Question for "mature" members...

[Barbra P]

When I was much younger I don’t think I thought the urge would just go away although I did go through a purge that lasted a number of years. But then the urge resurfaced and it became really intense – I mean the Pink Fog was thick enough to cut with a knife. My Wife was already retired when I retired and she is only somewhat supportive; I can dress around the house provided it doesn’t get out of hand – in this case out of hand is more than once a week. She does not like me going out and most of the time it is a waste of time to ask her how something looks on me or if she thinks this or that would look good on me.

In 2011 my Daughter asked my Wife what to get me for Father’s Day and I was surprised to learn later that she suggested a pedicure. I walked out of that salon with painted nails and they remained pretty up until a month or so ago, and during this whole time I wore sandals. I have arthritis and I have a tough time reaching my toes so it was just easier to take the polish off rather than try and reapply it. My Wife surprised and gave two gift certificates to a local nail salon for my Birth Day so I could get a pedicure.

My Daughter and her two daughters live with us and it has been a long dry summer but tomorrow my grandkids go back to school and I can go on record and say that my urge to dress is still strong – I’m thinking Wednesday would be a good day. Bought a pair of white Capris for the occasion and I might see if I can find something else too – I’ve been wanted to try a Maxi Dress or Skirt, just haven’t found one in my size that I like that is also affordable. Oh, and some new eye-makeup and maybe a new lipstick, and maybe a new pair of earrings (had my ears pierced a week after my Daughter took me for that pedicure).

So Arianna (or is it Renee) I’d say you can look forward to decades of being in touch with your feminine side. As my Therapist told me, it’s not going away, so accept it, embrace it, but most of all enjoy it and have fun.

BTW: I turned seventy this month.

[Sister Rachel]

Well I'm 56, and definitely too damned old and ugly to be "convincing".. (see photo on left!), but here I am, over fifty years after first experiencing a strong urge to wear "girls' " clothes .. I think I always knew deep down that it wouldn't go away. I have been through phases of suppression and "purging", but now I'm much more relaxed and self-accepting about it, and my wife's acceptance seems to be growing steadily.
I would like to go for a full-on wig and makeup transformation, maybe just once, to get some photos before age really takes it's toll.

[carhill2mn]

My first "dressing" event occured when I was about age 8. I recently turned 75. My desire to be en femme as much as possible is stronger than ever. I now live alone so I am en femme unless my male self is expected some place.

[Heather1129]

I'm about to turn 60, I started when I was in grade school, my sisters had all these cool things I had to try and I never looked back. I think the desire has increased over the years, I finally realized that fighting it was a losing battle so embrace it and enjoy it.

Heather

[Joanne f]

There was once a 50+ thread on here that was for the ones who had been dressing for more than 50 years and like me most if not all said that they use to think that the desire to dress would slowly disappear as you got older but had found that in fact it had got more intense , I do not think that the desire will disappear but the reason that you want to dress may change slightly .

[Eryn]

I didn't dress fully until I was in my 50s. Now I rue the years I wasted by shoving my "shameful thoughts" back into the corners of my mind.

We've done quite a few informal polls on the forum and I believe that the median age of our members is in the 50s. There seems to be something that happens in the late 40s or early 50s that improves our freedom to express ourselves as we wish.

[ArleneRaquel]

My experience has been that as I age, I'm 65, the desire to dress as a woman has increased & increased, where now and since 2004 I am a female(female attired) virtually 24/7. I have know since before the age of ten that I would live as a woman sometime in my adult life.

[Gloriamontrose]

I didn't dress fully until I was in my 50s. Now I rue the years I wasted by shoving my "shameful thoughts" back into the corners of my mind.

We've done quite a few informal polls on the forum and I believe that the median age of our members is in the 50s. There seems to be something that happens in the late 40s or early 50s that improves our freedom to express ourselves as we wish.

That's easy.

1. the kids leave home
2. our disposable income increases with them gone.
3. we care less what other people think - I mean those apart from SO's.
4. SO's sometimes also mature to the fact that that is what you are and there's not much that will change.

Spent an afternoon shopping on line with my wife. Her faved shop had a 40% sale and I bought a new top for me, and a cardigan for her, a prezzie. Gin and tonic time now.

Gloria.

[Gloriamontrose]

My experience has been that as I age, I'm 65, the desire to dress as a woman has increased & increased, were now and since 2004 I am a female(female attired) virtually 24/7. I have know since before the age of ten that I would live as a woman sometime in my adult life.

Me too but not allowed out of the yard. Went out to put the garbage in the dumpster en femme the other night only to be told the following day that there was a bear prowling around at that time.

Years ago when my wife first found out about me she told a friend who was quite worldly wise who told her that my crossdressing would never go away and would get more intense as I got older. She was spot on with that.

Gloria.

[Chrissy52]

So true!

[Kandy Barr]

In my early 20s I first shaved my legs and what little body hair I have and started dressing fully and going out. Through the years I've dressed on and off as the situation and opportunities arose, the desire has never "gone away". Now at 61 and simi retired I dress more than I ever have and have the means and wardrobe to dress more completely. Can't imagine it ever changing..... lol. xxx

[Margaret]

I'm aged 59 and semi-retired. The urge to dress hasn't diminished but the opportunities are still limited. I have partial acceptance from my dear wife including underdressing and purchase of pantyhose. My first dressing experience was at age 4 and has continued on and off for 55 years.

Now if I worked on her need for a maid.....

[Kate Simmons]

Dressing can be a virtual "fountain of youth" for us if it's in our heart. I've recently viewed videos I made of myself en femme dancing to songs over thirty years ago and if anything I look a lot better today due to honing the skills. Thirty years ago I danced in my living room behind closed curtains. Today I dance before hundreds of people at the club and thoroughly enjoy myself. I guess it's pretty much up to each and every one of us to decide just how far and how long we want to go with this.

[Karren H]

Even at 61 I refuse to be "mature".... let alone old....... and I never project what I'm going to be doing in the future.....

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Arianna, I'm 70 and have never even thought of giving it up.

[AlexisRaeMoon]

In fact with womens clothes in the closet and a dresser full of lingerie, it only made things worse. Guess what I was doing every time the SO was out and with us working different shifts at work, I had alot of time alone.

See, that nails it right there. My wife and I are almost the same size, but interestingly, I never even thought to try on anything of hers until we were goofing around one night and she put on of her heels on my foot. Once I realized the shoe fits, I was doomed. It became like a drug addiction. I hope that when I fess up, she'll be as accepting as your wife...

[AlexisRaeMoon]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies, ladies. I have to say, I went into this somewhat expecting the answers I got, but I guess I just wanted to be certain. I can't believe that I used to really believe that I'd wake up one day and the need would be gone. I remember in the early days of prowling around the Internet how great it was to read about other crossdressers describe the urge as something that almost can't be fought. There's times when I'd be laying on the bed, literally shaking because I was facing the opportunity to dress up and trying to physically restrain myself. So much easier to just give in!

[ME2.0]

I'm 39, and have been dressing for about 5 years, but have admired womens clothing for longer. Like you, I love to look in the mirror and see a "fictional" person looking back at me. I use Staci as a release. When I am feeling too tight in my own skin, I can be Staci for a little while and relax. For me, it's not a sexual thing. I don't do it for a sexual fetish or have sex when I'm dressed. I consider Staci to be kind of an asexual virgin.

I've often wondered if Staci was a turning point in my life. I don't want to call it a midlife crisis, but I realize that I rely on Staci more often than I used to as my male life has gotten more stressful. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind being Staci for the last half of my life. Maybe It's a "butterfly" type thing. (Oh god, please don't compare me to Silence Of The Lambs) LOL.

If anything surprises me about it, it's the lengths I will go through (sometimes painful, like electrolysis or uncomfortable-like body shaping girdles) to look more like the woman I want Staci to be.

Hugs,
Staci

[ossian]

51 I've been dressing since 12. It has been this kind of constant humm in my life. Sometimes welcome sometimes not.

[Emogene]

Gloria, like to add one other reason: I'm an old whatever the heck I am and what are they going to do to me! Draft me, did that! Fire me, sorry retired! Frown at me, find someone that gives a rats tush! Life is good en femme and getting better!

[Bethany_Anne_Fae]

The short answer for me... is no. I just turned 50 this year, and I'm dressing up more now than ever before. My circumstances have changed a lot since last year, but I'm living life and enjoying the heck out of the world now.

*hugs*
Bethany

[Oddlee]

Hi

I have a question for crossdressers here that are over, say 35 (arbitrary cutoff!):

I'm 41 years old. I used to think, back probably in my late-teens, early-20s, that there's absolutely no way I'd still be wearing women's clothes this far into middle age. I guess I always figured:
a) I'd be married, with kids, and have to stop, or
b) just be too damn old and not convincing (at least not as much as I perceived I could've been when I was younger).

However, here I am married with children and 41, and the desire to dress, if anything, has only increased in the last 6 or 7 years. I'm not sure if I look any better or worse then I did back then, but I also never had the benefit of makeup or wigs, and I think adopting those two items into my crossdressing has been part of my deepening interest. The more feminine I appear to myself in the mirror, the more fun it is.

What about you more "Mature" girls? Does it ever stop? Did you feel the same way when you were younger? Is anyone else still find themselves somewhat surprised that this is still something you do?

Hi ArrannaRenee,

Not sure I'd classify myself as mature, but I'm 63 and have known about myself for at least 55 years... I don't think marriage and kids have any impact at all for whether we cd or not - the cd factor (in my opinion) is something we have before we are conscious of any sexual ambiguity, and I don't think it changes with age.

My "condition" as a cross-dresser does not seem likely to change. It still seems completely strange to me that someone would prefer to wear the clothes of the other gender (I consider myself male), but I've come to accept that (and I think self-acceptance is a key to emotional health). I spend about half my time dressed. Since I work from home, I can dress as an office girl, typically skirt and some sort of knit top... Lucky...

It's only been the last 5 years or so that I've had the freedom to do this - daughter finished with college and moved out (although she's know of the cross-dressing for 5 or so years). I also have to think that if I knew 40 years ago what I know now, that my gender presentation might be more emphatically and consistently feminine...

Be well,
Lee

[Karen kc]

I'm 56, and have'nt slowed a bit! The older I get, the less I care about who might see my bra straps

[mariehart]

At 53 I'm still the same person inside. I don't dress up as much simply from opportunity. But the interest is still there. I do feel it's a pity I don't dress up more and it's as pity I didn't dress up more when I was younger. Without boasting too much I was very passable. In fact I still have a picture of myself in my forties looking very convincing.

I sometimes feel a real sense of loss for my youth and it's opportunities.

[Mollyanne]

daarleane darling don't scare us like that! It sounds like the desire just keeps increasing as we age.

I CAN IDENTIFY WITH THIS ONE!!!!!! ME DRESSING DESIRES DO GET STRONGER AND STRONGERBUT MY SHOPPING SKILLS GET BETTER AND BETTER!!!!!!

Molly