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The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:28 pm
by Becca Cooper
Hi, my name is Becca, and I like to wear a dress :lol:

Pardon if this comes out all discombobulated. I'm not sure what all to say or where to start really. I know I have no desire to be a woman, I have zero interest in guys (though I can appreciate their good looks - I can only hope I age as well as Sean Connery did) A while back I found what's called the Cogiati test on a transgender site ( I was a little concerned about this when my dressing desires first came about ) that gives indication as to where a person sits in the spectrum of masculinity Vs. femininity as it relates to being transgendered or not. I was relieved to score in the area I did, not that there's anything wrong with any of that, but I'm perfectly fine with keeping this largely to myself and any SO I might have. I don't feel a need to let everyone know, it's really none of their business what I like to do on occasion and in the comfort of my own home.

This is a desire that came about in my mid 20's, though I have exhibited a few minor feminine behaviors prior to that. It didn't really dawn on me that they were feminine, just comfortable. It was when I overheard comments/whispers that I realized that what I was doing wasn't 'guy' behavior. Sometimes it bothered me and I adjusted my behavior to 'fit in' other times I didn't think it was a big deal.

While I do find it exciting, it has more of a calming effect. Sometimes I just like to get dressed, curl up and watch a movie. Sometimes I can go months without feeling a need to dress up, sometimes I feel the need to do it a few times in the same week, and it's usually just for a few hours each time. I have found that the desire is more powerful when I am stressed, or feel unappreciated. I have also found that seeing my SO dressed up or making out/having relations will kill the desire.

As I said, this came about in my mid 20's, about the same time I was dating/engaged to my now ex-wife. At first I guess I hoped it was just a passing thing, or would go away. I sometimes still wish that, mostly because it seems that the few people I've told can accept this kind of behavior in others, but not from the person they are in a relationship with. I didn't tell her until about our 4th year of marriage, when I was a little more sure of myself on the matter. She was initially receptive and even would go out and buy things she thought I would like, she loved to take me shopping because we were nearly the same size, and so she would try everything on and loved to show it off (I loved watching her show it off too) I didn't push too hard, and usually it was her asking me if I wanted to go get dressed ( I always responded "as long as it's okay with you") So 3 years later, I was blindsided when she told me that she wanted a divorce because of my dressing, because she was still encouraging the behavior - Even after the divorce was final she has asked me if she could take me shopping because she wanted to help me pick things out. I declined because of the way she treated me. She also changed her main reason for wanting a divorce to something else so I really don't think it had as much to do with dressing as it was a 'good excuse' to get out of the marriage while making me look like the bad guy.

Since then I've told the few women I've dated about my interest early on or when we decided that we wanted to take the relationship further. In one case we continued to date for a year and (she said it had nothing to do with why she was breaking up with me, but she felt I told her too soon into the relationship) and the other ended it 2 days later saying she couldn't get into the lifestyle. In my opinion I felt they had a right to know early because it's not something everyone can accept.

Okay I guess I'm starting to ramble, so I'll stop.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:39 pm
by Carly
Welcome Becca,
Your story has some common threads with many of us. You were smart to tell your partners early.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:06 pm
by Leeza
Hi Becca -wel-

My second wife knew before we started dating and the marriage lasted almost 37 years (till death do us part)

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:00 am
by Anita
Hi Becca--
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for the story. You continue to tell people up front, and that will serve you well in the long run.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:20 am
by SilverLady(SO)
Hi, Becca, and welcome to the forum! ..o)..


- SL

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:39 am
by Anthony Simon
Welcome, Becca.

It sounds like you're still going round in you head about your first marriage.

FWIW I have an image of your ex-wife enjoying your CDing too much - like it was a guilty pleasure and she was getting addicted to it - and kind of divorced you to get out of it.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:13 pm
by Stephanie H
Welcome Becca:
The journey is pleasant and difficult. Be aware of yourself and your journey hopefully will be more than pleasant.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:48 am
by DonnaT
Hi Becca, -wel- to the forum.

Good to hear you are being up front with the ladies you meet.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:56 pm
by Becca Cooper
Thanks all for the warm welcome.

Been doing a lot of reading on here and it's definitely a lot to take in. Both helpful and sometimes discourging :P but such is life. I know I shouldn't, but I still feel like a bit of an outsider... it's an adjustment like everything else I suppose.

Anthony - you are likely right about me going through in my mind about the situation with my ex. I'm not stuck on her, not after they way she treated the relationship even before she knew of my other side. I still get along fine with my former in-laws and see then on sparse occasion, my ex mother-in-law even told me she knew the divorce had more to do with her daughter's charater than my own, but if I never see my ex again I'm completely fine with that. I guess I'm just trying to understand her thinking and views. The bigest question being, "why was it okay for 3 years, then without warning or even discussing, it was the reason to end a marriage to a guy that you know loves you and treat you well?" It's not like I can ask her because I can't trust what she's telling me would be the truth anymore. Looking back, the marriage would have ended even without this side of me existing, it just gave her a conveinent option to try coming out smelling like a rose. Then again, maybe I just answered my own question.....

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 10:09 am
by Anthony Simon
I hesitate to suggest this, Becca, but a contrarian view of the situation would be to let go of your ex-wife by going into the CDing more.

I hope you stick around and feel able to post a bit more. I think you're probably going to need to do that before you feel quite at home. I mean you might not feel like everyone else, but that's kind of the leit-motif of CDs - we feel outsiders.

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:29 pm
by RebeccaF
Hey Becca,

Believe me, the outsider feeling goes away. I was very weirded out when I first joined another forum, a year or so ago. I had never spoken or written about Rebecca before then to a soul, so it was very strange to be sure. I felt like a bit of a fraudster.

But, since then she has taken on a little life of her own and it feels quite normal (darn it, it's that word again!) to post and chatter now - you'll get used to it I promise. The trick is to keep doing it, so don't be a stranger and all will be cool. Just be yourself and it will come naturally.

Hope to see you around the 'boards,

from another xx Becca xx -wel-

Re: The first step is admitting it, right?

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 7:48 am
by Majella St. Gerard
i can relate, my first wife was a little fickle about the crossdressing, some days she would be into it and buy me panties and stuff and the next day she would start a fight about it and call me names, by the way , we were not prudes by any means. we were sexually open and she loved drag shows and had a lot of gay friends and she was bi herself, it was OK for others just not for "her man". my new wife loves it and supports me in my dressing. i told her about my dressing the second time we had sex, which was about a week after we met, she was cool with it and it turned her on, now we go shopping for clothes together. I don't want to be a woman and i am not interested in men, tho i do like to look at cute CDs. i just like to dress up and feel and look pretty. i don't do the wig thing, i'm shaved bald, i do wear a touch of make up from time to time. i do dress and go to the market and run other errands around town, sometimes with the wife sometime alone. I don't like labels but i guess I AM A CROSSDRESSER, plain and simple, it's a part of me, dressing for me came late, in my early 30's, but i had always been infatuated with it, i would try on my sisters school uniform if i was home alone, but never got "into"it until i dressed for halloween one year, WOW. now i'm hooked. anyway i'm rambling on. remember, you are not alone.