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What do you do when you don't feel man enough?

Started by awkward-shark, March 13, 2016, 07:05:03 PM

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awkward-shark

I don't want to sound hopeless of depressed but lately I've been feeling like I'm never going to be man enough to date a straight identifying girl.
I have a crush on a girl on my faculty, she looks so serious, always wears formal clothes, never stays to school get togethers (I'm mexican, we have a lot of parties and the faculty staff likes to make events like this) and I rarely see her outside her class wich makes me believe she's as serious and put together as she looks.
The point is, she's probably straight, and yes, I shouldn't make this assumptions but let's be real. She would never care to be with me, and I blame it all on my state as pre-t. I feel so small, chubby and weak next to my cis friends. I've spoken to her a few times but she's never shown interest... lately my selfsteem has been very low, I don't think any girl would lay her eyes on me. I'm on a diet now and I will soon join the gym to get more fit but this is all a slow process and even after that I'm still going to look like a baby boy...
Sorry for ranting but, is there any hope for pre-t guys like me?
Gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught
Leslie Feinberg
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FTMax

It will probably be more of a struggle while you're pre-T, but it certainly isn't impossible. The difficulty is finding someone who understands and recognizes that just because you're pre-T doesn't mean you aren't a man. They're tough to find, but they are out there.

If she's a faculty or staff member at your school, that is probably why she has no interest in you. It has nothing to do with who you are or how you identify, but that you're a student at the place where she works.
T: 12/5/2014 | Top: 4/21/2015 | Hysto: 2/6/2016 | Meta: 3/21/2017

I don't come here anymore, so if you need to get in touch send an email: maxdoeswork AT protonmail.com
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invisiblemonsters

if you go on T, you won't look like a "baby boy" forever. as for never being "man enough" for a straight girl, that is not true either. a lot of girls do not just go for your typical macho dude, etc. all it is, is confidence. you show confidence, and others feel it and want to be around you and find you attractive. just work on yourself, when you feel better about yourself, others will see that and gravitate towards you. pre-t i looked like a chronic 16 year old even though i was in my 20s. i still look fairly young, but the facial hair helps. you do you, and try to gain some confidence.

btw, i had a girlfriend pre-t and she still saw me as a man and she identifies as straight. i used to be worried that i would not be able to give her what a cisgender male could, but i quickly got over that when i realized that is a lie and it was a shot to my self esteem for no reason.
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awkward-shark

Well, she actually is a student just likes me lol, I have no idea how old she is, some friends say she looks old, but to me she has young face features... thanks for your comment either way, it made me realize most of my friends see me as a man, even when they've known me since long before I came out :)

Quoteyou show confidence, and others feel it and want to be around you and find you attractive. just work on yourself, when you feel better about yourself, others will see that and gravitate towards you. pre-t i looked like a chronic 16 year old even though i was in my 20s. i still look fairly young, but the facial hair helps. you do you, and try to gain some confidence.

You are definitely no the first person who says that to me... It's funny, I'm very confident in some aspects, I'm smart, I think I'm a kind person and I can make people laugh, I will try to focus more on that since I won't start hrt any time soon, thanks!
Gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught
Leslie Feinberg
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RaptorChops

There is always hope my friend. You don't have to be a macho guy to get the ladies. Just be yourself and I'm sure the girls will come crawling hehe. My best friend has been on T for the same amount of time as me and his changes have been a lot slower than mine. His voice is still in the process of dropping. He doesn't have thick facial hair and hasn't had his top surgery yet. I guess to some people he is "feminine" in a way. Girls like him because he is a sweet guy, he loves what he does (music, drawing), he goes out places and meets with people he use to hang with. He has a g/f now but, it's his confidence in himself and knowing who he is, is what I guess ladies really dig.

If it makes you feel better I haven't had a serious g/f in about 5-6 years now. I haven't dated and I kind of got a coworker crush but she has a b/f and all the guys I work with drool for her haha. I get extremely depressed and sometimes stay in my room for days and only go out to go to work. I guess I just haven't established that confidence that I wish I could have. I try keeping myself occupied with working out, video games, etc. I don't discuss much of my trans life to people at work, it's really not their business to know about me. Some days I'm extremely confident and happy and other days I hate myself, I hate everything I do. Things won't get 100% better when you start T but it does help you see who you truly are. Just keep your chin up you seem like a good guy and the good guys always win. ;)
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I dunno.
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invisiblemonsters

Quote from: awkward-shark on March 14, 2016, 04:35:38 PM
Well, she actually is a student just likes me lol, I have no idea how old she is, some friends say she looks old, but to me she has young face features... thanks for your comment either way, it made me realize most of my friends see me as a man, even when they've known me since long before I came out :)


You are definitely no the first person who says that to me... It's funny, I'm very confident in some aspects, I'm smart, I think I'm a kind person and I can make people laugh, I will try to focus more on that since I won't start hrt any time soon, thanks!

i think it is just the way you may carry yourself. if you are slouching, or you do not interact with people in an "out going" kind of way, like a social butterfly and just kind of..radiate the confidence, people do not see it even though you may feel that way. honestly, before t i didn't talk a lot, i tried not to be seen or heard. i was very self conscious. after t, i was more confident but it took awhile to get out of that habit tbh. i'm still not that whole "i need my presence heard" kind of guy like most guys i work and go to school with but i am definitely not shy or quiet anymore like i was.
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KarlMars

Get a gym membership and body build- weight machines, cardio. You will at least have the strongest female body you can. Wear baggy clothes to hide your female shape.

I wouldn't worry about the girl she may not have any interest in dating.

Ephemeral

Your attitude towards yourself is what matters here, not how she feel towards you. The more you think you are unavailable to her, the more she will sense this and not be interested in you. The worst thing that can happen is that she rejects you, but how is that different from your current state? You're not together now, either, so nothing changes in that regard.

There is no such thing as "man enough"; that's a myth. You're are as masculine as you feel and right now you don't feel like you are masculine enough and thus you don't become masculine enough. I'm not saying you should become macho, but what I'm saying is that one's sense of masculinity and how comfortable we feel in it, depends on ourselves. It does take time to build that confidence because you are scared of being seen as a girl, but it's important to remember that masculinity is not necessarily tied to your genitals, but it's tied to how you carry yourself and present yourself. One defining feature of masculinity is confidence and most importantly, everyone is attracted to confident people.

Work on your confidence and you will begin to notice that your masculinity will also come to you as do that, and that people will suddenly find you more interesting and attractive simply because you believe in yourself. Self-esteem matters way more than we think it does, especially when it comes to building interpersonal relationships. Remember that the one person whose relationship you can never escape is actually your relationship with yourself, not other people. Want people to love you? You need to begin to love yourself, too.
Come watch with me as our world burns.
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Kylo

A lot of people think they have to go look for a person to get interest, but there's a better way; put your effort into yourself. Get looking how you want (yup, it's all hard work but what isn't worth having in this life), work on your position in life and make sure you are happy with yourself first and foremost. Build your own confidence and character by becoming independent as much as you can, etc. People will notice.

And I'd always make sure you look after #1. If you can't look after #1 it becomes very hard to look after anyone else.

"If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
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whereto

it's not always about look i swear. i look like a 14yo kid and when i go to bars, girls start to come up to me introducing themselves and like omg he's so cute and all while other guys just stand there, do nothing, and stare at us with a wishy washy look. because i'd be dancing, i'd move around, talk to people and what not. so just be who you are, and your confidence will shine through. it'll attract others.

like do i feel less of a man because i'm short? yes i did. but there are men just about my size and they can do much sh*t. so i tell myself, i'll just be like that. i need to work harder to achieve the body type i want.

i'll always look this young because i have a baby face. both my parents look very young so i guess i can blame my genetics.
though it's pretty much a pre-T "phrase" you go through. once you started T, you start to change a lot in the way you think and your confidence kicks in pretty quickly.
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KarlMars

If you want to improve your looks and/or masculinity make sure it's because you want to and not to impress someone else. You won't be happy living your life to impress others. Impress yourself before any one else- unless you're on a job then I would say impress the boss!

Moneyless

I know exactly what you're feeling. I'm currently casually hooking up with a girl (she's 100% straight), not dating or anything like that and it just confuses me so much why she'd do that when she could get a cisguy? There are even cisguys who have hit on her etc it's not that she can't get anyone. I feel like my entire life whoever I'm with whether it's romantically, sexually or both I'll just be thinking why would they bother when they can get a cisguy? I'm only 5'3 and she's even a little taller than me. I'm not masculine at all not even on T. But you see all the transmen online with their stories and their wives etc. The way we think about ourselves is way more damaging and worse than some women think.

I am pre-T, short, and awkward and somehow a girl is interested in hooking up with me more than all the cisguys that hit on her. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging but she's not unattractive at all either. It literally confuses the heck out of me. It's not impossible. I see a lot of pre-T guys on YouTube who have girlfriends. Do you plan to go on T? Another insecurity of mine is that she's only hooking up with me because she knows I'll be on T soon and she's sort of making an 'investment'. I don't know, I feel like we are truly our own worst enemies lol. I don't know, maybe my situation gives you some hope.

Confidence is attractive to women too. Even though it might be difficult for you, you need to find some confidence. Going to the gym is a great idea to build that up.

EDIT - Sorry, forgot that cursing isn't welcome here.
started T 12/04/16 - 18 years old
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Ayden

People have given some great advice,  and I agree with a lot of it. I'm not in the dating game as I'm happily married to a gay guy, but I certainly say working on your body will help.

On thing I will add that a lot of folks don't think about it humor.  I grew up in a family of jokesters and I've always associated humor with masculinity. It's also a great way to make friends and is really attractive. I was always quick with a joke, but after changing my way of joking (mostly just the words I used) I felt more confident. It isn't the conventional way to feel more manly but it works for me.

I was off T for a year and it was pretty rough, but in that time I focused on learning things that were considered "manly". I'm not overly masculine to begin with, and my partner often jokes that outside of the bedroom I'm a total fairy, but I learned a lot about cars. Of course, I should add that most of the women in my family are really tech savvy (my grandmother is boss at fixing cars) but it gave me some confidence in that I knew I could hold my own when talking to other guys.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

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KarlMars

Quote from: Moneyless on March 18, 2016, 07:25:23 PM
But you see all the transmen online with their stories and their wives etc. The way we think about ourselves is way more damaging and worse than some women think.

You hit the nail right on the head.

Quote from: Moneyless on March 18, 2016, 07:25:23 PM

I am pre-T, short, and awkward and somehow a girl is interested in hooking up with me more than all the cisguys that hit on her. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging but she's not unattractive at all either. It literally confuses the heck out of me. It's not impossible. I see a lot of pre-T guys on YouTube who have girlfriends. Do you plan to go on T? Another insecurity of mine is that she's only hooking up with me because she knows I'll be on T soon and she's sort of making an 'investment'. I don't know, I feel like we are truly our own worst enemies lol. I don't know, maybe my situation gives you some hope.

Confidence is attractive to women too. Even though it might be difficult for you, you need to find some confidence. Going to the gym is a great idea to build that up.

The gym is great. Is it ok for me to ask what could possibly be the 'investment' she's making? I might add that she might have a interested specifically in trans men. There's always going to be someone is attracted to out of the ordinary attributes.

Moneyless

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on March 18, 2016, 11:29:17 PM
You hit the nail right on the head.

The gym is great. Is it ok for me to ask what could possibly be the 'investment' she's making? I might add that she might have a interested specifically in trans men. There's always going to be someone is attracted to out of the ordinary attributes.

She didn't even know about transmen or any of that stuff until she met me, so I doubt that is the case. By investment, I meant that she might be only going for it because I will be on T soon, and if I wasn't going to be maybe she wouldn't have bothered.
started T 12/04/16 - 18 years old
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Alexthecat

Quote from: Moneyless on March 19, 2016, 03:20:31 AM
She didn't even know about transmen or any of that stuff until she met me, so I doubt that is the case. By investment, I meant that she might be only going for it because I will be on T soon, and if I wasn't going to be maybe she wouldn't have bothered.
I think you should ask her. It is a good thing to know why someone likes you and took interest in the first place.

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invisiblemonsters

Quote from: Moneyless on March 18, 2016, 07:25:23 PM
I know exactly what you're feeling. I'm currently casually hooking up with a girl (she's 100% straight), not dating or anything like that and it just confuses me so much why she'd do that when she could get a cisguy? There are even cisguys who have hit on her etc it's not that she can't get anyone. I feel like my entire life whoever I'm with whether it's romantically, sexually or both I'll just be thinking why would they bother when they can get a cisguy? I'm only 5'3 and she's even a little taller than me. I'm not masculine at all not even on T. But you see all the transmen online with their stories and their wives etc. The way we think about ourselves is way more damaging and worse than some women think.

I am pre-T, short, and awkward and somehow a girl is interested in hooking up with me more than all the cisguys that hit on her. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging but she's not unattractive at all either. It literally confuses the heck out of me. It's not impossible. I see a lot of pre-T guys on YouTube who have girlfriends. Do you plan to go on T? Another insecurity of mine is that she's only hooking up with me because she knows I'll be on T soon and she's sort of making an 'investment'. I don't know, I feel like we are truly our own worst enemies lol. I don't know, maybe my situation gives you some hope.

Confidence is attractive to women too. Even though it might be difficult for you, you need to find some confidence. Going to the gym is a great idea to build that up.

EDIT - Sorry, forgot that cursing isn't welcome here.

i felt this way about the girl i'm into. i'm only 5'2" and she is 5'7" and gorgeous. guys hit on her all the time, and i definitely can see why because she's tall, smart, gorgeous, everything. nothing to not like or not find attractive but she's into me. i'm on t, and i have had top surgery but it's the lower parts where it's like okay so, why are you with me if you can have a cisguy? and it screwed with me for so long, mostly before i had surgery and was on T because i didn't feel 'manly" enough even though she always saw me as that, even with my binder on, etc. and she was still into me knowing i was pre t and pre top surgery and i just didn't get it. now though? now i know i can offer her anything a cisguy can, because why can't i? she isn't interested in only my genitals but me as a person. that's the ONLY difference between a cisguy and me. i can still give her kids, maybe not biologically both ours, but kids for sure. however lucky for me, we both don't want them. i get the wanting bio kids may be a deal breaker as you get older, etc. but if they want that, there's ways they can have a baby and i may not be able to contribute, but that wouldn't make me any less of a parent. as you transition more, go on hormones, whatever else if that is what you decide, i think that switch will flip for you too and you'll stop worrying about that stuff when hooking up with straight girls, or dating them, etc. because think of this, they're straight and they're into you which means they see you as a man, and not any less of a man compared to a cisguy. that's something to feel great about because someone is accepting you for you and seeing you as you want to be seen.
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FtMitch

I think women, especially, appreciate a guy's social and emotional attributes over physical.  Until I started T I had no idea how strong a man's sex drive is, and I had a pretty strong sex drive pre-T for someone female bodied. Now that I am on T I find myself caring a lot more about physical attributes than before because those are what trigger arousal (usually). Not that personality isn't still hugely important to me, but before I had a ton of T in my body I judged more strongly on character.  Now I judge first on looks even if character is eventually the deciding factor.  I think women tend to hold judgement until they see a person's character more often than men do.  So why choose you when she could have a guy born with a penis?  Probably because you have the attributes in your personality that she loves and the cis guys who approach her don't.  It is a rare woman whose first thought when she meets a guy is "hm, I wonder if what's in his pants is going to make me happy?"  Most girls know that talent in the bedroom has little to do with what your packing, despite what RedTube convinces men.  Not to say that some men aren't the same way and some women don't judge on physical attributes alone.  But, overall, chicks tend to be the most understanding.  So instead of wondering why she would pick you over a cis guy, start smiling about the fact that you're probably what she considers to be a better man than that cis guy!
(Started T November 4, 2015)
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awkward-shark

QuoteIt is a rare woman whose first thought when she meets a guy is "hm, I wonder if what's in his pants is going to make me happy?"
It's funny, because I do have a friend (cis female) who thinks about this, of course, she's only into hook ups, not actual relationships. Most females, though, don't think this way (I hope lol).

Anyway, I really appreciate all your comments, I've been told by others that the most important thing is to carry yourself with confidence, and as much as I hate it, I do need to get in shape, mainly because of my physical appearance, but also because I recognize how excercise makes you feel better about yourself overall.

QuoteIf you want to improve your looks and/or masculinity make sure it's because you want to and not to impress someone else. You won't be happy living your life to impress others. Impress yourself before any one else- unless you're on a job then I would say impress the boss!

This though! ^^^^^
Gender is the poetry each of us makes out of the language we are taught
Leslie Feinberg
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KarlMars

I hope this quote I found on google is useful to you, Shark.

It's by Arnold Schwarzenegger-

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.