Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello all I'm pre-everything so this is all quite new to me. I do bind my chest etc but I'm not ready to start T yet and I want my face and figure to look a bit more masculine. I also like wearing form fitting clothing so it makes it kinda difficult. Anyone have any suggestions? I've tried makeup and stuff but it takes me like at least an hour to look how I like and stuff.


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Hey mitternacht.

There are a bunch of things you can do to masculinize your face and your figure pre T. There´s another helpful thread about that just a few pages back I think. But here are some things I´ve done that helped:

grow the eyebrows thicker;
square your hairline (with a trimmer or clipper), be careful though
shave the peach fuzz off your face
get a male haircut (I trimmed the sides).
Consider hair color (some colors come across as more masculine I think, not completely sure though).

As far as a masculine figure goes, yeah I have the same issue (like clothes that fit...). But if I do that, I look feminine so I wear loose clothing anyway. I´m not much help in that department :P

You might try shirts in darker colours, they tend to suggest a more even surface.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,189822.msg1689811.html#msg1689811


hugs

-shaved on the sides longer on the top with a quiff sort of undercut helps a lot. But make sure to square the sideburns.

-I also find baseball shirts make me look super masculine. Something like this https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=baseball+shirts&client=ms-android-orange-gb&source=android-browser&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj29JDul-DJAhXG1BoKHaqyBX0Q_AUIBygB#spd=16171059265278043127&spud=0.  The contrasting colour makes your shoulders look broader, plus if you rolled up the sleaves you'd look like you have some muscle.

Hi, and welcome! :)

You say that you're already binding, but depending on your shape I've found that binders that extend down over the hips can help to create a more masculine silhouette. The Underworks 997 is pretty helpful for that.

You could also try double-layering your shirts, i.e. wearing a T-shirt over your binder with a reasonably loose button-up shirt over it.

As for trousers: straight-cut jeans are the best for hiding our hip shape. Avoid skinny jeans and boot-cut jeans if your hips are prominent.

Some guys have tried wearing hats or beanies; these can be helpful if you have the right head shape.

There are two schools of thought about jewellery: some guys go for earrings & tunnels because it's part of their identity, but they can make some faces look more feminine. So the best advice here is to proceed with caution & see how they look against your face.

If you do change your haircut, go to a barber rather than your usual ladies' or unisex hairstylist. This is important, because no matter how masculine a style you might pick, your average ladies' hairstylist will reinterpret it to make it as feminine as possible, whereas a barber will just give you a masculine cut.

You can try other, invisible things to help you see how you feel about your gender, such as switching all your toiletries (shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc.) to brands aimed at men. You can wear men's underwear and socks, and buy your shoes from men's departments (if you have small feet, there are often reasonable shoes available in boys' or junior sizes). You can also stop shaving your legs & armpits.

You can pick out a masculine or gender-neutral name (or nickname) for yourself, and use that in your everyday encounters, such as when ordering coffee. This will help you see how it fits.

When you're ready, you can try packing. This involves placing something in your underwear to simulate the bulge most men have, and it can go a long way towards making your presentation as 'passable' as possible. You could start by rolling up a clean pair of socks, and if you find this comforting you can buy products (like Mr Limpy) that simulate it much more accurately.

All of these little psychological tricks can help you figure out how comfortable you feel about living full-time in a male gender role.

My experience has taught me that other people guess your gender based on three visual cues: first they look at your face to see whether its overall presentation looks male or female; if they can't determine your gender from that they then look at your chest (bulge=female; flat=male); but if that isn't clear they then look at your crotch (bulge=male; flat=female). It's a three-point check that is always done in that order, and you can see people doing it if you're observant. If you do everything you can to ensure those three visual cues all point in the male direction, you'll be read as male more consistently. Of course, your voice enters into the equation too - but you're young so I daresay you could pass as a teenage boy whose voice hasn't broken yet.