u/CDEliseRose

I’m struggling a bit emotionally at the moment and wondered if anyone else here has gone through something similar.

For years I convinced myself that dressing was just an escapism, stress relief, or a phase that I’d eventually grow out of, but recently it’s started to feel much deeper and more emotionally significant than that.

The more I’ve allowed myself to explore femininity, the more it feels connected to comfort, freedom, softness, confidence and emotional expression, not just clothes or sexuality. It’s started affecting how I imagine my future, how I see myself, and what feels emotionally authentic to me.

What’s confusing is that I don’t hate being male, and I’m not sitting here certain I’m trans either. It feels more like I’ve discovered a side of myself that I kept buried for years, and now that I’ve acknowledged it, I really can’t put it back in a box mentally.

Honestly, part of me feels relieved finally admitting that to myself, and another part feels terrified because I have a happy family life and I’m scared of what this all means.

Has anyone else gone through this stage where it stopped feeling like just dressing up and started feeling like something emotionally important or central to who you are?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve experienced similar feelings, it’s not really something I can bring up in the pub with the lads…