CDing, more popular or less?

[Meghan4now]

What do you think? Is CDing becoming more popular or less popular. I think about the number of fun sites from the late 90s and early 2000s that are gone, like Beckysweb, Michelles mid day break, and a slew of other personal sites and blogs, lower participation on Vanity Club, etc. It seems like there are fewer dressing services and local support groups out there. Has CDing seen it's bubble?

Or has the economic and time constraint realities of the web just knocked off the competition, much as the online store knocked more than a few bricks loose from the mortar?

Sigh, missing fun quizzes and TV license apps, cheesy as they were. Should have realized I was really a CD sooner.

[CynthiaD]

Personally, I think CDing has become more ordinary. There's less need for websites and such if you can go out dressed any time you want.

[Dana44]

I think there are two reasons. One the economy is closing stores all over the nation. the other is that a few sties and brick stores are more popular, however many of the mainline women clothes are now having sizes for us. So there is far more places to buy and more CD's out there. I think it is growing.

[Rachael Leigh]

I do think in some ways it is more popular and many do shop in the normal ladies stores as the stigma of men buying women's clothes gets less and less. Economy as well has hurt the small business

[AllieSF]

I ink that how many we truly are in this wonderful and crazy world as a percent of the total is probably pretty consistent, i.e not really influenced by world events or economies. That being said, I do not believe that the total population can currently be measured. Maybe the 2-3% of the population is about correct. Then you get to trying to determine what causes one to CD. As many say here, and I too believe, is that it is something inherent in us, something that we were probably born with. Some recognize it early and others like myself need 60 years to truly try it for the first time.

So, based on that, I do not think that it is necessarily increasing, but rather the world is getting more exposed to the trans world and with the internet and the current worldwide publicity about people and things trans, more people may be feeling more confident and less scared to actually admit to others, even if only on sites like this, that they CD. Therefore, to me, it should appear to some people that there may be more CD's out there than before. More CD's are coming out of the closet.

Regarding the store closures and some of the old trusted internet sites and blogs closing, I think that with more people out there, do it yourself makeup, tucking, shape forming uTube videos out there and probably a very large number of newer CD/Trans sites and blogs out there, people do not need specialty CD/trans stores to do their shopping. From my limited familiarity with those stores (brick and mortar and on line) they tend to be very expensive for very low quality products. It is much easier to shop in the none specialty stores to get better products at lower prices. The specialty stores probably need to charge more because of their low volume, where regular stores have much larger client bases and can charge less for similar products.

This has not been a real coherent reply, but to summarize, I think that the number of CD sightings by the general public is increasing and the number of specialty stores directed toward CD's is decreasing.

[deebra]

I really hope the above threads are correct, that CDing is becoming more seen and accepted. Why not???? We are a little different, women are too, they don't even wear the same color or cut panties every day!!!! See, we are no different than women, we both choose to wear different styles of clothing, just not quite accepted as them wearing different cut/color panties. Once again , let's hope our time/acceptance comes really, really quick. Until it does, look for me in "fem" out and about.

[Krisi]

There are more people in the world today so it's logical that crossdressing is more popular or at least there are more crossdressers today than there were several years ago. Also, the Internet has brought crossdressing more into the open.

[Mink]

they're more often on Reddit or Tumblr or 4chan etc..

also for the younger folk it is less about "crossdressing" (seen as out-dated much like transvestite!) and it's more about being androgynous or genderfluid or a femme boy or who damn knows

a million different terms (but don't you dare label them or put them in a box! they HATE that!) ... it's kind of crazy / maddening ... but amusing too!

you should see how some of these people view CDers and "Hons" and Jenner and late period MTF transors and "fetish" dressers etc on places with youth + no filter (anonymous) like 4chan

hoo boy!

[Teresa]

Megan,
I feel it's more open so it may appear to be more popular, I'm so surprised how many SAs in retail shops and volunteers in charity shops aren't phased by serving a CDer. Many actually want to get into a conversation about it , also one SA came out to me when I asked him to help choose a pair of women's glasses.

[Kate Simmons]

All I know is that I always dressed up whether it was "popular" or not. Works for me.

[SheriM]

I think that most males have a little crossdresser in them, that most either have or would like to try on a pair of panties, etc. I think that many who knock the idea are being macho and don't want to admit that it would be fun. Going all out with skirt, makeup, etc may be another issue. It's just a little more accepted and more are admitting they have tried on a piece of womens clothing and also, being a little more accepted, more are giving in to their desires. I think most males have some crossdresser in them.

[Bobbi46]

Definitely, I would say that there is a greater acceptance of us I have noticed this more whilst shopping and the fact paying for something with painted nails etc dose not seam to phase people as much as I thought. certainly there are many of us out there and when my local nurse saw me for the first time outside my house she told me that she knew many people like me and also was not phased at all with me fully dressed

[Helen_Highwater]

The growth in the acceptance of Gay folks probably has much to do with it in so far as it's been an enabler for much more gender fluidity.

As more youngsters go off to uni and slacken the ties to the nest they're freer to express themselves. It's almost as if for them the idea of crossdressing doesn't exist as they're simply choosing to dress as they see fit often in a more androgynous style. Add to that the fact that not that long ago sex reassignment just didn't exist so CD'ing was as far as anyone could take it. Now there's so many more choices from HRT through to full surgery.

All of these thing means for the young the need to seek support in forums like this is not as pressing as it was. Their circle of friends is more accepting and hence they "blend" into the crowd.

I sometimes think that those here are often those who have come to the realisation that they have these desires just that bit later, even mid 20's, in their lives.