what makes us cross-dress?

I’ve been pondering this for some time and am curious about what drives others. If this has already been discussed as a thread, my apologies—I just hadn’t come across it.

Somewhere along the line I saw a set of straightforward definitions that cover the spectrum. Cross-dressing involves wearing female attire to get stimulated or turned on; transvestites dress up to appear like women; and transgender refers to men who want to BE women. I’m not looking to stereotype anyone, so please no flames. Also, I’ve assumed most CDs are male.

I fall into the first definition. I love wearing a tight corset (Mistress Jenny’s cue:) ), stockings, high heels, maybe a satin blouse and a leather skirt. I don’t use padding for my bust, nor do I wear wigs or makeup. It might look a bit strange, but hey, it makes me happy. This is only the second time I’ve worn this outfit in public—I’ll be doing so again in a few days at a “play party.” Before that, I wore basques, stockings, and panties for SB sessions, but recently I splurged on eBay to get the skirt, shoes, and blouse and decided to go out into the world.

I’ve noticed that as I got more comfortable wearing it in public, the sexual arousal wasn’t overwhelmingly strong, but it added to my overall enjoyment, especially since I received several compliments:D. So, what does it do for you?