Would you do it?

[LeslieSD]

Thanks for sharing your opinions.

I have been thinking about what my inner self truly want. And often that is a very hard question to answer. The time needed for preparing is definitely one thing that might get in the way. Job perspective, financial situation, and even the city you live in can affect your desired way of living too.

I used to think I have a definite answer to this question. But now I am really not sure about myself. It is interesting that some of you brought up the term 24x7, which I believe implies "living as a woman". In my mind, I am more thinking about "living as someone who would dress as a woman". I admit that I am partially inspired by Isha's pioneering work here. I am more thinking about the configuration of "dressing in woman cloth", but with people around me knowing that I am just dressing that way, not I am not on my way to get an SRS.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is more complicated than I thought. This is still a binary gender society. If you are a male, the society accepts you. If you have decided to transit into a female, the society is starting to accept you (slowly, but it is getting there). But what is it that I indeed want? Male, but in female cloth? Occasionally? All the time? Where should the society put me? I guess I have to figure out where I want myself to be in in the first place, because we talk about society. But just to get that answer is very hard, though all you need to do is ask you own heart.

[Bridget Ann Gilbert]

Leslie,

You seem to be at the crux of the dilemma all of us who fall in the gender fluid area of the spectrum face. I know for myself there are parts of my male identity I genuinely enjoy, especially being a father, but there are those times when I just need to let my feminine side out. How to balance out both needs? There are no easy answers, just a day by day walk through life. My best advice is to keep close to those who are most important to you. Find out the limits of what they will accept from your dressing and seek fair compromise with them. Best wishes.

Bridget

[kryss.cd]

I wouldn't but then again I only underdress occasionally now. It's been a while since I've worn anything exterior wise.

[TrishaTX]

I would not. I love to do it when I get the "feeling" but I also like being a guy!

[Suzie Petersen]

I read the question like this: "If everybody around me, family, friends, work, vanilla world etc, were perfectly OK with me dressing and/or presenting as a woman, would I do it 100% of the time?"

So never mind the concerns of what anyone would say or do, they are already perfectly fine with me presenting as a female if I want.

So then ... No! I would probably not all the time! But, sometimes I definitely would!

I have always said that if I had been born a girl, I would likely crossdress as a guy some times!

In my perfect world image (it is a secret place in my mind! Please be quiet if you enter!!) I could chose my clothes and presentation every morning as I wanted!
In my life, I sometimes work in a suit, sometimes in jeans and a shirt, sometimes in a civilian version of a military uniform.
In my spare time, I am often in jeans and a casual shirt or a t-shirt.

In my "fantasy" world of the What If, I would still dress like described above some days because it would be practical, but sometimes, now and then, I would dress and look as female as you can possibly imagine!

- Suzie

[Fany27ab]

3 days as a girl 3 days as a boy and 1 day of the week with mixed clothes

[Badwolf]

Leslie presenting as a woman full time necessitates relaxed days as a woman as well. Jeans a t-shirt and all that jazz. A lot of the potential times can be shaved to more reasonable times.

@Suzie Peterson For me if I was born female I probably wouldn't have ended up crossdressing ONLY because girls can wear it all anyways. I think I would probably have been comfortable in all female clothes. Still ifs ands and buts are all just that, hypotheticals. If wearing a guys t-shirt would be considered crossdressing for a girl I'd probably do it but without any type of existential crisis.

[baldy1]

I would like to stay in girlie mode 100% of the time when at home but alas that would not happen due to visitors and 100% of the time when not at home thats 200% of the time but alas it is probably only 25% of the time when at home and 1% of the time when not at home so if i had 200% I would actually only have 26% out of 200 if you could have 200 do the maths?

Julie

[CarlaWestin]

In my life I feel that I have the best of both Male & Female Worlds.

This sums it up for me. I'm a crossdresser. A gender adventurist. There are things that I do in male mode that being in fem would just be a hindrance or distraction. But then, I would love to take on 24/7 for a month or two just for the thrill of it.

[kimdl93]

For me it's an definite Yes! I would strongly prefer to live full time as a woman, and hope to reach that point in the years ahead. I hope you can do the same, if it's what you desire.

[claire_hollinger]

I would without hesitation if it weren't for my wife....I think that my children would take it well, but my wife wasn't a lesbian when we met, and isn't now. I would lose her, and for her sake, I repress a lot of my desires. Ideally, we would both be the woman in the relationship, but it isn't going to work out that way. We all make sacrifices for our family, this is mine.

[Georgina]

No I wouldn't. My work requires protective clothing which is male. I would like to wear female clothes in my leisure time, which I do at home at the moment, but will not, outside home, until we don't have to disguise ourselves as female.

[sarahcsc]

Most people don't realise that they are dressed almost 100% of the time, it just depends on how you define 'dressed'.

Is wearing a pair a silk knickers underneath your suit tie considered 'dressed'?
Is putting on make-up (a lot of metrosexual males do) considered a part of being 'dressed'?
Is growing out one's hair considered part of 'dressing'?

Most of us find a comfortable compromise between an overt and covert expression of our gender.

For many of us, an overt expression causes more problems than it solves, hence we adopt a covert expression.

I for example, wear a feminine necklace all the time.

I clutch it intermittently during the day without even realising it.

So, am I dressed 100% of the time? Well, that is up to you and me to decide.

Love,
S

[sometimes_miss]

We already have the option to dress as women 100% of the time. The question then becomes do we want to put up with all the potential problems that will arise from doing so. If I were young and could pass as a beautiful woman, with no problems arising just because of what I chose to wear, then perhaps yes; I feel quite normal when dressed as a girl and going about my day as if I were. But that's not the case, I will never resemble an attractive woman; So I'd have to say no.

[LeslieSD]

Most people don't realise that they are dressed almost 100% of the time, it just depends on how you define 'dressed'.

To me, "dressed" means that to people unknown of me, I would almost be recognized as a woman. I have always looked at people at work who dressed nicely with a lot of envy. I wish I could do that everyday.

By the way, have I told you that you looked wonderful in your avatar picture.

We already have the option to dress as women 100% of the time. The question then becomes do we want to put up with all the potential problems that will arise from doing so.

Being able to pass is one part of the problem. Making that your spouse can accept that is another hard part.

[Marie-Claude, France]

Definitely, yes. I find myself very attractive as a lady, whereas as a man I don't like myself.
The only problem would be wearing a wig in windy days, which is very common in Southern France...

[Claire Cook]

In the best of all worlds, i certainly would. As it is, i present as female as often as I can, but most of the time present as male (work, with relatives or friends who do not know,on the golf course with buddies). For me, it is not a question of days when I "feel" male or female, since I always feel like "me". It's a question of which mode of dress is appropriate for the moment.

[Karen RHT]

I truly enjoy being able to dress as I please inside our home. I would like to enjoy dressing as I please outside our home. If society was good with that, I would wear what I want, when I want, where I want. Unlikely I would constantly wear clothes labeled exclusively for one gender or the other.


Karen

[Judith96a]

Like others here, I'm a part-timer! So... no, I wouldn't cross-dress 24/7/365. However, I might very well want to dress 24/7 for a few days in a row reasonably regularly! That would really confuse folks. And don't ask whether it would be "live in girl mode with regular boy-mode breaks" or vice-versa because I just don't know.
Having said all that, there's not the remotest chance of it ever being reality for me.

[Helen 2]

After yesterday, I would say 'no way...it's too much work!' LOL!!
Let's see:
- two hours to get ready for an early dinner and a night out at CC's (a local LGBT hangout)...
- difficulty in finding parking, walking six blocks in 4" heels and then the reverse after...
- getting a run in one of my stockings from an errant screw under the dinner table. 'Screw' as in 'a fastener'. Thank God for Mom and her 'girls always carry an extra stocking or two' training...
- corset beginning to dig into me after a few hours....
- walking another three blocks to CC's, dancing for a few hours and walking back again after...
- ten minutes in the bathroom every time I have 'to go' because there are girdles to remove, stockings to re-adjust, makeup to be re-touched...
- a half-hour removing everything when I got home, by which time my feet and ribs were reeeallly feeling it...

...and do that every day?? I'm with Jenniferathome.... I don't think so. ;o)

Ahh...but it was still wonderful.
Hugs.....

[Caden Lane]

I keep seeing ladies who say they would, save for the shaving and prep-work. I think such a question assumes certain things; like if you were planning to live full time, you would have taken some efforts to make it easier. In my case, I would certainly take the opportunity to live full-time. I, like many others, find it to be a life-long dream. In recent days, it has had me questioning the very nature of who I am. I've known for quite some time I am far more than a crossdresser, my needs go beyond those of your typical CD. Although I am not sure I would be diagnosable as TS. I feel to..., and i hope this doesn't seem offensive to anyone, but I feel too well adjusted to be TS. I do not seem to have the multitude of Gender Dysphoria issues I've seen other TS cope with through my years. But I do know I do not feel comfortable in my own skin. As a male I feel awkward, out of place, socially inept. As Caden I tend to feel fluid, and confident, assertive and powerful. But given certain things which have come up in my personal life and which I've blogged about, I will be having a series of very frank conversations with my psychologist, to see if perhaps we can get to the bottom of my feelings and thoughts.

Ever & Always,
Caden Lane