Do you enjoy being yourself?

[Kate Simmons]

Many gals on here kind of downplay their male lives and experiences and many cast them in a negative light because they would rather be women.Kind of understandable I guess because it is a crossdressing forum. So, my question is do you ever enjoy being yourself as a man? I have come to terms with my own particular duality and understand that there is a time and place for everything. That having been said, when my children were growing up, my family and enjoying my family always came first and the CDing always played second fiddle. Not that it didn't rear it head at the most inopportune times until I finally got a handle on it.

The thing is while it lasted I really enjoyed being a husband and father and wouldn't change that experience one iota. There are definite rewards being a father that cannot be matched, even en femme. Seeing my children laughing and happy gave me a great deal of satisfaction.

Now I have the pleasure of helping with my grandsons and there is nothing like it. I've never been a macho type, never will be but will always be a loving father and grandfather.I feel really blessed to look at life from both sides of the fence but will never totally forsake my manhood for the fore going reasons. How do you all feel about this?

[gender_blender]

I enjoy my life's fluidity.

[Lisa X]

I agree with you 100%. I enjoy my life as a man and being a husband and father. Cross dressing is a part of my life and it allows me to express another side of me. I try to keep it in balance and enjoy the CD experience when I can.

Lisa

[Alice Torn]

Good thread Kate. Since i have spent about a tenth of my life working on my cars, and like to fish, and used to play sports, and shoot guns, and have done mainly hard physicaal work, yes, i do value my maleness, and i also have not been macho. Never got to br a husband, or father, though. My human father is a very emotionally immature man, not someone to copy, but, i am a lot like him, anyway. Yes, i try to balance my two sides, but i am in male mode 99% of time.

[AllieSF]

Totally happy being who I am, male 90% of the time and dressed as a female the other 10%. I do in female mode what I also do in male mode. My personality is basically the same, so, I am me and I love me.

[Lesley_Roberta]

Round pegs and square holes

But what about me, I'm a triangle damn it

[Kate Simmons]

Many of us are very adept at putting round pegs in square holes and even triangular ones my friends. If the conditions don't allow for it, we change the conditions much like Admiral Kirk did in the Cadet impossible "Kobayashi Maru" test in "Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan." It's our program, high time we changed it to make it work for us, no?

[Bree Wagner]

I'm also completely happy with who I am as a man, a husband, and a father. There's no way I'd give that up. It's absolutely full of positive experiences professionally and personally. I can treat crossdressing almost like a hobby that I really, really, enjoy and would do a bit more of if given the opportunity.

-Bree

[sandra-leigh]

Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe.

In high-school, mid 1970's, I was part of a small but close group of male friends, 2/3 of whom were amongst the brightest in the school, and with them it was no problem at all to be more intellectually oriented. I think it plausible that in that time and place, a similar group of females would not have been allowed that kind of freedom.

The work I ended up doing... as time progresses, I can see that the boss I ended up working for tends dismiss the accomplishments of women unless they are extraordinarily accomplished. I don't think I would have had the freedoms I've had over the years if I had been female: I suspect that if I had been female, then even if I had worked twice as hard, I would have been judged to fall short. As is sometimes said, "A woman has to work 10 times as hard to be considered an equal."

My solo travels in Europe would probably have been more difficult and risky if I had been female.

These things are not, however, about my enjoying being male: they are about what is sometimes termed "male privilege".

I don't know if there has been anything particular about being male that I have enjoyed. Not that I've hated it either. My adult life has, to a large extent, been a life lived somewhat apart where my gender was not an important consideration.

[Xrys]

You chose interesting wording for your question. Do I enjoy Being myself? To be honest, I am not quite sure. The me that I have been, I feel is not really me, but a list of traits and responses I copied from other males growing up in order to blend in. I have been wearing this costume so long, I have forgotten most of the real me. I am so anxious to start therapy, so I can start putting come cracks in this disguize I have hidden behind. I can't wait to meet myself. I expect to enjoy being myself. Right now, however, I dont think I really know her well enough to say.

[Sandra1746]

I also self-identify as transgender. I can't say I have been "diagnosed" as such because I have never gone to a therapist. I saw no need to have someone else tell me what I can figure out for myself. On the Benjamin Scale I am between levels 3 and 4.

What this means is that I drift between Fem and Male personas and dressing modes, almost seamlessly. There is no conflict here, the two sides of my personality inhabit the same mind and body and get along well with each other. I find the Fem side expressed more when I am happy though.

As far as hobbies go, I can find plenty of examples of women who do "rough" work so using that as a distinction is difficult. Being a father is certainly one unique male trait; but I never did that.

I dress regularly in "plain Fem" clothing and have adopted other Fem accessories and traits that I find pleasant. I dress in a skirt and top around home frequently and sometime I may wear one out in public. I like being myself.

Be yourself, however you find yourself,
Sandra1746

[Chardonnay Merlot]

I would go even farther to say that exploring my feminine side in greater detail has made me a better human being as a whole.

On short, I love me some me exactly the way the Good Lord made me.

[Brittany CD]

I enjoy being my male self very much

[Frédérique]

Do you enjoy being yourself?

[SIZE="2"]I’ve been myself for so long I know of no other way to BE... [/SIZE]

Many gals on here kind of downplay their male lives and experiences and many cast them in a negative light because they would rather be women. Kind of understandable I guess because it is a crossdressing forum. So, my question is do you ever enjoy being yourself as a man?

[SIZE="2"]It all depends what your definition of “man” entails. I enjoy being a male, specifically a boy, and that feeling firmly entrenches me in the crossdresser camp, since I dress up on occasion purely for pleasure. I don’t fill my head with the obligatory transgendered thoughts, but I tend to observe and comment upon the type of male behavior I wish to distance myself from – I’m constantly reeling my male self in, and letting HER be more visible...

As such, the male that I am is quite different from the male others would want me to be, but this is the version that pleases ME. I don’t want to actually be a woman (which was another one of your questions, I believe), so I use what I have and push the proverbial envelope in gender terms. Not to do so would be downright criminal, since I would be very unhappy as a typical male, doing typical male things – being “myself” means dressing up to let the “self” see the light of day, and she is very pretty...
[/SIZE]

[Gillian Gigs]

After coming to the point of self acceptance, I can say that I have come to enjoy myself and my life. There are guy things that I do with my sons that I would never do without, and it is getting closer to football season once again. I guess in my case I am a guy that just likes to dress in lingerie and a skirt, lets not forget the shoes too. Womens clothing is interesting and mens are drab, what more can I say. I am just trying to get the best of both worlds, and it seems to be working for me. It also helps having an accepting SO.

[Lesley_Roberta]

It's not easy.

First off Leslie hates men (its all the history he learned), it has poisoned his feelings towards his gender.
Second, well, I wish I could just snap my fingers and be as female as my wife is. Then I wouldn't need to even be here learning about crossdressing.
But the problem is A. Leslie is still here, and B. he's a married man. And snapping my fingers, becoming a real female would tend to ruin Leslie's sex life not to mention it does tend to leave his wife out in the cold, and would really bugger up father's day.

And I tend to be something of a hostile feminist when I don't hold myself in check.

Not easy 'liking' myself considering the above. And being stuck in this classic looking out of shape older male body doesn't do a lot for my mood. I was sitting in Timm Horton's today, observing guy after guy walk in, typical jeans, typical gut, typical belt stuck way low under that gut. Yuck. I am sure I look fairly similar even if my waist is maybe a lot less sag in front. But it's still there. And really, that sort of shape, makes wearing a skirt or dress just a bad idea. Ideally, I want to be able to just pass on fake boobs and just play the 'I'm a flat chested girl' look. Hey not all girls have big boobs. But with a male pattern male gut, it isn't going to work.

So I am hammering away at loosing the weight. Not easy though. Shopping today and looking at the Lean this, and Fat free that and 50% less fat and Blue Menu labels and realising, I likely will need to start being more interested in eating more ruthlessly managed intakes of that which makes us fat. Because just walking is alright, but it is slow, and well, all the walking is beating the hell out of the legs too.

I am not having a lot of success 'liking' Leslie's things. I feel like a stranger in my own home. Just can't seem to relate.

The baths help, the scents help. I am thinking of legally changing my name to Lesley Roberta [insert surname here]. Doesn't produce any problems for other family members where surname is concerned, and I get to feel like I am really the me I want to be 'see, here's my credit card, I really am Lesley Roberta'.

[Stephanie47]

I have been perfectly content being a male and doing "male things" with my family. Letting Stephanie push her twin brother away for periods of time has actually made her twin brother a better man.

[Kelley]

I like my male side as much as my female side I love doing the things men do including being a father to a son and a husband to my wife. I also love the variety in life my femme side gives me. I guess you can say we have the best of both worlds

[Marleena]

Another great thread Kate!

After 50+ years of being a guy I have it down to a science. I only use it for family obligations now, I prefer female mode. Things sometimes change for the better.

[ArleneRaquel]

I enjoy being Arlene and I dress as female as close to 24/7 as possible.

[sissystephanie]

I have always enjoyed being myself!! First and foremost I am a man. Yes, I do love to wear feminine clothing, but underneath those things I am still a man and always will be!! I do not have, and never have had, any desire to actually be a woman. I had a very happy married life for almost 50 years before cancer took her, and my children think I should live to be at least 100 years old. That means that I have 20 years to go!! BTW, my 2 children do know that I crossdress and don't care as long as they don't see me dressed!

[Beverley Sims]

I also enjoy both sides of the fence.
The grass really is green on both sides.

[Jennifer W]

As I have no desire to be female, I do indeed enjoy being a man. I'm not a handy-man by any means, but I can do some guy things and what I can't do my son usually helps with. As I've stated before, I just happen to like lingerie. Everyone has their own desires and my desire is to be a man who has a fairly good grip on his feminine side and isn't afraid of it.

[PretzelGirl]

I am not a man who hates his femininity and I am not a man who is very masculine. In life we should accept all that we are and enjoy life and each other. So I enjoy all of what I am. I don't see my femme side as "rearing its ugly head" because there is nothing ugly about it. Enjoy what you have and life's pleasures are that much greater.

[Alice B]

All the time I have a very good life on both sides of the coin.