Susan's Place Transgender Resources

makeup? men? women? friends? dresses? etc... just curious for me its my nails

My name...and after that perhaps my hair.

 good question
to me sweetheart the most feminine feelings I got are honestly with my eyes closed knowing who I am in my head.
I do admit I love the feel of my smooth clothing feel of the makeup on my skin scent of slight perfume but after doing this for many decades and finally kind of coming out of the closet
To me the most feminine feelings come from within and not the Cosmetic fluff on the exterior. Self-acceptance knowing you are female in your head overcome the physical
Be proud of your uniqueness and present yourself with your head held high no matter if you pass or not it really doesn't matter.

All the best for your journey love Tatiana

It has to be my voice for me, it's like the only thing even remotely feminine about me right now.  :'(

Some things that I do enjoy, though...

1- Sassing randomly at no one
2- Walking
3- Being tucked
4- and yes, I, too, enjoy putting on my nail polish

But I can only put on clear nail polish, and since wife got suspicious, I had to clip my beautiful nails. I tried filing them(had a pro do it the first time) and really god awful results, so now I'm very upset about the whole ordeal.

Feeling long hair on my neck and the wind under my dress [emoji1]

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Yes, I enjoy skirts, nails, etc. But the biggest thing that gets me every time is being included in random conversations with cis women. Talking about kids, the way we are treated by the men around us, just life stuff is so validating and affirming for me.

Tia Anne

French gel manicure and random girl talk is amazing


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Hello Becky

I have to agree with Tatiana that the main factor is internal - my spirit my mind tells me I am feminine as I have always known that despite being born with the wrong body.

On the physical side, it is lipstick, female scent, wearing a bra and seeing the early benefits of HRT - a feeling of peace and softer skin.

I wish you the best on your journey.

Hugs

Pamela

Good question,

I am a real girly girl, so I am into things like makeup, nail polish, clothes and shoes. I spend way too much time grooming myself and all these things make me feel very feminine.

but the one thing that makes me feel really feminine.. when I am wearing a beautiful dress with heels to go out some where with my man, especially when its a long flowing dress...

I remember when I got married and I after I was all dolled up and I had my wedding dress on, I looked into the mirror and I remember thinking, I have never felt so feminine as I did now.

I've noticed what makes me feel feminine has always been evolving. Before I started any hormones etc simply shaving my body hair (I was a gorilla) and painting my toe nails was a wonderful secret reminder. As I grew bolder in expressing myself my makeup, clothes and wig always did the trick, and even caught me some ma'ams. After time it all became common place, but my hair had grown and I got a pixi cut. I loved having my hair styled and it made me feel pretty and feminine all the time. Eventually laser made my beard light enough that simple foundation covered it up. I found that the longer I progressed along the journey, the more I became myself. Feeling feminine was no longer fueled by my makeup, or hair, or even clothes. I simply was feminine all the time. It took me several years to realize that being myself came from accepting myself.

Clothes.  I really like wearing skirts, and do so any chance I can.  Not so much dresses: getting a dress to fit a trans woman's body is difficult.  I have a couple that I'll wear in summer.  But even in slacks or skinny jeans, I just love being able to wear pretty clothes and some sparklies.

Socializing with other women.  I like being included in women's conversation.  Yesterday, a bunch at coffee were talking about babies, and I was included.  (I'm invited to a baby shower next month.  Squeeeee!)  It doesn't have to be a sit-down conversation.  Just chatting with a cashier or smiling as I pass a stranger is good.

My boobs.  Oh, they feel so good, and I love the way they look!  I even love the little ouchie pains that tell me they're still growing.

Large boobs for me. They have grown quite heavy and noticeable in recent months. I just love the soft, sensual aspect of breasts. So when I am naked (or near naked), I disappear into my full femininity. There are other things (scent, fat relocation, mental, etc.) but it all comes back to this one thing. I still have a ton of aching and pains, so they are still growing (which is a little scary).....

Clothes also.
I just love it when a warm breeze blows up my skirt making the hem flutter and tickle my legs.

I love nail color (all 20 of them).

I love the 'Second Glance' at the checkout.

I love it when someone notices, and is not afraid to comment.

Nails painted for me as well, smooth legs . Without saying nice clothes and makeup. I would like to say hair but have more in my arm pits than on my head so a nice wig works.

Probably my hair.

I am still presenting as male at work and around town but I have let my guard down - in the sense that I no longer try to control or hide my natural mannerisms. I occasionally catch myself holding my face in a certain way or moving my arms, wrist etc. in a more feminine fashion without thinking about it. Little things, but they are happy reminders.

I feel extremely feminine in a wig and a dress. I don't look the way I want yet (pre-HRT) but if I dress and look at myself in the mirror, I can see HER a little bit and it makes me super happy.


xoxoxo
Alyssa

Well, my nails are always done and I love my hair. The only thing I actually like about my appearance really, I have always wanted long hair. 😊 Wasn't expecting the curls though, takes up a lot of length. I enjoy wearing dresses, slip them on and done. No matching the skirt to the top or the exhausting tugging to get my pants up and buttoned.

All of that is just me though, who I am. Things that make me happy.

Men make me feel feminine. The way they look at me or rush to do things for me. More than anything in my life, men make me feel like I am a girl.

My dreams, Mannerisms, silk scarf, nails, make up, heels, skinny jeans, nightie

Problem is it makes me realize my body does not match. 

Karen

I could say hair, nails, lacy bras and underwear and being myself because they're all a part of it but I feel the most feminine after pampering myself all day in a serene spa then slipping into a LBD for an evening out with a special friend...

Susan

Getting dressed up. Sitting in front of the camera and practicing my voice lessons.

Quote from: dizz on May 10, 2018, 10:18:15 PM
Feeling long hair on my neck and the wind under my dress [emoji1]

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This! Isn't that a great feeling 💕

Quote from: Jin on May 11, 2018, 12:16:17 PM

I just love it when a warm breeze blows up my skirt making the hem flutter and tickle my legs.

That is a great feeling, it feels better with pantyhose on.. then again wearing pantyhose with freshly shaved legs feels amazing

Sometimes it the simple things that make me feel girly good, like when I go shopping with my lovely spouse and she finds cute things for me to try on or when she sez "oh look...this top would go perfect with that purple skirt you have" honestly I would be lost without her 💕

Ballet lessons!!  I always wanted to when I was little and would cry when my sisters got to go but not me.  I was telling my therapist about it one day and she asked me why I don't do it now?  I finally got the nerve to reach out to one of the best studios in town.  I was painfully honest with them secretly hoping they would tell me no thank you so I wouldn't have to confront my fear.  After a few excruciating days they finally replied. "We don't judge here.  We teach ballet.  See you next week."  I was completely floored.  I no longer had an excuse.  I am middle aged and overweight so going to a place full of mirrors was a difficult too.  At first I just wore loose clothing to hide my body.  But I quickly learned that it is almost impossible for a teacher to correct you if they can't see how your body is aligned.  So I found myself some plus size dance clothing and it was fine.  Nobody cared.  I have lost 30 pounds and I have never felt as happy as I do in that studio.  I look like an elephant on ice skates but this elephant has an ear to ear grin the whole time.  I present fairly androgynous in class.  Due to carrier and family I am still socially presenting as male, but I have been on HRT for 8 years.  Hope I can change that soon.  I want to feel that feminine and happy all the time.

Quote from: DebbieA on May 12, 2018, 09:48:43 AM
Ballet lessons!!  I always wanted to when I was little and would cry when my sisters got to go but not me.  I was telling my therapist about it one day and she asked me why I don't do it now?  I finally got the nerve to reach out to one of the best studios in town.  I was painfully honest with them secretly hoping they would tell me no thank you so I wouldn't have to confront my fear.  After a few excruciating days they finally replied. "We don't judge here.  We teach ballet.  See you next week."  I was completely floored.  I no longer had an excuse.  I am middle aged and overweight so going to a place full of mirrors was a difficult too.  At first I just wore loose clothing to hide my body.  But I quickly learned that it is almost impossible for a teacher to correct you if they can't see how your body is aligned.  So I found myself some plus size dance clothing and it was fine.  Nobody cared.  I have lost 30 pounds and I have never felt as happy as I do in that studio.  I look like an elephant on ice skates but this elephant has an ear to ear grin the whole time.  I present fairly androgynous in class.  Due to carrier and family I am still socially presenting as male, but I have been on HRT for 8 years.  Hope I can change that soon.  I want to feel that feminine and happy all the time.

That is great!! 💕

It may sound stupid, but my reflection in a door or window. It's kind of like the promist filter that was on Moonlighting for the lead female.  It makes me seem younger and more femme.  Then, of course i see an actual reflection or photo and it breaks the illusion for me.  Gawd I don't feel femme right now.

Bari Jo

The more i read all your replies, it made me happy I am so glad to hear so many different things make us girls feel good/feminine.  I have been seriously thinking about my response.  so here it is i think i feel the most feminine when i turn off my brain and just let me be myself with hand movements and my walk my voice, basically when I am not feeling self conscience.  i love smelling good i love removing all body hair.  i love it when someone says happy mothers day BTW(Happy mothers day to all you moms here.)  I find it hard to be feminine in a lesbian marriage simply because i take on more of the male orientated tasks which never feels great.  On the flip side my wardrobe has doubled and i am encouraged constantly to be more of my inner self.  I tend to keep up a wall for almost everyone so when i am feeling my most feminine its when i let down my wall let people really see me and just be able to breath.  after full time for ten plus years it still amazes me how much someone calling me mam or miss makes me feel gitty inside. 

I stated this thread because i was curious as to what made you "feel like a woman Dah da I feel like a woman" couldn't help myself don't get me wrong we are all women these things just enhance our life experience.

Thank you all     

Ive just started walking this road myself and so far i can say shaving parts of my body*i still present as male, and i have to keep it minimal*, wearing toe rings, i just got my nails done and that was tons of fun*only did it once before a long time ago*, Also i have a pair or two of over the knee socks i wear under my work clothes sometimes that make me feel good ;D

 I think nail polish has something to do with it, but only because I don't feel right going out without it.

Wind blowing through my hair and tangling it up. The love of my spouse whom will hold me when I desperately need a hug. Painting my nails and doing my makeup. Still new at that one and have some trouble.

I'm getting ready to go on a trip for my anniversary.

Before I forget, taking a nice long bubble bath in candlelight and relaxing music.

... when guys ogle me, and they get that smile that says "howdy, ma'am".

Just talking to people. People who have no preconceptions. Feeling free to express myself how I want to. I don't know if it's as much feeling feminine as it is feeling like myself. My physical situation does't allow much room for that, but talking to people... here, and elsewhere where someone doesn't pass judgement based on my appearance, I always feel free. And 99.9% of the time gender doesn't even come up. People assume. And in my case they assume correctly.

I'm not sure why. I don't question it. But I've talked to many people who just assume. Outside of here, and gender markers. I don't say anything either way. But it's liberating. It's a method of expression that allows me to just be. To just speak from my heart. Not to look a certain way, or act a certain way, but to just be. Naturally. I guess it comes across. When you're not worried about stereotypes, or impressions, and you can just let your heart rule... the real you comes out.

Although some people have called me girly. I question their sanity, lol. But I'm not going to argue. ;D Even though I'm SO not. :P

When the girls around me naturally invite me into their conversations... no thinking or conscious effort, just lovely 😄

Smooth, silky, hairless skin. Wonderful feel of nice panties. Long, hot bubble baths. Still visibly growing breasts. Pretty shoes. Shopping! Doing housework in just panties. LOL

Nail polish

Lipstick

Earrings

Silky pantyhose

My growing breast buds

Getting hit on by men at bars and restaurants

A slip. 😎

Wearing a skirt!

Feeling my hips sway when I walk.

Caressing my perky nipples under my blouse. (3 1/2 months of HRT has given wonderful little breast buds.)

Running my fingers through my hair. I stopped cutting my very short hair 9 months ago and it's almost down to my shoulders.

Hugs,
Lindy

Quote from: Charlie Nicki on May 11, 2018, 03:29:01 PM
Probably my hair.

Updated answer: My hair AND my newly acquired breasts :)

I'd say being invited into girl talk. I know it seems silly, but sometimes it makes all the difference just being able to be seen and heard whether they're strangers, friends or my found family.


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Better to ask what doesn't make me feel femme. I'll take the question along the lines of what things make me feel best / most feminine.

Being accepted by others as female, especially interacting with women, the more intimate, the better. This just doesn't happen so far with men, even those few who feel accepting clearly at some level just don't get it.

Full body contact hugs, feeling pressure of another woman's breasts, abdomen, thighs against mine ... strong and secure women do this, not the lean-in hug where only shoulders touch. Of course I experienced this with some women before my GCS and of course it's different now because my body feels more right.

Talking yes and even more, the truly face-face body language women use when we interact. Where men face each other it's most often obliquely and with less eye contact. Of course eye contact. None of this was easy for me before, being in the Asperger's realm of the autism spectrum, eye contact never felt natural to me and getting to a more comfortable place in how I communicate is key to that.

Also the less intimate interactions can feel so good about expressing a femme affect. More than a few times on the bus I've noted a woman (usually older) take in my appearance with some initial surprise ... femme attire and hair along with my beard and still fairly bald head ... What's wonderful is to see that woman then assess me up and down and smile, give me a quiet nod (always the eye contact). That little interaction says to me that she's seem what I have to work with, taseful attire etc and bingo, has accepted me as one of the group. Younger women in my area are more likely to just smile and nod, skipping the appraisal step.

And then there are the things I do to get that look: simply dressing femme, most of my underwear is pretty, of course nobody knows this but me and my few lovers. My skirts are simple and serviceable, when I wear makeup it's only visible in that  aiming to brighten my features a bit and soften some of the masculine lines. I love wearing perfume and was quite self conscious about it until recently when I checked in with a friend after we'd been out at a crowded lesbian venue and she said it hadn't been obtrusive (she hadn't realized I was wearing any).

All of those physical / sensual things simply serve the purpose of making the communication easier. If I'm feeling femme and being read as femme then I simply feel more confident and presentation is a part of that. The fact that it's a social construct doesn't render it less real :-).

Quote from: Obfuskatie on July 04, 2018, 03:11:26 PM
I'd say being invited into girl talk. I know it seems silly, but sometimes it makes all the difference just being able to be seen and heard whether they're strangers, friends or my found family.


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Not silly at all. Nothing more validating than being seen and treated as any other woman by any other woman.

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Quote from: SadieBlake on July 05, 2018, 06:28:57 AM

Talking yes and even more, the truly face-face body language women use when we interact. Where men face each other it's most often obliquely and with less eye contact. Of course eye contact. None of this was easy for me before, being in the Asperger's realm of the autism spectrum, eye contact never felt natural to me and getting to a more comfortable place in how I communicate is key to that.

Thank you Sadie for bringing up the subject of eye contact. I was always prone to direct eye contact and I had not really seen much of a connection to my being transgender. I think it must be one of those subconcious feminine aspects we possess as MTFs.

Pamela

Hair and nails for me I think mostly.  Have been growing my hair out since last November and it's now 6 inches long and I have to wear a headband when I wash my face which I have never had to do before!  Also, nails are now about 5mm past the nail bed which doesn't sound a lot but it's a lot when still presenting male lol.  Also, having no arm/hand hair since I started regularly epilating at the end of last year.

What makes me feel feminine is simply knowing who I am, but there are certainly things that help me feel even more feminine. These are a bit silly, but whenever I was a teen, my friends (males) would listen to music geared towards them, I would only enjoy some of it and be mostly annoyed by all the macho-man, chauvinistic, testosterone filled, music. Instead I would really love listening to stuff that the other girls my age would listen to. Ever since I was a kid all the way through my teenage years I played lot's of videogames because my brother always played and to keep myself distracted from my gender dysphoria as at the time I was fighting against my feelings. However, I really enjoyed playing the video games where I could play as a female character, even though my older brother would tease me for always choosing the female characters. In a way that would make me feel like I was already a female.

Nowadays what helps me feel more feminine is whenever I shave my legs and armpits, do "feminine" workouts, whenever I secretly use feminine beauty products in the shower, shave my facial hair. I'm currently growing out my hair, it's still very, very short, but it is definitely the longest I've ever had it (parents keep bugging me to cut it, but eventually they'll get use to it lol) and I can't wait for it to grow full length I am so exited about it.  :D Whenever I dress up as a woman I feel so "natural", I feel like I can pass, I just need to really work on my voice and begin HRT asap!  :)

I am really surprised by this, but other women don't make me feel feminine. Maybe it is the competition or the sense that maybe they are just helping along the 'poor trans girl,' but no, not women. It is men who make me feel more feminine. If I see someone who knew me before as him and now they treat me differently, I feel very feminine. If an old guy or a drunken guy check me out, I feel feminine. I'm very  popular with drunk guys over 85, I'm rated very high with that group. lol Anyway, that is my sad truth and I'm sticking to it. I generally feel better dressed stylish but girl next door stylish. Maybe I should go on Old Drunk Farmer's Only.com and let folks comment on pictures of me in my Daisey Duke's. A girl can dream can't she?
CountryMonica

As with many of us that made the very serious decision to transition, I felt feminine when I was quite young and long before I took any official action.   Then when I went full-time, relocated to another state as a woman, and started my own business as a woman, developed many friends and acquaintances as a woman... and now with interested suitors knocking on my door, I feel very much very feminine.   
It's not only what I stated above, but to a smaller degree... the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry, the longer hair, the manicures and pedicures, the new personal habits, the eyebrows, the hair removal... all of those things come with the package of feeling feminine. 
I long ago got rid of all of my old male wrappings and most of my old male habits.   
I am accepted here and as a woman I have fit into the community.  (I wish I could say the same for my family members and old friends back home... but that is another story)

So, I guess the condensed version of feeling feminine is to be accepted as a woman in our personal circle of friends, relationships and work environments.

Danielle

For me there are aspects of all the posts. Chatting about all things without the need to try and find some non-existent machismo, displaying the kindness and empathy I've always felt but struggled to show, make-up, styling, clothes, genuine acceptance and the strangeness of being hit on on checked out by guys - and not in some weird trans way.

But most of all for me, it is colour. Choosing colours that genuinely reflect my mood. The freedom to wear pastel pink or solid black the joy of spending ridiculous amounts of time ensuring that my colours match, lipstick, earrings, scarves etc.

I'm still new to this but I love wearing a padded bra and 'chicken fillets' (not sure if that's the proper term).
They just feel so natural and I feel like part of me is missing when I'm not wearing them which is sadly all but an hour or so of my life. Total. Oh well, it's the summer holidays now so hopefully I'll be able to do it more!
X Maria