Susan's Place Transgender Resources

well, because I'm a late trans  I'm not in the mind to have any surgery other then GRS. For the younger crowed is there a limit  to your surgical options if the money was available. How much do you think you need to change physically.

Amanda Lepore is exactly the kind of trans woman that I don't want to be. There's feminizing surgery, and then there's making your entire body look fake.

I know it's not really fair to say this, because every person should have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies, but she's the kind of trans woman that allows people to laugh at us and call us "fake" and "caricatures of women," because none of her femininity is natural, it's all constructed with silicone and facial surgery and nipping and tucking.

She's happy with herself, and that's great, but no, this is definitely NOT for me. I'm proud of what I've achieved without surgery already. And the most that I'd consider doing is maybe removing a few of the male features from my face and voice that going through the wrong puberty robbed me of. That's it. I don't want to become someone that I'm not, or never was.

Besides, I already feel guilty enough spending all the money that I'm planning to spend on surgery already. I could have helped a lot of people with that kind of money.

wel I definitely wouldn't go that far, and If you ask me I think she did it intentionally, I mean, she is a superstar after all, if you get to be the muse of David Lachapelle it means you're doing something right, she doesn't want to look "normal" she wants to be iconic and she is. As for me, If I had the money I would probably just get my nose done, and of course SRS. Love everyone! BTW I love Amanda Lepore <3

Well,
I d like to have BA,SRS,FFS and VFS...
thats all , if I had the money Id do it in a year,,,

I dont think its too much,,,

anyways I respect freedom , whatever you want to do to your body , you should be free to do it.

No. I look better than her.

Oh good heavens no! I think she went a tad overboard. I cant see myself going beyond some "hair work" if the minoxidil doesn't show some promise in the next year or so, ffs, srs and possibly vfs. At my age, I don't think it's reasonable to expect a seething hot look. I'll be content with matronly elegance punctuated by the occasional sassy moment.

I kind of think that she's kind of over the top, and too much... KInd of like a drag queen... So, no I wouldn't do that, since I'm not interested on performing and such like her, I mean she's not a drag queen but she resembles one a lot... Plus, personally I don't like to draw so much attention to myself, like her with her looks... But that doesn't mean that she is less of a woman.

wow, I'd never seen her before I just googled her. I mean horses for courses and all that, but to me she looks absolutely feral. Hey yea lets reinforce some ->-bleeped-<- looking stereotypes for Transgender women on the flipside of saying your some sort of activist. If she's our spokeswoman, I think I could gladly do without her. Srsly this stuff makes me angry

I'll do only as much surgery as is necessary to blend in and erase the effects of T that E can't fix on its own.  In my case, hair transplants and maybe an upper lip lift (I really have no upper lip).

Quote from: Carrie Liz on August 05, 2014, 11:02:06 PM
she's the kind of trans woman that allows people to laugh at us and call us "fake" and "caricatures of women," because none of her femininity is natural, it's all constructed with silicone and facial surgery and nipping and tucking.

Exactly!  Unfortunately it hurts our cause that most go of us through transition and then blend in.  The general public doesn't see us...they only really know about transitioners in the awkward phase and the Amanda Lepore types.

Who??

*Googles*

Oh...

Never heard of her until just now. But I wish that I had all of the money that she spent on those surgeries.

I had never heard of her until now. But I want to do as little as necessary for me to feel right about my body. I want to look like a woman, an attractive woman if possible, but you don't have to go nearly that far to get that.

Meh...I would need about a billion dollars to look attractive. Screw that noise. I will keep the scraps of money that I have and just be a frump.

Most of the time, less is more.

She's really no different than other women who are addicted to plastic surgery.  Have you seen Joan Rivers lately?  Yikes!

Quote from: katiej on August 06, 2014, 12:32:06 AM
She's really no different than other women who are addicted to plastic surgery.  Have you seen Joan Rivers lately?  Yikes!

I was thinking the same thing: Like a younger trans version of Joan Rivers.

But, hey...whatever. I still wish I had her cash, though.

And how about the human barbie.  That woman needs some therapy.

There are a lot of things i'd change about my body, but eww no.

Hell no!  I don't need to look like a frankenhooker or draw unwanted attention to myself.  Right now nobody looks at me twice and I'd like to keep it that way.  I would much rather help someone in need out with that money.

I do need some scars ironed out and maybe turn back the clock a bit while I'm already under, but I'm not even having FFS.  I think I mostly look OK the way I am, but it sucks to me that I never got to be both young and outwardly female at the same time.

Amanda Lepore is the one that was in the movie "Bachelor Party" wasn't she?

As for surgery, I hate to say that unfortunately for me, if I had the money, I would seriously look at getting as much done as possible. I don't necessarily want to look fake, but I just get the feeling that looking at myself in a mirror, and looking at pictures of myself, to get to my ultimate end goal, I would need a fair bit of surgery.

For me, I think plastic surgery where appropriate is a good thing. However once you become addicted to having 'improvements' done to yourself on a frequent basis to the point your self image becomes a caricature of your former self then you have definitely gone well beyond crossing the line of 'necessary' work.

Has it been confirmed whether she is suffering from body dysmorphia, which may be leading her to have all these operations carried out on herself?

I'm not facing surgery for quite a while yet but doubt I'd ever have anywhere as many as Amanda Lapore or those akin to her because my self-esteem and life goals don't require it. Of course, I can't predict the future and suppose many people that increasingly use cosmetic surgery in their lives don't originally envision themselves doing that, so anything is possible. After all, dysphoria and socialised values are scarily powerful things to deal with. I still think it's unlikely because I can't see myself ever getting over my deep fears of surgery, needles, and medical contexts more than is strictly needed.

I personally try not to comment on people pursuing their own standards of comfort and happiness in a world full of insidious messages if they feel there's no alternative path since I see them as fundamentally no different to me or anyone else trying to cope with their own reality. Equally, I try to reject standards of beauty when assessing others so feel fairly neutral towards people doing what they like to customise their body as long as it clearly doesn't bring them distress or guarantee death. For me, if people judge entire groups based on the actions of some then the problem is with those doing the judging.

Ultimately, I guess even the number of surgeries and treatments I think I'll need to feel comfortable could be deemed dangerous, excessive, or indicative of a damaging assimilationist mentality by some cis people or some of those that believe I'm abandoning trans sisters, brothers, and siblings that can't or don't want to comply with social beauty norms. Alternatively, I guess the same could be said of my intended treatments by some of those that think trans people shouldn't have to try to comply with social norms and that our most successful public activists shouldn't solely be those whose appearance is most palatable to the masses. It's so subjective and variable.

Quote from: stephaniec on August 05, 2014, 10:26:12 PMFor the younger crowed is there a limit  to your surgical options if the money was available. How much do you think you need to change physically.

I started HRT at 17 and had SRS at 24, 40.5 years ago. I never wanted or needed any additional surgery. The only thing I wanted has never been a possibility - fertility.

Amanda Lepore has made a living out of being "out there".

It is her job to look plastic and grab headlines, and her style of presentation achieves that.

For the rest of us who aren't looking at going into that line of entertainment, I doubt most of us would go that far.

Personally, FFS along with orthodontics, SRS and possibly BA, if I were to jump in.

I know I definitely plan on SRS and most likely FFS too. Beyond that I might consider BA in a few years depending on my results on HRT.

I've now seen a picture of Amanda Lepore and to answer the question, definitely not.

Just googled her..... ewwww. No way
I wanna be as natural as possible,
Flaws or not, I'm happy just being me and lord knows I'm different enough the way it is without paying a fortune for it lol

 :o
Nooooooi
Liposuccion cause i always wanted a thinner waist
And maybe if money falls in my lap ffs

Thanks, Google, for helping me out. 

I guess that everyone has to find her own limits, and who are we to say whether it's fine or has entered the territory where a psychological definition starts to apply.

I'm a professional corporate woman: I'm aiming for a balance between passability and becoming an anesthetic junky for the sake of minimal and debatable gain.

Nope. She can do whatever she likes with her own body; I support that right for *everyone.* But as for myself, I'm content with GRS to remodel the downstairs into what I need to be mentally comfortable, and no other surgeries. That's not saying I don't wish I looked prettier - I think I look like a potato, most days - but I'm more scared of surgery than I am inspired to change my face.

My personal choice of transition path is as follows;

1) Electrolysis (face 80% done, legs and body 20% done)
2) HRT (2yrs low dose , recent 3 months on transition dose)
3) Cool sculpture for feminine shape (on hold)
4) chemical peel (on hold)
5) Lipo-transfer for boobs and butt (on hold)
6) PRP treatment for scalp hair, boobs, face lift aka vampire facelift (on hold)
7) FFS (on hold)
8) VFS (on hold)
9) GRS(on hold)

Taking things slow one at the time due to money constraint.
Had to stay in guy mode for the money and also starting a business on the side for my life after coming out.

And yes, I am vain :angel:

Now I even looked for her age, and she looks so much older with all that stuff done... But yeah I think she's doing this mostly to get more attention as I wrote before by exaggerating her image.

No thanks, not for me. To each their own though.

Quote from: Julia-Madrid on August 06, 2014, 08:50:10 AM
I'm a professional corporate woman: I'm aiming for a balance between passability and becoming an anesthetic junky for the sake of minimal and debatable gain.

You bring up some good points.  I'm also in a more corporate (conservative) career where passability will be the difference between being treated like a woman working in finance (i.e. losing the male privilege) or derailing my career completely.  And how has that been for you?

But you're right that the gains from lots of surgeries is debatable.  A nose job doesn't necessarily equal passing better or getting a promotion.

Amanda Lepore has done a great deal for trans visibility, and she did it her own way. You might disagree -- and, per the question here, choose not to go the same route -- but it doesn't make sense to disparage her, call her rude names, or question whether she's a spokesperson for the trans community. She probably doesn't care anyway. And I don't think she's ever claimed to speak for anyone else but herself.

Honestly, I look better than she does without spending a penny on cosmetic surgeries. Those lips... She looks like a human fish... *shudder*

Quote from: kayg on August 06, 2014, 05:39:41 PM
Amanda Lepore has done a great deal for trans visibility, and she did it her own way. You might disagree -- and, per the question here, choose not to go the same route -- but it doesn't make sense to disparage her, call her rude names, or question whether she's a spokesperson for the trans community. She probably doesn't care anyway. And I don't think she's ever claimed to speak for anyone else but herself.

I'm going to go on a limb and agree here. It seems a majority of us agree we would not. However to put someone down for their own comfort seems to go against everything this board is about.

Personally, I would not. If I had that kind of money I'd be focusing on making the change naturally (aside from GRS of course), and getting my finances and debts in order.

Do I agree with what she's done? No, not for me. If it makes her comfortable, more power to her.

From a guy's perspective, just... yuck.

I'm sure that it's a career thing for her, and I hope she's happy, but she looks -- not just like a parody of a woman, but like a parody of a human being.

Quote from: Tysilio on August 06, 2014, 09:08:50 PM
From a guy's perspective, just... yuck.

I'm sure that it's a career thing for her, and I hope she's happy, but she looks -- not just like a parody of a woman, but like a parody of a human being.

^This.

Not discounting what she has done for trans awareness, but it is hard for general society to take someone seriously with her presentation.  Nothin wrong with it if she's happy, but general public often find stuff outside of their norms too challenging...

Well, lets see....

I did the full FFS...
I am doing laser/electrolysis
I am doing hair transplants
I will be doing some body shaping due to loose skin from weight loss.
I will be doing the surgery to become a full woman.
I may be doing a breast reduction.  (Yep, reduction....)

What does all that mean????

Hugs,

Jen

I've known about her for years. I'm 100% going to have FFS, but not have lip implants, just the necessary trimmings. I am also strongly considering breast enhancement to make me a more rounded individual.  8)

Quote from: JLT1 on August 06, 2014, 09:34:31 PM...
I may be doing a breast reduction.  (Yep, reduction....)

Well if that's how you feel Jen, next time the breast fairy comes by tell her to swing by my way instead. I could use some bippity boppity boobs. :P

Quote from: JLT1 on August 06, 2014, 09:34:31 PM
Well, lets see....

I did the full FFS...
I am doing laser/electrolysis
I am doing hair transplants
I will be doing some body shaping due to loose skin from weight loss.
I will be doing the surgery to become a full woman.
I may be doing a breast reduction.  (Yep, reduction....)

What does all that mean????

Hugs,

Jen

You're doing your best to get to a point where you blend in to your satisfaction.  :P

There's plastic surgery and there's plastic plastic surgery.  What are you aiming for?  :D

I still stand by what I said. She's happy, whooptiy effing doo.

Why is this an issue?

I think "some" of us forget that not everyone wants to look/be "normal". Some girls want to look like "->-bleeped-<-s".

I've seen many girls who were already passable and blended in seamlessly, but then got bored with it. They wanted to look unique so they sexed up their looks, got bigger breasts, hips, booty, lips, etc and they couldn't be happier. This goes for cis women too. In a way I totally get it. It may not be for me but for another girl it may totally work.

There is no right or wrong way to be a transwoman.

I support her decision to be whoever she wants to be. If shes happy - good for her. And the same goes for anyone else contemplating surgery - if it's something you need to do by all means go do it.

At my age i'm never going to be any kind of a sexy bombshell  :D .... I am content with finally just getting to me the real me. I am fortunate enough to already have an androgynous face and a soft voice that lets me pretty much pass and I am content with that. It seems like almost no one pays me any attention these days which is exactly what I want - to live my life in peace. Others seek the limelight and that's OK too.

No. Although, she's doing what makes her happy, and I applaud her for that. I am not going to talk crap about her though.

I want to look like Vaniity though.

Quote from: Janae on August 10, 2014, 09:39:03 AM
I think "some" of us forget that not everyone wants to look/be "normal". Some girls want to look like "->-bleeped-<-s".

I've seen many girls who were already passable and blended in seamlessly, but then got bored with it. They wanted to look unique so they sexed up their looks, got bigger breasts, hips, booty, lips, etc and they couldn't be happier. This goes for cis women too. In a way I totally get it. It may not be for me but for another girl it may totally work.

There is no right or wrong way to be a transwoman.

True.

My limit of being "sex'ed up" would be in the Anna Nicole and Pamela Anderson field. Although looking like Jenna Jameson, Jesse James, and Paris Hilton is more me.

If money was no object , I'd do as many as Dr. McGinn  she looks incredible

No thanks.  I think besides genital surgery, the most I would consider is full-body laser and electro+ having my brow ridge shaved down.  I think having a strong jaw line works for me and it doesn't keep me from passing, though the brow ridge makes me look a bit Cro-Magnon.

If I had all the money in the world, it would go towards getting my hair done by the super high end curly hair stylists lolol and tons of hair products. I'm still on the fence about getting a few procedures on my face done since I'm still only a few years into hrt. Same goes for my breasts, I want them to reach their full potential before I starting considering breast aug seriously. And that's not gonna be until I've had srs or an orchiectomy.

I'll echo what others have said above; she is happy, so good for her.. :)

buuut.. call me boring, and I'm sure this is almost a non sequitur, but I wish were also some transwomen in the media spotlight who are respected for their academic/business/political/humanitarian etc. activities too...
Now before you tell me to put my money where my mouth is lol, I am hoping to do some things on that front in the future, I'm starting my MSc next year and I hope to go back to Bougainville (A small semi autonomous nation between the Solomon Islands and Papua) to help some indigenous women I met earlier this year there who are doing some really amazing things for their sisters (it's a very misogynistic culture).
But I'm sure there are many trans women who already do really neat things, but the ones you seem to hear about appear to be kinda cartoonish (no offence intended to anyone, I have the feeling I'm sounding like a real snob in this post which I super apologise for, I'm not feeling well and my word choice is a bit poor as a result I'm sure..). The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Georgina Beyer who was New Zealand's (and the world's) first transgender member of parliament. If you know any others please let me know, I'd love to be corrected : )

In a word, NO

I would do what was necessary and help others to complete their transformation dreams

Quote from: MikaylaGC on August 05, 2014, 11:48:56 PM
wow, I'd never seen her before I just googled her. I mean horses for courses and all that, but to me she looks absolutely feral. Hey yea lets reinforce some ->-bleeped-<- looking stereotypes for Transgender women on the flipside of saying your some sort of activist. If she's our spokeswoman, I think I could gladly do without her. Srsly this stuff makes me angry

FERAL? LOL, Like many of you, I'd never heard of her, so I looked her up and listened to some of her songs. My conclusion is that I wouldn't do anything to have her body, and I definitely don't want her talent.

I would be happy for a nose upgrade, the current one is misshapen from being punched a few times.  Other than maybe tits and a fanny upgrade, not sure only just started HRT.  Either way surgery is kind of scary for me, i wouldn't want to go under the knife unless i really felt i had to.

btw fanny = vagina in the lands Downunder

Quote from: lemon_ice on August 11, 2014, 01:54:46 AM
I'll echo what others have said above; she is happy, so good for her.. :)

buuut.. call me boring, and I'm sure this is almost a non sequitur, but I wish were also some transwomen in the media spotlight who are respected for their academic/business/political/humanitarian etc. activities too...
Now before you tell me to put my money where my mouth is lol, I am hoping to do some things on that front in the future, I'm starting my MSc next year and I hope to go back to Bougainville (A small semi autonomous nation between the Solomon Islands and Papua) to help some indigenous women I met earlier this year there who are doing some really amazing things for their sisters (it's a very misogynistic culture).
But I'm sure there are many trans women who already do really neat things, but the ones you seem to hear about appear to be kinda cartoonish (no offence intended to anyone, I have the feeling I'm sounding like a real snob in this post which I super apologise for, I'm not feeling well and my word choice is a bit poor as a result I'm sure..). The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Georgina Beyer who was New Zealand's (and the world's) first transgender member of parliament. If you know any others please let me know, I'd love to be corrected : )

It didn't come across as snobby to me. I would like more exposure to the "tamer" transgenders, as well as debunking the myths out there about us and a good role model to younger brothers and sisters going through what we're going through or have gone through. But I don't think she speaks for all of us, or is the "face" of transgenders. I too had to google her, so maybe she's not as mainstream as this thread makes it seem. So long as she's happy, that's all that matters. I would be upset if she claims to speak for me and my sisters, but I still wouldn't talk bad about her other than "Don't put words in my mouth.".

But is she really happy?  It would seem to me that the reason she keeps going under the knife is precisely because she isn't happy with herself.  I'd say that she's pursuing happiness, but perhaps she should be looking somewhere else for it.

We as trans people know about this.  We have surgeries and go through transition because we're not happy with what nature gave us.  But most of us stop at a certain point because we've fixed the important things, and we learn that transition/surgeries aren't the source of happiness.