Pressure to conform?

[kyril]

Squirrel - that's totally my experience. I tried to be one of the pretty girls, and when I look back at pictures I really was, but it never felt right at the time...I always looked at myself in the mirror and saw a boy in a dress, a boy with makeup. And I never could walk gracefully, especially in heels. I walk like a man.

Looking back, it's really strange how I distorted my own perceptions. I assumed the feeling I got looking at pretty girls was that I wanted to look like them, and the feeling I got looking at attractive guys was that I wanted to sleep with them. The reality is that I just think pretty girls are pretty. And with guys it's more complicated, but i think I've mostly sorted out the difference between the types of guys I want to sleep with and the type of guys I want to be.

[gilligan]

I never really felt pressured to conform until high school. I once got called "it" because of the way I dressed (masculinely), although I hadn't identified as a transman then. I almost got into a fight about that one. After that I tried to conform to some extent, at least in the way I dressed. After I left high school I didn't dress to conform to societal standards anymore. When I came out as trans in my second year of college, I felt instant pressure from my LGBT friends to conform as male, to transition and everything, and I wasn't ready for that yet. My parents never were very "pushy" about the topic until I came out as trans to them. They most definitely want me to conform as a woman, to that I told them I will not do. I know they won't kick me out for not conforming to their standards (I hope), but I wish I could go further with transitioning while living with them since I do not have a job.

[Farm Boy]

Wow, thanks for all the responses everyone!  It's been really interesting to read them, especially the ones about pressure from yourself and pressure to be stereotypically like your identified gender.  I hadn't even thought of that.