Hi all! So I'm not out yet and because of breast development (yay!) it's getting hard to hide it especially because of my build.
I was just wondering what did you girls do to hide them before coming out? At the moment all I can think of is sports bras.
...:D
A sports bra will probably do it, along with a slightly baggy shirt. I'm a B and with the sports bra and a tie and my mobile in the shirt pocket nobody can really tell.
Ooo nice. Guess I'll have to start changing up my clothing style and what not as well then.
Last Christmas I spent a few days with the in-laws and I wasn't out to any of them. For the three days I was there I wore a sports bra under a t-shirt and over that a heavy polo shirt. My breasts were at the time about the size of A cups, but were growing and very tender. I think one of my sister-in-laws may have gotten suspicious that something was going on as after she hugged me, she rubbed my chest. She didn't say anything about it, but my SO did reckon she must have figured it out, otherwise no one else was none the wiser.
I'm not out at work either. I wear a regular underwire bra, over which I wear a ladies nude coloured stretch t-shirt, and over that I wear a loose button down shirt. As it gets cooler over here, I've gone back to wearing an oversized pullover and it hides everything. Since dieting, my boobs are now 34C from the then 36B, and no one has commented on them at all. I work in a male dominated office and I suppose everyone must be thinking I have a bad case of moobs.
Quote from: Annabelle on August 18, 2014, 09:08:56 AM
Hi all! So I'm not out yet and because of breast development (yay!) it's getting hard to hide it especially because of my build.
I was just wondering what did you girls do to hide them before coming out? At the moment all I can think of is sports bras.
...:D
Sports bra + XL shirt is what I do. Get the really thick kind to help keep everything flatter. Mine are getting to the point where the wind blowing into my front gives me away, though, so it's temporary at best.
B cups??? Omg I'm jealous!
I've reached the point where they are a bit obvious. I kind of dont want to hide them because I'm not ashamed, but I go to the gym as a boy and I really hate not having them supported. The problem I have is that all the sports bras I find are either padded (defies the purpose of making them less noticable) or the straps are close enough the neckline on the shirt as to draw attention.
I bought a slightly too small sport bra to hide them from a relative I we were hiding this from to wear as a kind of binder when we were to visit him. Turns out he found out, cut all ties and the trip didn't materialize. But a tight sports bra and a slightly baggy shirt did seem to do the trick. They were also pretty nice during the day I helped three people move, at least there was plenty of support. They did protest afterwards, though. Mine are still very much growing so they didn't appreciate and therefore awarded me with some pain for a couple of days afterwards, so that's a factor to consider.
Hi gals, Johanna here...thanks so much for your insight on sports bras. This will probably be an issue for me in maybe a month or so, or maybe a little longer.
I have boobs that are obvious at the swimming pool, and under my male work shirts my nipples and small breasts are starting to be noticeable, I am already getting some strange looks from both males and females.
I am 9 weeks on full dose HRT with great results in all aspects so far.
One trans girl who I showed my boobs on Webcam "warned" me that in about 1 month more it might start to get really difficult to hide them. :)
3 weeks into HRT, in a public post in the Introductions section, one of the girls here said that we very early 3 weeks results matched hers almost exactly, and she also "warned" me that I had better have some "plans" on how to deal with obvious breasts at maybe the 3 month mark. This girl has has DD cups if I am remembering correctly.
You gals here are SO great in all aspects...including these ideas regarding sports bras and baggy shirts.
But, one other girl here in a private Facebook conversation advised me that sports bras might be too restrictive sometimes, and maybe even do some harm to my breasts since they are frequently sore, and growing so fast.
Nice "problems" to have I suppose. :)
And I am in the sky with happiness at having to deal with these "challenges."
Hugs to my companions on this great journey,
Johanna.
I find the Jockey Seamfree crew neck T-Shirts are stretchy enough to give support and tame the ta-tas.
http://www.jockey.com/catalog/product/jockey-seamfree-crew
Well, a sports bra sure as #@%! never hid mine. If it isn't working for you, there are chest binders, such as those made by Underworks. You can get ones that are similar to T-shirts, with the extra addition of an un-stretchy mesh around the breast area. I would expect that a relatively loose binder would smooth out noticeable nipple protrusions without negatively hindering growth.
I wore a high compression sports bra (no cups), T-shirt, and looser overshirt. Binding is not recommended because it can damage breast tissue; it may even for trans men (but many won't mind) and with developing breasts it can do more damage than to fully mature breasts, as well.
I was successfully able to hide up to 42C with that method, since I focused less on hiding the breasts entirely than on changing the silhouette; if I could make it look like my entire torso had gotten a little bigger but there was no noticeable breast shape and/or nipples showing, it mostly looked like I'd gained weight.
[I may be the one Johanna is thinking of - I could wear an A cup in the first week, the 42C was at four months in, and I'm currently 42DDD. I quit trying to hide anything at that four-month mark, though.]
The effectiveness of a sports bra in hiding breasts really is a function of your body shape. For me a sports bra that is reasonably supportive and just a bit tight (gets uncomfortable after a few hours) seems to rather accentuate my breasts. Now something that is really tight and designed for high compression with no cups will sort of hide them - but this flat out hurts. When it hurts that is a sure fire sign that is not something one should do. A loose, rather thick, shirt over the bra completes hiding the breasts.
YMMV I have a really strange shape....
Erin
Erin : Those are both really good points. I was lucky enough that it didn't hurt, but I never had the severe growing pains some women describe, either. And it definitely works better with some shapes than others.
I've worn a high compression sports bra then a white UnderArmor compression shirt as a t-shirt, then something loose over that. The sports bra and compression shirt keep things relatively unnoticeable. Of course, I'm just an A cup.
Thanks for the insight and advice girls :D But... woooow some of you girls and your breast growth o.o makes me jealous haha... I'm around 3 months on hrt but I'm relatively flat. My nipples on the other hand likes to just poke out and greet everyone in sight...thank god it's still winter here haha.
I'm pre transition at the moment, but I was curious to know how this was going to work myself. I bought some generic sports bras. I think fruit of the loom. It was on amazon. You can't tell I'm wearing them if I'm wearing them.
Personally though, I'm glad I'm almost completely out now. I won't have to hide anything once I start.
But summer is coming, and until you are ready to reveal, the beach will be but a memory. I found that a shapewear or a light sports tunic top covered by any button up the front shirt kept everything safe and secure until I hit a B cup. Being full time is magical, now I get to just be another girl :)
Julie
Quote from: Jenna Marie on August 19, 2014, 07:18:53 AM
I wore a high compression sports bra (no cups), T-shirt, and looser overshirt. Binding is not recommended because it can damage breast tissue; it may even for trans men (but many won't mind) and with developing breasts it can do more damage than to fully mature breasts, as well.
I was successfully able to hide up to 42C with that method, since I focused less on hiding the breasts entirely than on changing the silhouette; if I could make it look like my entire torso had gotten a little bigger but there was no noticeable breast shape and/or nipples showing, it mostly looked like I'd gained weight.
[I may be the one Johanna is thinking of - I could wear an A cup in the first week, the 42C was at four months in, and I'm currently 42DDD. I quit trying to hide anything at that four-month mark, though.]
Hi again Jenna Marie, my dear, your comments when I first joined gave me inspiration and helped me a lot. Yes, YOU are who I was referring to.
Wow, Jenna, you were able to hide 42C, wow. If you were able to do THAT when maybe I can still work a little longer as a male, at least with most of my clients and at the university.
But, Jenna, listen to THIS...
Today I went for a contractual renewal finalization review at the large University where I work as a Professor...just my asking some questions of my bosses who are various academic coordinators ---
All 3 academic coordinators (my bosses) and the humans resources (HR) manager -- well, all 4 of them are female. This is great for me.
I was in the office of one of the female academic coordinators and the female HR manager was there, too, and I had some questions for both of them.
The female HR manager, who knows me quite well at this point, in the midst of conversation with me this morning said the following. I couldn't believe it.
(The conversation was all in Spanish, but I will translate it to English.)
..."you can use most of the same forms, ma'am, for this semester's contract as for last semester's contract..."
OMG OMG OMG
Was this a "slip of the tongue" on the part of the female HR manager? I definitely understood her correctly, as my Spanish is fluent after living here for 8 years.
She used the Spanish word "mami" in this context. The standard word for males in a similar cultural context here is "papi."
So am I a "mami" to her? Remember, I am no stranger to the HR manager. This wasn't like a "mistake by a stranger."
I have NOT "come out" where I work yet. My hair is growing out a beautiful light brown down the back of my neck, with the slight curl I used to have when I was in my 20's.
Maybe she can see my small breasts and obvious nipples (because I am not using a bra yet when presenting as a male).
It is just that NOBODY here uses "mami" in Spanish to talk to guys. It is the equivalent of saying "ma'am" in English.
Sure made my day so far. Wow! I was dressed as a male, with button-down shirt and business casual pants, and my now-longer brown hair nicely brushed.
:)
Johanna.
Quote from: Annabelle on August 19, 2014, 09:19:15 AM
Thanks for the insight and advice girls :D But... woooow some of you girls and your breast growth o.o makes me jealous haha... I'm around 3 months on hrt but I'm relatively flat. My nipples on the other hand likes to just poke out and greet everyone in sight...thank god it's still winter here haha.
Hi Annabelle, Then you must live in the Southern Hemisphere...Southern South America, South Africa, or Oz/NZ.
You sound like where I was at about 3 weeks into HRT. It is WONDERFUL, isn't it? I felt ecstatic happiness starting at 3 weeks in, and still feel like this. :)
Jenna Marie sounds like she had stupendous early growth. I am very happy, but I don't think I can match Jenna Marie for rate of boobie growth, yikes!
Annabelle, I don't know if your doctor would permit you to have a bioidentical progesterone in your HRT -- you might have to ask -- but micronized progesterone has worked absolute wonders for my new boobies so far...
Johanna.
Quote from: JulieBlair on August 19, 2014, 09:26:33 AM
But summer is coming, and until you are ready to reveal, the beach will be but a memory. I found that a shapewear or a light sports tunic top covered by any button up the front shirt kept everything safe and secure until I hit a B cup. Being full time is magical, now I get to just be another girl :)
Julie
Hi Julie! Thanks for the ideas. I had another girl here suggest to me a "surfer's"-type shirt because while at the beach there are no attire requirements, at the pool at my apt. building there are pool attire dress codes for men and women. Shirts are prohibited for men to enter into the pool. But a "diver's" shirt built for water, or a "surfer's" type shirt as the other girl here suggested, might work for me until I "come out" at my apt. complex.
It is a hot tropical climate where I live, so pool use is year-round with my beautiful princess 6-year-old daughter Nicole.
Thank you Julie for telling this worked to "hide" up to B cup size.
I might be able to "come out" sooner at my apt. complex than at work and with clients, because if any neighbors at my apartment complex disagree with my "coming out" they cannot hurt me economically the way I could be hurt economically at the University where I am a Professor or hurt economically by private clients if any of them disagree with my being a girl.
Yes, Julie...I am sure it is wonderful to just be a girl all the time.
Maybe when my boobies are just a little bigger, I will DO just that (come out) at the pool and at the apt. complex. Even while still being a boy for most work purposes.
When I feel ready to do this, I doubt I will EVER go back!
Johanna.
Johanna : I thought that sounded familiar. :) Yeah, I did manage to hide it, but it was clear that wasn't going to be possible much longer. (I have never even used anything but a very low dose of E; guess I'm just responsive. The *rest* of my body didn't change as fast, mind you.)
That IS an interesting slip of the tongue. (I admit to also being slightly curious about the slang of the country you're living in; my wife speaks Spanish, but she says "mami" only means "mama" to her - and she does some work in linguistics in both languages, so she's wondering now which country has that as a dialectal use. I completely understand if you don't want to reveal specifically which country it is, though.) It does sound as if she saw a woman when looking at you, despite having been told otherwise.
Quote from: Jenna Marie on August 19, 2014, 01:21:05 PM
Johanna : I thought that sounded familiar. :) Yeah, I did manage to hide it, but it was clear that wasn't going to be possible much longer. (I have never even used anything but a very low dose of E; guess I'm just responsive. The *rest* of my body didn't change as fast, mind you.)
That IS an interesting slip of the tongue. (I admit to also being slightly curious about the slang of the country you're living in; my wife speaks Spanish, but she says "mami" only means "mama" to her - and she does some work in linguistics in both languages, so she's wondering now which country has that as a dialectal use. I completely understand if you don't want to reveal specifically which country it is, though.) It does sound as if she saw a woman when looking at you, despite having been told otherwise.
Colombia (South America)
Jenna, some tears came to my eyes when I read your post...I cannot help this now, these amazingly powerful hormones have opened up my true feelings...tears of happiness...
Well, my 6 year old daughter yesterday asked me "Daddy, who are you?" so the physical changes are now obvious, 9 weeks into HRT, to my daughter. I started a separate thread about this marvelous development yesterday, if you are interested in reading it.
Maybe the HR manager, who knows me well, was just naturally thinking of me as a female professor as she was speaking with me. Maybe, just maybe. While I was dressed totally like a boy.
Wowowowow!
Johanna.
Quote from: awilliams1701 on August 19, 2014, 09:24:53 AM
I'm pre transition at the moment, but I was curious to know how this was going to work myself. I bought some generic sports bras. I think fruit of the loom. It was on amazon. You can't tell I'm wearing them if I'm wearing them.
Personally though, I'm glad I'm almost completely out now. I won't have to hide anything once I start.
Great that you can almost fully come out everywhere before HRT! You can be the girl you want to be all the time.
It is a little bit of a nuisance to have to keep changing back and forth between being a girl and being a boy. You won't have to do this!
Johanna.
Johanna : Oh, interesting! Thank you so much for revealing that, and I'll pass it along; you've added to the knowledge base for her work. :)
Yours isn't the only story like that; sometimes people's instinctive recognition of gender overrides what they think they know, which is extra cool, since as you said, it means this is more than simply passing to a stranger.
Quote from: Jenna Marie on August 19, 2014, 01:33:30 PM
Johanna : Oh, interesting! Thank you so much for revealing that, and I'll pass it along; you've added to the knowledge base for her work. :)
Yours isn't the only story like that; sometimes people's instinctive recognition of gender overrides what they think they know, which is extra cool, since as you said, it means this is more than simply passing to a stranger.
Jenna Marie, Please feel free to PM me if you want more detailed info...I am now quite fluent in Colombian Spanish.
So happy that you have heard it isn't just me with this experience...
"Instinctive recognition of gender" -- what a concept --
Maybe at an instinctive level, the HR manager, who knows me really well at this point, I mean, OMG, we have had many hours of conversation for paperwork, bank stuff, background checks, etc., without really thinking about it...
In the midst of a complex topic, simply called me "ma'am" because in her mind, she was talking with a female person -- even though she knows I am genetically a boy, and I was dressed as a boy in male work clothes.
Johanna.