Crossdressing

(UPDATED: June 16, 2015)

WARNING: This topic may not be suitable for all audiences. Read at your own discretion. Crossdressing is a "vacation" from our own normal lives to dress and live as someone opposite of our birth gender. Many people misconstrue crossdressing as a concept and what it actually entails. Crossdressing has its own appeal and charm to those who take part in crossdressing. The reasons for taking part in crossdressing vary- casual crossdressing, professional crossdressing, and yes- even for sexual pleasure. No matter what, it is a lifestyle and a culture that most people either disregard, disrespect, or misunderstand. In my attempts to try to better educate my audience and to provide something useful on crossdressing and crossdressers, I offer the Internet this blog post.

Before I Begin and a Special Hello...

If you are a crossdresser or know someone who crossdresses, and if you're viewing my blog post; I'd like to welcome you to "John's Blog Space!" I hope you can enjoy this blog post here as much as I've enjoyed working on it. This is a positive place online. I am not posting this just to get some laughs or draw a reaction. This is a factual post on crossdressing from multiple perspectives. The majority of this post relates to male-to-female crossdressers (M2F crossdressers), but there are also female-to-male crossdressers (F2M crossdressers).

I have certain goals I hope to accomplish with this blog post:
• factually discuss crossdressing/transvestism.
• gain a little more understanding of crossdressing/transvestism to better service my audience.
• (maybe) gain some respect among my LGBT readers, especially the "T" part for this post.
• (maybe) meet some loyal readers who may be among the LGBT community.

I am not a crossdresser, nor have I ever done so. I am basing all of my material on things I've learned on this topic through factual proof and research as well as personal commentary.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

JUN 16 2015 - several miscellaneous edits

--- Crossdressing at a Glance ---

Those who have been on "John's Blog Space" before may have read some past posts of mine that touched up on transgenderism before. Many others have seen me make mention of males wearing feminine fashions. What you are about to read here is a proper post regarding crossdressing. Because I need to continually provide quality content for this blog and to re-direct my blog traffic to more relevant posts, I present to you my post regarding crossdressing.

What some people disregard is that there is a HUGE difference between transvestism (clinical term for crossdressing) and transsexualism. A transvestite (TV) or a crossdresser (CD) is someone who temporarily lives and dresses as a member of the gender opposite of his/her birth gender. A transvestite does not want to have surgery to permanently become the person's opposite gender. A transsexual has full surgery to permanently live as and become a member of the gender opposite of one's birth gender. Could a crossdresser/transvestite consider having surgery to permanently become a member of his/her opposite gender? Sure- especially if that person feels he/she was born in the wrong body.

Some people who engage in crossdressing will spend money towards buying great clothes to help unleash their inner person. Some others even go to the level of purchase certain items like wigs, hosiery, and even health supplements to help enhance themselves in becoming crossdressers. In addition to products, there are also certain techniques crossdressers use to help them transition better. I will not discuss those tactics in this blog post, but I will make a mention things like (for M2F crossdressers) tucking- which can be an integral part in M2F crossdressers wearing body-hugging or body-conscious clothing.

Reasons for Crossdressing.

I briefly mentioned reasons why others crossdress. Here is a brief look at each:

• There are those who casually wear clothing from the other gender, and there are those who crossdress for profession. A male may choose to wear feminine clothing and completely transform himself into another person. A man named Michael (for hypothetical purposes) may have a hidden person waiting to emerge named Michelle (again- hypothetical purposes).

• There are those who professionally crossdress. Female impersonators, drag queens, and even actors/actresses dress up as members of the opposite gender to play roles, compete in contests, and other purposes in making money.

• And so I don't forget, there are those who crossdress for sexual thrills. Some people are sexually aroused either wearing clothing from the opposite gender. Such people have fetishes wearing clothes from the other gender.


Regardless, crossdressing is a very risky lifestyle that has its own rewards for those who enjoy doing so.

A Past Experience.

I probably mentioned this in my blog, but there was one time back in 2007 when I became friends with a transvestite. One time after class at my community college, I noticed a male in a Men's bathroom who had beautiful long hair. I eventually got to know him a bit. He was a male named (I try to be VERY careful giving deep details) Darrell. While being the handsome Darrell, his transvestite alter ego is Brittney. I met "Brittney" one day around campus. I was friends with this person as he was having some problems. I let Darrell know that he could chat with me if he had issues. To this day, this person is the ONLY transvestite I've ever known in person.


That concludes this look at crossdressing/transvestism. Time to move on to other material.

--- Crossdressing Misconceptions ---

Everything in life has misconceptions. Crossdressing is no different. Each bullet features a certain misconception followed by my own commentary.


• "All crossdressers are gay."
So if a male casually puts on a skirt or a dress, he is automatically considered gay? Here's a fact- males who crossdress may be straight. They may be happily married men/women as well as proud parents. You can't automatically call someone gay just because they crossdress. Certain people are only gay if you think only gay people dress up in clothes most average or what "regular" people wouldn't wear.

• "Crossdresser? Transsexual? Same thing, right?"
Uh... NO! If you read the previous section, there is a HUGE difference between transvestism/crossdressing and transsexualism. The common factor is in living as and dressing up as a member of a sex opposite of our birth gender. The biggest difference is in the desire to PERMANENTLY become a member of our opposite gender. Transsexuals are permanent members of their opposite sex; transvestites/crossdressers are part-time members of their opposite sex.

• "Transvestite/Crossdresser = Intersexed."
Being intersexed is a completely different concept. Intersexed people have both male and female chromosomes and internals. It is COMPLETELY different from someone who crossdresses or has had surgery to become a member of one's opposite gender.

• Crossdressers are "freaks."
The only way they can be real freaks is if you think of them as monsters and not as people. Fact is- crossdressers are every bit of human beings as you and I. Maybe their lifestyle is different from the norm. There are people (for example) who indulge themselves in subcultures like Goth or punk. Are they "freaks" just because they live a lifestyle vastly different from everybody else? Well, neither are crossdressers.


These are some misconceptions I came up with. Can you think of any others?

--- Crossdressing and its Reasons ---

Here now is a look at crossdressing from various perspectives. Each section is complete with my own thoughts on each bit of crossdressing.

Crossdressing: Casual.

^ from: www.sexandgender.net (best I could find) - She may not be a real woman, but this guy surely enjoys being this girl on a part-time basis.

I will define a casual crossdresser as anyone who crossdresses for reasons other than profession or sexual thrills. I am talking about the person who lives as one person, but sometimes emerges as someone of his/her opposite gender. Someone who casually crossdresses has a tendency to want to be someone else. Remember my "Michael" example? You know, the hypothetical Michael who has a female alterego (also hypothetically) named Michelle?

Someone who casually crossdresses just enjoys going out as one's gender opposite of his/her birth gender. Such people enjoy the feeling and the joy of being that other person. A male-to-female crossdresser (or M2F crossdresser) would enjoy wearing feminine garments out and about. He feels a sort of empowerment and comfort being and dressed as a female. On the other end, a female-to-male crossdresser (or F2M crossdresser) enjoys living and acting as a male while wearing masculine clothes.

A casual crossdresser simply enjoys the thrill and joy of temporarily being someone of one's gender opposite of his/her birth gender. That person is confident in his/her dress and personality that he/she is actually able to pull off being a crossdresser.

Crossdressing: Profession.

^ from: thesun.co.uk (best I could find) - Drag queens are among the most famous of those who crossdress as a profession.

Acting roles, pageants, competitions, and more... I will define a professional crossdresser as someone who crossdresses for a profession and/or for money. The most common professional crossdressers are drag queens. Drag queens are beautiful women with immense glamour and charm... only they are not real women. They even give themselves interesting and unique stage names to set themselves apart from other drag queens. Drag queens wear all sorts of clothing and accessories, even including certain intimates and parts I can't mention here. Perhaps one of the most famous YouTube crossdressers is Jessica De Leon, better known as "JessicaWhoHD." Here is a sample of JessicaWhoHD:


^ "My YouTube Story Part I - Why I Make Videos"

Want more of Jessica? To visit Jessica De Leon's YouTube channel, visit JessicaWhoHD on YouTube.


Some male actors have taken on female characters. Some examples in the realm of TV and entertainment include the likes of Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire, Tyler Perry playing as Madea, Martin Lawrence as Sheneneh, and Martin Lawrence as Big Momma, among various other roles. Anyone who knows drag queens know one figure as a deity- RuPaul.

Some people dress up as fictional characters of the opposite gender. I am mostly talking about those who cosplay as certain characters of the opposite gender. For example, a genetic male may dress up for a convention or a contest as a female character he loves. Likewise, a genetic female may dress up as a male character she loves.

When you consider there are people who love crossdressing and make money doing it, you gauge how special it feels to do what you love and profit from it. This goes back to me talking about lifestyles and professions people may not necessarily like. If such personalities enjoy crossdressing and are profiting from it, who are you to argue against or tell them how to live their lives?

Crossdressing: Sexual Thrills.

It is obvious I should open this section by saying that this section may be discomforting for some members of my reading audience. So skip to the next section or read carefully.

There are some people who enjoy crossdressing for sexual pleasure. Such crossdressers enjoy crossdressing by engaging in kinky sex acts or engaging in various sexual behaviors. I want to keep my blog as world-friendly (my term for "safe for work/school") as possible, so I will not delve into any deeper details.


No matter what one's crossdressing desires are, one thing is important- the ability to return to going back to one's normal life and one's normal self. Crossdressing is a "vacation" where we become someone of our birth gender to live and dress as someone of the gender opposite of our birth. It isn't permanently being a member of a certain sex like with transsexuals.

--- Crossdressing Roadblocks ---

It is easy to be a crossdresser, right? No. There are certain obstacles that prevent or hinder most would-be crossdressers from doing or enjoying crossdressing. Here are some of the multiple roadblocks:

Inconfident About Emerging.

If you are educated in some way about transgender people, you might have heard expressions regarding "closet" transgenders. The expression regarding closet transgenders relates to those who crossdress but don't crossdress outside of home. So they mostly wear clothing from the opposite sex mostly around the house or in their bedroom. Not every crossdresser confidently leaves home dressed and living as a member of one's opposite gender. And therefore, not every crossdresser is confident enough to come out and let that inner person emerge.

Family Issues.

A male may be able to comfortably wear clothing from a female family member; but of course, certain family members may reject the notion of a male wearing female clothing. This can be an issue among family members. A crossdresser's desire to wear clothing could begin by wearing clothes from (in the case of M2F crossdressers) a male wearing clothing from female family members. Certain family members would detest of siblings or other family members crossdressing. These desires can be a roadblock for those who are crossdressing with clothing from other family members.

Romantic Issues.

This is perhaps the most damaging part of crossdressing desires. If you are a male wearing your girlfriend's/fianceé's/wife's clothes, your better half will likely be disgusted. Remember the misconception I posted about crossdressers being gay? It isn't easy for males to try to crossdress in fear of upsetting their lover or spouse. Certain relationships can fall apart thanks to things like this. Understanding lovers usually can set something up to where a crossdresser can enjoy crossdressing while still being together. A crossdresser can still enjoy being that other person while still being a good lover/spouse or even a parent.

Fear of Being/Looking Awkward.

Being passable is a quality many transgendered folk dream of. Some do not want to try crossdressing for fear of looking awkward. It takes confidence to wear such clothes and to act a certain way out and about. If it were easy to crossdress with confidence, we all would be crossdressing and love doing so!

Fear of Being Abused or Attacked.

One transgendered person's worst fear is in being abused or beaten, especially when one is unaware of someone not being born of a certain gender. While this is more prevalent among transsexuals, crossdressers could also suffer the same violent fate, especially if someone wants to be with someone else to whom is oblivious one is a transvestite or a transsexual. Not disclosing info about your gender can lead to violent consequences among those who exhibit violent behavior towards transgenders.


These are only among some of the many different roadblocks of crossdressing.

--- Final Thoughts on Crossdressing ---

Crossdressing is a misunderstood concept for many people. Throughout my entire explaining of crossdressing, never have I mentioned that it is right or wrong to crossdress. I have never criticized or attacked people who do crossdressing. All I have done through this post is discuss crossdressing on a professional and unbiased manner.

Crossdressing is a lifestyle that people will either appreciate or disapprove. It is as much worthy of like or dislike as any other lifestyle or culture. Among the many aspects of crossdressing, many people disregard or misconstrue certain aspects of crossdressers and crossdressing. Among the biggest ones is that crossdressers are not transsexuals. They are transgenders, but there is a big difference between crossdressing and transsexualism. It is also vastly misconstrued that all crossdressers are gay just because they live and dress as members of their oppposite sex. Transvestites simply take a vacation from their birth gender to live and dress as their opposite gender. And just like any vacation, any crossdresser wants to go from being one person to go back to being their own normal selves.

Taking part in crossdressing is because of certain factors ranging from casual crossdressing, to professional crossdressing, and even going to crossdressing for sexual pleasure. The reasons and pleasures vary among those who crossdress, but it has its appeal for all who take part in crossdressing.

--- Crossdressing Resources ---

I said this was a factual post on crossdressing. I never said, however, it was the definitive post on crossdressing. All of my information was based on however much I know and understand about crossdressing. I had to do some research for some extra information. Remember that this blog post is a proper post about crossdressing and not just simply wearing clothes from the other gender. It's about dressing up as and living as a member of the opposite sex here. And with these resources online, you crossdressers (or those who want to know more about crossdressing) will find various resources to help you understand or enhance your crossdressing.

If you want to learn more about crossdressing or find some various resources, I can help you right here. I've looked all of these sites and can tell you that while some may feature material that may not be suitable for all audiences, no adult sites are featured here. Each of the featured web sites are offered for educational and entertainment purposes.

Crossdressing Resources: Basic Resources.

These sites offer advice, educational content, online communities, and more for crossdressers and those wanting to know more about them. I advise that anyone looking to learn more about this and looking for more factual proof visit these links.

• Laura's Playground (Crossdresser link)
Laura's Playground is the Internet's most well-respected resource on almost anything transgender. The link (relevant to this blog post) links you to the Crossdressing resources of Laura's Playground. It is recommended you click on the link if you want to read specifically about crossdressers. If you want to read about transgender issues for youth (including crossdressing), use this link: Laura's Playground (Teens link). If you want to visit the main site, which links to information on all varieties of transgenders, use this link: Laura's Playground (main site).

• Susan's Place Transgender Resources for Transsexual/Transgender Communities (Crossdressing link)
Including both resources and an online message board, Susan's Place has many resources for transgender people. It even includes resources for crossdressers, which the above link takes you.
You may visit the main site by using this link: Susan's Place Transgender Resources for Transsexual/Transgender Communities.

• www.crossdressers.com/
A online forum devoted to crossdressing.

• Crossdresser Heaven
A website offering tips and resources for M2F crossdressers.

• Crossdressing Freedom
A website with many resources including stories, pictures, videos, advice, and more. It is run by a crossdresser who calls herself Zoe Freedom.

• UltraCrossdresser
Called "the ultimate crossdresser/transvestite guide," this site features many resources for crossdressers both new and experienced. Gain some knowledge and some insight if you are crossdressing or want to know more about crossdressing.

• A Crossdresser's Secret Garden
A resource site for crossdressers/transvestites and those who know them.

• The Gender Society
A social network and resource site devoted to transgenders (including crossdressers/transvestites).

Crossdressing Resources: Stores.

These are online stores with items for sale for those seriously into crossdressing. Be warned that some of these sites may not be comfortable for all audiences. Each site is a look at what certain online stores offer for crossdressers. However, no adult sites are featured.

• Cross-dress.com
This is one of the different sites to visit where you can get some accessories and items if you're a crossdresser.

• Crossdressing: Lingerie for Men, Men's Lace, Men's Satin & Panties
This is an online store with many items for M2F crossdressers.

• Crossdressing, Transgender, and Crossdresser Clothing and Accessories
An online store with various items for crossdressers.


I may include more links to better service my audience based on traffic or interest to this post. If you would like to suggest some sites to me that may be of interest to my readers, please contact me via E-mail. I review sites and will feature only material that I think my readers can benefit from and are not suspicious sites of any kind. Use the table at the conclusion of this post to contact me.





That concludes my blog post on crossdressing. I hope you were able to have a different understanding of crossdressers/transvestites after reading this post and checking out some of the resources I've posted. I may consider doing a related topic to this one in the future. So make sure you're subscribed and/or Following John's Blog Space. Not followed, but you love my blog? Then PLEASE subscribe to my blog!

More than ever... thank you for reading!

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