Fae,
I do feel for you at this a most contemplative stage in your life. The way in which the media perceive you is not just based on arguments like 'how one is dressed', or 'body language triggers', it also involves the observers' own idiosyncratic behaviour. So put these concepts together and it is very easy to arrive at a paradox. One danger here of course is that you get dragged into the middle of all this and can start to believe that the issues are down to you... that it is all your fault; that you are doing or behaving in an inappropriate way. Therefore with this in mind it is very important that you don't weigh yourself down with self-labelling.
The expressions' 'full-time', and 'presenting', are in such common usage that it is so easy to trip them off the tongue without, as you have pointed out, the realisation that they do sound so mechanical. Add to this the term, 'transition', and you have, as you rightly say, a clinical performance.
We cannot get away from these terms for their use is global within the gender field to describe our RLE, ooop's' there's another one. Therefore try not to ponder too much on the possible impression given; just be you. In my case I simply did exactly that... I was just a woman living my life. I do understand your concern though when trying to explain to those we know, it is, in consideration of paragraph one above, difficult to express with the right words... you are not alone here in feeling awkward. I used to say, 'I am now Rachel and I am living as my true self', which is similar in words to your statement.
I hope that some of this makes sense.
Rara. x
