Would it be crossdressing?

[scalvor]

That's the part that gets me. A woman can wear mens clothes and it would only be considered cross dressing if she wore mens underwear with it. However if she wears womens underwear and mens shirt and short/pants, no one in public would think she was a cross dressing woman. (Like someone in public would be able to tell the difference.)

The gotcha here if a man wears one female item that is a womans (say a skirt) then most people would say, oh he's a crossdresser. Hmm doesn't seem very fair to me.

I agree. However, don't you think that because e.g. a bra, skirt, tights, etc are considered woman's clothing -- if it were universally acceptable for a man to wear those clothes and in fact, it became common-place, would it not take all the fun out of crossdressing?

Crossdressing is exciting for me because society has said its not right for a man to wear pink frilly underwear, or a cute mini-skirt.

However, the thing that gets to me is the instant asumption that that person is gay because they wear woman's clothes. It's a bad asumption, and it's usually wrong.

Bottom line... if everyone began to wear womans clothes, I think it would take the excitment out of it, at least, for me anyway...

[cbshackle]

I agree. However, don't you think that because e.g. a bra, skirt, tights, etc are considered woman's clothing -- if it were universally acceptable for a man to wear those clothes and in fact, it became common-place, would it not take all the fun out of crossdressing?

That's an intersting point and I can see how that would apply.

Crossdressing is exciting for me because society has said its not right for a man to wear pink frilly underwear, or a cute mini-skirt.

However, the thing that gets to me is the instant asumption that that person is gay because they wear woman's clothes. It's a bad asumption, and it's usually wrong.

I absolutely agree with you. Most crossdress are in fact straight (something like 85%).

I'm still trying to determine if I'm a crossdresser or not. I like wearing once piece swimsuits and sports bras (only sports bras with racer back and are tight). However I only like wearing pseudo bondage items like foundation wear like girdles and tight fitting woman’s garments. Skirts don't interest me and I certainly could care less about makeup. (I don't even like women wearing makeup.) So how do I fit? If I had to guess, probably more a fetishist than an crossdresser, but sometimes I think I’m on the fine line of it.

[jaime-cd]

I agree with most everyone here it would be cd due to our societys limited view of style, but i also would submit that when i crossdress i go all out with lingerie and shoes and a dress or skirt so for me personaly only wearing a skirt would not be crossdressing.

[cbshackle]

Well, I think I found the answer as to whether what I do is cross dress of not. My therapist (who is very kink aware and is still somewhat in the scene) said, that for me when female garments are used in bondage situations, it's totally different then the traditional CD. It's more of a humiliation and bondage experience (corsets being tight, and sport bras compressing the chest area). However, if you are doing the hair and makeup part as well, then yes it is CD even if bondage is part of it. It doesn't mean it's wrong either way and yes, about 85% of CD are straight. Of course are society says otherwise and most think that any female garment is CD, yet a woman can wear any male clothing and it's not CD.

[selfbondagelovr]

I have been reading over this post and i have noticed alot of people blaming society for not accepting crossdressing men as normal. If you look at the true situation its not normal unless everyone else is abnormal... and dont get me wrong i like to dress as well. However i belive the true acceptance lies within us all we need to be more outgoing and ok with who we are and make society accept us. Look at history and how the many people who were not accepted are now. For instance, blacks, still working on that alittle but great progression, gays, they have thier own fight but have also come a long way and still have a long way to go, and most obviously bondage and selfbondagers i mean look at THIS SITE. I think you get my point and once agian thank you anna.

[soleus]

I have been reading over this post and i have noticed alot of people blaming society for not accepting crossdressing men as normal. If you look at the true situation its not normal unless everyone else is abnormal...

There's a distinction between "normal" and "usual" - "abnormal" is a pejorative, whereas "unusual" is not. You mention gays: the figure typically quoted for gay men is 10%, which makes them unusual (comparatively speaking) but it doesn't follow that they're abnormal.

So maybe you're right that CDs "need to be more outgoing and ok with who we are", but please don't fall for the "unusual => abnormal" trap.

[CristyCream]

Wow a lot of good ideas in this thread. Me I consider myself a career TV/ CD. I am not on hormones but I am having laser hair removal to give my skin a more fem look and I have been an out of the closet (out in public) for 20 years. I am 38 now.

Not sure about the 85% being straight fact. May be if you include "in the closet", but most of the younger and out and about population of dressers are bi sexual. A lot of the younger population happen to be bi anyway. Bi for girls is kind of vogue these days. Boys still aren’t that lucky.

I don’t think CD will be anymore mainstream. Just people know more about what we are today than they did in the past thanks to the internet.

PS. If you search on my posts you will find a couple of me dressed up. Hope you like

[bound_jenny]

An interesting subject, especially since many of the gents here are cross-dressing in the course of their SB activities.

Soleus raises a good point with gays (or any homosexuals) - though their proportion of the population has not really increased over the years, they have gone from being considered "abnormal" to just being "unusual", just another piece of the landscape that we have become accustomed to.

Gays and lesbians have acquired this through positive action, by making themselves heard. They worked hard and that effort bore fruit (no pun intended). Even so, they still are the targets of hate on the part of some individuals, despite legal protection from such persecution.

Cross-dressers and transsexuals still have a long way to go before attaining this kind of acceptance. Outside of the entertainment scene, they are very far from being tolerated like gays and lesbians. There are a few prominent figures, like one transsexual lawyer here (Micheline Montreuil, I believe is her name...) who is very active.

It is true that CDs, TVs and TSs have to be more self-accepting and comfortable with themselves, and assert themselves more, just like the gays and lesbians when they started pushing for their rights decades ago.

With self-confidence comes the drive to push on, to get out there and get what is rightfully yours.

Jenny.

[soleus]

However, the thing that gets to me is the instant asumption that that person is gay because they wear woman's clothes. It's a bad asumption, and it's usually wrong.

Historically (and still today to some extent, though my impression is it's getting better) the "normal"(sic) vanilla heterosexual would have grouped together all other forms of sexual expression and gender into the same box, and "gay" is/was just one of the labels for that box ("pervert" being another common one). Used that way it carries no more precise semantics than "I don't understand what motivates you, therefore I'm threatened by you"

[Grinser]

More like "I don´t want to understand you because I was raised to believe that my way of life is the only right one"

[pantyjoe]

I would have to call myself a cross dresser. Although i do not where skirts and heels unless I am being tied up. But I do where panties almost all the time.