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Thread: Is CDing really a hobby ?

  1. #26
    Aspiring Member EllenJo's Avatar
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    I can see that for some the "Hobby" thing would apply. However for me it is part of my life, not something that I do on occassion and put away. I come home from work, kiss my wife, slip into a skirt and blouse, fix dinner, clean up the kitchen, have coffee and desert in front of the TV and slip into something soft and slinky to go to bed. It is part of my daily routine. It is part of who I am.
    Somtimes the light's all shining on me, Other times I can barely see.
    Lately it's occured to me.....What a long strange trip it has been.
    Truckin by the Grateful Dead

  2. #27
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    Hi Teresa, Trains and CDing are my two favorite hobbies in no special order.
    Having my ears triple pierced is AWESOME, ~~......

    I can explain it to you, But I can't comprehend it for you !

    If at first you don't succeed, Then Skydiving isn't for you.

    Be careful what you wish for, Once you ring a bell , you just can't Un-Ring it !! !!

  3. #28
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    I'm a habitual dresser as much as everyone else here and I'm certainly not immune to the more compulsive aspects, but I do treat it as a regular hobby and I try not to let it affect the rest of my life too much. If this habit and this level of dysphoria is the worst thing that happens to me in life, I know I will die happily indeed. I try to keep it fun and interesting because it actually is fun and interesting, and I know I'm in too deep if I had to wear ladies' underwear to work to function properly.

  4. #29
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    It's an addiction for most here. "Most" of the ones with female names and a hobby for most w/o female names. It's just our Human Brains at work trying to "reconcile" stuff/allow us to "feel good"...

    Pretty UNcomplicated actually.
    Last edited by Wildaboutheels; 05-04-2014 at 09:31 AM.

  5. #30
    Shoe shopping shrew natcrys's Avatar
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    Crossdressing a hobby? No... not for me. Some friends of mine might call it that way.. but since I cut my friends a lot of slack with regards to this side of me.. I don't really mind. Would they consider expressing themselves however they feel a hobby? Would they consider raising their kids a hobby?

    In the same vein, I don't consider doing martial arts, making music or even doing science a hobby.. it's my way of life. It's ingrained in me, it's how pretty much everything I do is guided.

    Not really sure where to put playing video games actually.. been doing that since I was 5.

    Now, for example, messing around with make-up and shopping. Those are hobbies for me! Taking and editing pictures and videos.. more hobbies!
    │ Fashion and science geek!

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  6. #31
    Member wanda66's Avatar
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    A hobby or a passion it's what you want it to be, use it to enrich you life..be happy

  7. #32
    Member Marguarite's Avatar
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    If it was just a hobby to me, I would not feel such withdrawl when not fully dressed.
    I always have something Fem on.
    In the words of Lady Jessica " I"m just drawn that way".

  8. #33
    Give in, girl-out, enjoy Krista1985's Avatar
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    Yeah it's hobby-ish I suppose.

    A hobby in that I enjoy the time I spend on the activity, and sometimes spend more time on it than I should. Not a hobby in that I can't just sell my collection and quit and find a new hobby. I mean, physically I could, but not without severe costs to my general disposition and mental state.

  9. #34
    Exploring NEPA now Cheryl T's Avatar
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    It certainly is not a hobby for me.
    It's not at all like stamp collecting, woodworking, or anything else that I view as a hobby. For me it is part of my life. It's something I find I cannot do without unless I choose to deny who I really am. I don't believe that hobbies define us the same way that I am defined by my dressing and expressing my feminine self.
    I don't wear women's clothes, I wear MY clothes !

  10. #35
    Andrew in drag FelicityMay's Avatar
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    I would definitely call it a hobby. just something fun to do every once and a while

  11. #36
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    It's not a hobby. You can quit a hobby.

  12. #37
    Silver Member CynthiaD's Avatar
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    No. Collecting stamps is a hobby.

    Putting on a dress, wig, makeup, etc., and trying to act feminine, that's not a hobby. You can call it whatever you like, but I call it "acting normal."

  13. #38
    TrueNorth Strong & Fierce Princess Chantal's Avatar
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    Crossdressing is my favourite and most fun hobby of all my other hobbies. Always puts a smile on my face and is so awesome to share with others!

  14. #39
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    According to the definition posted on Wikipedia, I consider my CDing to be 100% a hobby. For instance, the first line in the Wiki article "A hobby is a regular activity done for pleasure - typically during leisure" describes my time spent as Victoria accurately.

    The next important part of the definition "One alternative to collecting physical objects is collecting experiences of a particular kind. describes why I spend the time to dress myself up and step outside into the real world as Victoria.

    Like woodworking, photography and jewelry making, "Some hobbies result in an end product. I consider this to be the end result of a session in which my wig has been styled, makeup applied and seams straightened.

    So for me, according to Wikipedia, I am a cross-dressing hobbyist. Another thing to point out to those who say you can just quit a hobby, no harm/no foul. Anyone who has amassed a collection of stamps, or coins, or baseball cards or sprockets, does not just give it up. A tremendous investment of time, money and knowledge has gone into it.

  15. #40
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    Thanks for the response, I haven't done a count but it looks like 50-50 ! For me it still isn't a hobby but I have learned through this forum how different other people's lives can be and how the adage live and let live is so true !

  16. #41
    The Girl will Out! Kaz's Avatar
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    Hi Teresa, that is a great summary... What this thread has emphasised to me is how important this is to me... It is so easy to think that we all think the same... when we are a very diverse community! Thanks for this xx
    Kaz xx

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  17. #42
    Member typhoidmary's Avatar
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    For me personally it's not a hobby because wearing makeup and women's clothes is how I feel like myself. At the same time though, it doesn't offend me that some people treat it as such, everyone experiences/expresses it differently and what CDing means to that CDer isn't really anything to do with me, whether it's every day or once a year. All that matters is if it makes you happy, if it's not hurting anyone then it's not for me or anyone to judge or question.

  18. #43
    Out and Proud Charla McBee's Avatar
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    I've used the word "hobby" in the past but always in quotes like that and for lack of a better term. I didn't understand myself at the time and I still don't in many respects. So if you catch me saying something like "our little hobby" in an old post please don't take it the wrong way, it's merely an expression of insecurity on my part. I think I am slowly being convinced to seek some shade under the big TG umbrella but I'm not quite there just yet.
    For years I hoped I was just a CDer but now I realize I am transgender and that's alright.

  19. #44
    Senior Member MsVal's Avatar
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    One man's opinion:

    There are indeed a great many parallels between crossdressing and hobbies. It is quite easy to see how crossdressing may be considered a hobby. They both provide pleasure, consume resources (time, money), and in some cases become obsessive. Hobbies and crossdressing may each be the center-point of marital discord. There are interest groups for crossdressers as there are also interest groups for hobbiests.

    There are also differences. Unlike crossdressing, hobbies are a behavior; a behavior that can be changed. Hobbies may be performed for enjoyment where crossdressing may be performed in response to emotional distress. Hobbies don't burden the hobbiest with shame and self loathing. In some cases, crossdressing is a precursor to significant gender identity issues that lead to transition or self harm if transition is not available. I would guess it's quite rare for a hobbiest to be overcome with uncontrollable tears due to his hobby, but that is a common occurrence among crossdressers.

    In some ways, crossdressing may also be viewed as an addiction, where the crossdresser keeps chasing that 'high' he experiences, or suffers a form of 'withdrawal' when he cannot. He may also suffer a shame similar to an addict as he tries to hide it from others, or anxiety as he tries to deny it to himself. Like an addict, a crossdresser does not have the power to quit. However, while there are many programs that have good success at relieving the addict of the addiction; that is not the case with crossdressing.

    I apologize to any that I have offended. The topic touched a nerve this morning. I'm preparing to take my anxiety riddled head to another therapy session later today.

    Best wishes
    MsVal

  20. #45
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    So, I have had and still have hobbies. I made a stamp collection and I built a model railway for my children and for me. In both cases it was an amusing pastime that was shared openly with many people including my children. They did not introduce tension into family or married life. There was no deep seated sexual aspect to them. I could pick them up and put them down at will.

    Cross dressing on the other hand has always been a deep need for me with a strong sexual aspect. Whereas stamp collecting is well understood and accepted by society at large, cross dressing is not. I did not need to go to a counsellor for help in understanding my stamp collecting or model train building hobby. I have not found any books or articles on the psychological drivers behind stamp collecting and nor does anybody in my city offers counseling for stamp collectors.

    As far as I know, neither stamp collecting nor model railway building have driven people to wish to change their gender.
    Last edited by CONSUELO; 05-05-2014 at 10:05 AM. Reason: grammar, spelling

  21. #46
    Member rian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kaz View Post
    Hi Teresa,

    Again, it is about definitions of 'hobby' I guess. For me 'CDing' is not something I do 'for fun'.. it is as integral to me as eating. I have never been able to give it up; it is just part of who I am. I am also a musician and play live regularly in a local rock band. I have always been a musician (well since 15) and again I do not see this as a 'hobby'. I cook and take photos and do lots of other things that people would regard as a hobby as well. But I have changed careers a few times too! I guess many people would say that anything you do that isn't your main source of income is a 'hobby'... but would include raising your kids, being married, etc.. I wouldn't see those as 'hobbies' either! So is a hobby something we can give up easily as it is not part of our main life's work? If that is the case... CDing is not a hobby for me. It is an expression of who I am and as vital to me as the air I breathe.
    I agree with KAZ CD is a real integrated part of me ..and not a hobby ...I even need more time to express my feelings ,,,,,It cannot be a hobby ...it is a need ,internal rehabilitation of the real me who is imprisoned in the darkness of my body ....SO if I'm jailed how can it be a hobby .....Well a slight exaggeration but it is the truth ... ..
    Cross-dressing is a cross between woman's soul and man's heart.....

  22. #47
    New Member He_wears_hers's Avatar
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    Well said :-)

    Quote Originally Posted by wanda66 View Post
    a hobby or a passion it's what you want it to be, use it to enrich you life..be happy

  23. #48
    Mumbler Samantha Clark's Avatar
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    Umm. I'm not sure a "hobby" fits something that is an almost primal necessity for some and something that is gender inappropriate for many in contemporary gender binary society.
    Putting the y (chromosome) in girly!

  24. #49
    Aspiring Member Lacy PJs's Avatar
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    For me, it is pretty much a hobby...

    The answer to the hobby question depends on where a person is in their crossdressing. For each of us, CDing is on a continuum... some dabble a little and others are consumed 24/7.

    There are probably points at which the "hobby" becomes more than that... just as a casual photographer over time may well become a professional. But that doesn't mean that the professional photog is just a serious hobbyist.

    So if you are dressed 100% of the time, you have probably progressed beyond the hobby stage. But if you are content to wear panties or pantyhose once in a while... maybe sleep in a nightgown on occasion and be perfectly content and satisfied with that level of dressing... then it may well be a hobby for you as well.

    I have little desire to go beyond my current level of dressing and would/could probably cut back on that if circumstances changed. That is obviously not the same for everyone here so it is hard to identify CDing as a hobby for everyone... but it probably is for some of us.

    Lacy PJs

  25. #50
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    While one can draw many points of similarity between a hobby and cross dressing I believe they are superficial. Cross dressing, even in its most benign of manifestations is quite different to a hobby. Huge amounts of analysis are spent trying to understand the impetus behind the desire to cross dress. Counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists have spent countless hours trying to understand the driving force behind cross dressing.

    For all of the respondents to this thread who truly believe that cross dressing is a hobby I have one question. Are you now prepared to tell family and friends that this is one of your hobbies along with wood turning and all of the other popular hobbies?
    If indeed it is a hobby then why does our community spend so much time trying to conceal it from others?
    Last edited by CONSUELO; 05-09-2014 at 10:49 AM. Reason: spelling etc.

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