Hi I'm new here and would also love some help and advice!

Hi Chriss

Welcome to the Sisterhood.

Enjoy the journey.

Hugs X

Wilma.

1. How do I keep it a secret? That's the hard part. Easiest way? Find a good hiding spot for every thing, especially if you don't live alone. 

2. How do I make my body more feminine. Can't help you there, sorry. 

3. And how do I choose a name for my female self? As for the name? Run a few through to see if they resonate. Find something you like find a name from there. Or feminize your name. There's no real one way to do it. I'll use mine as an example, and mine has 5 parts:

Anna- name of an old crush, Leigh- feminized version of my middle name (thus Annaleigh, also a character from one of my favorite movies). Claire is an old friend and just fits, plus it's cute. Rose is my favorite flower. My last name was the tricky part, but is the name of one of the characters from my book I'm writing.

Hello Chriss...Welcome to CDH SITE
This IS THE BEST PLACE TO START...
WITH BEING... YOUR TRUE SELF...

I had same issue. Wife doesn't like me being feminine so have to hide my other self away.

I chose ghe name Laura wS a nickname for an old car I had and just seemed right.

Make up isn't easy try watching you tube also getting right clothes fir the tight look takes practice. Be patient will suddenly click into place.

Similar situation here - my wife knows, but asked me to stop, so anything I do is in secret. It's hard. You have the advantage over me - you're single and could maybe get your own place.

Make-up - practise literally makes perfect. You'll look like a clown in drag to start, but persist.

Making your body more feminine? Shapewear for me - invest in some hip and bum pads. Maybe a pantie girdle to hold everything in place. Rolled up socks lose their allure after a while, so some decent forms. Cinch the waist in with a wide belt. It's all about proportions. If you have broad shoulders, then you need broad hips to balance them.

Try Amazon for clothes, once you've learnt how your body relates to femme sizes. Delivery could be tricky though.

Pick a name you're happy with - maybe a favourite TV presenter. Mine is a family name.

Last think, and most important - YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.

Connie
xxx

Hello Chriss

Welcome to CDH I am Sarah from Buckinghamshire look forward to chatting sometime.

xx

Hi Chris:

First of all, Welcome to CDH. You've found the best and most supportive site for crossdressers. No creeps trying to hit on you and no judgments made about you.

As for keeping it a secret, that can be tricky depending on living arrangements and depending on how far you want to go in looking feminine. When I was married, it was very difficult to get away with anything. Being single makes it really quite easy to get away with dressing at home, but I'm still at risk of exposure if I go out. And since I shave my entire body to look and feel more feminine, there's a risk that people will notice my shaved arms and legs (and they have), which may lead to questions (only one person ever asked, but I've seen others, including my mother, looking at my smooth shaved legs).

As for feminizing, there are lots of good tutorials on YouTube for makeup application, for padding (diy and purchase reviews), shapewear reviews, breast forms, etc. There are also great articles here on CDH, and at a few of the specialty boutique sites online.

As for the name, I adopted the name my mother told me she would have given me had I been born a gg. But it seems to me that you don't need to change yours at all as Chris can go either way. Unless, of course, you want to change it.

Most importantly, don't get caught in the cycle of buy, guilt, purge (it can get really expensive) and don't lead on a significant other or spouse. If you really feel the need to explore and express your feminine side, come to terms with what that means for you. Why do you feel the need? Are you going to be satisfied just cross dressing, or will you be seeking further transition?
Will you expect your wife or SO to accept your dressing? To participate in it? To encourage it?

I wish you success on your journey (wherever it takes you).

Hugs,
Elise

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Hi Connie

Reference the Amazon shopping, you can get certain items sent to a local post office for pick up, sadly not all their suppliers will post that way....I've missed out on some beautiful clothes because the supplier will only post to home address.

Hugs X

Wilma.

Hi, Chriss!

Welcome!

As to advice, don't purge! Also, as de Beauvoir points out, one is not born a woman but becomes one. It is a learning process and you have to do your homework. There will be a test.

How do you keep it a secret? Well, first of all, don't tell anyone and remember that what happens on the Internet does NOT stay there. On the other hand, they way things have been going at an accelerated pace since 1960, you may not have to keep it a secret nor want to after a while.

How do you make your body more feminine? There are biochemical and surgical means but beauty begins with a healthy anatomy. The rest is style and technique.

How do you choose your feminine name? Try imagining your feminine persona as a separate person and guessing what her name is. The neat thing is you can 'transit' from one 'gendered' name to another at will.

Araminta.

Hi Chris,

Welcome, it is lovely to meet you.  I am also from the U.K. and my first advice would be not to panic, you are with a friendly and supportive group of ladies here who can help and support.

We have been where you are now, things become clearer and easier.  I am happy to chat and give whatever help and support I can, please feel free to message me.

Tara.

Hi Chris nice to meet you and happy you found and joined us girls here on the best CD site on the internet so get settled in relax and enjoy yourself here.. As a new sister and family member you are welcomed into our home as well as yours now also.. The purge girl is a easy but bad choice it just cost you in the end like others find a safe place to hide them away .. youtube is such a great place to learn some of the girly things in life just be careful where you watch it as easy for peopls to see what your watching or hear it.. Many ladies here to ask questions from or reading the forums and posts to gain knowledge of the femme ways in life .. All things femme are practice  practice  practice  you were born female in your heart not your body so you will have to work on it slow and steady good luck girl oh as for your name stand and look in the mirror and look at your self and say names of female friends family of tv celebs and see which grabs you as you say it sometime works good luck ..

Stephanie Bass

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Feeling ashamed isn't something you should ignore. It's your conscious telling your mind something. It's that gut feeling that shouldn't be ignored. Deep down you're ashamed. But you don't want to feel that way. I get it, 100%. 99.999999% of society doesn't agree with men trying to be women. That's normal. And nothing us gurls can do to change it.
So, you either keep it to yourself, or you find like minded friends who enjoy crossdressing and do it with them.
I have done both. Had a good friend who I used to visit and CD with. We really enjoyed having someone we could se face to face, and relate to about how we enjoyed feminizing ourselves. And once that day(s) was over, we could go back to being our normal manly selves.
We didn't have to rearrange our entire lives, didn't have to seek acceptance from our loved ones. And we didn't get so far into it, that there was no going back. Kept our options open, as they say. And it worked our for the best.
Being young, you probably have times you want to scream your secret at the top of your lungs to the world. Been there. Done that. But there's been many MANY more times that I was glad I didn't.
You're old enough to have your own place, so I assume you do. If not, then I suggest you do. The freedom of that in itself is amazing. To dress how you want, practice your make up for as long as you want. You'll have an address where you have have clothes shipped straight to your place, discretely. And, if you find other CD or trans friends, it'll be a place to have get togethers. A gurls-night-in.

Hope this helps.

P.S. If you enjoy the relationship you have with your loved ones, think long and hard about changing that relationship. Once you come out, it will change. Most times, it's not always for the better. Subtle questions with your parents might help you decide. Like bringing up the subject to them about other crossdressers and trans people. Listen to what they say. If they favorable, jokingly say something about you dressing as a woman.

Hi Chriss,

Welcome to CDH!

As other have said you are special and you are you.  There is nothing to be ashamed about.  Having feminine feelings is a part of you that you can share here with your sisters.

There are many posts to read on the three topics you ask about.  So enjoy exploring the site and reading/commenting on them.  And ask the questions that come to mind.

Alice

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You are so correct about not being 22 again. I was looking at some of my just out of high school pics that thought to myself, "Gurl, you would've been a knock out back then." I even had pretty long hair back then. Shoulder length. The little clothes that would've fit me. The tighter, wrinkle free skin. OMG. I think I'm gonna cry just thinking about it. lol