The Dangers of Online Overexposure as a Crossdresser

Posting pictures online helps crossdressers to feel connected and valid. It helps us to get feedback from other people and reaffirms our femininity. And for some of our sisters, it may be their only interaction with the crossdressing community. But if you don’t take care, the dangers of online overexposure may be harmful to you and your well-being.

We live in the era of digital information, but it is still difficult, if not impossible, to control the spread of our data.

As such, crossdressers may end up exposed to many threats of the digital world if they don’t take care.

If you’re overexposed, you’re risking having your otos used without your permission.

Besides that, you are susceptible to harassment and cyberbullying.

In a worst-case scenario, if you haven’t come out yet, people may find it out in a non-pleasant way.

As such, you should watch out for privacy policies and avoid posting too much about yourself.

I wanted to help our sisters feel safe on the internet.

And with that in mind, my goal here is to list the most recurrent troubles that come with online overexposure.

I’ll talk about what causes these problems and what precautions you can take to try and avoid them.

But some stuff seems to happen to almost everyone, no matter how careful we are.

As such, I’ll tell you how to deal with and overcome those almost unavoidable burdens.

1. Improper use of your image

Once data reaches the internet, it’s almost impossible to get it back.

I mean, it can be copied an infinite amount of times and spreads way faster than we could contain it.

And it may happen to personal stuff such as your image as well.

Anyone can right-click and save pictures you post online and do whatever they want with it.

With that in mind, if you happen to post revealing pics, some may use them to try and blackmail you.

And don’t forget just how many perverts there are online, ready to do things you wouldn’t even want to know with this kind of picture.

So how can you avoid this kind of situation? Well, my first advice is to improve your online privacy.

I know it can be difficult in a world where everything is connected, but it’s not impossible either.

You may start by avoiding posting provocative or revealing pictures, as they are more likely to spread.

Besides that, share your image only with friends or people that you trust.

You can do that by changing your privacy settings on social media so that not everyone can see it.

The golden rule to keep in mind is that the less you post, the safer you are from this kind of leak.

2. People stalking and harassing you online

One common thing that happens on the internet is that we may attract unwanted attention.

Some random people may stalk and even harass you with unsolicited private messages.

This may be from persistent attempts to start a conversation to inappropriate pictures of themselves.

And if you ignore them, chances are that they’ll start calling you names.

They can be quite rude sometimes, going as far as to say highly offensive words to you.

In this kind of scenario, the best thing you can do is ignore and block these people.

Reading their messages may hurt your feelings and make you insecure.

But if you block them and delete the conversation, they can do nothing else.

Most of them will stop right after noticing you’ve blocked them.

But if they insist on posting stuff about you, report their accounts and ask your friends to do the same.

Things rarely reach this point, but it’s worth being prepared.

3. Cyber-bullying and transphobia

As for cyberbullying and transphobia, I must point out that the internet allows people to be their worst version.

They feel secure under the premise of anonymity and believe that there will be zero consequences to what they say.

As a result, transphobes, bullies, and trolls unleash their hate against any potential victim.

Being a crossdresser, you’re much more likely to suffer from this kind of attack than a cisgender woman or a guy.

Anything that escapes the cis-hetero-normative standards is a possible target for them.

They will not measure their words and will say everything they can think of to make you feel bad or guilty.

And the more you expose yourself online, the more likely you are to become a target.

But once again, this is something you may be able to avoid.

Changing your account from public to restricted will help you have control over who sees and interacts with what you publish.

This way, it becomes less probable for these people to mistreat you online.

But if they still do, you must prioritize your mental health.

Their objective is to make you feel bad for existing and being yourself.

And their methods rely on having you listen to what they have to say.

Thus, you’re better off ignoring whatever they say about you instead of fighting back.

Sooner or later, they’ll just give up.

But to make things happen faster, I still recommend you block and report any transphobe or cyberbully you come across online.

4. Getting caught

Getting caught as a crossdresser is a concern for those of us who didn’t come out.

It’s okay to keep it a secret, for whatever reason, but there are some risks.

This is something that may happen to every crossdresser out there but can happen in a few more ways to those who are active online.

If you post pictures of yourself, even if you’re wearing makeup, some people or algorithms might still recognize you.

It’s possible that some of your photos leak and that they reach someone you know in real life.

And having people close to you discover about your crossdressing like that is a rather humiliating experience.

To overcome that, you must take a few precautions with your profile online.

First of all, choose a crossdressing name as unrelated to your birthname as possible.

I know some of us may have a special connection with our names and want to transfer them to our feminine selves somehow.

But if you want to keep it a secret, this is a beginner’s mistake.

Basing your crossdresser name on your birthname makes it far easier for people to discover it.

My second tip regarding this matter may sound obvious, but I can’t stress how important it is.

Be careful who you add or follow on social media!

If you’re starting a new account, avoid adding people from the same region as you since they are more likely to recognize you.

And even if they don’t, adding them will make you easier to find for people who might.

My recommendation is that you start by adding people from afar, like another city or state.

It’s even better if they are also crossdressers or queer people in general, so you don’t feel lonely.

Then, gradually add people you know, but some that you can trust.

But at all costs, avoid adding people who you don’t want to find out you crossdress.

Avoiding overexposure, in general, is also helpful.

Keep in mind that posting pictures of your face or full body too often will serve as clues if someone suspects it.

If you want to avoid getting caught, you should use filters or post no pictures of your face at all.

It’s a matter of avoiding showing too much about yourself and keeping a low profile.

5. Feeling of guilt

Posting a picture of yourself online can be quite a rewarding experience, and I mean it.

Lots of compliments, reactions, and views that validate you as a woman.

So it’s no wonder why many of our sisters keep posting pictures of themselves.

And while doing so helps to reaffirm your femininity, there’s no problem at all.

But what happens is that some crossdressers express a certain regret of exposing themselves online and feel guilty for doing so.

In the most serious cases, it ruins their confidence, causing them to stop crossdressing or becoming depressed.

Much of this guilt comes from social pressure and lack of comprehension.

But sometimes, it’s also a side-effect of online overexposure.

That’s because you can get addicted to posting pictures, as receiving likes and compliments gives you a lot of serotonin.

But, with time, you notice that you’re losing your privacy and that your pictures are becoming more and more saturated.

It leads you to this feeling of guilt and even repulsiveness sometimes.

What you must understand is that there’s nothing wrong with posting pictures online if that makes you happy.

However, it would be wise for you to do so with moderation.

Another tip is to avoid sensual pictures, as they are more likely to cause this sort of feeling.

The internet, as a whole, can be a useful tool for crossdressers.

It helps us to be ourselves and share this part of our personality with other people without compromising our lives.

But it can also be a dangerous place if you overexpose yourself there.

With that in mind, you must watch out for what kind of content you’re posting and ignore people who want you to feel bad.

How much do you think is an acceptable amount of online exposure?

We would love to know, so make sure to leave a comment!