By Jenn der Bentson

Ok, so I admit it. I buy too many clothing articles for Jenn. I and others will argue that wearing the clothes, the makeup, the breast forms, and all that comes with my crossdressing is part of the process and desire is something that fulfills a part of my psychological, and some might argue, biological and genetic, needs. I think shopping for my femme form is also part of that effort, process, or desire also. 

I don’t really shop for clothes as a guy for beauty or of sexiness, I shop as a guy for function. Pants that are rugged and have the right pockets to get through my work days. Button down shirts that will go with my suit. Sweaters that will keep me warm in the winter and look professional enough for my work, but that’s about it. It isn’t about the fun of shopping, or how cute or sexy I think it might look when I put it on. That’s different for my alter-ego, Jenn.

Jenn shops for things that will be cute or allow me to feel sexy when I transform. My male side shops for Jenn when I can’t be in Jenn mode with hope and expectancy of when I will be able to do so and get to wear the clothes I bought. It’s part of the fun, it’s part of crossdressing to me and I suspect it is for many others as well.

Sometimes, I buy things that I don’t end up liking or eventually things in my closet fall out of favor with me over time, or no longer fit. It happens to everyone with clothing, not just things we wear when we are crossdressing. It’s just part of the natural order of things I guess.

Those things add up. Sometimes, we need to get rid of some things. It’s time to clean out the closet.

Now, there are different reasons people get rid of things. For many crossdressers, “the purge” is a part of the cycle. If you are a crossdresser who has done any amount of surfing the Internet trying to figure yourself out or learn about the experiences of other crossdressers, you have undoubtedly seen stories of, and probably some psychological analysis of the “purge cycle” that many of us go through. The collecting of clothing and other paraphernalia associated with our activity, our hobby, obsession, passion, and then the mass getting rid of it as we grapple with the internal challenges of desire, guilt, efforts to quit, or pressure to stop from others in our lives. It’s a tough process. That isn’t what I am talking about here.

I am just talking about an actual accumulation of things that you really no longer need, or use. 

For those of us who are lucky enough, we get past purging, and maybe even end up in situations as a single individual or in a relationship that is accepting, where we can accumulate our things and not have the same pressures to get rid of things en masse.

When that happens, as I am fortunate to be in the position of, sometimes, we collect more than we want or need. And when that happens, a “structured purge” might be in order. In effect, a house cleaning.

Even if we aren’t clearing the closet for a “purge”, it can be a little nerve racking for many crossdressers to just throw things away in their garbage, plus it is wasteful when we do this for perfectly usable articles of clothing.

Some fear the “what if the neighbor sees what is in my garbage” moment, or the what “if my garbage spills” moment. Ok, I get it, but honestly, how many times has your neighbor dug through your garbage or has it really spilled? With that said, there is a better option.

Donate your serviceable, functional, no longer needed or used items to places that accept used clothing for resale or donation to needy individuals. The American Red Cross, Goodwill, and The Salvation Army are three of the most prevalent, but there may also be thrift stores, womens’ violence shelters, and many other options in your local areas to consider. Put what you no longer need to good use for someone else who may be in need of a cost effective or donation option in their own life.

Ok, so back to the fear that many crossdressers have about “what if someone sees what I am donating”, right?

The Dropoff

Don’t overthink this.

People at dropoff locations don’t really think much about what you are dropping off, or to be honest, probably care.

The places, and the people working there, have no idea where the donated articles of clothing you are dropping off are coming from. You might have been cleaning out a house a renter of yours had left a bunch of things at when you evicted them, you might be collecting goods from a friend who passed away, it might be things from your sister that you were asked to drop off for her since she is busy, or any other possible reason you could be dropping donations off that includes female clothing. Don’t overthink it, and don’t even bother to give anyone a story when you drop off donations. They probably won’t ask, and if you just roll up and say, “Hi, here are some bags of donations” and go on with your day, it will go that fast and noone will even wonder. You will be the only person who knows you are the source of the donations.

If you are REALLY worried, live in a small town where you are concerned you might be recognized, or just feel uncomfortable dropping things off at a place where there are people, consider a drive to the next town or find one of any number of unattended dropoff bins that many help organizations offer.

This doesn’t have to be a thief in the night type of operation. The bigger deal you make of it, the more likely it is that anyone else might even notice. 

What clothing articles should I donate?

Certainly personal undergarments that are to be rid of are probably not things that are appropriate for donation for the use of by others, but there is much that can be. Skip the old wig also, that’s a good item to toss in the garbage.

Sweaters, dresses, skirts, pants, blouses and other general clothing that you have decided you no longer like, no longer fit, or just don’t have room for in the closet and never wear are great targets for donations. Shoes and unwanted jewelry are also good items to donate. 

Think simple here. Is it something that can be well cleaned (washed) and would be reusable. A good mental test I like to use is, “would I be willing to buy this and wear it if it was a used item?”

Ok folks, that’s all I have for you on this. So next time you are looking to get rid of some no longer used items, don’t just toss them. Don’t overthink it, donate. And the good news is if you do this periodically, you might just be making more closet room for that next great purchase you are looking forward to!