I was looking at some before and after images of a transsexual celebrity from Canada named Nina Arsenault. She has tiny shoulders now, compared to her shoulders before. She does look very plastic though. I wonder if anybody has any ideas on how to reduce shoulders, if it's possible, or is the only way to become really skinny? Her upper ribcage also looks a lot smaller now, although I think she has had her lower ribs pushed in, though I'm not sure if this would affect the upper rib cage?

I won't even talk about her crazy hips... all I can say is silicone injections. No thanks.

Hmm, it's hard to tell but it appears that a lot of her changes in shoulders, arms, chest and waist appear to be based on her posture.

HRT and how your body responds to it play the biggest factor.  I avoid as much exercise as possible for my upper body because, well, it's bulkier than I'd like.  I'm just past the 11 month mark on HRT and have lost a good amount of mass from my upper body, including my shoulders.  I'd say it's in my head, but I used to wear a men's XL tshirt and those just look funny on me now, Now I fit a medium or a small.  Women's sizes are a whole different story altogether, and my arms haven't shrunk at nearly the same pace...but they are smaller too.  I have a thicker frame, like my mom, so I already know the limits of where I'll get.  It just takes time, and probably a little bit of effort in minimizing upper body muscle development.

I have to agree that the woman in those images looks way fake and her posture is playing a big part in the overall appearance of her size.  In the first picture she's hunching over slightly and her shoulders are pushed forward, in the second picture she's sticking her chest out and pulling her shoulders back which definitely makes her appear smaller overall.  IMO she'd look a whole lot better with a semi-normal expression on her face.

yeah, I can't tell any difference from those pictures.  Posture, clothing, hairstyle, and being in-focus all play a part.  She didn't change her bone structure, we know that.  If anything, she lost a little bit of weight, but she isn't heavy in the first picture either.

Her shoulders look the same.

body wise looks the same, pose wise , 2nd looks..garish. Not something I would like around.

Quote from: LordKAT on May 05, 2010, 01:57:31 AM
body wise looks the same, pose wise , 2nd looks..garish. Not something I would like around.

It's her eyebrows I mean seriously look at them! They are closer to her hairline than they are to her eyes!

Eyebrows are part of it, so is the over the top makeup and her stance among other things.

Wow - who on earth would seriously want to look like that! Way too over the top feminine.

She looks like a shallow air headed bimbo. Someone who would be really irritating to be caught in a lift with. I like to be seen as unambiguouly female, but I want to be masculine enough to be taken seriously and read as a "practical down to earth type of woman".

Ah well... each to their own.

lol No I don't want to look like that, but I do think her physical transformation is amazing, especially when you see what she used to look like before her transition.

I don't think she is an airhead. I believe she has two masters degrees, used to write a column for a magazine in Canada, and presents lectures at York University in Canada. Her image is so over-the-top it's more of a social commentary, I think. Her intention is to look like Barbie, and then surprise people with her intellect. I think there are things one can learn from her, not only regarding what to do as a trans person, but also what NOT to do.

I for one wouldn't mind being stuck in a lift with her. From what I've seen of her on youtube she can be trite and vacuous, but she can also be engaging and interesting.

But I was really interested in her shoulders. If you'd seen her male photos elsewhere, you'd see that she used to have fairly wide shoulders. Now her shoulders look tiny.

She does have 2 masters degrees though

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Post Merge: May 05, 2010, 06:05:27 AM

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lol beaten to the punch

I have been doing a lot of "people watching" lately, trying to pick up cues from GG's, and I have noticed that the most noticeable difference between men's and women's build is the height of the waist. 

A man's waist is well below the navel, and a woman's is up near the bottom of the rib cage.  That seems to be the first thing noticeable, even if the woman is slim with narrow hips and  shoulders.

It is not so much what there is, but where it is.

I heard someone who had some knowledge of drag queens once remark about people being able to shave down shoulders etc. to a degree, but it sounded like b.s. In any case it seems to me like this girl toned her muscles, unnecessarily lost some weight, and the photo looks pro enough to have been touched up a tiny bit.

I always thought that my shoulders are narrower as a man, but after I started crossdressing, I realized that my shoulders are relatively wider than typical women here, including my wife.

I guess my waist is just above the navel.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=1760

Barbie~~

My waist is about an inch above my navel too, and has gotten seriously more pronounced since over 14 months HRT. My hips are wider, and according to my endo/doctor's office from where I just returned, I'm officially 2 inches shorter now than when I began. Shoulders can get narrower as muscle and connective tissues shrink due to the influence of hormones. Coupled with wider hips it can definitely alter the appearance of shoulder width.

From those images her shoulders look similar in size though. She does appear to have on stage makeup, but I'm not the one to judge another woman's looks lol

Nina Aresenault is somewhat of a wingnut.  She lives in the same city as I do and I have seen her on a number of occasions.  She's become quite the caricature  of herself.  It's amazing that with all the money she has spent on her obsession to erase every visible trace of masculinity that she has done little to rid herself of a masculine voice.  Personally, I think that she is an insult to the trans community and not too many people here pay her all that much attention.  Here is a link detailing her story

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=1cfc0191-8cb7-4c14-b36c-d2bb6f6261ed&k=66345

I don't see a difference

I don't like her mouth/nose combo or something, but she isn't that ugly. She's just older

It's her life, she's happy, who cares.

Quote from: andream on May 05, 2010, 05:49:07 AM


I don't think she is an airhead. I believe she has two masters degrees, used to write a column for a magazine in Canada, and presents lectures at York University in Canada. Her image is so over-the-top it's more of a social commentary, I think. Her intention is to look like Barbie, and then surprise people with her intellect. I think there are things one can learn from her, not only regarding what to do as a trans person, but also what NOT to do.

Honey, Nina Arsennault is a sham.  She has only stated that she has two masters degrees and has never offered up any proof and, yes she did teach at York University--ACTING! She taught acting.  She is also a former sex trade worker (this is widely known in Canada) and this, in fact is how she financed her cosmetic surgeries.  As to this date Nina Aresenault HAS NOT had SRS and she is no more trans than Michael Jackson.  There is absolutely nothing that anyone can learn from Nina Arsenault.  Nina Arsenault is nothing more than an $150,000 drag queen and an insult to the trans community

http://www.fabmagazine.com/tgirl/archive/283.html
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/columnists/story.html?id=f7bac606-fc0c-464b-9bda-79c6cab04f9f
http://www.fabmagazine.com/tgirl/archive/285.html

She gives people a stereotypical view of what trans women are--women!  Not whores, chicks with dicks, ->-bleeped-<-s, etc.

Quote
I for one wouldn't mind being stuck in a lift with her. From what I've seen of her on youtube she can be trite and vacuous, but she can also be engaging and interesting.

I mentioned in an earlier post I've seen Nina Arsenault on a number of occasions and on each and everyone of those occasions this was one of the most depressing figures I have ever seen--head hung low, no smile and completely devoid of any self confidence or personality--then again, that pretty much sums up the personalities of the majority of Torontonians.

Quote...head hung low, no smile and completely devoid of any self confidence or personality--then again, that pretty much sums up the personalities of the majority of Torontonians

Oh well. I live in sunny Sydney, Australia (well, usually sunny), where people are often stressed and getting aggro at each other, but Sydneysiders are rarely devoid of personality. I guess because it gets so cold in Toronto, people need to conserve their energy by hiding their personality lol. This still might be better than living in a hot country where everybody is always mad and wants to throttle each other though. Who knows?

QuoteShe is also a former sex trade worker

I don't think this is something a person should look down upon. I have known a number of people who've have resorted to sex work, and I respect their decision to sacrifice their putative dignity in order to make a decent amount of money rather than slinging french fries at Mcdonalds for a lowly $12 an hour. Georgina Beyer, the world's first openly transsexual politician (New Zealand) was also once a sex-worker, and I feel she is worthy of respect. I think, although I don't necessarily agree with Nina Arsenault's motivations (extreme body dysmorphia) I feel that one should at least respect the drive that she had to get what she wanted - a complete physical transformation from a plain-looking guy to a ridiculously feminine and plastic caricature of a woman. That's what she wants to be, and if that's what she wants, then so be it. Who am I to judge?

QuoteThere is absolutely nothing that anyone can learn from Nina Arsenault. 

I think EVERYBODY has something to teach, from the greatest educator, to the stupidest dolt in the world. I have learned from Nina Arsenault that it takes great drive and single-mindedness to get what you want in life, and more, it takes sacrifice. I have also learned that I do not want to be like her, especially given the fact that she is bald (she wears wigs), will probably die of silicone migration by the time she is 50, has a constant sneering pout on her face which can't be rectified, and in the eyes of the world, will never ever be a 'normal' human being. My main goal with transition is to blend in as a female and continue with my life.

This is all off-topic anyway lol. I was interested in the fact that her shoulders look so small in her photos, but from what people have said here I think may be my eyes playing tricks on me lol.

QuoteAs to this date Nina Aresenault HAS NOT had SRS and she is no more trans than Michael Jackson

Well - in this case, I guess you can call me Michael Jackson too - Yeeeeowwwww!

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Post Merge: May 05, 2010, 06:22:47 PM

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Quote from: Rhalkos on May 05, 2010, 04:14:52 PM
Mine would too, with plastic tits like those.

OK this almost made me spit out my food laughing!

Quote from: andream on May 05, 2010, 05:59:30 PM
Oh well. I live in sunny Sydney, Australia (well, usually sunny), where people are often stressed and getting aggro at each other, but Sydneysiders are rarely devoid of personality.

Usually sunny, except for one of the rainiest Februarys on record lol I live in Sydney too (Freshwater), when I'm not in the U.S. having SRS. lol Still, I'll be skipping most of winter while I heal, so that's not completely a bad thing lol