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testosterone and masculinity

Started by dejan160, June 28, 2012, 05:39:29 PM

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dejan160

I met a woman who wants to start her testosterone treatment in order to become a man. She is very feminine and she is afraid that testosterone will not make her act masculine enough. She would prefer to stay a woman then to be feminine man. What do you guys think? Will testosterone virilize  her motorics movements and make her a masculine Man?
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Kreuzfidel

No - if her natural mannerisms are "feminine", testosterone will not change that.  I also think that it sounds likes this person needs to suss out her self-exploration a bit.  I know everyone is different, but it doesn't sound like transitioning is too much of a priority dysphoria-wise if all she cares about it how she looks and acts.  Rather be a woman than a feminine man?  That sounds a little odd to me.
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Z7Z

Sounds to me like this person is just afraid of not fitting in. That was one of my concerns back when I was deciding whether to transition or not: I was afraid to transition because I thought some people would never truly see me as a man, because with the surgical options as they are, I'd decided if I transitioned I wouldn't get lower surgery. At the time, I didn't experience as much dysphoria as I soon did later on, I don't really know why but I was much better able to handle it, which is why I even considered staying "female" at all.

But ultimately, whether someone is FtM, a cis-female, or androgyne/gender-queer/etc., is a matter of personal identity: if this person identifies as FtM, then that's what he is, regardless of real or perceived femininity or of levels of dysphoria, etc.

And, as Kreuzfidel said, testosterone won't change someone's natural mannerisms. But with practice, they can change their mannerisms/the way they walk, etc., no hormones or anything else needed. It's a matter of habit. And even if those don't change, testosterone's masculinizing effects are strong enough that, with time, it won't really matter: if you see a masculine-looking man with a somewhat-feminine walk, would it make you question his gender? Nah, probably not... Cis-guys vary in their levels of masculinity, too, so it may not be as big a deal as this person thinks.

My two cents :)
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poptart

I don't think it changes mannerisms or personality, but it did change the way I walk and stand... somehow.
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Natkat

testrorone dosen't change your personalety or level of masculinety. actually in some term you will be considered "more femenine"

When I passed as a girl, I where considered "very maculine" for a girl to be but as soon I started to look like a guy, people would compare me to other guys and point out how femenine I was.
I heard many ftm say those happent to them as well, Even those very maculine ftm, who pass very well.
--
If you like to sew, and cook before then you also like to sew and cook after,
if you like to drive cars and watch soccer before then you also like that after.
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Sephirah

Quote from: swan on June 28, 2012, 05:39:29 PMWill testosterone virilize  her motorics movements and make her a masculine Man?

Sorry for poking my nose in, but just to echo what the guys are saying... I had years of being subjected to it and it didn't do that for me. At all.

This may be a bit simplistic but the way I sometimes think about it is like this: equate someone's identity to a car engine, and the hormones to the fuel which powers that engine. If the engine is a diesel engine then putting petrol in it won't turn it into a petrol engine, and vice versa. The engine has to be able to run on it to begin with, in which case, putting the right fuel in it allows it to run the way it was meant to. The guys here, they're like petrol engined human beings who have started using petrol rather than the diesel that was forced on them at birth. It doesn't change their engine, it just makes it start to run properly. The engine was already configured for it. Whether that engine is a V6, V8, a V10, turbocharged, supercharged, two litre, four litre... no matter the shape and size it comes in, it's still a petrol engine. Whether it's used to go screaming round a race track at ludicrous speeds, or out for a leisurely drive in the country to admire the flora and fauna... it's still a petrol engine.

Using the right fuel to match the engine just provides the driving force to move through life.
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Edge

Quote from: swan on June 28, 2012, 05:39:29 PM
I met a woman who wants to start her testosterone treatment in order to become a man.
I'm a little confused. I'm pretty sure testosterone doesn't work that way. What Sephirah said.
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dalebert

Quote from: Poptart on June 28, 2012, 08:52:40 PM
I don't think it changes mannerisms or personality, but it did change the way I walk and stand... somehow.

I would speculate that maybe you became more confident when you felt more yourself and it affected those things.

Brooke777

Quote from: Poptart on June 28, 2012, 08:52:40 PM
I don't think it changes mannerisms or personality, but it did change the way I walk and stand... somehow.
I hope you dont mind me commenting. I did have to live with this stuff for over29 years.
One possible reason your walk changed has to do with how T changed how rigid your muscles are. T naturally causes muscles to be more tense. Just like anything else, it effects everyone differently.
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