212 - Organic v Traumatic

In this episode, Savannah asks Julie to chat about what drives male-to-female crossdressers to adopt a feminine presentation. What was the spark that initially led to the first and, ultimately, ongoing experiences of femdom? Did the thoughts come from a natural subconscious space or were there extenuating circumstances that conditioned the body to use femininity as a suit of armor against certain assaults? Savannah and Julie dig a little under the surface to raise awareness and further discussion.

Examples of childhood trauma that could potentially contribute to gender dysphoria include: being forced to conform to gender stereotypes, severe gender-based bullying, physical or sexual abuse related to one's perceived gender, parental rejection of a child's gender expression, consistent misgendering, and experiences of extreme emotional neglect, particularly when tied to gender identity; essentially, any traumatic experience where a child feels deeply disconnected from their assigned gender due to societal expectations or negative interactions with others.

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SAVANNAH HAUK is the author of “Living with Crossdressing: Defining a New Normal” and “Living with Crossdressing: Discovering your True Identity“. While both focus on the male-to-female (mtf) crossdresser, “Defining a New Normal” delves into crossdressing and relationships and “Discovering Your True Identity” looks at the individual crossdressing journey. Her latest achievements are two TEDx Talks, one entitled "Demystifying the Crossdressing Experience" and the other "13 Milliseconds: First Impressions of Gender Expression". Savannah is a male-to-female dual-gender crossdresser who is visible in the Upstate of South Carolina, active in local groups and advocating as a public speaker at LGBTQ+ conferences and workshops across the United States. At the moment, Savannah is working on more books, blogs, and projects focused on letting every crossdresser–young and mature–find their own confidence, expression, identity and voice.

IG @savannahhauk | FB @savannahhauk | FB @livingwithcrossdressing | web @livingwithcrossdressing.com

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JULIE RUBENSTEIN is a dedicated ally to transgender community and the certified image consultant and co-owner of Fox and Hanger. F&H is a unique service for transgender women and male-to-female crossdressers that creates customized virtual fashion and style “lookbooks”. Julie intuitively connects with each client to find them appropriate clothes, makeup, hair, and shape wear all in alignment with their budget, body type, authentic style and unique personality. Julie also provides enfemme coaching and wardrobe support. Julie has made it her life’s work to help MTF individuals feel safe and confident when it comes to their female persona, expression and identity.

IG @Juliemtfstyle | FB @foxandhanger | web @FoxandHanger.com