I was wondering if you ladies had hobbies or interests usually girls and women are supposed to have before transitioning. (from knitting to reading women's mag or liking chick flicks). And after transitioning, dit it change?
I'm asking it as I have typical male interests, and sharing few "female" ones with genuine girls I know. I'm aware this does not define what it is to be a woman, but I question myself about it.
Stéphanie, XX
No I do not think so. Plus many of us MTFs still retain our hobbies that many consider to be male hobbies. Cars, repairing things, sports, motorcycles perhaps, are some that can certainly be enjoyed by women too. Why not?
However if you are interested in doing what might be considered to be female hobbies, go for it. None of it is mandatory.
However, you may wish to participate in a women's book club or a bible study group if those pastimes are interesting to you.
Chrissy
I liked shopping but there weren't any men's clothes in my size.
Now that I wear XS female clothes I have a wonderful wardrobe!
I used to alter my male clothes but now that is rarely necessary.
Long PJ pants may needed hemming but everything else now comes in ready to wear crop styles!
After transition, I plan on keeping some of my male hobbies, plus explore some things I might have been too self-conscious to do as a male.
--Claire
My interests haven't changed. I have always enjoyed a mix of interests. Hugs
Mariah
Crocheting is my hobby and it has been since I was ten. My mum tried to dissuade me at the time, but my aunt said, "let her have a go", so I started learning chain stitches and oh boy was I hooked. Pun intended.
Me and mum, together would crochet lots of afghan blankets or granny rungs for the family. Oh the memories.
Swimming is my passion and photography is what I do when I I have time, both of which I still do today. The only other activities that I do not do now are scuba diving and shooting.
Doing a hobby does not define us, they are apart of who we are.
Kind regards to one and all
Sarah B
I love horseback ridding. Many times I was the only man in the group when competing, now I should fit right in. Fishing is another hobby I have enjoyed all my life and I can't see that changing.
Gina
I do a mix of boy and girl hobbies.
I still enjoy all of my old hobbies: Rowing, hiking, photography, making things (woodwork, metal work, electronics). However, 2 years ago I picked up a new and definitively more female hobby: sewing. I guess I just added new materials (i.e. fabrics) to the making things category. And I really enjoy it.
Heidemarie
Funny you should say female hobbies ??? I've always been the seamstress in the family. Just considered it one of the normal life skills. Does scrapbooking count? I love that. My wife, she says I'm a better house wife. Always have been. My stepmom may have been an unadulterated abusive B word >:-) , but she did see that my homemaking skills were on par with all the neighborhood girls. I did catch hell from my peer group for that when discovered.
But before you sign me up as a card carrying total femme, be aware I still keep my stable of vintage cars and bicycles. AND I love my vintage collectables and china and crystal.
Hard to say female hobbies, eh? Oh! and I bake and cook too! Wearing a frilly apron, cause I like it :-X
As a teenager I used to read my sister's magazines, but once she moved out, I didn't have them anymore.
Also, I've always liked video games that appeal largely to women, like Animal Crossing or The Sims the most.
In my childhood I played with toys for both genders, but did really like dollhouses, and had my own log cabin one which was supposed to be for boys, but a dollhouse all of the same! (I wanted a girls' style dollhouse! In my teens, when I began playing The Sims, it kinda filled that niche for me, and I haven't stopped playing since!) I also had an obsession with beads. My parents can attest to that!
I think a lot of my interests are gender neutral, but I definitely lean feminine. I became a lot more into fashion, jewelry and painted nails after transitioning. Also got baby fever a lot worse. lol. Really not into the most stereotypically female things like cooking and knitting/sewing. I could see me someday getting into sewing to carry on my grandma's passion. Cooking I will learn better when I learn to adult better.
Well I seem to be spending more time with appearance but that is not really a hobby, it is a necessity!
Except on the days I just do not care! "Just wear that T-shirt and jeans girl," I say to myself.
Chrissy
I've always liked what I like, and I expect that to continue. I hope that things that are my hobby, will, by definition, be "female" hobbies.
I have been a cyclist for decades, and especially enjoy mountain biking and gravel cycling. And I picked up boxing four years after transitioning. I consider them women's hobbies, since I am a woman and I enjoy them.
Quote from: D'Amalie on January 17, 2024, 03:45:29 PMFunny you should say female hobbies ???
Right. Made me think. I'm not usually using such stereotypes as "boy things/girl things". Besides I wasn't raised that way. I guess I'm looking for false pretexts when time has come to accept the real me. Thank you D'Amalie for pointing it to me. It helps a lot. And thank ladies for all your answers so far.
Stéphanie, X X
I love this question!
My visceral response was I don't think hobbies are gendered but.... I think I am dead wrong on that, at least in the context of Western culture. And, now that I look back at my life I would definitely say my interests have always been on the feminine side of the ledger. Let's see, I love fine art, cooking, flower gardening, decorating. As a photographer, my passions are florals and sunrises.
I will say that before I accepted my true identity I was not a shopper, now I love to shop. Another before after change was my adventures in the mountains. I used to be focused on summiting mountains, now I am focused on the journey. I will meander the mountainsides for hours, enjoying the wild flower meadows and never feel compelled to climb higher.
Cheers,
Brooke
https://n0ssc.com/posts/677-engaging-women-in-amateur-radio
I found this blog that claims that ham radio is a male dominated hobby.
Isn't the clear enunciation and higher pitched voice typical of female speech better suited for radio communication?
I learned to sew by watching my mother when she made her own clothes. When I was in my 30s, I asked her to teach me to knit. It has been years now since I knitted anything, but I made myself a few sweaters back in the day, including one with the Olympic torch logo from the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
If my mother were alive today, she would realize that those interests were a sign and not be surprised.
Quote from: Brooke Renee on January 21, 2024, 07:40:44 AMI love this question!
I will say that before I accepted my true identity I was not a shopper, now I love to shop. Another before after change was my adventures in the mountains. I used to be focused on summiting mountains, now I am focused on the journey. I will meander the mountainsides for hours, enjoying the wild flower meadows and never feel compelled to climb higher.
So true! Go figure? Shopping isn't so bad once you rearrange priorities :) Hiking is the best. Not so worried about getting to a destination now. Content to meander and enjoy, yes?
I've picked up a lot more outdoor hobbies like kayaking and trail running. Pretty much everything else has remained like backpacking and cycling. I still play video games but I am trying to limit the screen time. Other than that I can't think of anything else.
I never picked up that habit! Picking up old cars? Tha'ts another story. I do enjoy the odd online session of Halo with my eldest son after all is said. I think its just a good way to spend time with him if he can't make it over to the house.
I forgot to add to the list of female hobbies that I like and they are, watching romantic dramas and chic flicks.
Kind regards to one and all
Sarah B
Most of my hobbies are of the outdoor variety...hiking, camping, exploring...things enjoyed by men and women, so I don't foresee any major changes there. I'm also an avid writer, and I find that it's really rewarding (and fun) to write as a woman and from a woman's perspective - so THAT'S been a wonderful change!
Hot rodding and drag racing still is my favourite closely followed by cooking. Playing percussion as well so nothing you could describe as female only, sewing is a bit messy but I did some knitting when I was in my early teens. Mums fault as she is a serial knitter!!
Hello.
Funny question. Matters of pre-transition and post-transition are mostly murky. A lot has happened over these 25 years since transition.
Honestly, hobbies and pastimes have naturally come and gone. Some were interesting to 5 year old Miharu, while others were interesting to 30 year old Miharu.
I've been a soldier, I've been a truck mechanic, I've been an accountant.
It's too hard to pin my hobbies and interests on gender specifically.
I've married twice, widowed once. I've dated nurses, teachers, programmers and more. I used to cook a lot until I married a chef 17 years ago. I was an avid scuba diver until I moved to Oregon. (It's too cold!)
I was a competitive pool player for 10 years until I was injured. I play guitar every day. I've read books ravenously all of my life. I collect and shoot firearms. I'm a lifelong photographer. I meditate every day.
I used to bicycle, hike, garden. The list of interests over the years is very long, and hobbies come and go with moves from one state to another, or one relationship to another, or one occupation to another, or one decade to another.
As far as I can tell, all of my hobbies (past and present) have been girly because I'm so dang girly.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
🥰
Miharu
I've always done a bit of both, male and female hobbies. My transition really hasn't changed much. Though I don't duck hunt like I used to. It is way too physical these days. Maybe that's the E, maybe that's my age.....hmmm?
I grew up in a house full of testosterone. As a family did a lot of outdoorsy stuff: fishing, hiking, camping, and hunting. I grew up in a small town in the California desert (Hinkley, CA) where we had a ranch and raised rabbits commercially. I used to pick up pretty rocks and bring them home. I enjoyed rock hounding so much that I began to learn what these stones were called and how to find more! That eventually led me to my current hobby of gold prospecting. Age and injuries are catching up with me, so I am less able to do the back-breaking labor of mining and spend more time rock-hounding.
Recently, I purchased a couple of rock tumblers and have started polishing stones. I am also teaching myself how to make wire-wrap jewelry. Then I can put those polished stones to good use. I don't really see these as gender-specific, but I do notice that I am enjoying less physically strenuous activities for whatever reason.
My really, really love creative hobbies. Especially writing, but role playing, brewing mead, writing webpage code, I still like various card games, Canasta being one of my favorites, rocking out to music, 80s Pop and Rock, and J-POP. Some hobbies that I'd like to get into if I ever get the time and money are beading (with semiprecious stones), COSplay, amateur radio (again), and herbalism.
I was really into drawing in high school. That led me to media design and animation in college. One of my instructors worked for Disney. She did a lot of the storyboards for Fern Gully, worked on Tron, The Incredibles, etc. We had Brad Bird as a guest speaker once, he directed The Iron Giant, it's always been one of my favorite movies. He also did Ratatouille and The Incredibles. Meeting him was a pleasure, I had a great conversation with him. One of the bigger moments of my life.
I changed gears quite a bit in my 20's, moved into metal fab which later became a hobby. I also picked up a lot of carpentry and design skills which have piqued my interest in DIY of all kinds. Which satisfies my creative needs.
I've always enjoyed cooking and baking. I didn't have much adult presence in my childhood so it kinda evolved from there. I'm the cook of the house now–conversely my fiancé can barely boil water so that worked out in a way.
Years back I did weekly 3 gun shoots. Work schedule doesn't allow it anymore. Saved a lot of money when I stopped but I do miss it. I'll do it again someday. Having more members of the pride community partaking in firearms related hobbies could introduce more inclusion and acceptance into that crowd. Which would be a big step in the right direction.
I also enjoy backpacking, arrowhead hunting, guitar, and model kits. Oh, I recently got into painting again! Hadn't touched paints since high school. Having more adult perspective inspired me.
I've often feared dropping things I enjoy for the sake of being accepted as female. That fear dissipated back when I started working with various tradeswomen. Seeing how they spend their free time changed my perspective on everything. I'd like to think if I was assigned female at birth, I would've picked up these hobbies anyways. I refuse to punish myself to appease others. It's who I am.
I have a variety of hobbies. Most I have had from before transition.
HiFi: Designing, repairing and making valve (vacuum tube) audio amps. Listening to music on the highest of fidelity on vinyl (called records in my day)
Watching chick flicks, love stories, Rugby, F1 motor racing, and baseball. (Not soccer)
Cooking. Shopping if I have any money. Collecting Kate Spade Jewellery and handbags
Going to art galleries and collecting art.
Some hobbies I have currently stopped doing: Photography and fishing.
Hugs
Jessica
Xxx
Does painting your fingernails count as a female hobby? If so, I guess this counts for me. If not, it is just a beauty routine I guess.
Chrissy
<raises hand> oooh oooh, sign me up for that one!
I love doing my nails. But I spend so much time digging gravel, picking up rocks, washing rocks, grinding rocks, polishing rocks, ... I can't keep a manicure to save my life.
I feel uber feminine today. Got a manicure and my nails are very pretty. I also got a facial, sauna session, and a delightful professional makeup session yesterday. While the makeup is long gone, my nails are still pretty.
Chrissy
Oh I do love having a manicure and lovely painted nails. I had mine done last week after several months of being without as they got baddly damaged when working of amps and getting shows ready. They needed to grow out the damage.
They are still way too short specially thumbs but they will grow now with the protection of the gel.
Yes looking after nails is a female hobby, and as summer comes along, painted toes too.
Hugs
Jessica
Xxx
I have not had any pedicure experience. I guess I have not acquired a desire for that.
Not yet.
Chrissy
Quote from: ChrissyRyan on March 17, 2024, 01:43:52 PMDoes painting your fingernails count as a female hobby? If so, I guess this counts for me. If not, it is just a beauty routine I guess.
Chrissy
No, painting fingernails is not a hobby.. I am also not going to tell any man that he cannot have his fingernails painted either (as I quite like a man with polish on).. so neither is it a hobby or female .. in fact what defines a 'female' hobby - smacks of misogyny to me.. designating what hobbies women are capable of doing??.. yuck
I raised my daughter to play with whatever toys she wanted and do whatever hobbies she wanted to do (you want chemistry sets, go ahead, toy guns, you got it.. you want dolls, okay no problem..play football, dance. great ) I never wanted her to be bashed by gender controlled societal expectations. Her hobbies are varied and she is an avid FPS gamer. I say go girl.
So please, can someone tell me what exactly is a female hobby and I will happily show you a man who gets enjoyment from that activity
I don't know if it's specifically a "female hobby," but I play a lyre. When the weather is temperate I'd hike along the river trail, and when I stop to rest, I'd take out my lyre and play it. The strings are softer than a guitar's, soothing, sometimes thought of as fairy-like. It's helpful when I want to get into a meditative mood.
One of the most fulfilling passtimes has been tutoring students needing help, often by request by teachers and professors. I've done it with Algebra, English Composition, Classical Languages, and Philosophy.
Apart from that, I write and often include classical texts that I translate myself (I started with Latin in 1971, then Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew in 1976, then added Attic Greek, Aramaic, and other language studies to that since). One article of mine, published in a magazine in 1991, fetched a letter from a Greek scholar who had become intrigued with something I wrote about Hebrew translation. She sent back a heavily underlined copy of my article and asked for more information. I smiled. If I get a scholar's mind spinning like that, I know I've done my job.