how did you learn to be a woman

[stephaniec]

just curious how did you or will learn about every day things like make up , fashion, mannerisms, conversation etc.

[Nati]

My friends helped me a lot with that.

[ImagineKate]

There's an app for that.

Also my wife said she would help some. Push come to shove I will learn from my daughters as they grow up? Lol

[Handy]

I just do everything I wanted to do/always did, only now without soul crushing shame and with an added sense of personal well being/inner contentment/peace with my body.

[suzifrommd]

Mannerisms I learned from a 16-year-old MTF in our support group who showed no signs of every having been male-bodied. I watched what she did.

Makeup - I don't do makeup except to cover my beard shadow. I went into a MAC shop and bought what they told me I needed.

Fashion - This sort of came naturally. I looked at women I thought were attractive and decided what I wanted to wear.

Conversation - No problem here. I've always related to women the way females do.

If I had a really vexing question (like what pads work best...) I asked my sister.

[missymay]

I learned makeup from friends, the Internet, and I had a makeover at a department store once.  I used Andrea James' voice training program for my voice therapy.  Feminine mannerisms and expressions come natural to me, and I also learn by observing other women.  Learning to walk femininely was challenging, because I had to unlearn bad habits. I improved my walk by observing others, learning from the Internet and watching YouTube videos. 

[Ms Grace]

To be honest I just stopped acting like/pretending I was a man.

I'm not overly effeminate as a woman, but as a guy I was never overly masculine anyway. I already had the mannerisms I just never used them in public to avoid ridicule or people thinking I was "gay". Clothes and shoes... I've spent a large portion of my life eyeing the things I liked but couldn't wear, now that I can it's just a matter of finding it in my size! As for make up I'm not into it much and use it sparingly anyway.

[Jill F]

I just do everything I wanted to do/always did, only now without soul crushing shame and with an added sense of personal well being/inner contentment/peace with my body.

Yes!  I didn't "learn" to be a woman as much as I unlocked my natural femininity.

To be honest I just stopped acting like/pretending I was a man.

I'm not overly effeminate as a woman, but as a guy I was never overly masculine anyway. I already had the mannerisms I just never used them in public to avoid ridicule or people thinking I was "gay". Clothes and shoes... I've spent a large portion of my life eyeing the things I liked but couldn't wear, now that I can it's just a matter of finding it in my size! As for make up I'm not into it much and use it sparingly anyway.

Also, ^THIS^. 

I still think I need a bit of makeup to be correctly gendered, make my eyes pretty and boost my confidence level.  You will pry my eyeliner from my cold, dead hand!  Come to think of it, I even wore eyeliner as a "guy" toward the end of that era.  Guyliner, anyone?

[PinkCloud]

By realizing I wasn't a male. I became myself, and allowed myself to be who I really am. Takes a lot of guts as you probably know. Then it simply came together automatically. Didnt do voice training but everyone noticed that my voice went up. As for clothes and makeup, I had a fieldday. I finally could be creative without feeling ashamed. Not sure how this all works, it just does, it just clicks into place and everything follows from there.

As for my previous life, I acted as male . As a woman I don't need a rolemodel, as a man I did, because my identity wasn't genuine. Now I am genuine. But I don't go sweeping my hips or doing something else "on purpose" just to feel feminine. I don't walk around like a kim kardashian clone, I'm just me. Genuine, classy and authentic. And that scares people away, because 90% of all people aren't genuine. They all wear masks, or try to be like someone else that they are not. I guess they suffer from genuine-dysphoria.

[Jill F]

As for my previous life, I acted as male . As a woman I don't need a rolemodel, as a man I did, because my identity wasn't genuine. Now I am genuine. But I don't go sweeping my hips or doing something else "on purpose" just to feel feminine. I don't walk around like a kim kardashian clone, I'm just me. Genuine, classy and authentic. And that scares people away, because 90% of all people aren't genuine. They all wear masks, or try to be like someone else that they are not. I guess they suffer from genuine-dysphoria.

Awesome! (Although 55.8% of stats are made up on the spot...) 

[Devlyn]

Awesome! (Although 55.8% of stats are made up on the spot...) 

I see what you did there!

[HelloKitty]

To be honest I have no idea how I learned, it just happened. Girly stuff like makeup and clothes I taught myself when I was around 11 or 12.
Have never had any help with anything from gg's, nor have I ever had a role model. Never needed or wanted any of that.

I just just stopped pretending to be a guy and just let the real me out. Cause all that guy world stuff, was soooo clueless I had no idea what I was doing!

[m1anderson]

I was watching this thread hoping so much to learn ideas moving forward.

I know I am the "red-headed step-child" here; 50 something, just about to begin HRT (so looking forward to introducing myself to myself), worked so hard in my younger life to pull-off alpha-male that it is now second nature; that I have to begin anew to learning the entire process of combining my inner femininity with my outer shell. Allie needs some serious help here (as Tessa James can attest), and I need to get running hard.

I am genuinely thrilled for the younger ladies that never needed to work at this, or the older ones that have connected at some level to their outer feminine needs throughout their pre-HRT days, but......

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGH, resources please.

[JLT1]

Makeup: Revlon websites and a makeover in Sephoria
Voice: singing with the radio,  a book on tape read by a woman and voice lessons for polish
Walking: I followed girls walking, imitated them, found a woman walk that was comfortable and used that one
Clothing: pictures of nice looking women who's clothing I liked.
Mannerisms: a work in progress

Hugs

Jen

[Davina]

When I stopped fighting against myself and finally accepted that I am transgender
my mannerisms seemed to automatically  change from macho male to very feminine
as if I turned  a light switch from off to on.  It was truly amazing and quite an
experience.  My wife  tells me I am now more feminine than she and it all
happened so naturally.  Apparently it happens that way for some of us and
others not so lucky have to spend a very long time trying to master feminine
mannerisms.

[Auroramarianna]

I really can't say I learned to be a woman yet, especially cause I'm not full time but even if I was, I don't think there's a "right" way to be a woman. Just many different ways.

Yes, but obviously there are basics that almost every woman is aware of, at least within the same culture. For voice, I have it naturally, mine never broke and IDK why. Makeup I still have to master, I know next to nothing, and when I put on it, I look like a clown, I feel soooo bad. It's a work in progress. For hair removal, I usually wax or pluck my facial hair, which is sparse thankfully.

I think my main problem is socialization. I am trying to cope with my friends leavin me, or not really wanting me in their lives, so i'm going to stop contacting them for good. But honestly I feel so alone sometimes I want to cry. I really want to have more girlfriends, but I don't. So it's socialization that's my main problem. I'm not socialized m uch as a boy either, cause I was never part or fit in with "the guys".

[JLT1]

I really can't say I learned to be a woman yet, especially cause I'm not full time but even if I was, I don't think there's a "right" way to be a woman. Just many different ways.

Yes, but obviously there are basics that almost every woman is aware of, at least within the same culture. For voice, I have it naturally, mine never broke and IDK why. Makeup I still have to master, I know next to nothing, and when I put on it, I look like a clown, I feel soooo bad. It's a work in progress. For hair removal, I usually wax or pluck my facial hair, which is sparse thankfully.

I think my main problem is socialization. I am trying to cope with my friends leavin me, or not really wanting me in their lives, so i'm going to stop contacting for good. But honestly I feel so alone sometimes I want to cry. I really want to have more girlfriends, but I don't. So it's socialization that's my main problem. I'm not socialized m uch as a boy either, cause I was never part or fit in with "the guys".

We like you.

Hugs

Jen

[stephaniec]

We like you.

Hugs

Jen

ditto

[Alexis2107]

always learning (;

but for most part, anything fashion I look up online or just try and see what looks good.  Manners and things I've always had a womanly side to, I don't curse and I am more sensitive in certain areas than a guy would be.

[speckyhailey]

I haven't learnt make up or voice yet but in terms of mannerisms, apart from my walk, I just stop pretending to be a man and acted as I would if I was free to act as I want.