Do I Look, or Could I Pass, as Female? 2.0

[Jessica Merriman]

Zoe, in a word "YES". I think you pass wonderfully!

[Jessica Merriman]

How is this?

The side view looks like a cis girl that lives by me. I think you will do just fine!
Thin those brows from the bottom up though, it is the only give away I see.

[Jessica Merriman]

could i pass with a little more make up? (I'm pre HRT)

Thin those brows from the bottom up and with longer hair (or wig) in brown with highlights would look really good on you. I think you will do just fine. The right shade of eye shadow will make your eyes the envy of all. Experiment with colors for your skin tone. For pre HRT not bad at all.

[vlmitchell]

Anyways, here is a pic I took this evening when I got home from the pool.  Am I getting close to passing yet?

<anti-cheerleading>

(Brutally honest girl, here.) You're pretty close. I think that you'll likely get clocked for a while longer but, with another 6-8 months on HRT and some work, you'll be just fine. Your hair line comes back quite a bit at the temples, your neck is quite thick at current and HRT will hopefully thin that out. Doing some neck stretches will probably help a lot as it will both loosen up the muscles around there as well as bring in the musculature.

Your hardcore issues are a little more problematic but will likely be mitigated by HRT... it's a bit too early to tell, honestly. You've got some strong bossing around the outer brow ridge (the things that give your brow a 'pointy' look on the outside.) You've also got a somewhat wide jaw at the base. These issues just won't go away and the only thing that you could possibly do is surgery but I'm not convinced that you'd need that at this point.

Something that would help a lot of your current issues would be restricting your diet to 800kcal + (whatever you burn in the pool) for a bit so that you can shed the mass while you're transitioning. It helps. A lot. Been there.

Presentation issues: glasses you have are a no for your face. You should probably open your eyes a little more though, darling... and maybe get the brows thinned out? Other than that, you look very close to naturally passable. My partner and I both agree that you need to grow your hair out a bit more.

</anti-cheerleading>

[llerret]

What can I do to be able to pass? What features are masculine indicators? I'm desperate to know because people always clock me but I can't figure out what it is.

[Jessica Merriman]

What can I do to be able to pass? What features are masculine indicators? I'm desperate to know because people always clock me but I can't figure out what it is.

I am sure stumped. Maybe it is mannerism's, voice or movement. I can't see any reason from the photo.

[llerret]

I am sure stumped. Maybe it is mannerism's, voice or movement. I can't see any reason from the photo.

It's not any of that. I've got all of that down like nothing. I've been acting as my true self since elementary school and been socialized with girls. I swear a guy will cat call me and walk up to me and after getting close enough, gasp and walk away. I don't know what i my face is doing it!   I can't take it

[Jessica Merriman]

I cant figure it out either llerret! Didn't have a heavy garlic dinner did you? I see absolutely NO give away's, seriously.

[FalseHybridPrincess]

I dont see any give aways either,,,
dont worry give hormones some times and nobody will gender you male or do something like that again...

[Jessica Merriman]

I dont see any give aways either,,,

Coming from true (not false) princess here I can only conclude he was nuts, rabid or delusional. It's not you at all!

You young beautiful girls drive me bonkers! You both look so cis it kills me!

[Alaia]

What can I do to be able to pass? What features are masculine indicators? I'm desperate to know because people always clock me but I can't figure out what it is.

Your chin is the biggest indicator to me in that picture. It is vertically longer than the average female, well within the male range. Put your thumb over your chin in that picture and then remove it. You'll see what I mean. Your nose isn't too bad, but a reduction/refinement could help improve your feminine appearance as well.

There may be other masculine markers, but I can't tell with just the frontal pov. A profile and 3/4 view would help.


I should say that this is getting very nit picky. I think you look wonderful, but if you say people are clocking you all the time (not sure why) then that's all I can see for it.

Edit: Actually, I'm going to hold off judgement on your chin. I've looked at your other pictures where it isn't as pronounced as well as compared your chin to several celebrity women smiling the same way. I think it's just this picture.

[Jill F]

What can I do to be able to pass? What features are masculine indicators? I'm desperate to know because people always clock me but I can't figure out what it is.

I don't know you personally so I can't say for sure.  All I know is that it isn't physical.  You register to me as nothing other than a very attractive woman from the pic.  I didn't pass for sh%t the first few times I went out in girl mode and I dont think what I looked like was the problem.  If you don't seem comfortable, natural and relaxed, people pick up on it pretty fast.

[Zoe Snow]

<anti-cheerleading>

(Brutally honest girl, here.) You're pretty close. I think that you'll likely get clocked for a while longer but, with another 6-8 months on HRT and some work, you'll be just fine. Your hair line comes back quite a bit at the temples, your neck is quite thick at current and HRT will hopefully thin that out. Doing some neck stretches will probably help a lot as it will both loosen up the muscles around there as well as bring in the musculature.

Your hardcore issues are a little more problematic but will likely be mitigated by HRT... it's a bit too early to tell, honestly. You've got some strong bossing around the outer brow ridge (the things that give your brow a 'pointy' look on the outside.) You've also got a somewhat wide jaw at the base. These issues just won't go away and the only thing that you could possibly do is surgery but I'm not convinced that you'd need that at this point.

Something that would help a lot of your current issues would be restricting your diet to 800kcal + (whatever you burn in the pool) for a bit so that you can shed the mass while you're transitioning. It helps. A lot. Been there.

Presentation issues: glasses you have are a no for your face. You should probably open your eyes a little more though, darling... and maybe get the brows thinned out? Other than that, you look very close to naturally passable. My partner and I both agree that you need to grow your hair out a bit more.

</anti-cheerleading>

Thanks for the feedback.  I've actually dropped 95 pounds already in the last year, though I've been kinda stuck at my current weight of around 215 for the last month or two.  Now that I am back in the pool, and with the weather starting to warm up, I'm hoping that number will begin dropping again as I ramp my activity levels back up.  I'm the type of person that would much rather burn more calories than consume less.  Though with the recent plateau, I may need to re-evaluate what my actual caloric requirements are, because I think they have dropped  a bit from a few months ago.

My last haircut was about a year ago, I have no plans of getting it cut anytime soon.  Its to the point I can pull most of it back, which is what I did in that picture, but I can't get all of my hair at the same time.  Hopefully in another month or two that won't be an issue anymore.  I'd like my hair to get to at least shoulder length if not longer.

What do you recommend for glasses that would work well for me? The frames I have now are a couple years old, if not older.   Depending upon what I replace them with, I may keep wearing the old ones for male mode.  Trying to do the male fail approach to transition.  As I stated earlier, I just started with living part time within the last couple of weeks, only out of necessity since male fail was starting to occur with swimming.

[vlmitchell]

It's not any of that. I've got all of that down like nothing. I've been acting as my true self since elementary school and been socialized with girls. I swear a guy will cat call me and walk up to me and after getting close enough, gasp and walk away. I don't know what i my face is doing it!   I can't take it

Okay, calm down and *breathe*. I can't say anything from your pics. That said, your pics are very... well, they're very well composed. I can't see anything about anything regarding your body, your shoulders, anything. Everything is a glamor shot. So... let's do a little test, shall we? Record a video of you from a distance which will show your whole body in what you would typically wear out on the street. Just talk about something. Anything. Actually, talk about this particular thing and then upload it to vimeo with a random title ("a box tube circle blue three") and post the link here. That'll be enough to at least try to look at the issue in full. You can delete the vid when we're done with the feedback.

[vlmitchell]

I'm the type of person that would much rather burn more calories than consume less. Though with the recent plateau, I may need to re-evaluate what my actual caloric requirements are, because I think they have dropped a bit from a few months ago.

This isn't the right way to lose weight. It's strictly a numbers game and anyone who is trying to tell you differently is trying to sell you something.

My last haircut was about a year ago, I have no plans of getting it cut anytime soon.  Its to the point I can pull most of it back, which is what I did in that picture, but I can't get all of my hair at the same time.  Hopefully in another month or two that won't be an issue anymore.  I'd like my hair to get to at least shoulder length if not longer.

Cool but, as you know, the pool is NOT your friend. Keep that stuff under your swim cap OR ELSE!!! Also, go to a stylist and 'splain the trans thing and what you're going for as a result. Get it maintained every three months and take a pre-natal vitamin for best growth rates.

What do you recommend for glasses that would work well for me?

The ones that look best on you with your best girlfriend (who actually knows fashion and can be honest with you) telling you so.

[Danniella]

What can I do to be able to pass? What features are masculine indicators? I'm desperate to know because people always clock me but I can't figure out what it is.

Yeah I gotta say, I have no doubt that you pass facially, given your photos, but like Victoria says, the photos are very well composed, but do not show any of your body proportions, or the way in which you move or talk.

But it's not your face I'll tell you that for free

Unfortunately I can't comment any further without seeing some more natural photos or a video of you in action Xx

[sandrauk]

It's not any of that. I've got all of that down like nothing. I've been acting as my true self since elementary school and been socialized with girls. I swear a guy will cat call me and walk up to me and after getting close enough, gasp and walk away. I don't know what i my face is doing it!   I can't take it

I can't see anything either so I'll take a guess
You're very glamorous perhaps too glamorous to be cis? I love your look but you are on the road to drag queen levels with the makeup.
You wear a lot of make up/shading, That can emphasise any chiseled feature you may have.
It's covered well and I can't see any bossing but you have a projection above your nose and you wear dark shading above your inner eye which could potentially emphasise the projection.
Watched your video which makes you look even better but you use your hands a loooot. Make sure you don't slip into flamboyant.
How tall are you? 

[DiDi]

^^^ Finally someone with the tits to tell it like it is. I too was really starting to roll my eyes with all the "fuzzy" warm wishful commentary going on in here.

If you got it, you got it! If you don't, why make your life any more difficult (and the trans community at large) by making yourself and us look ridiculous when it's obvious a win is not in the cards.

I hope you weren't suggesting that those who don't "pass" should get back in the closet or hide out only at private venues so that those who "pass" won't have to be lumped in with those uglies. My position is that although we should be honest, we should also not dissuade people from being themselves even if they don't "pass". The real win may come someday in the future, when transwomen who do not fully blend into the ciscommunity will be welcomed for what we are and what we have to offer as people. The downside of passing is the perpetuation of the myth that there is only one way to be a transwoman - and that is to look and act exactly like the stereotypical ciswoman.

[Evelyn K]

As I posted on another topic...I finaly bought a wig and female clothes...so...how bad am I? Can I pass at least a bit?

Please, sincere opinions...I already know about my nose and the need of FFS, that will probably be afforded by my grandparents....they accepetd me after all...

I would like opinions about the hairstyle and other things I can change.



I am so depressed because I lost my mother...and I decided to let Natalia out and try to be free...it's beem so hard, but at the same time I felt good being myself.

The hair definitely makes you. I actually love it.

The nose looks like an simple surgical fix. Your face has really softened up from the before-HRT pic. I think you will look better in time.

Keep it up.

[stephaniec]

It's not any of that. I've got all of that down like nothing. I've been acting as my true self since elementary school and been socialized with girls. I swear a guy will cat call me and walk up to me and after getting close enough, gasp and walk away. I don't know what i my face is doing it!   I can't take it

from your pictures it's not your face. I don't know but there are guys that will do that to girls just to be jerks and has nothing to do with looks.