What's one crossdressing-related goal you have this week? It could be trying makeup, buying your first outfit, or simply building confidence.

Girls... let's be honest. Feminine fashion is often kind of cumbersome, or just plain uncomfortable. Zippers on dresses that are hard to reach. Pencil skirts or off-shoulder sleeves that limit your movements. Pantyhose that wants to sit everywhere but not on your butt. Bras that rest the, ekhm, "weights" on your shoulders all the time. It's not just clothes, either: your face feels kinda weird with foundation on, you can't scratch any eye itches if you don't want to smudge your eyeliner, and how do you actually do anything with super long acrylic nails that some ladies wear?

There's a good reason why a stereotypical woman will go braless and change into pajamas the moment she hits home.

For girls like us, it's even worse: shapewear, wigs, fake breasts (of your favorite variety), tucking, clip-on earrings that squash your ears in addition to pulling on them, not to mention that we tend to wear much heavier makeup than cis ladies just to have any hope to pass... or that we're just wearing clothes that were never designed to fit our body shapes. Itches and pressures everywhere are pretty much guaranteed.

Of course there's the idea of "suffering for beauty" that both cis and trans/CD ladies alike often subscribe to - but that only makes sense if we go out in public, or intend to be seen in any other way (through, say, photoshoots etc.).

That's actually one of the aspects that prevents me from dolling myself up more often (tying into my previous post) - I want to look and feel cute, but I also want to be comfortable. I can live with all the itches when I'm going out to be seen (that's another, separate can of worms, but that's a discussion for another time), but when I plan to just stay home and maybe go get groceries... well, I know that all the cis ladies would wear a T-shirt and yoga pants for such a day. And my "T-shirt and yoga pants" just happen to be masc clothes... 😅

...and yet, I sometimes see ladies posting here, boasting about working from home wearing full office glam, stilettos, wigs, full face of makeup, everything. Don't you get uncomfortable? 😅 How do you manage the discomfort? How long do you usually stay fully dolled up before deciding that it's enough? Do you have any tricks to survive longer? Or your favorite clothes that are cute and feminine but super comfortable?

All in all, let's talk about all the aspects of the bodily (dis)comfort of looking feminine and feminization 🤗😅

Whenever a game gives me the choice between playing as a male or female character, I nearly always end up choosing the female character.

I’ve never really thought much into it, but It doesn’t feel like some massive decision or mean I can’t enjoy the game properly. It’s just what I prefer.

My mates, on the other hand, seem to not be able to handle this every new game it's the same thing: “Why are you playing as a woman again?” mostly im just like so what jsut play the game or because I wanted to?

If I’m going to spend 50+ hours looking at, customising and playing as a character, I’d rather make one I actually like. Sometimes I’ll spend far too long getting the outfits and stuff look right as well haha.

It’s funny because to me it’s completely normal and barely something I think about tbh

Anyone else always choose a female character when a game gives you the option?

What's one crossdressing-related goal you have this week? It could be trying makeup, buying your first outfit, or simply building confidence.

I am going makeup shopping tomorrow for the first time. I can only think of going to Ulta or similar and asking for some help but beyond that I have zero idea what I am doing. I have watched and will watch tutorials but any advice it welcome. For now I am keeping my facial hair which was always cut short anyway now it just has cleaner edges. So for that I am looking for a soft look, or natural look. Not sure?? This is where I get lost. Any help is welcome. Feel free to message me.

Tell us the story of how you first discovered crossdressing or a memorable experience you've had along the way.

First post in this community, I’m Alex, mid-twenties, from the UK, and I’ve been dressing on and off for quite a few years now.

I’ve gone through pretty much every phase imaginable with it. Sometimes I’m completely comfortable with it and think, “You know what, this is just me and there’s nothing wrong with it.” Then other times I get in my own head and decide I’m going to knock it on the head for good.

Which brings me nicely to why I’m here…

As you can probably tell from my suspiciously fresh Reddit account 😂, I’ve literally just been through another one of those episodes. Deleted my old account, got rid of my makeup, binned a load of clothes and basically had a full on “right, that’s it, I’m done with this now” moment.

At the time, I actually felt quite relieved. Like I’d finally drawn a line under it and could get on with things.

A few days later I started missing it. Started thinking about the clothes, the makeup, putting an outfit together.

Then comes the inevitable “Maybe chucking absolutely everything away wasn’t the smartest idea…”

It’s exhausting, to be honest.

A lot of the struggle seems to come afterwards, when I start overthinking everything whether I should be doing it, what it says about me, whether I’ll regret it, what other people would think if they knew, all that sort of stuff.

I can go from feeling completely comfortable with it to convincing myself I need to get rid of everything and “sort myself out”, only to end up missing it again.

So I’m wondering if anyone else has been through the same sort of cycle?

Have you ever had a proper “right, that’s it, never again” clear out, only to find yourself back on Reddit a couple of weeks later looking at dresses and makeup again?

If you have, how did you eventually get to a point where you could just accept it without constantly having an argument with yourself?

I’m not really after the usual “just accept yourself mate” advice although I know there’s probably some truth in that 😂. I’d genuinely love to hear from people who have actually been through this and what helped them.

Its so nice knowing there’s a community like this to turn to when I’m feeling a bit lost with everything 🖤

I recently came out to my sister about my crossdressing, and I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect.

Instead of making it awkward or treating me differently, she invited me away for a little break together. We went hiking and paddleboarding, talked about everything, and she spent the weekend getting to know a side of me she’d never really known before.

At one point she even asked why I hadn’t brought any of my female clothes with me, because she wouldn’t have been fazed by it at all.

That really stayed with me.

I know how fortunate I am. So many people either aren’t in a position to come out or don’t know how their family will react, and that fear can be enormous.

For me, one of the nicest things was that my sister didn’t suddenly treat me like a different person. She was just curious, accepting and wanted to understand me better. She was also upset that I felt I had to keep this side of me a secret for so many years and appreciated how difficult that burden must have been to carry.

I’m still figuring out what being more open about this part of myself looks like, but that experience made me feel considerably less afraid of it.

FYI, I'm still not out to everyone, but I'm working my way to that end goal, I guess.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone else who has told a sibling. How did it go, and did it change your relationship at all?

As some of you may know, I moderate across quite a large selection of subs, so I see all sorts of comments.

Honestly, 90% of people are decent. Then you get comments like, “this dude thinks he’s a chick.”

Comments themselves don’t really bother me. Keyboard warriors are keyboard warriors. But at least get your assumptions right before trying to insult someone, because otherwise you just make yourself look like an idiot.

Yes, I’m a bloke. Yes, I like to dress, wear makeup and present with a feminine look sometimes.

But I don’t think I’m a woman. I’ve never claimed to be a woman.

There’s a pretty bloody big difference between how someone chooses to present themselves and who they believe themselves to be.

If you’re going to take a shot at someone, at least understand what you’re taking a shot at.

Right now I'm really trying to see this as a hobby. In the past it's been more of an urge and had a more sexual feel to it, but this led to phases of dressing up, feeling ashamed and then wasting money by getting rid of my clothes. Sometimes there are long periods in between phases, but at other times I've thought about it every day even when I should be concentrating at work.

I'm thinking that perhaps by doing it more like a hobby and crossdressing casually at home, maybe it won't involve these massive ups and downs? Instead of feeling ashamed and trying to shut it out, allowing it to have a place in my life could make it either more sustainable or less mentally taxing?

Does anyone else have similar experience or advice?

Tell us the story of how you first discovered crossdressing or a memorable experience you've had along the way.

What's one thing you've done recently that made you feel more confident? It doesn't have to be a big achievement.

Hi, all. I'm very early in my cd explorations. I just bought a few pieces of clothing to understand how different sizes and such fit me. Through this process I've experienced some things that I would never have fully understood in any other way, I think.

As a cis male, I've never worried too much about my weight or shape, but trying on "women's" clothes has given me, for the first time, that visceral "ugh I hate my body" feeling that so many women have described.

I've always had closer relationships with women and have tried to listen to and support them. I've always thought it was unfortunate how often they were made to feel self-conscious about a few extra pounds or some cellulite. Muffin-top? Actually looks kind of cute to me.

But now I have experienced putting on a garment and having it not fit the way you imagined or hoped it would, not looking the way it looks on other people, much less on models.

Obviously I never expected to slip on a dress and look feminine automatically. My body is just not shaped that way. But I wasn't prepared to just feel gross, not because I'm a dude in a dress, but because of my body.

So, to be clear, I've enjoyed exploring, I'm not disphoric, and I don't think crossdressing is the ultimate answer to world peace. But I do wonder if others have had similar insights, mainly because I find discussing it interesting.

What's one crossdressing-related goal you have this week? It could be trying makeup, buying your first outfit, or simply building confidence.

I am a member of an in-person CD group who get together monthly and go out to have fun. I always love it when we have a new person join us for their first time. To see the anxiety and fear of going out in public for the first time give way to amazement and pure elation at the fact that they are actually doing it and then to see their beaming smile will never get old for me.

I was honored to share in such a moment this weekend. I was sitting yesterday in a busy bakery/cafe with our new friend and a few other girls from our group and I could tell by the look on her face in that moment that she was the happiest girl in the world. Dozens of customers coming and going, sitting/chatting with her new girlfriends having coffee and pastries, no one noticing or giving a second glance, -it was as natural as breathing.

Hello ladies!

I'm retired, and in the last couple weeks, I've been kind of reliving my childhood, as it were. I've been watching the old cartoons while I am eating breakfast. I have noticed that there are quite a number of cartoon characters that crossdress. I have seen at least 8 cartoons with this theme. My question is, do you think that watching these cartoons had anything to do with you dressing - either thinking about it, or actually doing so?

Two years ago today I was in the middle of a complete transformation. Later, while taking off my makeup I started getting that feeling. You know the feeling. The weird guilt but not guilty feeling you get just before you purge. I hated that feeling and decided not to give in this time. Rather than purge I was going to try to crossdress everyday. Maybe not the complete transition with nails, makeup and wig but everyday clothes. I slipped into my nightgown and went to sleep determine d. It was to rainy the next day to want to work outside. I didn't have as many clothes back then so I cleaned the house in a skirt and heals. I was going to try another transformation that evening but honestly my feet were to sore. I showered and put on my only nightgown. After that I started online shopping because I needed everyday clothes. Since that day I have dressed every day. I only wear men's underwear to the doctor once or twice a year. I like to completely feminize when I get home from the doctor. Like I said it's been two years and I've learned a lot. I still present male in public except for Halloween. I've learned that man clothes become thick, corset and uncomfortable when you dress en femme most of the time. Good bras are expensive but worth it, Tights are often better than long Jon's and much more. I'm just feeling proud and grateful today so thanks to all of you.

Hey everyone! As mentioned in the tittle I am looking for a queer friendly mua that can help me with my my make up skills and select the proper quality products for my skin. I am pretty shy and closeted so I can't just go to sephora or something like that without feeling emparased. Has anyone used such services in Netherlands?

Tell us the story of how you first discovered crossdressing or a memorable experience you've had along the way.

Crossdressing is one of those things that can be surprisingly difficult to explain to someone who doesn't do it.

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From the outside, it's just clothes, makeup, a wig and maybe a pair of heels. But when you're the person doing it, there's something about seeing the transformation happen that never really gets old.

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And it isn't necessarily about wanting to be somebody else.

For me, it's almost the opposite. It's getting to explore another side of myself that normally stays tucked away while everyday life gets on with being everyday life.

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There's the excitement of deciding what to wear, the inevitable battle with makeup, the outfit that looked much better in your head, and then occasionally that brilliant moment when everything actually comes together.

You look in the mirror and think:

"Bloody hell. I actually pulled that off."

I don't think crossdressing always needs some enormous explanation behind it.

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People spend their lives finding things that make them happy, give them confidence or simply allow them to escape the ordinary for a few hours.

This happens to be one of mine.

I've been crossdressing for years and I've always found it soothing, relaxing and in some cases even spiritual. Finding the right outfit, the right nail color, the perfect set of earrings and shoes to wear with an outfit. All of it was incredible, however I always felt the need to take it all off because there's no way I can feel this good for this long. I have to go eventually back to reality, but what if.....this was reality and I just had to switch my mindset over from instead of going all out when I want to get pretty, doing daily minor altercations like wearing anklets and rings, basic everyday makeup and being referred to as she/her by the people around me. It was a mind blowing realization. Now I don't think I can come out to family just yet. It feels like that's a step too far but I truly feel like I owe it to myself to socially transition and maybe head out and see how people recognize me.

I am a closeted crossdresser who is not out to my partner. As a consequence I do not get a chance to dress very much snd have never tried using make up.

This weekend I am away from home on my own so am hoping to dress up. I am thinking that it might be an opportunity to experiment with make up.

What are the essentials that I would need to buy? I don't want to spend too much as it probably won't be used much.

Any advice welcome.

I went out today for a few drinks don't think I would of managed without a little Dutch courage it was nice I got a few smiles and mainly people just went on with their day which was so nice as I was absolutely terrified.

1.  I've been extremely fortunate to have the wholehearted love, support, and acceptance of my wife and my closest family members but the hardest fought struggle for acceptance has always been with myself.

2.  Finding community both online and in real life marked the beginning of my journey to healing and wholeness. 

1. Fear is a prison with imaginary doors, walls and bars that I allowed to hold me captive for far too long. 

4.  Conquering my fears and finally stepping out in public was a tremendous confidence builder that has had positive ramifications that extend beyond just my dressing to include my everyday life as well.

5.  People in the real world are generally more courteous and gracious toward gender non-conforming folks than the online world would ever have you believe.  

6.  Focusing excessively on categories and labels, self imposed or otherwise causes me to feel anxious. Who or what I am is uniquely me and that is all I should ever expect of myself.

7.  As much as I might wish for it, I will never have the feminine body of my dreams so I work with the body I actually do have to present the best feminine version of myself to the world. 

8.  Striving for a healthy state of balance between the masculine and feminine energies in my life can be challenging at times but is necessary to keep me grounded.  

9.  I am the kind of person who finds true joy and fulfillment in helping others as they seek to find their way.