TL;DR post what you're lucky to have/thankful for, physically, that has helped your transition!
The other day my aesthetician who does my laser treatment on my legs/body said to me, "You're lucky". How so now? Well to have such fair skin, dark hair, and be so naturally unhairy, which is a huge boon in terms of getting rid of the bit of hair left on my body (as far as her area of practical concern lay, of course). She was telling me how another client who just started transitioning is really hairy but they are red-headed and the laser isn't all that effective and they'll probably "have to wax". Of course, I told her hair diminishes naturally over years when hormones are involved, but still... it made me think: I am lucky in terms of body hair! I've heard that statement before about this and that concerning my transition from different people who focus on different things (lucky for small hands, good skin, booty etc), but it's so easy to get caught up on what's NOT a home run physically that it sometimes overshadows what IS working!
So ladies and gentlemen: Post what you feel you've been really lucky with in terms of living your true gender. Bonus points for things you felt were embarrassing living with as your born sex, like high-pitch voice, small feet or gynecomastia.
Ex: Did you have good hair with virtually no MPB? Wide hips naturally? No brow ridge to speak of? Born petite (hi 5"4' club!)? Maybe you feel transitioning at 16 made you "lucky"?!
Same with the men: Perhaps flat-chested right through puberty? Naturally hairy? Already started with a booming, bassy voice?
List em up... what are you physically thankful for that works for you now? How do you feel "lucky"?
While much of my body was a battle, My body hair was female norms, I have a very full head of hair and my facial hair wasn't real heavy. While I am big, I have a slim build with feminine muscles. Muscles were a real problem in grade school PE but I am happy now that i could never chin myself.
I am blessed with very little brow ridge, a barely noticeable adams apple, and generally light body hair (a redhead)
Tho MPB did ht me hard and early
... i actually have nothing, I'm short, large breasted and have light body hair... pretty much a no hoper lol
My hips are the one thing that I was teased at in PE class when changing in the locker room in high school with comments of having girly hips. I'm glad that paid off now. I had a somewhat feminine face prior to HRT with little brow bridge, high cheeks (native american ancestry), and a non visible Adam's apple. For my 6'7" height I have small feet and I had feminine hips prior to HRT. At first I thought I was too tall to transition, but now I enjoy being an extra tall girl. I've even been called an Amazon woman, LOL.
I am thankful for my small frame and girly face these days since accepting myself. I actually really hated it when I was presenting male as I never looked as though I was male really speaking (especially for my age). I could not even fit a Small Man's tops as they was always baggy on me, which looked bad (I refused to go kids sizes!!!!!). and I hated it so much.
I am a ginger so I don't really have body hair or if I do it is very light which I am grateful for these days.
I'm thankful for my facial hair, specifically my goatee. It's actually pretty thin, but still thicker and longer than peach fuzz, so it's noticeable. I have to shave it every now and then to avoid weird looks but at least I know I'll be rocking it when I start getting on T. Surprisingly, I'm not too crazy about body hair, so...there's that.
I also have pretty broad shoulders, and a...wide frame? I guess? Can't think of the proper word for it, but simply put, I don't have a petite body or curves, so I'm grateful for that.
I used to have a pretty deep voice before hitting puberty. I used to be made fun of for that until my voice got inexplicably higher-pitched and more feminine by the time I hit 7th grade. I miss it. Hopefully I'll get it again though.
Height and general frame size. I'm slightly overweight, 5'6" and I can fit sizes 8-10 easily. I will lose some weight soon, just don't want to starve myself. I could get down to a 6 or possibly 4 if I wanted to.
I have more resources than some, and parts of my transition will be easier for it. My health is good. I'm flexible and resilient, and that makes me tough. The tree that bends in the wind never breaks, yknow? So I feel lucky for all that.
I'm lucky in the hair department with no baldness or thinning at all. Really lucky I guess for 56 years old. My profile pic is new with my own hair I have been growing out this year.
I also have very little body hair. With HRT the body hair is virtually invisible. Once when I was out running someone asked if I had shaved my legs when I hadn't touched them for months before.
My face isn't overtly masculine but not overtly feminine either. It's something in between which is the one definite thing I knew about myself when I was really young.
What I lack is any self confidence at all to step out. I need to work on that.
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I'm pretty lucky for my somewhat masculine face, and my hair. The combination of them really square out my face so I pass almost 100% pre-t. I also have pretty thick leg hair, which is awesome. I'm also very lucky that my birth name is unisex, so at school when teachers read it, it doesn't out me as female. I'm pretty lucky I suppose, the worst thing is that I got my mom's chest, which is pretty big. Mine's not as big as hers though.
I have been pretty lucky so far in a lot of ways. Pre-HRT, I already had a small slim build of only 5'4" and 115 lbs, and a slight hourglass figure, although with visible ribs. I had grown out my hair a long time ago, so I already had long thick curly brown hair. I had never really tried to hide my transness or overcompensate by being an alpha male, so people had actually been asking me if I was trans before I accepted it myself. I've already mostly come out with hardly any negative reactions at all. My girlfriend accepted and supports me without any apprehension whatsoever. Now that I am on HRT I seem to be reacting to it pretty well in less than two months. I would classify myself as extremely lucky seeing as how bad we generally have it. It would probably be easier to list my trans problems actually, hopefully that's an indication of a better future for all of us.
I am so lucky to be able to wake up every morning and look outside and think, its a new day, i am still here. I am 62 years of age and i dont take any meds at all. So i am lucky to be in good health. But i never smoked cigarettes. So many unlucky people die from smoking too early in life. I am lucky i make it to retirement. I am lucky to have been able to find myself. I am lucky to be in good spirits as of late, i noticed this after i started taking hormones, my bad attitude seems to have faded away. I am lucky to have found a community to where i can relate to others of my kind. Yes i mean Susan's Place. I am lucky to be content at this late time in life. Yes I am one of the lucky ones
I'm lucky for a lot of reasons. I'm lucky that I have a feminine voice/small Adam's Apple. I'm lucky that in spite of a little hair loss in the front, my hair is overall nice and thick. I'm lucky that I do have naturally wide hips, which actually look pretty good in spite of not having very much fat on them. I'm lucky that even though my facial hair was pretty thick in some places, it responded well to laser, so I'm not going to need to spends hundreds of hours having electrolysis done. Even so, it's hard to feel lucky about anything when you are transgender. Having physical attributes that lend themselves well to transitioning is better than nothing, but I would still much, much, much rather have been a cisgendered girl. I think what I'm really lucky about is realizing that I needed to transition before I ended up wasting my entire life trying to be something I never wanted to be in the first place.
I am lucky that I was able to finally come to terms with myself that I have been transgrender all my life. Lucky that I have a job that is accepting of my status and provides insurance that covers my counseling and HRT at little cost to me. I was lucky that I didn't have much body hair and was blessed with femine facial features so I did not have to have all that much done to finish the feminization of my face. I am really lucky that most of my family and friends have been ok with my transition.
"Lucky"? Lucky is a relative term. Luck would have been NOT being TS! But, if it had to happen to me, I guess I was "lucky" in many ways.
As a child I definitely fit with the girls, thought I was one, and was often mistaken for one.
When "gender segregation" started early in school, I didn't fit with the boys at all. Some figured I was just Gay and others just referred to me as "it" because I was too girly to be a boy and yet that is what I was supposed to be.
I guess I was "lucky" because I never thought of myself as a boy and couldn't even pretend to be one so my only hope for the future was to be a girl. In the 1960s, I was "lucky" for being so obviously wrong-gendered and that made is easier to find treatment. ("Easier" is also a relative term because it was damned difficult to find understanding doctors in the 1960s.)
I was "lucky" that my body didn't masculinize much at puberty and I retained a lot of childlike features.
I was "lucky" that I was pretty and much more attractive as a girl than I would ever have been as a guy.
I was "lucky" that there was never any question where/what I was supposed to be and I moved directly into stealth right after SRS and spent m first summer around the pool and having a hellofa good time! ;)
I like this thread. It's very positive and self-affirming. I'm lucky, I don't have a prominent Adam's Apple or a severe brow ridge. Mainly, I'm lucky to have resources, financial and social. I can afford to transition and I have the support of family and friends.
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I'm lucky to have a full head of hair, and I didn't have any body hair prior to transition, and not much facial hair, and very little hair on my arms and legs. I'm also lucky to have a "baby face", and have always looked younger than my age. And I'm lucky in love :)
I'm lucky to be alive and on HRT
I have wondered about this myself and to that end I have posted twice in the picture threads asking for opinions and I have never received any apart from a lovely one from one of the Mods but even still it was a diplomatic comment. So I guess that tells me all I need to know about my ability to feminise...pretty much none...but having said that I realised that it changes nothing for me and won't stop me transitioning. What I am lucky to have is inner strength and the ability to weather a personal storm where others may succumb.
I think I have a few lucky attributes despite lack of any confirmation I think I have nice eyes, little body hair, MPB but thick and no longer receding (might be able to do something with that), good height, once I lose a little more weight I will have figure with good proportions, my "girl" walk is very natural and hard to pick from other women, I have small hands and feet...so I guess its not all bad...got to do something to help my face so I hope some HRT may take the hardness out of it and the rest will be down to self confidence.
Quote from: sarahtokes on October 05, 2015, 03:55:13 PM
I have wondered about this myself and to that end I have posted twice in the picture threads asking for opinions and I have never received any apart from a lovely one from one of the Mods but even still it was a diplomatic comment. So I guess that tells me all I need to know about my ability to feminise...
I don't even post in the "Could I pass?" thread anymore, because I realized I can't effectively tell if someone can pass based just on their picture, and I certainly can't tell how HRT will affect their ability to pass in the future. I wouldn't let it bother you too much. Just look at the before and after thread if you ever need a reminder of the kind of changes that are possible. ;)
I definitely wouldn't rely on those threads to judge your appearance . I've only received a reply a couple of times and I've posted a good number of time since starting 2 years ago. I basically go by how I feel and how I perceive my own change.
The general rule I have observed in those threads is that if you're older than about 40 or so you get pretty much ignored.
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It could arguably be said this is also a problem cisgender women tend to experience...
There are a couple of ways I can approach this question. If it's about what other people thought of me pre-transition then I'm lucky for my effortlessly-slender build, youthfulness, lack of strong masculine features, beautiful eyes and a nearly complete head of hair. If it's about how I personally felt going into transition then I would have to say I'm luckiest for not even remotely needing jaw surgery to pass, lack of a marriage/kids to complicate things, and wonderful parents I felt I could count on to support me unquestionably when the time came to reveal the truth to them.
There's plenty more I feel lucky about, particularly now that I have the advantage of being able to look back over the vast majority of my transition, and certainly my life, in retrospect. Everything that made me an atypical male, that caused me so much grief and heart-wrenching soul searching, has served me well in the end. I suppose I'm luckiest that the only severely broken thing about me had been my mistaken identity. I've learned through transition that being myself without reservation was actually the right path. It's a vindication of sorts of the qualities I always valued most in myself. I suppose the best confirmation of this is that while no one ever understood me very well when I lived as a guy, now when they find out I've transitioned to a woman the response is most often, "I guess that makes a lot of sense."
Sometimes I feel like I'm the luckiest unlucky girl in the world.
I'm lucky in a number of ways:
* I'm financially secure. If I lose my job because of transitioning, I can just retire a little early, and still have enough to pay for any surgeries.
* My company is large enough that they actually have a policy somewhere on transitioning. (I found a link to it on our company's website, but I don't have the permissions to read it.)
* I live in a fairly tolerant part of the USA (NYC area) and so far nobody has batted an eye seeing me in "women's clothes". (I'm only just starting transitioning, so I don't even begin to pass.)
* The non-work communities I spend time in (Contra Dance, Unitarian Church, Chorus, etc.) are open-minded and in some cases actively welcoming.
* I'm divorced and haven't gotten grief from my ex. (I'm pretty sure she knows, but we haven't discussed it.)
* My kids both know I'm transitioning, and are okay with it. (Basically, they're "whatever. When's dinner?")
* My parents are dead, so I don't need to worry about coming out to them. (And anyway, we were never all that close, so I don't think I would have been devastated if they'd disapproved.)
* Family has seen my gender non-conforming dress and not said a word. (It would be out of character for them to get all worked up about it anyway.)
Physically I feel lucky in having a very small/non-existent adam's apple and a not very prominent brow ridge. But most of all I am thankful for a naturally light and high-pitched voice (thin vocal folds apparently).
Physically not so lucky in having quite thick fingers, though after four years I haven't heard any of the "she's got big hands" comments.........yet. Perhaps the long painted nails diverts the gaze a little, who knows? I also feel quite broad shouldered but as I am a UK size 14 I suspect this isn't excessive either. In summary I could have been a lot less lucky, and I am very thankful for that.
Most of my luck is simply from where I live and where I go to school. I'm super lucky to be an environment that is pretty accepting that I didn't have to worry too much about transitioning here. I'm lucky that although I don't have the most accepting family, I'm not going to get disowned. I'm lucky to live in a state where laws are being passed involving the protection and insurance coverage for trans* folks.
Body-wise I'm lucky in the fact that I'm 5'9" though I'm not sure height really matters, I have plenty of cis guys who are 5'6" and shorter. I'm lucky that being thin I don't have much curves to loose (but it does mean I have a lot of muscle to build, so I guess it's a trade off).
I was blessed with absolutely nothing except for high cheekbones and the overwhelming will to transition. HRT made everything else possible. FFS and hair removal were the other key components. Before transitioning I wish to God I was one of those people that simply puts on makeup and is completely transformed, or someone who transitioned in months where it took me nearly a decade of struggle and torment to get where I am.
I'm living proof you just have to live through it and fight until you reach your goals. :icon_yes:
Physically? My body screams TESTOSTERONE! My hair is red and I have dark freckles, so laser/thermolysis are out. No body fat to speak of, so I don't fill anything out. No luck there... well, I guess my hair is sparse on my cheeks so I've got that to be thankful for.
My luck is in where I live. I go out looking like a guy in a dress (well, not a dress, I don't have any dresses). I'm moderately- to well-accepted. I haven't been threatened or harassed. Mostly, people go about their business, and some people smile at me. Every friend I've told has been supportive. Last time I went shopping, the gal who helped me out was super chipper and acted delighted that I found stuff that fit.
Quote from: Christine Eryn on October 09, 2015, 07:12:45 PM
I was blessed with absolutely nothing except for high cheekbones and the overwhelming will to transition. HRT made everything else possible. FFS and hair removal were the other key components. Before transitioning I wish to God I was one of those people that simply puts on makeup and is completely transformed, or someone who transitioned in months where it took me nearly a decade of struggle and torment to get where I am.
I'm living proof you just have to live through it and fight until you reach your goals. :icon_yes:
Patience and persistence have paid off for me as well; I was on HRT for five years and had my first round of FFS before I went full-time.
Most of my luck is incredibly physical. I used to say that I wished I could give my physical attributes to one of my trans dude friends. In the end I guess I did! I'm tall and broad in the shoulders. I have no hips. My Polish heritage gifted my a great deal of body hair. I even already had a rather masculine walk.
I also live in a very accepting city and have very supportive friends. A fair number of them are non-cis in one manner or another.
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Quote from: iKate on October 04, 2015, 09:49:16 AM
Height and general frame size. I'm slightly overweight, 5'6" and I can fit sizes 8-10 easily. I will lose some weight soon, just don't want to starve myself. I could get down to a 6 or possibly 4 if I wanted to.
I burned off 13 lbs (so far) by eliminating soda from my diet, switching to oven baked potato ships, and eating Fresh and Easy lean dinners. Doing an hour of cardio in the morning and 45 minutes of tai chi in the evening when I can fit into my schedule didn't hurt either.
That said, I am 5'7" and size 10, and not particularly hairy. My one problem is I have big hands and feet even for a guy my size. I wear womens size 11 shoes.
Physically the only thing I can think of is my height. I've always been tall. I guess I'm also pretty hairy even before T, but I'm kind of indifferent towards body hair.
I had been teased for my feminine features, including emotional ones, at my teens, and I am happy that those features can now be categorized as lucky, and even some of my female friends envy of them. My goal now is to delay aging process by practicing Zen.
barbie~~
I am lucky for my phone voice being feminine, I used to hate it every time I was gendered female over the phone, but love it now that I am aware of myself. My hips and body shape, since I have somewhat of an hourglass figure.
Kate <3
I am lucky in that My face has feminised very nicely my breasts are at least large enough to show (44B/38C) .and one of the best things is I have never had an Adams apple to give me away .Not too hairy and I am so lucky that My beard has practically stopped growing altogether .I am only 5 feet 6 inches tall so easily well within female norms size 8 feet shrinking to size 7 woman's . at 60 I have no male pattern baldness so altogether I have a lot to be thankful for
Quote from: Ⓥ on October 03, 2015, 06:31:04 PM
TL;DR post what you're lucky to have/thankful for, physically, that has helped your transition!
The other day my aesthetician who does my laser treatment on my legs/body said to me, "You're lucky". How so now? Well to have such fair skin, dark hair, and be so naturally unhairy, which is a huge boon in terms of getting rid of the bit of hair left on my body (as far as her area of practical concern lay, of course). She was telling me how another client who just started transitioning is really hairy but they are red-headed and the laser isn't all that effective and they'll probably "have to wax". Of course, I told her hair diminishes naturally over years when hormones are involved, but still... it made me think: I am lucky in terms of body hair! I've heard that statement before about this and that concerning my transition from different people who focus on different things (lucky for small hands, good skin, booty etc), but it's so easy to get caught up on what's NOT a home run physically that it sometimes overshadows what IS working!
So ladies and gentlemen: Post what you feel you've been really lucky with in terms of living your true gender. Bonus points for things you felt were embarrassing living with as your born sex, like high-pitch voice, small feet or gynecomastia.
Ex: Did you have good hair with virtually no MPB? Wide hips naturally? No brow ridge to speak of? Born petite (hi 5"4' club!)? Maybe you feel transitioning at 16 made you "lucky"?!
Same with the men: Perhaps flat-chested right through puberty? Naturally hairy? Already started with a booming, bassy voice?
List em up... what are you physically thankful for that works for you now? How do you feel "lucky"?
Slender hands with long feminine fingers. While they're not *small* feet per se, being a size 10 women's and being able to find shoes just in a store rather than needing to find big ones. No Adam's Apple. Thick head of hair and big feminine almond shaped eyes. And I'm small boned/framed with naturally narrow shoulders and wider hips. When I was attempting to be a man I tried to hard to build up my upper body to balance out my hips which as a boy I used to get made fun of for. It's funny actually my laser person commented on my overall frame size saying how she's treated other trans people before and how I'm lucky cause I have very "fine and delicate bone structure." All of this said, I'm not so lucky on the body hair front. At least I'm pale with dark brown hair so zapping it all off with a laser isn't too too hard (just started lasering my body after a year of HRT). I also struggle real hard with weight issues, which disguises my smaller frame and makes me look bigger than I am (pre-diabetic, recovering from an ED, still have binge eating issues). I can get fixated on that and lose sight of where I am genetically lucky.
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Pros:
Face
Eyes
Body
Voice
Family
Confidence
Cons:
Face
Eyes
Body
Tit size
Skin disease
Family
Housing
Employment
Addictions
PTSD
Genitals
Genitals
Genitals
Genitals.
Been in a kind of dark place for a few weeks. Part of why I didn't answer in the first place. However, it is good to count blessings.
My wife is very supportive so far.
Though I am not tiny, I fit women's Lee pants 12L off the rack.
I have high cheek bones and small skeletal frame considering my size. (5'-10" 190 lbs.)
Still not confident enough to dress fully and so no true avatar photos.
Smiling a Mona Lisa smile,
Joanna
i am always andro looking and (asian). 5"8 and 112 lbs and 25" waist before HRT.
When i hit the magical age of 30 two mths ago, i though i was going to see some beer belly. Instead, i see more fat at my thigh/butt/hip/armpits, legs and wrists losing hair, baby hair growing out of receded hairline areas.
I thought i had some serious health issue and was totally not aware abt hormone imbalance able to cause this. So i researched more and began HRT 5 days ago :), boy the transition is somewhat accelerated in my case, can't imagine how i will look like after 3mths.
I make decent money. I'm not rich by any means, but I'm very well off. My parents have been accepting. One of my sisters as well. I live in a very accepting area in spite of it being located in Alabama. I've been shocked at how well I've been treated. My job has done very well for me even after coming out. I've met some really awesome people in the past year including my stylist. She's helped me in so many ways. She's also looked out for me a few times.
Everyone I've told has been accepting, even if not understanding about trans issues.
Although I have masculine features, they aren't particularly prominent.
I have a slightly feminine figure which I can keep if I exercise regularly and eat well (and I currently do neither of these things).
I can naturally build muscle very easily. That's without any intervention from hormones or whatever.
Naturally broad shoulders.
My voice has a wide range. I can do high, I can do low. It's also - I'm told - quite an authoritative-sounding voice. Sometimes people are intimidated by it and I rarely mean for that to be the case. So I guess there's just something about it that is quite deep and commanding.
If I get my wish and move to a particular country in the near future to work, I will be of average male height there.
Most of my friends and relatives are supportive.
I'm lucky to have a somewhat masculine face and broad shoulders and hairy legs :laugh:
which makes me easier to pass pre-T.
I also have a naturally lower voice than average.
and I really thank my parents giving me a non-gender specific name ;D
I am 5'5, no Adams apple, small hands and feet, no brow bossing gender neutral voice, feminine mannerisms that I could not hide to save my life and I often get complaints from Cis women that my butt is better than theirs. So I guess the only thing I have in common with males is what is between my legs and some facial hair.
Putting this out there or not, it's nice to think about such things I'm lucky to have.
I'm lucky that my body never developed much masculinity. Comparing to a typical man of my height, my shoulders, hands, feet are all small. I don't know many 6' women, but those I do have similar sized features to me. That is, all except hips. So I'm very lucky in that regard. Ooh, and no chest or back hair. Like nothing.
You're only 6 inches tall, and you know other 6 inch women; must be something in the water. ;D
Quote from: kittenpower on October 21, 2015, 10:55:40 PM
You're only 6 inches tall, and you know other 6 inch women; must be something in the water. ;D
Oops ;D
Life certainly would be interesting being 6 inches tall. Can you imagine how hard it would be to find shoes?!
I forgot to mention in my original post: I have absolutely no adam's apple. It is just not there and never was.
To expand on my previous post here.
Recap: Lucky for my phone voice, and body shape.
Expanded post. I am lucky I have a good female shape in the hips and waist. I know several cisfemales in which are jealous, including one of my cousins.
I am lucky for my long lashes. I don't use mascara or to really curl my lashes either they naturally are long, to the point in which more often then not they are constantly touching my glasses, especially when I blink.
I am also lucky for the support I have from my family. Heck when I came out to my dad, when he had mentioned To his psychologist about my situation, he was given a referral for me for a therapist that I could go to to help. A few of my cousins are supportive as they want to take me dress shopping, but had given fair warning that dresses are addictive.
Kate <3