she suggests (b/c it is my opinion that CDing should incorporate what she said)!!!! I did let my SO know that I empathize with gg's -- and if she ever saw I wasn't, that I would appreciate her letting me know. Kathleen was oh so correct when she said, "Guys need to wake up to what (girls have) to go through . . . I appreciate the effort that a GG goes through to be polite and professional when necessary, sexy when she wants to be, a friend, a sister, a daughter." Kathleen has succinctly, but powerfully, said that a CD who truly cares about his SO should not only care about the dressing, but should put actions into words by trying to emulate the mindset and emotions, to the greatest degree possible, of the women we dress like!!!!
Carin gave you a great list!!! I think you'll find that, as far as couples go, Carin and Louise have a GREAT relationship -- and I think my wife and I have a great one, too -- and CDing is an essential part of both of our marriages! All of what Carin said was significant, but if I may, a few items really hit me as very important and should be part of what a CDer should tell a SO:
1.) everything is not black and white,
2.) gender identity has natural variations,
3.) that crossdressing fills a void and completes me,
4.) that, indeed, I like to look petty and love to be able to express my feminine side b/c it truly makes me more in touch with my emotions and makes me more sensitive in a very good way.
As Jennifer said, I'd make absolutely certain that any SO/GG I would tell understands that, "I love women! I love everything about them . . . I love women as a man and I love being and dressing like one!" I'd ad that I understand that any SO needs to know that I know that sometimes the SO "needs her man." So, there has to be open communication -- but that is part of being a woman, and if I do have a feminine aspect to my being, I need to emulate that, too, with compassion and understanding.
Well, I hope I have added some insight that will help you!!! I have to end by quoting part of what Rachel said, b/c it is VERY IMPORTANT:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rachel Morley
. . . the best thing that could/should come out of crossdressing is that IMHO all crossdressers should take an interest in women's issues in society today. CDers could and should be able to empathize and show support for women way more than other men generally do in the world today. If we truly want to emulate GGs then it's our duty to do what you can to make things better by learning and supporting women all we can.
Wow! That's powerful -- and ABSOLUTELY true!!!
Hey! Keep posting your questions!!!
Barbara
PS: By-the-way, I used to not think much of tattoos. Then, when I was passing fifty, I decided what a great way to express something about me -- and in a way that the meaning was pretty much exclusive to whomever I decided to share it with. So'ooo, I got a ring of greenery tattooed around my right ankle with a few violets. On the inside, there is a break in the band, and, perpendicular to the band are Chinese letters that stand for "Inner Peace and Happiness to be A Girl." (The symbol for girl can also be interpreted as "feminine" or "female" or "woman.") Why do I tell you this??? Well, my wife was wholly in favor of it -- and we are somewhat conservative and live in the deep south. She was in favor of it and encouraged me to get it b/c she felt it was a permanent expression of my dichotomous personality, even when not dressed -- even when not visible b/c of the necessity of waring long pants from time-to-ime!!! Had I not been honest with her from the start, not only wouldn't I have this wonderful expression of who I am even en drab, but I probably wouldn't even be married to such a wonderful gg!!!!!!! Ironically, in a day when GG's can get tribal tattoos around an ankle or arm and nobody says a thing, I have rec'd a few gances at the "greenery and violets." For the most part, though, nobody has said a thing!!!