Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transsexual talk => Male to female transsexual talk (MTF) => Topic started by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 03:49:01 AM

Title: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 03:49:01 AM
Hi all,

This is an embarrassing question but I am really bothered by this.

I have started hormones very recently, but I am currently still out as a man. During work, I will have to wear a men's shirt (usually white) --that usually have my nipples revealed. Since it is summer and I can only have my shirt on, it is very embarrassing and disturbing to me. Plus, my nipples are very sensitive and they hurt a lot if I am only in my shirt.

Is there any one can help me out? Thanks in advance!

Best,

Tiffy
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Cindy on July 13, 2010, 03:55:00 AM
One of the classics is with 'elastoplasts' or the equivalent, choose a skin tone colour.
BTW the clock is obviously ticking, time for plan B?

Cindy
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Northern Jane on July 13, 2010, 04:00:42 AM
TOTALLY  Plan B time!

I had that problem all through my teens and wore men's plaid shirts thinking I was hiding my breast development. Apparently I WASN'T - everybody knew. If it had been 2010 (instead of the 1960's!) I would have said "to heck with it" and just been me. If I had been more brash, I would have flaunted it  ;D
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Alyssa M. on July 13, 2010, 04:30:08 AM
So wear an undershirt.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 10:55:18 AM
Dear all,

Thank you for all your kind suggestions!

As for the 'Plan B' you were suggesting, I guess that I would still need more confidence to carry out that... I guess I would be kicked out from this law firm that I am currently in if I tell my partner that I am transgendered someday.  I suppose I would firstly have to find another firm in another city/country where nobody actually knows me before carrying out the Plan.

Sorry for disappointing you all for saying this, but I suppose that I am simply not courageous enough to be myself.

Best,

Tiffy
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: cynthialee on July 13, 2010, 11:03:53 AM
Go talk to the FTM crowd over on their side of the forum and ask them what binder would be your best bet....
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: BunnyBee on July 13, 2010, 11:06:12 AM
Quote from: Alyssa M. on July 13, 2010, 04:30:08 AM
So wear an undershirt.
A tight-ish spandexy one is probably best.  Wear a baggy shirt over it.  Sometime soon you will have to face plan B though :).
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Elijah3291 on July 13, 2010, 11:21:27 AM
id get one of the lowest compression binders from underworks
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Rosa on July 13, 2010, 11:24:42 AM
If you just need to hide the nipples you might try a nipple cover:  http://www.google.com/products?q=nipple+cover&hl=en&aq=f   (http://www.google.com/products?q=nipple+cover&hl=en&aq=f)

You might find some more options if you Google "nipple pad". 
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 11:36:51 AM
Hey all,

Thank for all your suggestions again!

I have tried the undershirt/spandexy solution myself, but it doesn't work that well with white shirts (people in this law-firm love white shirts, while I hate that) -- and since white shirts are so revealing, everything would be easily seen under my shirt! Anyway, I'd love to wear an undershirt (or even a bra with no pads) if I am not in white.

I have also tried nipple covers too, but it hurts really a lot when I have them removed... Also, it does not helps to stop my breast swinging around while I walk.

Yes, probably the utmost solution is start Plan B right now... but again, I still need more courage!

Best,

Tiffy
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Vanessa_yhvh on July 13, 2010, 11:53:30 AM
I've tried several solutions, and what finally did it for me was a camisole from Lane Bryant. Simple, elegant, very comfortable, and no weird surprises.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: LynnER on July 13, 2010, 12:47:43 PM
Simple solution, GG's do it all the time. This is one I learned from my braless ex wife LoL

Band-aids.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Alyssa M. on July 13, 2010, 04:22:04 PM
Tiffany,

You're a lawyer? Great. That means you have specialized job skills. Do your job well, and it's not unlikely you'll keep it. Even if you don't, you ought to be able to find work elsewhere. Transitioning is not a smart financial move by any means, but it's not the end of the world. In a field with as much personal involvement as law, transitioning might actually give you the confidence to be a lot better at what you do, though getting to that point can take some time.

Quote from: LynnER on July 13, 2010, 12:47:43 PM
Band-aids.

Funny, I learned that one from some of the boys on my cross country team in high school -- they generally went without bras, too. :laugh: Cold weather + team uniform = nipple chafe!
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 04:48:16 PM
Hi Alyssa,

Thanks for replying!

I am not a lawyer yet; I am still an associate (which means I practice law as an assistant to a lawyer), and I would become a lawyer in a year or two if my partner is not informed about my transgender situation.

But if I really get that far in transitioning, I suppose I would have to find another work, since it seems hard for transgendered woman to make successful lawyers. There are even little female lawyers in my jurisdiction -- not to mention transgendered lawyers!

Back to the nipple problem, it is really funny that a few of my biological women friends love to go braless in cold weather, when they will be able to hide everything under heavy clothes. These girls think that wearing bras are uncomfortable, and they just enjoy going out without bras. It amazes me to think how that would be possible, since I barely have breasts myself (I started hormones very recently) yet my nipples are super sensitive!


Quote from: Alyssa M. on July 13, 2010, 04:22:04 PM
Tiffany,

You're a lawyer? Great. That means you have specialized job skills. Do your job well, and it's not unlikely you'll keep it. Even if you don't, you ought to be able to find work elsewhere. Transitioning is not a smart financial move by any means, but it's not the end of the world. In a field with as much personal involvement as law, transitioning might actually give you the confidence to be a lot better at what you do, though getting to that point can take some time.

Funny, I learned that one from some of the boys on my cross country team in high school -- they generally went without bras, too. :laugh: Cold weather + team uniform = nipple chafe!
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Sarah Louise on July 13, 2010, 04:53:52 PM
Being a lawyer as a trans person should not be a problem.  I do paralegal work (Revocable Living Trust, etc) for a law office and the lawyer often has me sit in on the interview with clients.

I have done work for a couple other law offices and no one has ever had any problems with me.

Sarah L.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: amandax on July 13, 2010, 07:46:12 PM
I wear white sportsbra +  chick white Tshirt + a loose shirt to work, so far no problem, only problem is that,  sometimes, my colleagues pad my back or my shoulder, not sure they will feel something different :)
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Autumn on July 13, 2010, 07:52:13 PM
I actually got to transition because HR noticed my nipples. She strongly suggested wearing a bra. I said I wasn't going to wear a goddamn bra while working as a guy, they're obvious. So we got to go forward.

But, looking at most of my male coworkers... they're nipping out every day. With bigger nipples (not boobs of course) than I.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: kyril on July 13, 2010, 07:59:58 PM
You can wear an undershirt under a white shirt - that's what undershirts were designed for! Just make sure it's cut like a men's A-shirt or T-shirt, if you get a spandexy one. Anything from Underworks would be fine (but stick with the light compression, you don't want to crush the baby breast buds!)
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Vanessa_yhvh on July 13, 2010, 09:05:39 PM
There may be some YMMV action on this one. I tried band-aids, wife beaters, etc. to very little avail. But for others they seem to work just fine. ???
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 09:13:26 PM
Dear all,

Thank you again for all your suggestions!

Perhaps the best solution I have found is to wear a camisole (or equivalent) with a hidden bra. That gives me all the protection and support that I need.

The problem of the solution above is it is hard (almost impossible) to find a decent camisole that looks like a men's undershirt, so again, it only works well for me with dark, non-revealing shirts. Well... I suppose when people pad me in the shoulder they would feel something different, but I would not care that much since I really need to wear that.

Best,

Tiffy

Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Vanessa_yhvh on July 13, 2010, 09:15:50 PM
http://tinyurl.com/24olmru (http://tinyurl.com/24olmru)

I wore the above cami with a white men's business shirt today and had no troubles.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: tiffany leung on July 13, 2010, 10:28:12 PM
@ Tatiana

Hi Tatiana,

I read the PM you sent me, but unfortunately I am not able to reply since I can't find the "reply" button.. Probably newcomers to this forum are not allowed to send PMs!

Would you please let me know your email, so that I can write a reply to you? Thanks!

Best,

Tiffy
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Alyssa M. on July 14, 2010, 12:25:35 AM
For heaven's sake -- just get a pack of these:

http://www.hanes.com/Hanes/Products/9733.aspx (http://www.hanes.com/Hanes/Products/9733.aspx)

You're sensitive right now because you're just beginning to develop. That will probably pass within a few months, though it varies a lot. So unless you hang around with 13-year-olds, most of the women you know probably don't have the same problem with soreness and sensitivity (at least not all the time; hormonal fluctuations can cause problems).

Also, even if you can't send pm's now, you will be able to soon. See: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,114.0.html (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,114.0.html) (Note that some info there might be out of date or obsolete, but that's the basic story.)
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Kellsie on July 14, 2010, 03:27:16 PM
Try a tan colored camisole with built in shelf bra, a white tank top to hide the straps and your white work shirt.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: lilacwoman on July 15, 2010, 02:38:59 AM
a man's plain white working shirt made of thin cotton won't hide anything especially when the sun or office lighting is on it. 
If you have to reach out to pass a file or book the shirt will pull tight and show whatever you have underneath.
I think you'd better think really hard about transitioning...either do it soon or delay it until you get your lawyer title.
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: Lyric on July 15, 2010, 11:01:21 AM
I'm always saddened by the irony of a person who spends their life feeling they're body is the wrong gender, then feel they must impersonate that gender even after they begin to correct things.

I'm no expert on developmental anatomy, but I've always understood that wearing well-fitting bras during breast development contributes to the shape of fully grown breast to an extent. I would think if you bind them or whatever for camouflage during this period I would not help things at all. If you are on hormones there are no doubt there are other changes that will soon be noticeable anyway. You should really consider just starting to dress as woman at work. It probably won't be any easier later on. You have to tell the same people the same thing.

Lyric
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: KirstenR on July 18, 2010, 04:05:20 PM
I'm looking forward to this problem
Title: Re: How would you hide your nipples when in a men's shirt?
Post by: SamanthaElle on July 19, 2010, 12:31:49 AM
Quote from: KirstenR on July 18, 2010, 04:05:20 PM
I'm looking forward to this problem
haha, you can say that again.

They make strapless tops which you could wear instead of a camisole, which would prevent the issue of having it show through your shirt as much, and then people wouldn't notice if they interacted with your shoulders.