How many of you delayed because you thought you could not pass?

[Berliegh]

That's cheered me up...I sometimes think I'm tall at 5' 7"....

It should cheer you up... I'd love to be three inches shorter For the
purposes of the tall women list, 5-10 is considered to be the top 1% of
all women.

Here ya go, you have some pretty awesome company:

Lucille Ball 5'7-1/2"
Jessica Biel 5'7-1/2"
Sandra Bullock 5'7-1/2"
Celine Dion 5'7-1/2"
McKenzie Philips 5'7-1/2"
Susan Sarandon 5'7-1/2"
Kirstie Alley 5'7"
Julie Andrews 5'7"
Kim Basinger 5'7"
Halle Berry 5'7"
Amelia Earhart 5'7"
Jane Fonda 5'7"
Audrey Hepburn 5'7"
Angelina Jolie 5'7"
Keira Knightley 5'7"
Sela Ward
Oprah Winfrey 5'7"

Amanda

I am very surprised and pleased by the list which puts me in fantastic company ay 5' 7". But I always thought the average female is about 5' 5" and many women are small in my area....

[Mikaela]

It's very uplifting to hear about women who are 6'0 or taller, and have no trouble passing. I'm 6'2 myself and my height has been one of the things I hated most about myself and it's made me think I could never pass as a woman. Reading about your successes does give me hope. =) Thanks girls!

Anyway so yeah, I guess I have been delaying transitioning because I didn't think I could pass, but in my case I've also been in denial about being TS for a very long time. I did a good job lying to myself too. I think my appearance, and my height, and the fact that there's almost nothing feminine about me, made it a lot harder for me to accept that I'm TS.

[cindybc]

For me it was like a chain reaction. Driving on my way home I became very depressed and emotional. I was just coming back from a Trans support group and I hated the thought of having to become the other me when I got home.

This intense emotional pain within culminated to the point of wanting to commit suicide by driving my car into a rock-cut, then I changed my mind after realising that it wasn't the inner-self that wanted to die, it was who resided outside that was not happy. The I went shopping at the Salvation Army and bought the proper clothing for a woman to wear, then got rid of everything I had that was from my previous life.

The next day I walked out of the apartment building I lived at as Cindy that morning and continued just walking proudly putting on big genuine smile at the folks as I walked by. Projecting works quite well when I so desires for others to see me as what I wish them to see. So yes before I just though it was taboo to speak about any of this to anyone else out there, and it was fear that held me back for the past ten years after I knew what GID and the word transsexual meant.

Once I crossed over that barrier I just simply knew that there was no turning around, if I did I would quickly retreat back into depression and the thoughts of suicide would return. I suppose I had one bonus for me even if I wasn't all that passable at the start, that was size. 5' 3" and 120lbs.

Cindy

[Sheena]

This is on being tall. I see a lot of tall women, I'm always paying attention being just under 6' myself. I had mentioned to someone who was complementing me on how I looked that I wish my feet weren't so big, I'm size 12w. She told me Oprah Winfrey wore size 12, I'm not sure if that's correct but it made my day. My pastors wife is a little over 6' making her taller than him and wears larger shoes than he does and she is gorgeous and use to be a model. The other night I was grocery shopping and saw a beautiful tall woman wearing at least 5" heels and her shoes had to be 12's or better and they and she looked great.
Sheena

[MaggieB]

I definitely delayed transition because both me and my SO felt that I could never pass. She, in fact, said that I would be like Arnold Swartzenegger in drag and make a spectacle of myself.  So I lived for years as in an androgynous presentation with a long pony tail which made me look very strange. More like a aging flamboyantly gay male than a woman. I got looks constantly from strangers because I was such a sight.

Then one day my SO gave me an ultimatum, get my hair styled in a woman's style and start full time or she would stop supporting me. She also said, that if I did look ridiculous, it could be the end of our marriage. Imagine how it was for me sitting in the stylist chair wondering if the result would end my marriage. When she saw me, she said that she could live with it as she said I was very convincing.

What I found is that even I am very male looking in drab, I could get to be passable and now pass most of the time.  If you saw a photo of me in my old persona, you would say that there would be no hope for me to pass.

[Just Mandy]

If you saw a photo of me in my old persona, you would say that there would be no hope for me to pass.

That is so true for me as well...

You look wonderful Maggie

Amanda

[MaggieB]

Thanks so much, Amanda. I am still getting used to this new look.

[athena]

 

VERY SOON here I'm going to get my first set of clothes and start venturing out.  Taunts and all.

Aeron

For me it had to be one of the first steps to being who I really am. I say just have fun and be yourself. And as far as taunts I find that just as Amanda said that a lot of people just ignore you and just go about their lives.

[cindybc]

Hi MaggieB
From your avatar pic I would say that you truly do look very good and passable.

"Hee, hee," I wonder who let out all of the elders  on this board today. Eh, just kidding, but It's nice to know there are others here from the school of the 60's

Cindy

[kae m]

I'm still delaying it...there isn't even a slight chance I could pass right now and it's slowing killing me.  I can't wait too much longer, every day gets that much harder to hold it back

[Ms.Behavin]

Ha I started taking HRT 5 years ago but stopped after 3 months cause I was convinced I would never ever pass.  Think Steven King and your pretty close to who I looked like before. Plus lots of general fear too.   Needless to say I did start to transision 3 years later.  One day I'll post the really old photo of the person I use to be.  You would never know the two of me were even related.   I was just looking at photo's of me from 6 months hrt and gee I've come a long way after 18 months hrt. 

Amanda Girl.  Relax and enjoy the ride.  You will do fine hon.

Beni

[Just Mandy]

Amanda Girl.  Relax and enjoy the ride.  You will do fine hon.

Thank Beni... I'm trying... I'm really trying

[cindybc]

Hi Beni I am glad you resumed the transitioning and HRT sure does appear to have been generous to you, you look amazingly wonderful in your Avatar. I believe that a comparison to what you looked like before is truly not necessary to convince me.

Cindy

[louise000]

When I was a young teen I could probably have passed for a girl quite easily, just by growing and styling my hair a bit. It wasn't the fear of not passing that stopped me, it was the fact that way back then "sex changes" were so unheard of and totally unacceptable to society that I would have undoubtably been referred to a mental institution to be "cured". Even homosexual acts, in private or in public, were regarded as criminal behaviour. Any male wearing female clothes or displaying feminine behaviour would be classed as homosexual - there was no distinction between homosexuals and transgendered people - they were all "queers" and treated abominably by society and the law, at least in pre-1970s Britain. One could expect to be shamed and even sent to prison for going out dressed in womens clothes.

[Berliegh]

When I was a young teen I could probably have passed for a girl quite easily, just by growing and styling my hair a bit. It wasn't the fear of not passing that stopped me, it was the fact that way back then "sex changes" were so unheard of and totally unacceptable to society that I would have undoubtably been referred to a mental institution to be "cured". Even homosexual acts, in private or in public, were regarded as criminal behaviour. Any male wearing female clothes or displaying feminine behaviour would be classed as homosexual - there was no distinction between homosexuals and transgendered people - they were all "queers" and treated abominably by society and the law, at least in pre-1970s Britain. One could expect to be shamed and even sent to prison for going out dressed in womens clothes.

I loved it as a very young teen growing up in Britain in the mid 1970's .....I wore as many androgenous and femine clothes as I possibly could. I grew my hair as long as I could and most people assumed I was a 14 year old girl. You could really experiment and I would certainly do that....I have fond memories of that time.....and that was the point that I wanted to transition. 

I wanted to talk to someone but there wasn't a GP I could approach and the internet didn't exist. It took me until the mid 1980's to actually talk about how I felt...

[Pockubus]

I was worried for a while if I was the only one who did this too.  I was sure I couldn't pass having a big nose like I have. But even now as I've adopted a more female look (not on HRT yet), my wife says I'm starting to look female.  I also started repressing myself in highschool when I was becomming more aware of things because my parents told me transgendered people were evil and if I ever did anything like that I'd become a child molester or something (honestly where the hell do people come up with connections like that?).  Its comforting to know that we are not in this alone.  I wish I could have the last 10 years of my life back to start tranistioning earlier, but its not going to happen, so I gotta go forward with the best in mind.

[Suzy]

You can add me to the list.  I just knew there was no way in the world I could ever pass.

Kristi

[Just Mandy]

You can add me to the list.  I just knew there was no way in the world I could ever pass.

Can I assume that just about everybody has said that here?

If so that's pretty cool actually because there is hope for me

Amanda

[athena]

I told you this before Amanda all I see is a young and beautiful women. And yes their was a point in my life that I thought that I would not pass, but now I don't really care about passing because; the way I feel is that I am who I am and that's that. 

[Hypatia]

You can add me to the list.  I just knew there was no way in the world I could ever pass.

Kristi, I just have to say-- of all the gals who've said this, you are definitely the most beautiful passer. Your picture is breathtaking each and every time I see it, giving me something to aspire to, hoping I can look as lovely as you do someday. Please post your beauty tips sometime!