Soo much more than a hobby. More of a Need Part of who I am. My photography, crafting, and other hobbies come and go. The "compulsion" to Dress has never gone away. Now, my collecting more things than I might ever wear out in public could be more of an OCD thing!. Did that with tools over the years. Downsized that, since retired. But my "wardrobe" keeps growing.Toni G..
For me, it's more a hobby than anything else. Probably a lot due to the fact that pretty much all the stuff I crossdress in isn't exactly everyday clothing. Sure, maybe someday I'll go out and get something, but I've always been drawn to the more victorian styles... which also led me to get more involved in cross playing as Disney (and other) princesses. But I do enjoy it as much as anybody else. I sense a change in me when I take the time to dress up and pose infront of the mirror to see a whole different person than the one I've been all my life. It does make me feel good and I know I can turn to it if I have a rough day or just need a break from "everyday me"!
i would have called it a hobby some years ago, but now it is a passion, an obsession or maybe a compulsive behavior. It takes a lot of my creative time away from other hobbies that i used to spend time doing. I have been sculpting hip and butt pads lately instead of building models that i used to make. But i love it and can't do it enough.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lovethatdress/
It's not a hobby in that it is something that I choose to do, It is something that I must do.
Please call me Jamie, I always_have crossdressed, I always will, "alwayshave".
I think I left Hobby territory long ago.
The signposts ahead indicate I'm deep into Lifestyle territory near the Transgender border.
There resides within me a Woman, and she is powerful.
She has been my Grace and Bearing on the stormiest seas.
I could no more deny Her than I would my own soul.
For me I suppose I don't exactly know. A little of both??? I do have a lot of hobbies and interests. I think in my case certain parts of CDing is a hobby - like makeup for example. Trying new products, different looks, colors, and trying to perfect challenging tasks like eyeliner or contouring. I like challenge in my hobbies and for me makeup is a challenge to perfect my look to be feminine and natural (well natural for wearing a lot of makeup...). The feminine feeling from getting dressed and being out shopping with heels on, a skirt, and a purse over my shoulder is more part of who I am.
Absolutely true. Maybe what I should have said was my crossdressing isn't a hobby, but has an aspect to it that could be defined as a hobby. (The collection building, playing with different looks, working on makeup skills, etc.).Originally Posted by Jenny22
Last edited by Bailee; 12-16-2017 at 03:54 AM.
Maybe a minor hobby. I consider my main hobbies as Dungeons and Dragons, and board games since I actually share that with my freinds and family, where crossdressing is something me and my wife only participate in (aside from 2 freinds whom I have come out to, while intoxicated.)
Oh no, not a hobby. It's me as I am. I often do some of my indoor hobbies while dressed but it being a hobby, no.
After quite a few years, started a past time hobby, it escalated as distressing and enjoyable feminine side of life.
a part of my life that is became permanent.
Wanting something is a fantasy which on a long time period clouds your mind and makes you think you need it.
Rayleen
Not a "hobby" for me. I find it to be more about identity and authenticity.
Calling crossdressing a "hobby" gets some people pretty fired up, but for me, I consider it a hobby. My hobby is dressing up and trying to look like a woman. It's not my only hobby of course. I've had many hobbies in my day; model trains, antique clocks, woodworking, auto repair and customizing, computers, music, to name a few.
I enjoy my hobby of crossdressing of course, but it is not my whole life and I don't get irritable or suffer if I can't do it for a while.
Krisi
Interesting question. Speaking for myself and being a hobbyist, I see no relationship. I began dressing long before trains, planes and ships came along. I do both. Hobbies, for me, come and go and, are not, as you mentioned, a “seemingly insatiable urge”. The Pink Fog is always around. Buying and wearing female clothes are compulsive, insatiable parts of my life style. Sometimes, I’m almost embarrassed at my wardrobe...I said, “almost” lol. I can’t wait to see what Santa will bring me. 👗👠💄👜👡
I could say it's a hobby, since I'm still in the closet officially. But on the other hand, it's big part of my every day life as well, since I underdress on a daily basis and wear female clothes and shoes every day at home, if I don't have any visitors.
It’s never felt like a hobby to me. Hobby is such a general word, anyway. It ranges from a distraction to a compulsion. I prefer the word enthusiast to describe myself when it’s an activity I have personal dedication to and for which I feel excited and motivated. But, I am beyond an enthusiast for this activity. It feels deeply personal and I definitely venture into OCD territory. My browsing and buying have lessened but the feeling when I do remains very personal, intimate, and often intense. It penetrates to a part of me beyond other activities I am enthusiastic about.
I have to agree with the OP. Crossdressing is not something I've been involved in all that long, but it has become a hobby for me. It's an activity done in my leisure time for pleasure, it has disrupted some other hobbies but it hasn't moved pass that. For you ladies that crossdress in more everyday life and do it less for pleasure and more just because you're being yourself then I think you are defiantly out of the realm of hobby.
Bailee,
The first time I read someone call it a hobby, I wasn't amused. When you go through so much heartache and cause so much disruption in the family , when you nearly end your life through it but now I'm beginning to to accept it can be a hobby to some. From your description you could call it hobby/ obsession , maybe it's the female side out of control, some women are obsessed with handbags and shoes, which at times i can understand .
One aspect that keeps this under control is budget, " SET A LIMIT !" I promised my wife my CDing wouldn't cost a fortune , most of my stuff comes from charity shops, I probably value my wardrobe as much or more, creating a look and looking good is more of a challenge I really do enjoy that part of CDing but through space and budget it's kept under control.
No CDing is far from a hobby to me but I do now understand Cders who say this, the mistake sometimes made is they assume it's a hobby to everyone , I wouldn't insult my wife and family with that comment and need counselling if that was all it was to me .
I agree to each his own. For me it is a life long hobby! Some take it to the next step some don't. The bride hates it but a friend or two makes it fun! I don't think my family would be comfortable with it. They don't have to be !! For myself it is a life long hobby and they do not have to know !!! Like the lady said each to his own ! Don't judge others and get all pissy with their choices !!
For me it's part compulsion and part hobby.
The compulsion is to occasionally dress. The hobby is collecting clothes and accessories. I feel the same way looking at a clothing catalog as I do looking at a car parts catalog. But instead of "ooh, I want that supercharger", it's "ooh, I want that skirt". Totally different things but the same response. The hobbyist in me wants to collect.
Gnothi Seauton
Re-read the OP if you need to, to see that Bailee never suggested that everyone's crossdressing is a hobby. Her post was all about Bailee's hobby-like view of her own crossdressing, and asked if others felt this way. Some do, some don't. No need to get fired up over how someone describes their own crossdressing.
This is most certainly NOT a Hobby for me.
It's just another part of who I am and the clothing allows me to express my feelings at the moment reflected in what I wear.
I don't wear women's clothes, I wear MY clothes !
I was like the somewhat for me. Now I'm 69 with a load of dresses - blouses a ton of shoes And 50 skirts. I'm Done buying for Angie. And I have a closet and a hafe of things that hang drawers full of bras panties and hose.
Angie
Should see how fired up people get when I describe MY own crossdressing as all fun and games. Whoa nelly does that get folks preaching and stuff, assuming that I am generalizing that all crossdressing is fun and games (in which I do know is not the case for the many, am definitely not oblivious to the diversity of crossdressing)
Last edited by Princess Chantal; 12-18-2017 at 11:47 AM.
Nope. A hobby is something you do for fun, and it's something you can quit and do something else equally as fun.
Crossdressing is neither for me.
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.
It is definitely not a hobby for me. My Gender Dysphoria began when I was a small child and has been with me all my life. Sure the Crossdressing ebbs and flows, but it is always there. It's just how I am. Been that way for 60 years. It will never change.
I have had hobbies at different times in my life and they have never been like my CDing. Hobbies are something you do, as time permits, for fun and enjoyment. You can start and stop when you want, and even change to a different hobby if you want.
My Crossdressing is just an expression of who I am.
Last edited by Anna Stouf; 12-18-2017 at 09:52 PM.
My favorite dress is a Dirndl.
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