I'm 5 months into hormones... completely redid my eyebrows (a BIG change)... my hair is growing out... my chest is getting lumps... and dressing in brighter colors / not covering my body with a heavy coat... and posting pictures of myself on facebook which look more feminine (headbands / expression and things).... oh, and on facebook my name is "Ivory" (and people know I use that name a lot)... oh, and my comments online (to lots of people i see at school constantly) are very feminine / cutesy.

And STILL no one is suspects I am trans hahaha. I think everyone just assumes I am gay.

No one says a word about how I look (though, sometimes I feel as if someone might be looking at me a little too long or something). They don't even talk about me much behind my back (I have spies ). A few months ago I went monkey crazy on my eyebrows and showed up to class the next day... no one said a word.

Apparently it takes a LOT for people to start thinking "trans". I act like a guy (pretty much) face to face... give the "hows it going" greating and the headnod... and just chat like nothing is going on.

Though, I have noticed a little bit of people treating me differently / more gently. For example, I was out to dinner with a few people from class last week (one female and 2 males), and one of the guys was talking about some sex documentary he had watched. He kept asking if he was offending me (I was laughing with everyone else), but didn't say anything to the woman sitting right there (who is actually a year younger than me and very feminine, so wasn't an age thing). And after dinner he apologized to me if he had offended me for the topic.

Sooo, I guess people definitely do see me differently ... but I think still male. Just a sensitive / fragile male? Which has actually been my experience for a long time (guys I date treat me the same way)... so, works for me. (Or maybe I am granted a little extra "weird-wiggle-room" for being an artist?)  I really don't care about the gender thing, just as long as people treat me in a way I like and are sensitive to the fact some things make me uncomfortable And as long as they see me as "a nice person" who they have no problem hanging out with or working with, I am happy

My biggest help was just getting rid of the five o'clock shadow that showed no matter the time of day. I started my full time at work as I started the HRT... and HRT back then was not what it is today. I had already gone through a few years of perfecting the passing in public part. I traveled a lot and I'd spend my free time at nights en femme. It was pretty bad sometimes. By the time I went full time, I had my face "cleared" which meant that my electrolyses person could complete my face in a single 3 hour session twice a week.

Everyone has different issues to deal with. Mine was losing some weight and getting rid of the facial hair.  Quite honestly, I don't know that my HRT ever really did much for me.  I quit taking hormones over a dozen years ago for other medical reasons.

Cindi

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since I started this thread.

Judging by your avatar pic you are looking great Jessica 

I'd think by this point that the stealth thing would be very hard for you to pull off.

Okay an update since I see I had posted in this thread almost 2 years ago.

I went about 7 months then I told a few friends who were all very accepting.  When I was laid off work at about 1 year on HRT; On my final day of work I wrote a goodbye letter to my department and I announced to everyone in my department that I was transitioning to female.  I was amazed at the outpouring of love I got from so many people in my department. (Everyone had thought I was gay but this took them by surprise)  I had planned on tranisitoning full time on the job after I had changed my name legally, possibly could have been a reason I was laid off but can't prove it as they laid off about 10 other people at the same time as me.

I legally changed my name 2 weeks after I was laid off.

Quote from: riven1 on December 11, 2012, 09:10:10 AM
Judging by your avatar pic you are looking great Jessica 

I'd think by this point that the stealth thing would be very hard for you to pull off.

You are far too kind. I did start laser on my face and after two sessions, I have no beard shadow and my skin is as smooth as my wifes. It's kind of scary because I swear it looks like I have on makeup but no one has said anything or given me a particular funny look. I will post a boy-mode pic tonight for the follow up. Fitting that I do a follow up pic since it's been 2 years on low dose HRT and blockers AND it's my 43rd birthday!

Any updates? Am in the midst of a such a "transition" myself and this thread has been a fantastic motivator/stress reducer.

Wow, it's been over 5 months since I posted the last update here. Nothing really to report except an embarrassing incident when I went for a massage in Jiangmen, China with a vendor. I didn't realize that you have to shower before and after requiring you to go naked through the locker room with a towl and then dress in some chinese shorts and then the massage room was a double that included my vendor and when I had to roll over on my back, the chinese girls giggled a little bit after my masseuse said something. My host (a chinese guy) said something like, "She said you bigger and she use much more oil than normal," and the girls giggled again. I did my best to just seem unfazed but I was feeling a bit embarrased...   FML 

Sure an update -

9-12 months in I started to be gendered female in guy clothes (as my hair grew I guess). From then, it kept increasing more and more... until being gendered female was more regular.

Now 25 months and it is all the time (I don't dress girly, I wear just buttondown shirts and guy pants typically... but my chest is pretty obvious, so, no hiding that).

Was just a really gradual move as people saw me differently. I still get gendered male now and then, but typically I guess people think I'm female (especially if I put on a little foundation or something). I think I look male, so it is causing me some stress... so.... humm, I think I need to "pick a side" soon?

You don't really have to "pick a side."  You can just be "you."  Let the chips fall where they may.