When I was younger it was easy to get turned on looking in the mirror but now that I'm in my late fifties it's much more work!
When I was younger it was easy to get turned on looking in the mirror but now that I'm in my late fifties it's much more work!
"This is ME" I am not CRAZY, I'm just a GUY who likes dresses!
Since allot of men dress up in woman's clothing that makes it a manly thing to do!
Much more fun than fishing.
I do construction like house building and I love CD-ing, what's the difference?
My wife and I have spent many hours and dollars to improve my feminine appearance to the point that, now, we think I'm looking the best ever. Hardly a day goes by that I don't try to improve and practice some aspect of the many phases involved in achieving the best appearance possible including walking, feminine body language, sitting, etc. Her help and advice have been invaluable. When you see my before and after images, it's almost startling. So, yes, when I look in the mirror, I smile at my/our successful achievement. Do I get turned on? No. So far, its been an enjoyable journey and the future looks positive.
Interesting thread! I'm not turned on when presenting en femme at all but I do find myself attractive...but when I present full on guy I find myself attractive as well.
Now why I think this is such an interesting thread.
I'm a very open minded gender fluid narcissist and I think I make a better looking woman than a man...I think that's why I do this!
Robin,
I agree with your last line, I prefer to look like Teresa, I've never dared do the boy/girl thing in pics section but I'm working on it.
At this stage in my life Katey, it's based on hiding the signs of aging. lol. I like to look as healthy as I can. But, I do make a conscious effort to not send "sexy" type signals when I dress. Although I did in my youth (I enjoyed getting appreciative glances from men and I do think we are hard-wired for this especially when young), I'm past that stage now and I no longer enjoy short skirts, stilletto heels, plunging necklines, body-hugging clothes, or any other similar signal ... and besides, I no longer have a 35 year old body. I think these clothes look out of place on women past a certain age. I do dress in a manner that befits the occasion but I tend to go for simple, classic clothing ... nothing really eye catching. I place a lot of focus on keeping my skin healthy and wrinkle-free with a good cleansing routine and sunblock and a healthy diet. And when out, I place more focus on being outgoing and engaging with people (I love to get to know people and make friends) than the clothes. And I think this is what shines through in all of us. Go to any party and which guest will you enjoy spending time with. A person who makes you feel comfortable, is lively and interesting to talk to but who is wearing plain clothes, or a person who is not all that interesting but is dressed to kill.Originally Posted by Katey888
And Reine, surely when you have the opportunity to get a little glammed up, you can't just base that look on what you believe others may find attractive - it must be more what your own perception of what you understand and feel is attractive too...?
And I certainly never became aroused by wearing something sexy, unless of course wearing these things aroused my partner, or if I was "in the mood" even before putting anything on in which case it didn't matter if I put on a sexy dress, a pair of jeans, or if I was naked. So it has always been either my own inherent arousal (non-presentation related) or my partner's arousal that did it for me and not the clothes I was wearing or the look that I had put together.
Last edited by Lorileah; 06-27-2016 at 01:32 PM. Reason: removed reference to deleted part
Reine
Well isn't this a mixed bagAlot of interesting replies. In other threads and in this one some have said that they try to emulate what they find attractive in a woman. But may not be attracted to themselves. This is understandable as maybe they feel they don't measure up to their expectation. Being turned on by dressing is another matter entirely, although it excites us all in some way its not always sexually I get that. I wonder though given that most of human natures attraction is based on the sexual aspect coupled with my point on emulating attractiveness and not feeling turned on, it's an interesting contrast showing just how different we veiw our dressing and our aesthetic veiw on both our male and female selfes
Last edited by xNicolex; 06-27-2016 at 08:36 AM.
My Instagram xnicolex1988
I am still learning, so I haven't perfected my femme self yet. But I did once hear that when me dress as women, they tend to dress as the type of woman they would date.
The image I would like to achieve is that of a young woman that I would consider attractive and sexy. If that were possible, at 60 years of age, I would then be very attracted to myself. Right now, not so much. The clothes make me FEEL like I could be sexy and attractive but the mirror destroys the illusion.
I used to think that I dressed according to what attracted me but that's not really it. What is arousing to me is not myself dressed or the clothes or even the idea of myself as a woman. It's stripping myself of any shred of masculinity. That usually involves associating myself to symbols of femininity (crossdressing, androphilia) but can be done other ways. I'm not particularly attracted to ultra feminine women, anyway. In fact, I tend to go for the opposite type.
Out of curiosity, why would you find this arousing?
... and doesn't it take presenting as a woman to strip yourself of masculinity? I mean, you can't do that by just being naked?
Hope you don't mind the question, but I don't recall reading anyone put it that way before.
Reine
I am attracted to my fem self, I dress and try to look like a woman I would be attracted to, I wear shoes, dresses, etc that I think are pretty and would like to see on women....pretty things but not tooo ****ty, I have nice legs and love nice legs on women...I guess I do occasionally get turned on by looking at pics I have taken of myself, I am amazed at how well I can look feminine sometimes
I wouldn't choose for it to be arousing as no one really chooses what turns them on. My belief as to how I ended up with this "condition" stems from the following facts:
I experienced much abuse in childhood, much of it of an emasculating nature, in addition I was very timid, shy, and sensitive in a hyper masculine environment which predisposed me to doubt my ability to express masculinity even more. The abuse and anxiety I experienced caused me PTSD. One feature of PTSD is the tendency to revisit the trauma. This tendency is an imprint that can take a lifetime to undo. Sexual imprints also occur early in life and around puberty. Masochism is a is a psychological defense mechanism where one replaces pain with pleasure. Masochists don't enjoy pain, they convert it. In my case, I converted the pain of emasculation anxiety into sexual arousal. I didn't do it on purpose, it just happened. This happened around puberty so it became a permanent sexual imprint that competes with and sometimes overwhelms my more heteronormative attractions even though most of the issues I had at the time have been resolved long ago. That's what I've come up with so far.
Emasculation fetishes can take many forms that do not necessarily involve overt feminization: Female Domination, cuckoldry, adult baby, CBT just to name a few. Not everybody has the same preference for themes. But it's interesting how these other themes seem to be highly correlated with crossdressing.
Dressing is not particularly a 'turn on' for me. I seldom get aroused at all while dressed. (Being well-tucked kind of prevents that physiological response, at least for me.)
I dress because it seems to fill a need that I have for being seen and appreciated. I get far more complements on my clothes and personal appearance as a woman then I ever get as a male. I meet many more people, of either gender, who are willing to dance with me when I am a female than when I am a male. It feels good, emotionally, for me to be seen and perceived as a woman and positively responded to, even if no one does anything overtly affectionate to me beyond dancing and hugs.
Early on there was a bit of a kinky aspect to it for me. But as it's progressed, that has become far less important than presenting well and being accepted as a woman by others.
I try to be attractive, and to some extent I seem to succeed. Certainly I've had quite a few 'passes' made in my direction - people of either gender buying me drinks, telling me outright that they find me attractive, or asking to get more intimate. So to some segment of the population, I know I am attractive as a woman. At a dance at a gay and lesbian nightclub a while ago, I was dancing with another girl (a GG), and she playfully tried to beckon a man on the sidelines to join us. He declined her offer. I beckoned to him a heartbeat later, and he came right out and danced with us. Now yes, that was likely a gay male, who saw me as a cross-dressed man that he found attractive, and who wasn't attracted to what he perceived as a GG lesbian lady. But there remains the fact that he chose me over a rather attractive GG!
Last edited by Ceera; 06-27-2016 at 09:15 PM.
No, I'm not that conceited.
Some causes of crossdressing you've probably never even considered: My TG biography at:http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...=1#post1490560
There's an addendum at post # 82 on that thread, too. It's about a ten minute read.
Why don't we understand our desire to dress, behave and feel like a girl? Because from childhood, boys are told that the worst possible thing we can be, is a sissy. This feeling is so ingrained into our psyche, that we will suppress any thoughts that connect us to being or wanting to be feminine, even to the point of creating separate personalities to assign those female feelings into.
sometimes_miss, attraction isn't a decision or judgment, it's a feeling -- nobody here is saying that they believe they are hottest girl in their home state. Nobody here is being conceited with their honest responses. They're talking about a feeling that is strange and unexplainable, and surely you can relate to that. No need to shame people for their feelings.
Since I discovered I don't have a "fem side", I'm kinda the poster dresser for this. From that day on I've been turning Sherry into any and every attractive female from my imagination!
As Nicole said, I KNOW which looks r most likely to turn me on.
Of late, I've moved on and tried to mimic women I don't find attractive just to see if I can do them. I swear, I never had a thing for the Wicked Witch of the West. Altho, I thot Glenda was pretty cute!
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(Can't show u what I look like without the swim suit. But, u get the idea.)
Maybe others can't, Reine. But, with my suit? I find becoming a naked female can be VERY exciting and often arousing!
U know what they say is the best cure for an older man's sexual disfunction? "A new 25 year old women!"
I'm single and over 70. I discovered Sherry's endless characterizations were more stimulating than the 60+/- y/o women I used to date!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
LOL, Sherry, you're cheating. You wear a skin suit and mask.
I hadn't thought of those. Now I understand, thanks.
Last edited by ReineD; 06-28-2016 at 12:32 AM.
Reine
sort of. I definitely find myself better looking when in femme clothing. especially clothing that accentuates my positive body parts. turned on? ahh not really as I'm getting older. but I'd lie if I said that was true 100% of the time
I do get turned on sometimes when I look in the mirror and I definately do try to dress like a woman I would find attractive. As a guy. Sometimes it's the excitement of how I can get dolled up as a woman that turns me on a little, it's almost like I'm looking at pictures of another person
Oh yes Nicole , I certainly do get aroused and excited by my femme self. That's very much on of the attractions of dressing for me. I love looking at myself in the mirror when I'm looking very femme and sexy and seeing a woman my male self would enjoy admiring. I take lots of pics and take much pleasure in browsing through them and see a sexy and desirable woman .
Attracted to myself while dressed as a woman?
Hmm, let me think.
Y'all have seen some of my outfits, right?
I've waited so long for this time. Makeup is so frustrating. Shaking hands and I look so old. This was a mistake.
My new maid's outfit is cute. Sure fits tight.
And then I step into the bedroom and in the mirror, I see a beautiful woman looking back at me.
Smile, Honey! You look fabulous!
I've been thinking about this thread since it was started and I would have said no, but tonight I was tinkering around with some makeup and went for the really deep dark eyeliner which I normally think is attractive on women, and yea I looked in the mirror in a different way than I normally do. Kinda liked the person that was looking back at me. Not in a "turn on" kind of way, I'm just finally really happy with the way I look, which is why I'll take this opportunity to thank everyone in here for being so supportive to each other.
I would say yes. Because on more than one occasion my wife has asked me "Why do you look like me when you are dressed up?"
Being fully dressed up is already thrilling itself.
I have to admit that I find some of the pictures I take of myself to be fairly attractive.
Melissa: "... and why are you dressed as a woman?"
Coach McGuirk: "Because it's freeing."
-Home Movies
(cartoon series)
Shoe size: 9 US women's.
Dress size: M to L; 8-10.
Height: 5' 6".
Yes, I am attracted to myself enfemme.... and was turned on when I was young, not much anymore.... One reason, maybe, I was not tucking when I started CDing.
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