When's a CD not a CD?

[Beckii_aCDInOz]

Hi,

I've been mulling over this question for a few days now. It got brought into question between my SO & I, and since then I've been trying to nut it out with very little success I might add.

The catalyst to the question was asked if I would ever want to be en femme 24/7 or for extended periods of time.

All I could say was I've been CD'ing for over 30 years and I've not had the inclination so far. I'm happy simply dressing at home when I feel like it & that's about it.

I then get asked...

Can you explain why people who dress 24/7 en femme refer to themself as CD?

Which in that regard got me thinking...

Looks like we're both having not too clear on why someone wouldn't want to take hormones and get SRS if they are wanting to live 24/7 as a female.

I'd appreciate any insight anyone is happy to offer, thanks.



hugs

x

beckii

[princessmichelle]

Sometimes 24/7 cds avoid hormones because
*they can't afford them
*they can't take them for a medical reason
*they are nervous about irreversible results

Just my

PM

[Calliope]

Can you explain why people who dress 24/7 en femme refer to themself as CD?

I am TG (24/7) but also stand under the CD umbrella because I don't care if I pass or not, whereas passing is nearly an obsession with (medically) transitioning TGs.

[Sierra Evon]

I dress as a Girl (enfemme) 24/7, 365, and anyone who does so is not a CD
CDers are just P/T, at it kinda like a hobby thing, at least thats how I see it.
Soo that makes me a regulation 'HOTTIE " T-Girl.........

[Elly]

in my situation it's a lack of funds, and wanting to have a kid (or two) with my wife first, before starting hormones...

[Sharon]

I think it just comes down to how you see yourself. It is possible for someone to crossdress fulltime without ever viewing themselves as anything but a crossdresser, that is, a man or woman dressing in the clothes normally worn by those of the other gender. A transsexual may or may not dress 24/7, but they view themselves as being of the other gender. I am a transsexual, who happens to dress fulltime, but I identify myself internally as a female also.

[ToyGirl]

Acronyms vary from place to place , site to site , person to person.

[CarmenG]

Well since your SO is pushing for an answer, perhaps it's her insecurity that warrents the answer. After all you are not the MAN she thought she knew. Then again where are you in all this. Are you ready or are you just playing with this cd thing.
What are you willing to sacrifice for your pleasure or fetish. Help her understand as well as underdstand her. How can she tell her friends, "Hey my So likes to dress as a girl"....

[Marla S]

Problem with this question IMO is the usual All-or-Nothing premise.
There is no all-or-nothing, there are all different shades, which depend on the personality. IMO this distorted to a considerable amount by the circumstances of life AND peer pressure AND the delusion to fit into the one or other label etc.

I.e., someone who lives 24/7 might be able to, because he/she has no job, or his/her own business, and/or no partner, but maybe would be a part-time dresser otherwise.
It is always hard to realize what is cause and what is effect.

Free yourself from the labels first, find out what you want to be and to do, what you are able to do, and how the restrictions influence your behavior.

Than, if it becomes neccessary, pick the label that fits best for you (there are tons of labels - free choice - but non will cover it all) and switch as you desire.

[Holly]

Beckii, one of the great things about life is that it is customizable. I'm a husband, a father, an employee, a volunteer, a cross dresser, etc. Some people will put more (or less) emphasis on various aspects of their lives. An employee who works four hours a day is just as much an employee as is the person who works eight hours a day. A cross dresser is still a cross dresser no matter if they cross dress once a month or 24/7. We all work hard to find that balance that fulfills us.

[Kimberley]

Hi Beckii and Robyn,
I think it is worth noting that those of us who are in the position you describe would be more likely to be considered non-op TS or TG not that of a CD. For us transition is or could be likely or is underway. Bear in mind though that this is a lifestyle, not just dressing for the sake of dressing.

There are a multitude of reasons we dont transition. That said, we would still prefer transition if the conditions were right for us. There are considerably more non-ops and TG's than those actively pursuing SRS.

For those of us identified as TS who choose to not transition, life is hell. Plain and simple. The need or drive if you will to transition can be debillitating and while it may wax and wane, it never leaves.

Most of us KNOW we are TS long before we are clinically identified. We dont need to be told what we are, we know. Our problem is getting others to see it, most notably in the medical fields.

So, I hope this puts a little light on your question.


Kimberley

[Kristen Kelly]

I dress as a Girl (enfemme) 24/7, 365, and anyone who does so is not a CD
CDers are just P/T, at it kinda like a hobby thing, at least thats how I see it.
Soo that makes me a regulation 'HOTTIE " T-Girl.........

[SIZE="3"]Now you have done it P/T kinda like a hobby thing, well the reason I do not dress 24/7 is I have a very good paying job for which I would like to keep. This is not a hobby for I did not choose to do this it is something I have to do. With that outlook you are more like a regular B**CH than hottie.
I consider myself TS but even in drab my actions and thoughts are no different than, as if I were dressed[/SIZE]

[vbcdgrl]

Personally, I'm not gonna do anything that irreversable, no way, no how!!!!!

Vikki

[Kate Simmons]

I'll make it simple for you Beckii (with apologies to Marla). I am ME, all of me, Richard and Ericka. I consider myself a CD either way. One part complements the other. I need both aspects of myself to funtion, so I am both and neither but always a CD. Sounds complex I know but I'm a complex person to most people but not myself, not any more! Ericka Kay

[MJ]

I dress as a Girl (enfemme) 24/7, 365, and anyone who does so is not a CD
CDers are just P/T, at it kinda like a hobby thing, at least thats how I see it.

Soo that makes me a regulation 'HOTTIE " T-Girl.........

i am sorry but i dont see your way at all
you see i am on hrt and seeking all the syrgery i can get... but i see myself first of all as a crossdresser

I think it just comes down to how you see yourself. It is possible for someone to crossdress fulltime without ever viewing themselves as anything but a crossdresser,

that is, a man or woman dressing in the clothes normally worn by those of the other gender. A transsexual may or may not dress 24/7, but they view themselves as being of the other gender. I am a transsexual, who happens to dress fulltime, but I identify myself internally as a female also.

Thats my point. thanks Sharon

[SIZE="3"]

Now you have done it P/T kinda like a hobby thing, well the reason I do not dress 24/7 is I have a very good paying job for which I would like to keep. This is not a hobby for I did not choose to do this it is something I have to do. With that outlook you are more like a regular B**CH than hottie.
I consider myself TS but even in drab my actions and thoughts are no different than, as if I were dressed

[/SIZE]

and like Kristen Kelly. i am the reverse. i don't go out in drab or male mode. i do live full time and i can tell you it is a liveing hell for me right now i wish i had the bal*s to tell you how life is for me... talk about black chirstmas..
Kristen choice would have been better for me but i made my bed and now i have to lay in it good or bad this is who i am now..
Lets see what happends when i look for a new job as marissa !!
This is a choice we make
why would you get married when you know you have these Feminine feelings ?

[crusadergirl]

Thats a good question i have been trying to answer it for about 3 monthes now. I really don't know what i want with it. I can't be e femme 24/7. All i know is i like the way girls look and i wish i looked that good. I just don't see it as a guy.

[Marla S]

I'll make it simple for you Beckii (with apologies to Marla). I am ME ...

SEE, this ME thing is kinda strange.
Right now I am sitting here (quite dolled up) and don't even feel transgendered. Transgendered doesn't really relate to the ME.

[Calliope]

Right now I am sitting here (quite dolled up) and don't even feel transgendered.

Which just might be an indication of how transgendered you are.

[Marla S]

Paradoxical effects are always included.
That makes this subject so confusing

[Chiana]

Sorry I don't mean to hijack this thread but I just can't help it.

Marissa, I am sorry you are experiencing a black Christmas so far. Maybe it will get better for you. Here, this is for you.....

[Deanna2]

As a few have said, labels tend to get messy as not everyone's definition of each label is necessarily the same.

Being en femme is wearing femme gear, whether it is just panties or full on dressed up - now and again or constantly. It may or may not have anything to do with gender issues. It may indeed be that femme gear is so much more comfortable than male gear. In my own case I feel a whole lot more comfortable and relaxed in a skirt than I do in trousers.

Taking hormones, on the other hand, IS a gender issue. A person may not go all the way to SRS, but at least they start the journey to womanhood.

[Kate Simmons]

SEE, this ME thing is kinda strange.
Right now I am sitting here (quite dolled up) and don't even feel transgendered. Transgendered doesn't really relate to the ME.

Yeah, and that's the funny thing. Either way, I don't "feel" transgendered. Seems to me, this is the way it should be (for me at least). I've always been this way, just never understood it until now. To be honest, I thought being "two sided" was normal when I was younger until it hit me like a "rock" especially in my High School days. All of a sudden reaching puberty I found that my peers (both boys and girls) were expected by society to act differently according to their biological sex which I felt sucked big time. This disheartened and confused me to no end as I was "forced" to withhold part of myself. It took me years to realize it was okay to be myself. I'm still picking up the "pieces" even now but am beginning to move forward slowly. Understanding it is one thing. Putting it into practice takes a lot of hard work. Ericka Kay

[tightsgirl]

I agree with what one of the members said about the all or nothing mentality, I can't speak for everybody else but I CD nearly everyday and I don't want to be a woman. I'm still interested in being with a woman. I look at myself as a hybrid I have male and female traits and hopefully someday I meet somebody who can appreciate that.

[kittypw GG]

I think what Beckii's wife is confused about ( and she is not alone) is that cd's tell their wives that they are heterosexual men who want to wear the clothes of the oposite sex. When wearing those clothes, the cd wears makeup, nailpolish, and wig making them appear to be wanting to look like a women. Some also want to get the gestures and body language of a women down as well. When this is done 24/7 it seems that it is beyond the simple explaination of being a cd and maybe the person is really TS and just doesn't want to admit it or pursue any body altering alternatives. This is like having your words and your actions not match and as a SO of a cd this makes us uncomfortable and worried that our husbands are not telling us the whole truth. It is important to share with your so weither or not you are TS and where you see yourself going and how far. Just my Kitty

[Sheila]

Transgenderism is a catch-all term about how one expresses one's gender. A transgendered person expresses gender in a non-traditional manner. A wide range of gender expressions may be considered to be transgendered. A few things that may be thought of as transgendered transgendered include:

Dressing in clothes usually associated with members of a different physical gender.

Displaying behavior and dress of people who have a different physical gender.

Not identifing as either male or female. In this case, people may not identify themselves as either a man or a woman.

People with male anatomy seeing themselves partly or completely as females.

People with female anatomy seeing themselves partly or completely as males.

taken from http://www.createdgay.com/tgdef.html

hope this helps