The effects of hormones are highly variable and tend to be less the older your are when you start them (as with anything biological there are always exceptions of course)
Height in most cases is not an absolute tell, but it does raise the bar.
Height will bring more attention so that if one is significantly taller than the average women in the area, what becomes most important physically is overall shape/build...
Notice I did not say weight... If HRT moves any extra to the right places, it can help more than hurt passing, as it can help hide a bigger male frame, though it might not help with being attractive.
Tall with a slight build and low weight can work very well.
Tall with a big male frame (or a big male frame even not that tall) , particularly if HRT results are on the minimal side can be very problematic.
Voice and how one moves can help a lot if the physical issues are they not TOO FAR out of the female norms in terms of shape, and they can get one over the top as well.. .
People these days are much more T* aware than they were 30-40 years ago, so passing consistently is overall harder, but there is a lot less penalty in a lot of places for not passing than there used to be...
I started out at 6ft with big male frame and minimal HRT results back in the mid-late 90s. I pass sometimes (maybe most of the time) but I can't count on passing all the time even after all the years. That said, I have never been fired or had a serious issue even though I do get read.
I was afraid I would never pass and I would wind up alone , broke and on the street if I transitioned... I had to get to a pretty bad place before I could overcome those fears to do it anyway. I spent almost a decade tearing myself up about it before taking the plunge.
I wound up passing better than I though I would, but nowhere near I very much wanted and felt I needed to. I'm not alone, never lost a job because of being TS, and own my own home which is payed off.
The thing is, if this is something you need, not doing it can carry a big price. And in the end you really can't know how things will end up without doing it...
So you have to ask yourself how much do you want/need to transition... is it enough to make the risks involved worth it
No one can tell you now for sure if your physical obstacles can be surmounted to get you where you want to be.
No one here should be telling you if you should or should not transition, or if you will or will not be able to pass well...
There is no way for them to know that, no matter how things went for them. Each one of us, our physical, emotional and social situation, and specific wants and needs are different.
That is something you need to decide for yourself. It is often a profound life changing decision whichever way it goes. How much you want/need to do it, and if it is worth the risk is up to you...
Most survive it one way or another, though at least in the old days, more than few did not as well.
-Karen
