Dressing styles

Weh, I don't post here too much. I have some dissociation. They are like almost-people, that sometimes join my mind, and I stop feeling myself (I go far, like an observer) and then I am one of them. At other times they are just there, next to me, like in my signature picture.

Lately I have noticed depending on when it's more present in the morning, I dress in a style or another. I am phyisically a woman, but I may dress men clothes, informal, or more formal, women formal clothes or child-like clothes (like a hat with cat ears). It doesn't matter where I go, it's just depends on who is joining me inside my head. At the day hospital, once I felt really like the teen boy, I dressed with male teenager clothes and looked like a boy (my breast weren't noticiable) and the nurse said to me "We have someone new here!"; at other times I dressed so formal (women clothes) a new patient thought I was one of the nurses

The nurse didn't know about the dissociation issue so it was a totally sincere thing.

Does this happen to you?

Just to clarify, I don't mind whether you are diagnosed with DID, DDNOS or whatever; I am formaly diagnosed with schizophrenia and I have been told I have a lot of dissociative symptoms and "Dissociative disorders are hard to diagnose.". These people that join me in my mind have been called 'Dissociation' by the psychiatrist.

I once had a large assortment of clothes. I had men's wear and women's wear. I also had a huge collection of toys. They were thrown away and or burned when I was having an episode but my wardrobe is slowly gaining more styles. Depending on who is in control we do dress differently only that most of the time we don't make it far before one of us makes change into something more appropriate.

I have DID. several of us like to dress in completely different styles.

this never happened to me, the way my system was comprised was to follow the abusers code of do not tell, this required me and my internal system to not do anything that would point to being different. that meant my alters found other less obvious ways then changing clothing styles that showed they were different from each other. example buying multi colored clothing so that no matter which alter was in control their favorite colors were already being worn. in my location girls and boys every day clothing and sometimes dress up clothing was the same... jeans and a shirt. both boys and girls were brand new or dark colored jeans and lighter colored or decorated t shirts, hoodies (which used to be called sweat shirts and sweat jackets for those who dont know what hoodies are). even in situations where dresses may be the way a gender neutral way some of my friends form childhood managed to not look too "girly" or too "manly" was to wear what is called dress pants (pants made out of non jean material that looks special occasion like)

the good part about those friends of mine that are DID and have a multi gender system is that with the way america is now (lots of gender neutral clothing for both daily wear and special occasion wear) plus with the new standards for gblt laws and such a girl/ woman or boy/guy can freely wear what ever style they want, whether they are completely normal or they are trans person or they have a mental or physical health problem that causes alters or duality thinking/ feeling processes gender wise.

my suggestion is to breath and if you are in the USA its no big deal to go around in girly clothes one day and guy clothing the next. just the times america is in now where its perfectly acceptable. a new clothing style here in NY is guys wearing skirts and carrying purses. my point all across the country its perfectly find to wear what you want. there may be times when ones religion or school dress code requires differently (in that case my suggestion is to follow their rules during those functions)

Well...when we cared and was sworn to secrecy.....we had all male clothes. But now the proverbial cat is out of the bag meant only to us....our left side of the closet is all fem while the right side is the guys side.

But of course...being in a male body....we can't really be too fem in public just because of safety reasons...we are bigger then most actually...but you can't really slug somebody for words without jailage...

So....the South ain't so liberal as the north...but...isn't DID/OSDD all about secrecy? We are a closet case! So sad,..lol

We generally stick to a basic 'uniform' of jeans and shirts. Only a couple of us prefer and want to wear different stuff. Sometimes there are new skirts or dresses bought, but these are rarely worn, or if they are they are quickly removed. Some like to wear jewelry, others will rip them off if it is on the body while they are out.
it is just easiest to keep the wardrobe to a minimum.
Today one of us put on a pair of long pants that are a very different style than the usual, and I found myself intensely uncomfortable wearing them while at a neighbors home. They should be banned.

I want to add that there are photos of someone in us wearing slinky sexy dresses with the children's father!! I never even met him so I sure as heck know it wasn't me!!!

Oh, thank you for answering and sharing, I am glad I am not alone on this, I felt so weird about it...

for sure!

a lot of our people inside are.. how can I say, they have very strong personalities.

for example: stacy the therapist, yolanda the party girl and vivian the historian

so yeah. we have clothes in our wardrobe that relate to parties, historians and therapists

alicia likes disney things and princesses, so we have glittery things
our other alters don't really care

I mean their's michelle, for example- michelle the broadway singer- she's not fussed

as long as she gets to sing memory from the musical cats. lol

Yes and no?...I wanna say??..I guess.

Yes, there are times when I find myself in some odd fashion choices....that I know I did not dress myself in!
It isn't always extreme to tell point outsiders would think anything of it...but I jist personally think "ugh! Who the heck would wear this?!"
Other times it is just down right EMBARRASSING!! like to the point where I have gone and bought clothes to change if I am not able to go home immediately and change...
other times, I am embarrassed but just say F*** it and try to rock it! And if anyone comments I reply sarcastically and laugh act like I was just in a silly mood and purposefully decided to dress extra obnoxiously ridiculous. it's kinda fun sometimes...but damn it's really NOT!

Sometimes, I it can be helpful. If I know..then I can recognize the clothes and who was front right before me.

No, in that generally, we share kicking around clothes. Jeans tee-shirts hoodies. Average everyday around the house, running blah errands, or crap! I'm running late! Gotta just throw on whatever is convenient and clean...then we basically wear the same stuff. Only difference might be preference in color or cut..slight variations. But even then if in a big rush..I'll just grab whatever and be grumpy in pink all day *sigh...fml.
~Scarlett

Thank you for this, Shattered Sanity!!!
You made me giggle. lol..
I was the musical theatre brat growing up! I had a CATS tee-shirt I LOVED! I got in NYC ,used to rock it all the time I know some of the others HATED IT!! Which made me want to wear it even more just to mess with them
...rare to have a reminder of a happy childhood/pre-teen memory
You made my day!
~Scarlett

i dont care what i wear, as long as its covering my body
but thats mainly because i have never been able to shop for myself due to insufficient funds?
all of my stuff is clothes from my brothers or something my sister bought for me

alot of times you will find me in marines camoflage, shirt, and a jacket/ unless its summer

my shoes are falling apart too grrr

me (emily) can sort of relate to that.

I actually hate all my clothes (I think they are ugly, they are not much to look at etc)

so if it's me who's in control, I just throw anything on

Exactly.... growing up we wore what was handed us. We have no sense of style because we were ashamed of ourselves so never nothing stylish. We went through all black stage...t-shirts only...

Even today we mostly wear our job uniform during the day and the fems wear their night clothes.

As long as I can recall, I have lived in a body that might be wearing pajamas, a dress, three piece suit, kung fu uniform, puffy tutu skirt, jeans and t shirt... eclectic to say the least. For ages it has been so normal for this body to be sporting any and all of the above that it is not only normal to us, but to people who might happen to see us. It is not just clothing for us either. You should see what we do to our hair. It is presently half shaved and dyed blue. I think Veda was embracing her/his gender neutrality with that one. We so rockin the androgyny atm while somewhere inside Charlotte is missing her luxurious black locks. Betcha five dollars she goes and buys a wig one of these days. I have no idea how it is we have none of those yet. Woah. I just realized we are Roger from American Dad. LMAO! Where are my chocodiles...

-Tay

Lol...how funny...we have wigs too!

AlwaysChanging I was in an opshop earlier today and there was a trans person in there, middle aged, and possibly with some mental illness of some kind. It was hard to tell if the person was going for the male or female look as the outfit was somewhat confusing, but she was looking at woman's shoes... I did wonder if maybe the person had DID. Anyways, as we looked at the shoe rack beside each other we struck up a conversation and ended up shopping together a little. It was nice.
It just made me think of you, and the struggles and prejudice you must face as a matter of course. This person would face some of those same struggles and prejudices too, I imagine. It's kinda important to respect the humanity of everyone, yes? I hope I see this person again. She was funny and kind.

Actually, thank God we have to wear company bought uniforms at work. I have like 7 of them. We like uniforms...no form of public self expression with co-employees. I wear silver jewelry (wear loops (just lost one ), bracelet and a ring) and we get judged. I won't take them off and the male alters have come to accept it, but the carpenter has earned some level of acceptance by his work and abilities.

After work we just get comfy.

How nice. You would think that about humanity....but finding those are far and few in between.

Dude (and dudesses!) did you not contribute to the Nielson's ratings by switching on for the coverage of the marches today? Worldwide! For people's rights, for women / GLBQT+ / immigrants / children / HUMAN rights - for the rights of people everywhere, in every single continent in the world (yes - even Antarctica).. did you not see all those women children and men standing up for human beings everywhere?? All those people standing up to say this white patriarchy ******** is NOT okay. This condemnation of human beings is NOT okay. Hurting other human beings is NOT okay.
Times are a-changing, AC. HE does not stand for all the people. THEY do not stand for all the people.