Well I was very manly and I managed to make my appearance finally lean towards female after many, many years of trying, via HRT, exercises (body and facial), a bit of surgery pre and during HRT (If I had full FFS which I can't afford, I'm sure I'd become like 90% passable or so).
So here's my story:
I am six feet tall.
I was a bodybuilder from age 15 to 21 approximately. The idea was to become huge and defend myself from bullies in school. I think my chest-waist-hips were something like 51-36-40 with over 18-inch biceps and 16.5 inches neck, at my top size.
I started crossdressing maybe at 12 years old or something, but had dreams that I was a girl from before that. When I became a huge bodybuilder I still crossdressed secretly and looked awful, but I felt the need to do that.
Then I couldn't take it anymore and started reading about transgender people.
It took me years to decide to start HRT. Prior to that, I had a chin reduction surgery, laser facial hair removal, and a couple of attempts to enlarge my lips with my own fat, etc. I also started doing aerobic dance and other female exercises and decreased the male exercises, because I was no longer getting bulied, since I was done with school.
Today it has been six years since I started HRT, and in October will be five years since I had bilateral orchiectomy and tracheal shave.
Bottom line, I am just STARTING TO SEE my body finally look more than 50% fem at this point. I still have a large build, specially in my upper body, but believe me, HRT and male glands removal DO CHANGE your body a lot. But the big trade-off, at least in my own particular case, is that it has taken lots of time.
Now my measurements are about 41-32-5-40.5 breasts, waist and hips. My neck and arms are about 14 inches in diameter (arms with biceps flexed). I have an approaching-hourglass figure now, standing natural and relaxed, and a distinctly hourglass leaning to pear shape if I really pull my shoulders back. I still look like a mixture of woman and man, but it's a totally different body and face than that of myself in my bodybuilding, high-testosterone years.
So that's what has happened to me, after so many years of trying and trying to see changes, trying different wardrobe, hair and makeup and other things in order to look as casual and natural as a woman as possible (less is more, remember, makeup should be used only to minimize your defects and make your good features stand out, but just a little bit, it takes patience and practice, too much will out you as something other than a cis woman, because only prostitutes and drag queens wear excessive makeup as a general rule).
There are very subtle things than can make you read "male" even if your face is rather female. Even a tiny bit of beard shadow will immediately make you be seen as male by others. Same as hair in the hands or forearms. Regular women don't wear lots of makeup or flashy and attention-getting jewelry. Little but decidedly feminine accessories is better IMO. Small earrings, but decidedly fem, not unisex, Same with a necklace. Same with makeup. To me, foundation (I use powder to make my skin look a bit whiter than it really is and to conceal my problems, specially my undereye circles) as well as lip, cheek and eye liner, both above and below the eye, are just enough. I don't even curl or paint my eyelashes. I don't wear nail polish either. Just a modestly made-up face with conservative accessories can do the trick. If you have large feet, hands and/or arms, then you have to avoid showing them at all costs, and try attention to your most feminine
But remember, I was HUGE and super-manly and it has taken me SIX YEARS already, since I started transitioning, to just start being seen and treated like a woman. And still what I wear is very important, as well as the voice.
I hope this helps. I've met other MTFs who have spent even more than six years, to finally start being treated as women. It is different for everybody. I think if I was able to lose so much muscle and my face litle by little become more feminine just with HRT, then this can happen to anybody that is really a transsexual and will do whatever it takes and however long it takes, to finally one day start seeing the tide lean towards feminine more than masculine.
Cheers
Bibi B.
