Age and Dressing...

[Karmen]

I am in my early 40s and older I am, more I want to dress. Nowadays I wear male clothes only for work and when I go out during the day or with friends, since I'm single and live alone. I'm still in the closet and likely will stay like that, except if I get caught and word gets around. But my occasional night walks in the other part of town become throughout last few years much more frequent and I underdress all the time now, even for work and going out with friends.
I even underdressed last time I went on a date too. I tough if she decide to invite me home and undress me on a first date, she is probably enough open minded she might accept crossdressing. If she won't, at least I won't waste extra time on her to find out much latter she hates this. Five years ago this kind of behaviour would be unthinkable for me.

[Stephanie47]

I've been retired a full nine years, almost ten. Yes, there is no worry about the effect of any disclosure on employment. Until my wife's recent surgery followed by cancer treatment she was still working while I was the 'house husband en femme.' With her being home it has cut down on opportunities to dress. That is a downside of both spouses being retired in a DADT marriage. My opportunities have gone from five days a week for seven hours to an occasional day or half day when she does work. Summers have always been out since she is a teacher. There are many threads on this site of discord between the spouses while still working. You need to foresee the time when each spouse will be home 24/7. There may be less concern about revealing to others, but, it does not necessarily mean unbridled opportunities. Although the time to be en femme has decreased I haven't been climbing the walls. I attribute that to the fact my wife and I are in a true DADT marriage. She does not give any hints or reminders that she is not appreciative of my dressing desires. No barbs. No snide remarks. Really no discord. If she were to act like some wives I read about on this forum, I think I'd go nuts. I cannot stand any kind of nagging.

[CarlaWestin]

Well, my dressing started as curiosity as a pre-pubescent teen. The youngest of five raised with sisters and witnessing my mom scurrying around in fabulous foundations, hosiery and makeup as she got ready for work in the morning. Her bras and stocking just called for me from the drawer. Then the mystical time of discovering girls, dating and women in general lent itself to a shortcut of just being the perfect buxom woman of my desires. As I went through the usual life wringer, feminizing was a fabulous escape and a special activity that just one upped everything else. And I noticed guys around me worrying about their testosterone levels lowering as they aged. Not a worry with me. So now at near 62, I'd love to have male dressing be something I did only occasionally. The way I see it, it's just a natural progression that society seems to be at odds with.

[Teresa]

Lacy,
Although my Cding started at 8-9 years old, it's now that I'm in my mid sixties that all the circumstances have come together so I can accept it. I've only been going out dressed for two years but in that time a whole new World has opened up. Unfortunately I now have to accept that 43 years of marriage is about to end because I need my freedom to dress as I choose .

Age is double edged, some days it's too easy to say I'm getting too old for all this, gladly most of the time I feel young enough to enjoy all the aspects of it .

[Susan Smokes]

I feel I have become more open, even though I still have one foot in the closet. I think age plays a factor for me, because, I was 51 before I started dressing, and began getting in touch with my true self. It has been almost 2 years since Susan was born, and I am glad I found Her, but like many on here have said, until I retire, and have the freedom that comes with it, there will be a part of Susan that will stay in the shadows. As for the younger generation, I will just wish them the best, and hope society is more accepting when they reach my age.

[Hannahhot]

For me. It's been something I've always enjoyed, but never really been serious about. Still, wouldn't say I am serious about it. That being said, I have noticed older members. I am, how do I say, a little more than half way to getting my money back from the government (if it still exists then). lol

In terms of being more open or anything (in my generation), I guess it is a possibility. But, I don't think I'll ever test the waters with my life. I'd accept others, no problem though.

[sarah_hillcrest]

At 38 I feel like a kid here. LOL. But in all honestly I've always enjoyed the friendship of people older than me.

I'm going to throw out a reason I don't think has been mentioned.

Young people today don't use the same internet that I learned to use in 1999. They gravitate to mobile centric resources designed around modern social media. If they visit a forum it's most like a very specific forum for only a handful of hardcore users. They seem to form super "niche" groups that orbit around a specific Pop cultural icon.

I also think young TG people are more concerned with "feels" and less about appearance and presentation. I also think that their age group has grown up with Trans issues being mainstream and therefore see far less stigma then those of us in the earlier generations. I know that when I first came to understand the difference between TG and TS I felt like someone had turned on the light in the basement of my brain.

[sometimes_miss]

I don’t think the younger cders have any, or few, doubts....they do what they want, depending on how they feel, i.e. the m-f transgenders.

If that were true, you'd see far more of them out there. Even us older ones number about one in forty, and that's the ones who will admit to doing it. If millenials were really so care free about it, we'd see a whole lot more of them crossdressing. I don't think we're to the point yet where it's not still considered a turn off to most women. That's probably the biggest issue; it's hard enough to get a date, much less go and intentionally eliminate 99% of the potential mates.

[Viggy]

Now I'm 60 years old, and I think one reason is, when we are older, we don't need to prove any more that we are male.

Men are growing up in a prison of male rules and behaviors we have to satisfy to be real male. Female can wear trousers, short hair, shoes looking like mens, but they are always female, naturally, nobody doubts. If men like attributes, colors, hobbies, clothes that are dedicated to female, they are gay or no longer a proper guy. Growing up we don't know about our prison, because it's our world, like the fish in the little glass.
But when we are older, maybe having children, we no longer don't need to prove to ourselves the we are male. It's easier to accept the role in our bodies, that isn't new, but no longer suppressed. And of course we have internet now, and learn that we are not alone, their are many others in the same situation.

Well, it's good for us old guys, but hard for our wifes. My wife was married for over 30 years with a guy who was a guy. Maybe I never was a macho, but even for myself I didn't know about the little women in me, till before 3 years.

[BrendaPDX]

I think this site is less dramatic, has less drama, and more careful of content. I like it because I have outgrown the porn end of things, and enjoy well thought out postings. Younger people are just a likely to CD and TG, they just have more colorful sites (I am guessing). Yes I am in the later half of my life too. Brenda

[Sabrina.K]

I'm about to turn 37 and I'm starting to lose my cute youthful looks

Even though I dress for fun, and not to pass, it still bothers me that I'll not look as good anymore. Putting me off doing it anymore.

[leotard fan]

46 of live and about 43 of CD!

[7ftEmily]

I suppose I can answer from the bottom of the spectrum haha. I’m 24yo, been dressing since I was roughly 8 and been openly dressing mornings and with the SO for about 6 months or so. I don’t think she has the answer to whether you get comfortable or more accepting. I think it’s more of an internal realization. I never thought I’d be able to dress outside my own home until about 4 months ago when I decided to go out before the sun decided to shine. I stopped at a gas station and filled up my tank and grabbed a coffee. There just seems to be a point you hit where you say “enough is enough” and quit hiding yourself. Similar to behaviors hidden from friends/co-workers. You get tired or stressed from always hiding it and decide one day that it’s time for Emily ( or in your case Lacy ) to make an appearance in the outside world.

Emily

[kimdl93]

I’ve certainly changed, becoming more tolerant of myself and others. It seems society has as well.

[Dena]

I'm 56, started when I was 10. My dressing peaked in my 30's, when I ventured out in public dressed up. I got tired of fighting my body hair, and now rarely dress completely.

[Stephanie43]

I started around age five. I’m in my early forties now. Have been CD’ing pretty much that entire time. Wearing mom’s clothes progressed to her heels, then experimenting with her makeup. For me now it’s all those things including a wig. My wife says I can’t go out of the house like that tho, which is fine by me.

[lingerieLiz]

I think a lot is financial independence. I reached it while relative young, but continued to work. It did mean that I didn't have to worry about my job. When your customer needs you more than you need them it is amazing about your liberation. I no longer accept work requests. Life is fun.

[Jaymees22]

I dressed the first time at age 7, then at 17 then took a long break until I was 67. I think after I retired and my wife was still working, I had a lot of time on my hands so what else could I possibly do but put on a dress! I think the forum format probably appeals more to us older girls.