CDing is it Nature or Nurture?

I voted no because I have what I think of as a confounding variable. I've written about this more detail in response to other queries here, so this is the Reader's digest version. At a young age, I engaged in "playing doctor" with a girl who lived a couple of houses away. We both enjoyed and kept at it for a few years. Once or twice we swapped underwear (I definitely got the best of that trade). A random thought that just occurred to me -- she was often referred to as a "tomboy" so perhaps the trade was more even.

When we stopped, I often felt lonely from not having the excitement I experienced when we were naked and exploring. It was during this time that I started trying on my mother's clothes, began feeling similar feelings. The rest is history.

Women's clothes aren't natural, therefore it's nurture, not nature.

Go back a mere couple of thousand years in human history, and the differences weren't so great - robes for everyone.

Look at some of the very few remaining indigenous peoples who still live in tribes, and again, the differences in clothing tend not to be pronounced in those cultures where clothes are needed.

Modern clothing is the product of the fashion industry. We have style marketed to us, and we lap it up, and accept someone else's vision of what we should look like, male and female - and it's still heavily promoted that way.

My first recollection of wanting to wear girls clothing was aged 4. I saw a girl, about my own age, wearing a lovely pink skirted swimsuit. I have no idea why, but I was so smitten, that the desire holds strong to this day.

There are other lingering memories of certain garments or outfits that just seemed to call me - in a completely different way to those items that tickle the fancy of a young man... and that's where confusion can really set it - is this just a wierd fetish, etc.

It can take a long time to realise that no, this isn't a fetish - especially when certain garments retain that attraction.

The simple reason is that those garments are specifically designed to be attractive to men.

When I am out as Laura, the excitement is totally different - it's a feeling of aspects of myself that the male shell finds incredibly difficult to be, of being relaxed and at ease with who I am, and feeling a place in the world that is "me-shaped", rather than feeling a total misfit.

I love how other people get excited about my appearance too - the validation is priceless. People treat me so differently en femme to drab.

So the costume helps me to bring out parts of my nature.

The image has been sold to me, even though I create my own vision of what that image should look like.

It's in my nature to want to be creative - I see that in generations of my family. Women's clothes offer far more scope to be creative with looks.

Well, that's how I see it - as a naturist, I don't see wearing clothes as natural, but as a practical and creative solution to moving out of Africa.

Love Laura.

Although the Pink Fog didn't envelop me until well into my Senior years, I can look back with 20/20 hindsight and see that I was born with strong femme traits. I grew up with a mostly absentee dad who didn't push any "guy" activities on me, and with no mom or any female relatives except one grandmother, (with whom I didn't get along). I had no push toward the femme side of life. With one exception, I avoided any "guy" sports, my playmates were mostly girls, and my very limited social life as a teen (non-dating) was with girls. I didn't recognize it then, but socially, I was a girl, even though I was also attracted to them. Talk about conflicted.

I eventually married a lovely girl, had 4 children with her, and lived a "normal" guy life; but only since I discovered Bettytlou a few short years ago have I really been happy with my existence. Being able to express my femme side has made me complete. I'm a girl and I was born this way.

Im 72. My earliest memory is putting on my mothers slip when I was I think 12. I struggled with my urges to dress until I was 29 when I went to my first CD party and realized I was not alone. I saw a psychologist in my late 30s who gave me some insight in who I am. It didn't give me the answer to why. At that point I stopped asking myself why and embraced the concept of balance. It saved my life.

I replied Yes , I can remember dreaming about being a Girl since early on. hoping someone would transform me. Like most I snuck into my mothers clothing when ever i could. Even as a child I wore things under my clothes. When I got a little older my body changed to mostly aathletic man built so I got away for awhile . I soon realized I missed dressing and return to it I have been doing it steadily for 20 plus years now.

Thoughtful question! I’ve had feminine feelings all my life. My Mother would tell me she wanted me to be a girl and when I was born the nurse brought me to her in a pink blanket because they didn’t have any blue blankets. So at first sight my Mother thought “her Debbie” arrived. I so vividly loved pulling on my Mother’s stockings she would have drying in the bathroom. I was a young child and it was so exciting. Still is exciting today when I slide a sheer pair of nylons on my freshly shaved legs. It’s all girl! Hugs, Debbie Lynn

I can remember way back that I always wanted to dress as a girl. The few times I did as a young one I remember how nice it felt. I was hooked at that moment. Ahhhh memories. Hugs Katey

I voted yes, I believe I was born with the propensity to want to be a girl. I remember fairly young wishing I was a girl, and by age 10 sneaking my older sisters stuff on. I don’t  recall any “event” happening early that caused me to want to dress as a girl and behave like a girl, it was just something that was already inside me...

💖

Voted yes due to fact remember when was born father had pink wrapped cigars for his buddies lol. Also remember started playing with girls things more then boy things then when got the age wonder into my mothers bedroom found her panties and bras and tried them on then next step rummage through her clothes and picked out a dress so here was dressed with panties and bra  and over size heels at the time.

Mother caught me and I said hey mom I knew you wanted a girl so I am dressing the part for you.

I voted yes because no one dressed me; instead, i chose to put heels and pantyhose/stockings on at around 4 yrs old; My mom let me play with it. When I was older my younger sisters said that I wasn't suppose to play with that and they should, ie my mom's high heels.

Like you I was a pantyhose and high heels person for a very long time. Eventually though I made to full dressing and love it.

Jennifer

I voted 'no'.

Without getting too philosophical about man-made social constructs... my interest came later, probably around puberty. I had older sisters growing up, and they could be little brats. I never thought about their clothes, or sought my mother's things. I don't know why i developed an adoration for things feminine, and desire to emulate that nature.

Great question! For me, when I was 4 or 5 I remember dreaming and thinking of wearing cute clothes, especially stirrup pants!!

Then, everything else came on!

Denise

Hi Melanie, I'm in the not sure camp.  I think it is a bit of both.  My physical traits certainly lean towards androgyny (no Adam's apple, very little body or facial hair, lots of hair on top of my head, a slightly smaller than average frame, small wrists) but that alone doesn't mean I was born a CD; but sure makes passing a lot easier.  My mental traits have been influenced a great deal by my mother. She encouraged me to have interests in feminine things while my father, try as he might, actively encouraged manly pursuits.  So there were times growing up where I did try those manly activities and I still do some of them (but now I might be dressed en femme doing them).  Good question.  Stay healthy, Hugs, Krista.

I voted yes but i'm more trans than CD-er. My head, my heart, everything but the dangly bit has always been female focused from day one. So, yes Lady Jar-Jar, i was born this way.