So I'm FtM. I want to have a masculine body(not like a super Hulk macho man body, but still). But a part of me also enjoys makeup and doing hair, as I am quite good at it.
I feel like transitioning to male but dressing up as female is...i dunno. Wrong I guess. I suppose I just want to be able to dress up as a female instead of being a female all the time. I want to be able to take the female costume off...

Maybe I should get into cosmetology??? Idk.

If you try, can you imagine yourself being a person having a male body and wanting to have a female body?
What do you feel when you try to imagine yourself like that?
Does the idea of having the male body make you so happy already that you never could go on imagining to be him and having the desire to be female?
Mind bending experiments like this have always given me valuable insight in what I really wanted.

Have you tried binding, changing your hair style with gel, buying and wearing male clothes, going out, walking and behaving like the boss you are?

Do you enjoy being seen and felt as a female when you do your hair and makeup?

Tell me more.

There's nothing wrong with it. Men can cross-dress, they can do hair and makeup, etc. Like with sexuality, trans-men can like other men. Doesn't mean they're continuing to be straight, it just makes them gay. Switching genders doesn't automatically exclude you from things you enjoy.

Personally, I like the thought of cross-dressing as my former gender. I have a friend who's also trans and she thinks it's practically blasphemous but I don't see the big deal if you can pull it off and have fun with it. Plus, the irony is delicious.. I also find it interesting how much effort it would take to essentially 'change back'. I'd probably just do an even worse caricature of a male than before.

That's pretty much me. I don't care about gender in regards to clothing, so I wear anything I like, and wearing high-femme women's clothes makes me feel like I'm in a costume even while being female-bodied. A pretty costume, but one that is definitely Not Me. I feel much more like my natural self in men's clothes and short, gelled hair. I hope that I'll still be able to look pretty on sporadic occasions after my body changes shape in certain areas.

I feel bad calling myself a crossdresser, though. I feel like a trans male crossdresser doesn't have the same disadvantages and struggles as a cis male one, so I feel hesitant to try including myself under that communal umbrella.

Well, that's my take on it.

If memory serves, in the latest volume of "Gender Outlaw" there is a write up about an FTM transgender who is a drag queen.  You heard that right.  He is FTM, but likes going on stage and performing as a woman.  He just doesn't want to be a woman any other time.

And there is nothing wrong with that.  Nothing at all.

There is room on the gender spectrum for everybody.

Thanks, everybody. I guess I was just nervous that it wasn't "following social norms", but I guess the original intent of transitioning isn't really following social norms either.

I think that maybe I like doing makeup, not necessarily me wearing it. That's why I mentioned cosmetology. But thanks for the support.

You are who you are.

You feel what you feel.

It's not "an act" or a "disguise."

We have cis-women friends who wear men's clothing. They're not "in drag" -- Just that men's clothing works better at the beach, for wet, rain, recreation. We know cis-women who ride Harley's and shoot firearms, work on automobiles.

You get to be authentically YOU. If others have a problem, it's their problem, not yours. You're not required nor expected to be considerate of other people's feelings about who you are.

It's called liberation and being authentic.

maybe your an effeminate gay man or maybe genderqueer/third gender?

ummm... i take that back about genderqueer. And not all guys who do drag are gay, there is the ocassional straight or bi drag queen. And most guys who cross dress in private are hetero anyways.

if you feel a bit flip floppy, feeling you would like to look fem one day and masculine another or even one primary the other only on occasions you may consider thinking of yourself as gender fluid. If you feel sorta in the middle non binary or agender may fit.

I know a trans masculine non binary individual who assigned female at birth lives day to day life presenting male for the ease of it and simple feeling more comfortable that way, but despite that they still occasionally cosplay female characters that they like.

The big secret to all of this, labels don't matter, be and do what makes you comfortable and if someone else can't deal with it, there not worth dealing with. Plus it would be a shame to give up making yourself look pretty just because its not masculine.

ohh the idea of becoming a trans masculine hair dresser is amazing.

Serena

Quote from: Ashey on July 11, 2015, 01:38:42 PM
There's nothing wrong with it. Men can cross-dress, they can do hair and makeup, etc. Like with sexuality, trans-men can like other men. Doesn't mean they're continuing to be straight, it just makes them gay. Switching genders doesn't automatically exclude you from things you enjoy.

Personally, I like the thought of cross-dressing as my former gender. I have a friend who's also trans and she thinks it's practically blasphemous but I don't see the big deal if you can pull it off and have fun with it. Plus, the irony is delicious.. I also find it interesting how much effort it would take to essentially 'change back'. I'd probably just do an even worse caricature of a male than before.

One approach here . . . there are an infinite number, like infinite people/personalities.

Cis-male, 67, and look pretty male, especially full regalia on the full-dress Harley Hawg. That said, my ID is "in-between" (Hawaiian "Mahu") -- And have learned/devised a wardrobe that blurs the line. Never any doubt that "I'm cis-M" but it's no longer a costume/disguise. The gender cross overs are integrated, authentic, seamless.

"Cross dress" suggests "costume" or "disguise" and the principal objection I hear from CIS-WOMEN regarding public rest-room use is that these "trans" people are "in disguise" -- interlopers and a threat to a private space for women.

Cis-Men in men's rest-rooms don't care that you're male/female in their space. You're just not a "threat" -- and in fact most cis-men get excited about women in their "man space" !!! (Women reporters in locker rooms.)

Let me digress here a bit -- Cis-Women take off their clothes and men throw money.

Cis-men take off their clothes and people call the police.

Female nudity is provocative. Male nudity is threatening. This is basic cultural stuff and applies to the "naked zone" we reserve for public restrooms.

But as regards "presentation" -- I just try for integrity, no ID fragmentation, authentic. I don't need HRT, surgery, or a diagnosis to be me.

It's okay to explore until you find what you like.

Enjoy the spectrum and all it has to offer.  Society gets so hung up on boy vs girl... that we can't see the harmony in boy+girl or girl+boy.  If you feel you are a male then great, if you want to do makeup as a guy, great.  If you want to dress up as a girl; great. 

I like being a guy... and I like wearing soft silky things.  I've been known to work on vehicles or do other manly things by day and slip into something silky and comfy at night.  Why can't a FTM have the same wants and desires?  No reason!

Clothes are clothes, its how they make you feel that's important.

Yeah, I kinda identify as Mt(FtM), in a way that I don't really have the words for yet.  We'll see how I feel after a while on E.