This Halloween had a first for me. For those who don't know, I am not full-time but I consider myself MTF and have been dressing and presenting as female mainly at trans-friendly nightclubs for the past year and a half. With the exception of the occasional gas station stop or fast food drive-thru, I haven't really been going out as a girl in public. I am often presenting female around my house, however whether or not the neighbors are around and can see me.
So I decided this Halloween, I would get a little more brave. Some people have joked that Halloween is really the annual Crossdressers Day. Since this is more of an identity issue for me than just a fun hobby, I did not want to go all out and do the drag queen act that non-trans people do for Halloween. I decided I was going to present as a female and as passable as possible for a full 48 hours from all day Friday through all day Saturday. Since this was Halloween weekend, I wore brightly-colored dresses. I have noticed how it is almost extremely rare to see a genetic female actually wear a dress these days.
A lot of people at work know I crossdress outside of work so I'm just about out to everyone in that sense although most people don't know that I consider myself trans and am considering a full transition at some point in the future. I figure at least for me it is better to take baby steps instead of doing things all at once. All in all it went really well. On Friday I went as a girl to the bank, all day at work, to the coffee shop, the grocery store, the gas station, and a restaurant. On Saturday I went on a road trip out of town to connect with friends for Halloween. I left as a girl and returned as a girl and never brought any "emergency" boy clothes along. It was the same deal--coffee shops, gas stations, and other public places as a girl. It was truly a wonderful experience.
Now the mystery I need to solve is what gives me away and what passes me. In some environments, people would actually believe I was a genetic female. Other times, people would notice immediately that I was "a dude," and other cases they would think I was female at first and then after some time they would realize what was going on. I know my makeup needs some work but it isn't terrible either. I've got the walk down pretty well even in high heels but it isn't perfect but then a lot of GGs (genetic girls) don't do well in heels either. One problem is the five o'clock shadow. Only hours after I've shaved, it becomes slightly visible. Probably my biggest problem is my voice but I'm not really sure how to fix it. Honestly, I think the main thing that seems to give me away is that I actually wear feminine clothes. Even at nightclubs I almost never see women actually wearing dresses, skirts, high heels or other types of clearly feminine clothing. It is almost always 100% shirts and jeans. I have heard from some people when they try to pass too much they get busted but when they do more of an androgynous look they seem to pass. Who knows?
My mom also knows I crossdress and have trans inclinations and she has been having trouble accepting it but at the same time is certainly not prejudiced. I have shown her pictures before but this was the first time (Friday) that I actually showed her in person. She was a bit weirded out by it but did not make a big deal out of it. I'm optimistic that this weekend experience for me will open a lot of positive doors.