How old were you when the urge appeared?

[Bilinda]

Well Emily Anderson, I was raised in the sticks up in Vermont. I had to work hard at an early age, and it was just kind of a type of life you wore stuff for being practical. Heck even the girls up there wear rubber boots, coveralls and wool underwear!

So I was not really exposed to much "girly" stuff, even around women. I do remember slipping on moms pumps, maybe feeling her undies in the wash. But no, not too much else.

It was only once I put on that dress that I just seemed to feel something. I know it's more that just a fetish, cause if that was the case I'd just keep some stuff for ,, uh,, my needs!

I want to buy a lot more stuff, clothing, makeup, padding and stuff, but I do it when I have the time and money. I guess I just have always had a very practical, and poor, upbringing. When your just working hard to make ends meet, a lot of stuff you might do just does not come out because of plain practical reasons.

[MJ]

as young as i can remember about 5 or 6 . i was lucky to have two sisters

[Jeanine]

I have Gynecomastia and started to develop feminine breasts at 11 ... By the time I was 13 my breasts were larger than most girls three to four years older than me ... My crossdressing started at 13 when I decided to just "try on" my sister's bra ... My oldest sister was 18 and her 36B underwire bra fit like it was made just for me ... No "stuffing" necessary.

Jeanine

[LisaDee]

Since I can remember. I started trying moms girdles, stockings and heels when about 11 or 12.

[Steveo]

when i was 18' at the time i thought i wanted/could be a fashion photographerso i started collecting items skirts dresses, and one day the idea just came into my head, i did try to reasist but the nagging just wore me down.

[Deborah Jane]

At about age 7.
I put on a pair of my mums tights/hose and i,ve been into girls clothes ever since on and off!!
I did my first full "dress up" at about age 11, wearing my sisters pink party dress, white lace tights and everything else to make me look like a girl.

[RockerTerri]

Thank you all for voting on this. I am attempting to collect concrete data on the age when most people get the "urge/drive/whatever" as that has quite a bearing on "why" people do it.

At an age under 7 or 8 years old, society has not began to shape the person we will one day become (unless you have an extremely unusual...or horrible...childhood, that is) so the fact that the majority of people started, or got the drive, before age 8 shows this is NOT a social reaction, at least not totally. Children are naturally curious, but the curiosity of childhood usually leaves...well, with childhood.

The fact that a HUGE majority of people started before age 13 (the age bracket before puberty, when sexual interests would not have yet manifested for most of us) is exactly what i was expecting to see. Most psychological disorders per se do not manifest until after this period, and their onset can continue into adulthood. This does NOT mean that the few that started much later have any sort of disorder! It simply means they became curious later in life.

Looks to me like we were all wired this way, and thats just how it is. Some cognitive development definately occurs before the age of 7 or 8, and certainly before age 13, and there are those that would say "you are simply trying to emulate the strongest influence in your life up to that point, that being your mom." I say B.S. to that as well, and will collect data to support this at a later time.

All these votes helped folks, i encourage you to vote if you havent yet, but, provided everyone was honest, this really helps. Thanks again, Terri

[tina heels]

when i was like 12 or 13 i put on my moms bra stuffed ,panties ,a short skirt ,sexy top and her brand new 5.5 inch high heel mary jane with a very chunky heel,and i got caught i stepped in a puddle of sticky glue and got them glued to the floor,i could only lift the heels a couple of inches and they were pull down by the glue it sucked but i liked to get caught now

[Staci K]

12 YO - Dressed and passed at the local skating rink. Even had boys hitting on me.

[tamela bell]

it must have been about age 10

[AmandaM]

About four.

[raleighbelle]

For me it was before starting kindegarten. I definitely felt strongly about it by then, but was too scared to let anyone else know about it. I wanted really long hair and dresses and skirts and the cute shoes like the girls had (I had to have a crew-cut back then!)

[MelindaC]

I was 11 when I had just had to try on mom's girdle and stockings.

Janice1948 --- Yes, I remember those Playtex rubber girdles very fondly!! The Golden zipper OBG was my first and always my most favorite girdle and I grew up with them. I also wish they were still generally available -- they were the most fantastic girdles!! The Playtex 18 Hour is the next best thing and I've been wearing them as my favorite girdle for over 40 years now.

[MelindaC]

Oooopsss -- forgot. Even though I was 11 when I first tried something on the urges had been there much earlier than that, probably 6 or 7. Even when we kids got dragged along on mom's shopping expeditions, I remember I really liked being in the lingerie department. And the feeling was always strongest at the girdle counters...

[VtVicky]

I'm not sure what your intention is in gathering this "data", but, I suggest you do some more reading before you make any decisions based on your survey. (Especially, read up on childhood stages of development.)

"At an age under 7 or 8 years old, society has not began to shape the person we will one day become (unless you have an extremely unusual...or horrible...childhood, that is) so the fact that the majority of people started, or got the drive, before age 8 shows this is NOT a social reaction, at least not totally."
The "..at least not totally." tag does not do much to salvage this totaly erroneous statement.

"The fact that a HUGE majority of people started before age 13 (the age bracket before puberty, when sexual interests would not have yet manifested for most of us) is exactly what i was expecting to see. Most psychological disorders per se do not manifest until after this period, and their onset can continue into adulthood. This does NOT mean that the few that started much later have any sort of disorder! It simply means they became curious later in life."
There are too many things wrong with this statement to address here. But, suffice it to say that the statement: "...is exactly what I was expecting to see." says a lot about how you are interpreting the data.

If this is just a fun exercise to see what you get for responses, no problem. If, on the other hand, you are hoping to gather some useful info for some other reason, I would advise caution.

[Lara Smith]

Kindergarten or pre-school...way to young to understand.

[il.dso]

Very young,
probably around 5-6 years old.

[bobi jean]

I did not see a catagory for "all of the above". You know how the on, off, on again thing works.. went thru it several times over the years. I answered 9+ but in all reality it was probably much earlier than that, but 8-9 is my earliest memory of age. I could if the house was still there, take you back and probably re-inact the first time right down to the last detail. Short version----- shoes were first, then a girdle, remember having a hard time finding stockings but finally did

[Paula G]

I guess I'm a little different from everyone else (nothing new there). I was about 10-12 when I discovered women's shoes and my grandmothers thigh high stockings, but I didn't really start experimenting with dressing in general until after I was married.

[jenalex]

I'm not exactly sure. I guess it'd be about age 3 or 4, as trying on my sister's clothes are some of my earliest memories — along with being told not to, which just meant I did it secretly.

[TerriM]

I just remember putting on my mothers dress when I was about 12 or 13 and getting so excited. Maybe I did it before but dont remember

[Rita cd12fr]

I think I was about 9-10. I found occasion to rummage around in my mother's drawers and found her drawers. They were drawers rather than panties and I didn't take a real interest again for a long while.

I started to take an interest again with my wife's underwear but interest increased significantly about ten years ago when my wife's size increased and I could realistically expect to get into some of her clothes. I was especially taken with some sexy panties that she got about six years ago.

It is only very recently (six weeks or so) that I have begun to buy my own stuff.

[iwearstockings]

I was on a family holiday in wet and windy Wales at the age of 10 and whilst being dragged around the gift shops I saw a novelty set of suspenders and stockings with a picture of a can- can dancer on the box. I just knew I had to have it. A few days later I red faced-ly bought it from the shop and went back to our holiday flat to try it on. The family were down on the beach. I can still remember locking the door and drawing the curtains and wearing stockings and suspenders for the first time. Its weird, no one told me to do it, I never really even thought twice about it, I just did it like the most natural thing in the world. Funny really, back then in 1981 I thought i was the only one in the world...!
:^)

[Janice42]

I think when I was 9, I found my sister's bikini and tried it on. I became hooked ever since.

[annekathleen]

I dont know if WHEN the urge first appeared ( to wear womens clothing )
if it was a sexual thing by trying on womens panties, ( it sure felt like it way back then )
but it has progressed to more of a feminine thing where I like purchasing them, wearing them, and seeing myself in them. It's more emotional and pschological ( my need to continue to wear womens panties )