How to act more like a 'girl'?

[Sinead]

Recently, I've noticed how girls act, the voice, the mannerisms, the walk, everything. I'm so desperate to be more like a girl, but I wouldn't even know where to start. Any advice?

[MaryT]

Kylen Kantari posted a great tutorial:

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,228377.0.html

[Bari Jo]

Thanks for posting this.

Bari Jo

[DawnOday]

I was very lucky to be connected to a voice coach who is also a transition coach for Kaiser. I've been studying with her for about a year now. I am finally getting the right pitch 95% of the time. Yesterday she showed me how to braid my hair. Unfortunately I only have about three more visits left. We often study interviews to see how women communicate. It is a lot different than what I was used to. There are a lot of things to pick up on. For example woman breath from their diaphragm not the chest. Women tend to smile when they talk. Their voice resonates in the mouth and lips. They use their hands to communicate. They look each other in the eye. That's a hard one for me. They sit with crossed legs which I bet you already knew. But they tend to lean forward which denotes paying attention. They engage in small talk that men tend to avoid. Like the plague. There are many tutorials, makeup, voice, dress, hair on YouTube.  If you have an Iphone you can download EVA    https://www.slideshare.net/EVIsouth/eva-press-kit-2017transgender-people-find-their-voices-with-this-mobile-app   You can view this webpage from anywhere. Hope this helps. Practice makes passable.

[Pisces228]

shoulders relaxed, down, and back; elbows in; lead with your feet when you walk, not your shoulders.

[MeTony]

I would say, change one or two things at a time. If you try changing it all at once you might get confused. When you feel natural about the change, take next step. The changed mannerism must feel natural.

I was a copy of my father in my teens. I had the same body language and mannerism. I hate my dad. Or I don't hate him anymore. But I did. I wanted to change. I changed one habit at a time. I was aware of my body and actively changed my habits to new, different, habits. One at a time. When one new habit was natural I changed next.

Today I am myself. I am not a copy of my father. I am myself. Not a copy of anyone.

It can be done the other way around too. To copy someone else. Just take it step by step, be aware of yourself and practice.


Tony

[KathyLauren]

I found that posture is a big thing.  Men tend to hunch over.  Women tend to stand straighter.  I have to consciously remember to drop my shoulders, suck in my gut, and stick my tits out.  It is getting to be more natural.

I am working on my voice.  I took some voice lessons last year.  The target female range is about an octave above my male baritone.  I quickly discovered that there was no way I could sustain that pitch without wrecking my vocal chords, but I was able to manage to get it a fifth (a musical interval equivalent to half an octave) up.  It is going to sound like a deep contralto, but it can be convincing if I keep practicing whenever I get the chance.  This summer, I did an hour-long public presentation and managed to keep my voice in that range for the entire time.

Men tend to avoid eye contact.  Women avoid eye contact with men, but will make eye contact and smile among themselves.  As a woman, you are now a member of the club, and the eye contact and smile are like the secret handshake.  Avoiding eye contact or conversation is male behaviour. 

Especially in the washroom.  You don't have to get all chatty in the ladies' room if you don't want to, but it is acceptable, even expected, that you say "Hi" to women in there.  I found it a bit disconcerting when someone in the stall having a pee was continuing to talk to me while she was doing her business, but apparently that is not uncommon.