Any cis males here ever had the random desire to cosplay a female character

[Lemming]

People don't half overthink shit, no offence. Put on a dress and makeup if you want, it's just cosmetics, nobody really cares. Unless you go through the city centre at night, in which case watch out for mobs of drunk men who careen towards you going "WHEEY WHAT'S THIS".

Cosplaying characters of the opposite sex has always been a thing, head to any no-name convention right now and see the fat bloke who's come as Sailor Moon for a laugh, or the improbably gorgeous young man who's come as a woman from a Japanese game you've never heard of. Not to mention the 99999 trillion women in attendance who'll have come as anime twinks. If you go to a convention to cosplay there's a 100% guarantee that you won't be the only one there doing a "gender-bending" cosplay, and there's an equally certain chance that you won't be the shittest-looking person there.

Just buy a cheap skirt for about £5 if you want testicular comfort and wear it at home, problem solved. The only person who'll see you is whoever's delivering shit to your door, and they're hardly going to say "WHAT'S THAT MATE? A FUCKING SKIRT? FUCKING SKIRT MATE? SKIRT ALERT! WE'VE GOT A FUCKING SKIRT HERE" and batter you on your doorstep while your neighbours gather round to cheer.

I've been crossdressing almost daily for a few years, wig and makeup and all that, and almost nobody gives a fuck (again, unless you go through the city centre on Friday night, in which case whoaoaohoahoaa). I think I've had like maybe four "incidents". Five if you count a big female dog who hates men and tried to rip my nuts off. The only people who react strongly are shop assistants, who get a jumpscare every time they see you because they think they're about to lose their job for addressing you wrong, forcing them to cycle between every possible combination in a mad panic before saying some ridiculous shit like "here's your change s'mirm". You can try and shoot them a reassuring smile to let them know that you don't care about any of this shit, but if you're cursed with my unfortunate features, any attempt to smile looks like the unmistakable saliva-drenched leer of the deranged pervert, so I stopped doing that.

[first skeleton on mars]

dresses are horrible

[Goldentony]

have you tried wanking in a car

can't wank in front of Soundwave

[imitationleather]

have you tried wanking in a car

have *YOU* tried wanking *ME* in a car?

Not as I recall. And that makes me feel weird.

[Goldentony]

this is not about banging one out in a car you animals

[Red Macadam]

have *YOU* tried wanking *ME* in a car?

Not as I recall. And that makes me feel weird.

I have. You told me my fingernails were too long. Didn't stop you spunking into my palm. Still have encrustations in my grooves. And hair. Like Tip - Ex, it is. Quite like it.

[Red Macadam]

I don't think I've done cosplay, mostly because it didn't exist in my very long ago day, but I think I've done it anyway.

Loved Bonnie Langford as Mel in Doctor Who, saw her in panto as Peter Pan in about 1985. Dressed up as her. I was a little boy dressing up as a woman dressed up as a little boy.

A bit later I loved Ace from Doctor Who. Wore my sister's leggings, bomber jacket and D.Ms. Had a plastic rounders bat. Hair scraped back with additional hair piece, lots of lipstick.

Aged 16, I attended my college's fancy dress day for Children in Need as Siobhan Fahey. Curly black wig, thick white make-up that crumbled and flaked throughout the day. Mum's old fur coat. I wanted to be Siouxsie, but my friend said she was doing that. Very cross when she dressed as Siobhan. The shit.

At university I frequently dressed in feminine clothes. It was just 'me'.
Went to a party dressed as Emma Peel. Spent the evening trying to convince people I was actually, male. I was a very pretty lad, but didn't know it at the time.
Portrayed the Virgin Mary for some reason I forget. Is that cosplay? Don't care, I was off my tits. Numerous other girly stuffm

Lots of other things I can't remember clearly. Possibly a purple wigged extra from UFO and Deirdre from Corrie.

[jamiefairlie]

Loved Bonnie Langford as Mel in Doctor Who

Ah, so it was you!

[The Dog]

R2D2

All the other boys wanted to be C3PO, but not me. My parents never said anything, and I soon grew out of it.

[TrenterPercenter]

I'm cosplaying right now (as Bea Arthur)

[touchingcloth]

When did the OP sign up, and how many wanks has he had to this thread so far?

[Gurke and Hare]

R2D2

All the other boys wanted to be C3PO, but not me. My parents never said anything, and I soon grew out of it.

Have you ever dressed as a cat?

I didn't do the dressing up, but when I was about 8 I used to love playing at being Wonder Woman, to the mild concern of some adults.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I thought about going to a fancy dress party as Ripley in the power loader from Aliens. I'm not sure if it would have counted, as the loader would have been the costume, with a dummy body stuck to the front with my head sticking out of the shirt. In the end though, it sounded too complicated to build everything, so I went as Ash from Evil Dead 2.

[Wolfie]

Never had any interest in cosplay as a male or female character. To go further, I have nothing but contempt for cosplay.

It's just a bit of fun, everybody has their own interests, it's healthy fantasy, all may well be true but after forty years of living, I have no respect for the cosplay community.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Not a fictional character but I've often thought I'd make a fairly convincing Wuthering Heights era Kate Bush. Mind you I mainly thought that about 7 years ago back when I was slimmer and less hairy.

[dissolute ocelot]

Definitely more disturbed by the cosplay aspect than the cross-dressing. It obviously doesn't matter unless you've been cast in a specific role in the pantomime.

[JamesTC]

Loved Bonnie Langford as Mel in Doctor Who

I want to cosplay as The Rani cosplaying as Mel in Doctor Who.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I want to cosplay as JamesTC cosplaying as The Rani cosplaying as Mel in Doctor Who.

[first skeleton on mars]

I want to cosplay as Santa's Little Helper – a good boy

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

It's called fancy dress.

[Zetetic]

It's called [a] fancy dress.

[TrenterPercenter]

It's called fancy dress.

Careful now, I was accused of cosplay-bigotry for committing this crime a couple of years ago.

[Captain Z]

Fancy dress, well fancy that!

[The Dog]

Have you ever dressed as a cat?

I once spent a week dressed as a cow, but I can't really talk about it. Official secrets act.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Careful now, I was accused of cosplay-bigotry for committing this crime a couple of years ago.

Destroy them.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Just my mum.

[TrenterPercenter]

Destroy them.

Oh I will.  Just as soon as I complete my Mecha-Bea Arthur outfit.

[Mr Vegetables]

I wouldn't really want to dress up as a fictional hero because it would just make me think about how I'd be bad at doing their job, and that would be depressing. There's something in it that feels like trying to escape my own life, but which instead just takes all the nice bits of my own life away, and it's a lot more bleak than if I'd just stayed at home and been myself.

[Sebastian Cobb]

For me it isn't about even how i look, I look like sweaty anus in everything, it has nothing to do with identity or self-fashioning I just want to be comfortable, and dresses and those kinds of things look much comfier than what I have to wear. If they turn out not to be then fuck it. Maybe we should bring back tunics or togas.

I sort-of know a bloke who has started wearing dresses, I think it was originally in solidarity with his young daughter or something, but they're staying with it because they think it's more comfortable and also they reckon they get less stereotypical treatment when picking the kids up from the school gates, whatever that means. There's no identifying as a woman going on (not that that would be a problem, they're definitely not transphobic).

Of course some cultures sort of have this thing anyway, I had a Pakistani neighbour who would break out a sort of thin white muumuu when it got hot in summer, looked well comfy.

[Stonefish]

Back when I lived in Wales I was in a relationship with someone who liked to paint my nails almost every night and got a kick out of me wearing some of her stuff. It's not something I ever considered trying but I didn't care either and truth be told I'd probably have done anything to make her happy, she was the best. The dirty little secret women don't want you to know is that their clothes are extremely comfortable and feel great to wear. After trying it my own clothes felt like wearing a hair-shirt in comparison. Pottering around in a maxi dress and leggings had a self-soothing effect on me. I don't have any desire to be a woman but I'm a fan of some of the clothes. I'd happily add some comfortable dresses to my wardrobe and wear them in public if only society would let me!

I've been crossdressing almost daily for a few years, wig and makeup and all that, and almost nobody gives a fuck (again, unless you go through the city centre on Friday night, in which case whoaoaohoahoaa). I think I've had like maybe four "incidents". Five if you count a big female dog who hates men and tried to rip my nuts off. The only people who react strongly are shop assistants, who get a jumpscare every time they see you because they think they're about to lose their job for addressing you wrong, forcing them to cycle between every possible combination in a mad panic before saying some ridiculous shit like "here's your change s'mirm". You can try and shoot them a reassuring smile to let them know that you don't care about any of this shit, but if you're cursed with my unfortunate features, any attempt to smile looks like the unmistakable saliva-drenched leer of the deranged pervert, so I stopped doing that.

Cool post and happy for you. When you say you started doing it daily a few years ago was this something you gave a go during lockdown or some other reason that made you take the plunge?