For those that have been full time for awhile

[Dodie]

Hey chicks,
I must admit changing my name today was thrilling and also kind of strange saying good bye to the old me... kind of sad in some ways but in more ways beautiful because I am finally me, the real me.
Anyway, after being full time since around first of year, I am getting used to it.
Today, after being in public with so many strangers all day, I just suddenly got it.. I am not even 1% male anymore..
I see everything from a female perspective, its like being re born.
Men, to me so serious, so intimidating, I now know what it feels like to live as a woman.
Did many of you have that same feeling after going full time where you just suddenly realized you arrived and your just a chick now..
For me, after being so masculine overdoing it all those years, sometimes its hard to believe what I look like let alone that I actually did this.
I get doors opened for me, that is so sweet of men to do.. I used to do that as a guy. 
I was such a stud now such a chick.. I roll my eyes, I act female I got it down.
Yesterday I had lunch with my lake buddy that had not seen me in person since I transitioned... last time he saw me I looked like a body gaurd.
He was smiling ear to ear.... it was cute..
Sometime during lunch he said.. you got this.. I would never have thought you were ever male.. even your movements.. perfect.. how did you learn that???
I told him its effortless.. I just became me.. let me out of the bottle and here I am.
Anyway, I ramble.. I know.. and thanks for putting up with my posts.. I just like to chat.
Love
Dodie... legally now... yea!

[Ms Grace]

That's great - congratulations and enjoy your new life!

[Eveline]

Dodie, it's great to see you having so much fun with your transition!

Did many of you have that same feeling after going full time where you just suddenly realized you arrived and your just a chick now.

For me, the realization was more gradual. I still notice I am  "observing" my own behavior sometimes, but that sort of self-monitoring seems to be tapering off. It's much easier to be "in the moment" now than it was when i started transitioning.

It's so cool that for you it just "clicked".

[AnonyMs]

That's a wonderful story. It made me smile. Something to look forward to.

[Alana_Jane]

I'm not even on HRT or even full time yet, but I get that.  I work in a very male dominated industry, and I noticed all the "Bubba's" around me.  I feel like I'm surrounded by all these red-necks, where did they all come from?  Last year I was in the same meetings and don't remember them.  Then again, in spite of being the oldest of four boys, I was never an alpha-male leader.  When I did lead, it was always by building a consensus.   

BTW, congratulations on finally getting you name changed. 

-Alana

[Eva Marie]

Dodie - congrats on getting your name change complete 

I just realized that I have been full time for 6 months now - wow, where did the time go? It will be a year before I know it,

Its getting harder and harder to remember living while faking being a guy. The world has shifted on it's axis and i see the world and the people around me in an entirely new way. I'm just a middle aged woman now that no one pays any attention to - which is great - I can go about my life without having to put up with BS from anyone. Men are kind to me, and women engage me. This is very nice  Like you the mannerisms come to me naturally.

I am so glad that i'm not living his miserable life anymore! 

[Sydney_NYC]

Congrats 

My transitioning and going full time (it will be a year on the 15th of this month, wow time flies) has been a similar experience. Even as a 6'7" woman, men shorter than me can even feel intimidating, so I know how you feel there. When I had my name and gender change on my DL last June, it was so great to get rid of that last male part of my identity. (Of course I'm looking forward to SRS.)

[Dodie]

Thanks Girls,
So I am going home to my house.. from my wife's house now... I will be putting on my robe and a pink hair thing to keep my hair from getting tangled.. kinda like Lucy wore in the episode when they worked at the chocolate factory.  LOL if you saw my photobucket of the old me it would crack you up.. I can at least laugh at myself ... The body guard dude gone soft!!
I used to laugh at my wife when she would wear one!! in a good way I thought she looked cute.
I wear nail polish all the time and never think about it..
I take my bra off as soon as I get home.....
One thing that has not changed.. darn it.. I am still messy.. not a neat freak..
Oh well can't have everything.
Appreciate the posts.. I like hearing about others experiences with what I may be feeling.

[Cindy]

Hi Dodie,

Congrats on the name change!

One of the oddest things to accept my femininity was interactions with friends etc on social events, I suddenly realised that I was now 'expected' or should that be 'accepted' to be just another woman. I wasn't included in the male conversation, and conversation changed when I was present. Same as when I am with other women, we talk girl stuff and when a man joins us the conversation changes with seamless fluidity.

It is all so rather wonderful!

Oh and in the past I would rush home to take off my male drag so I could dress as me. Now I get home, toss off the bra etc and put on my comfy sweat pants and top. Jeez this life is wonderfully weird.

[Ms Grace]

One of the oddest things to accept my femininity was interactions with friends etc on social events, I suddenly realised that I was now 'expected' or should that be 'accepted' to be just another woman. I wasn't included in the male conversation, and conversation changed when I was present. Same as when I am with other women, we talk girl stuff and when a man joins us the conversation changes with seamless fluidity.

Yeah, I love this. Even before I transitioned I was half included in female conversations, like they'd joke that I wouldn't be interested in what they were talking about but mostly keep talking about it and I'd join in anyway - I was an "honorary woman" in their eyes. Now I'm fully accepted. What I find interesting is that the stuff I was included in was still only surface level, there's a lot more women talk about when men aren't around that I wasn't all that aware of.

[Carrie Liz]

Honestly, I never had a big "OMG I'm a WOMAN now" moment.

My reaction to going full-time and getting to that point where I realized that I actually was legally female now, was more along the lines of "Really? That's it? No "lightning strike" feeling? No baby angels falling out of the sky singing? Just life basically going on exactly as it did before, not really feeling any different?"

Really, I never had a big moment like that. I never really internalized that I'd crossed over from seeing the world from a man's perspective to a woman's perspective, I've basically always still felt like the exact same person, albeit not having to constantly think about my gender anymore.

So yeah, glad that you had that "wow" moment. I wish I could have had it too, but whatever, I'm still happy, it just took me a REALLY long time to start actually realizing that I was a girl, along with all of the connotations that came with it. And it still hasn't completely sunk in, even after 11 months.

[Cindy]

One of the oddest things to accept my femininity was interactions with friends etc on social events, I suddenly realised that I was now 'expected' or should that be 'accepted' to be just another woman. I wasn't included in the male conversation, and conversation changed when I was present. Same as when I am with other women, we talk girl stuff and when a man joins us the conversation changes with seamless fluidity.

Yeah, I love this. Even before I transitioned I was half included in female conversations, like they'd joke that I wouldn't be interested in what they were talking about but mostly keep talking about it and I'd join in anyway - I was an "honorary woman" in their eyes. Now I'm fully accepted. What I find interesting is that the stuff I was included in was still only surface level, there's a lot more women talk about when men aren't around that I wasn't all that aware of.

Oh yes

I never ever realised how many women talk about there sexual experiences in such detail. OMG if men ever knew. 

[Dodie]

Yeah, I love this. Even before I transitioned I was half included in female conversations, like they'd joke that I wouldn't be interested in what they were talking about but mostly keep talking about it and I'd join in anyway - I was an "honorary woman" in their eyes. Now I'm fully accepted. What I find interesting is that the stuff I was included in was still only surface level, there's a lot more women talk about when men aren't around that I wasn't all that aware of.


Oh yes

I never ever realised how many women talk about there sexual experiences in such detail. OMG if men ever knew. 

Lol
I agree with this and the things I hear they want to tell me. The girls at my dental office know I am trans but treat me as an equal.
They also ask personal questions like do u like men now? And I am like hell yes!
Then comes the advise about men like I am a thirteen year old
Love it!!

[Wild Flower]

Congratulations... you did it.

[noleen111]

I also did not have wow moment... hay I am a woman..

I because just became noleen.. and I cant imagine myself as a man.. its like I was always a girl. My roommate who is a cis-woman.. also said.. she cant believe how much of a girl I am.. if she knew no better she would swear that i was a girl from birth... and she often forgets i am trans... as I am so girly.

I learnt all the female "routines".. very quickly.. like how to apply makeup.. nail polish, i also almost always wear nail polish etc.. When I started to wear heels.. I felt so natural in them.. my roommate says.. I glide effortlessly as i walk in my 6inch platform boots. i can even run in heels.. ok not far.

What was tricky to learn.. was putting on a bra.. with the clasps at the back without seeing them.. i.e. with my breasts already in the cups.

and I love girl talk.. I was also surprised what girls talk about when its just girls.

and I love shopping.. especially for shoes.. i have way to many shoes...

[Zumbagirl]

When I went full time I was so happy. Years and years of repression were gone. I went full on girly girl. Gel nails, fancy makeup, fancy hair, super feminine clothes. I went basically nuts for a while. Then I sort of settled into a more normal mode. I would say that it took a good few months to finally get comfortable with myself. The longer I lived my new life the less I realized that I needed the crutches. I went a long time not leaving the house with makeup on even if I was just going to go to CVS for bandaids. Nowadays I know better and hardly wear makeup and other things outside of work (I have a dress up nice for work job).

I still had a few shocking moments when my old name would pop up from time to time. I remember one incident where I completely forgot about the fact that the title on my car was in my old name. I was trading it in at a car dealer and it never occurred to me at all during the car buying process to look at the title, UNTIL the last moment. The salesman says to me "You need to have your husband come down and sign this". I had to tell I *was* that person. He looked quizzically at me, went to the office to get some info on whether I could sign it, and came back and said "sign it with your old name". All this time I figured they were in the office having a good laugh at my expense and I have to admit I was a teeny bit fuming. It would turn out in less than 5 minutes, that my fuming was completely unjustified.

Okay so I outed myself to him, but what could I do. A few minutes later he takes me outside and tells me he is a gay man. I said good for you. He was so worried about people at the dealership knowing he was gay and had a male partner for the last 20 years. Keep in mind that this is gay friendly Massachusetts no less.

[LizMarie]

For me it's been a gradual process but yes, I can relate. I wonder "how did I ever do.." and then wonder why I kept myself so bottled up for so long.

Men? Yes, they can intimidate me. I'm maybe a thousands times more wary than I was as a guy. I wonder what some man is thinking when he looks at me. It's definitely different.

[chefskenzie]

for me it was an immediate thing, I didn't really notice it though until about 9 months ago on vacation.  I was in a swimsuit, on the beach, and was just fitting in.  It was a bit overwhelming and I had to sit back and revel in the moment!