I used to present rather androgynous at school but got bullied and decided to go with birth gender. when i moved away from my home town i made sure it was over the top when it came to presenting as my birth sex. It didn't work, as i was too clueless in fashion to do that, but i slowly got there. then that lead to me being unhappy and being in the place now where i'm slowly going back to my old ways. cut my hair short. that was starters. bought a new suitjacket after having thrown out my previous ones that i had before uni.

i'm just doing this for myself though and if i feel it's too difficult with people around me, i'm likely to just go back to presenting female. *sigh*

because i don't think anyone will ever go: oh, you must be androgyn, just by looking at me, and for me personally, being called he or she, it doesn't matter, even if it's 50:50, it would be the same as being called she 100% of the time. it would still all be wrong either way.  unless people are going to get that i'm neither on a first glance, I think it's a bit pointless me trying to pass for the sake of how other people will treat me, as it's just not going to happen the way i want in my fantasy world.

edit: well, that's just how i'm feeling today after thinking about it. i might change my mind tomorrow. after all, people might ask about how identify if i dress other than sterotypically female, which they might not have asked otherwise. *shrug* it's what would ideally happen, but we'll see .

I normally dress hyper fem to counter my full beard - I love my beard.
I always wear either a dress or skirt and pretty top - except swimming and gym (fem shorts)
I always wear my breast forms giving me a C or D cup.  Sometimes I feel the need to put on Lipstick, eye shadow and/or nail polish
I often hear children say "is that a boy or girl ( I quite like that).  I sometimes get teens asking inapropiate questions about my bits I won't say what I have down there but any question asked with respect I'll answer sometimes when teens call out " show us your tits" or similar I'll pull out a breast form to show them, sometimes I just keep walking.
Why do I do this to educate them
why do I present as I do? to be me -
I'm too much of a girl to live as a man - so I dress female.
& I'm too much or a guy to live as Female so I have a full beard.
I don't present as I do to confuse people,  but I like the fact that I do.

Quote from: Kinkly on October 23, 2011, 05:11:32 AM
I normally dress hyper fem to counter my full beard - I love my beard.

*snip*

I don't present as I do to confuse people,  but I like the fact that I do.

This sounds a lot like me. I dress in a more masculine manner than I'd like, because my body and face are so female.

Even though I'm no more a boy than I am a girl, I love confusing people and being mistaken for a boy.

Never though of this before really but I don't like wearing very feminine clothing,  I prefer very slender tops like a dancers top,  bagging pants with ugg type boots.  I'd wear cowboy boots if I could but I'm way too tall.   

Short hair as much as possible but facial make up, mascara and lipstick is all.

I don't identify as androgynous though.

I just thought I'd add that a few days ago a taxi driver looked rather shocked to see me and kept looking at me  strangely when he realised I had noticed he was looking at me he said "sorry It has been a long time since I've seen a bearded Lady".
yey thats much better then "Man in Dress" or "Cross dresser". It made my day. 

I spent a Long time Hiding who I was out of fear and now live my Life as me, now knowing that it is ok to be who I am when I am forced to conform to male in anyway (or hide my femme side ) I have to put up with thought that can lead to suicidal thoughts and planning, even though I know I don't want to die.  So I present as me because I have no choice - death in not a choice I'm willing to make.

Quote from: Julian on October 03, 2011, 11:30:01 AM
For those of you who choose to maintain an androgynous presentation, why do you do so?

Because when I present in a way that is too masculine or too feminine I feel like I'm playing dress-up, like I'm trying to not be me.

Besides, other people attached gender to clothing, it has naught to do with me. As far as I'm concerned, if I like it, it's for girls.

Quote from: Julian on October 03, 2011, 11:30:01 AM
For all of you, how do you accomplish your goals? Do you bind, tuck, remove body hair, et cetera; or do you wear the appropriate clothing; or something else entirely?

Mostly I wear a mix of clothes from the men's and women's sections of stores. Most coats, jackets, button-ups from the men's. Most pants, hoodies, t-shirts from the women's. All of it in fairly dark, subdued colours, which contrast nicely with my corpse-white skin. And most of it in fairly genderless styles - slim-fit men's button ups and bootcut women's jeans, for example. Occasionally I wear light makeup to offset more masculine clothing. My jewellery (necklace, earrings, one ring) is all unisex or men's. I carry a green canvas messenger bag pretty much everywhere I go. I keep my hair in a short "alternative lifestyle" cut, though a reserved one. I'm very tall, and quite flat-chested and don't wear anything to help with that (just plain camis). I tuck, till my surgery next month, and shave my legs and underarms.

I look like an andro dyke. Which I am.

I still present as male in spite of having swapped out my chemistry. I've always been a jeans, trainers and T shirt person and quite honestly I couldn't give a rats ass for clothes or fashion. If I had to express a preference it would neutral and practical and I'm thankful for that. I'd have failed miserably at presenting as female so I never seriously considered it as an option. As Sarah7 said I wouldn't like to "feel like I'm playing dress up"  My mannerisms are well ingrained male ones that would be too hard a habit to break and more feminine ones would be too hard a pretence to maintain. These days I mostly wear double pocketed shirts to hide my moobs and I'm actually considering getting something done about them in the future. I'm going to chew this over for a while before deciding for sure. In a strange way I'm almost a trans man in reverse 

Quote from: Julian on October 03, 2011, 11:30:01 AM
For those of you who choose to maintain an androgynous presentation, why do you do so?
For those of you who choose to maintain a presentation consistent with that of your birth gender, why do you do so?
And for those of you who do something entirely different, I want to hear from you too.

For all of you, how do you accomplish your goals? Do you bind, tuck, remove body hair, et cetera; or do you wear the appropriate clothing; or something else entirely?

I guess I'm all of the above.    My gender identity is very fluid.  I present as anywhere in the range between light masculine, androgynous, pangendered, fetish femme, and high femme.  Usually, I'm between andro and pan.   I wear panties and something to support (and protect) my breasts at all times.   I tuck at all times, too.  It doesn't feel right if I don't tuck. 

I work Wed-Sun and I can't wear skirts, etc for safety reasons.  I'll go through what I wore all this week to give you an idea.

Monday - femme - wig, full makeup, goggles, purple corset, black leather collar and bra, Tripp black skirt with purple and red plaid, purple and red plaid stockings, and some chunky heel stompin boots.

Tuesday - I stayed at home all day and wore a comfy nightie and my black fuzzy slippers.

Wednesday - Backward black fitted baseball cap, goggles, medium makeup, light blue cami, push-up bra, unbuttoned plaid (navy, charcoal, and light blue) western shirt, Silver jeans, and black and white wing tip Docs.

Thursday - The cap and goggles again, light makeup, facial stubble, teal bra-top cami, partially buttoned black (with diamond pattern stripes with tiny skulls inside the diamonds) western shirt, Silver jeans, and black and white wing tip Docs.

Friday - Black cap, goggles, medium makeup, teal and white striped tight long sleeve shirt, black pinstriped halter vest (with a muted gold stylized floral pattern on the right front), wrist length open fingered black gloves with buckles, push-up bra, tight Silver jeans, and black and white wing tip Docs.

Saturday - Goggles, medium makeup, tight lime green tank, push-up bra, partially buttoned green and white plaid western shirt, silver jeans, black and white wing tip Docs.

This was a fairly average week for me.

light makeup - clear or lightly shaded lip gloss, foundation, light eye shadow.
medium makeup - any lip gloss, foundation, eye shadow, eye-liner.
full makeup - anything goes, if it goes well with my outfit.

I shave every day and wear my goggles and clockwork timepiece necklace nearly every day.  If you want to see pictures, send me a message.  I've got plenty posted in quite a few places.

Quote from: Kayden-Turner on October 10, 2011, 08:27:33 AM
Personally, I identify as androgyne and I've just started binding. I identify in such a way, though, that I'd really like a male chest but to keep my female anatomy downstairs. So I bind and dress in male clothes, but I don't pack and I'm definitely not going to go all the way to bottom surgery. If I transition I will stop after chest surgery; unfortunately I don't think I can do even that without going on testosterone (can I?) and either way my parents won't support me.
...
Sorry, I guess that's kind of confusing. Anyway, I dress and look fully male... except for my face. Unfortunately my face is wildly female. I've never been mistaken for a male before (except, interestingly enough, by close friends and my own brother, and they KNOW I'm bio female) and I probably never will be due to this face.

I am very much the same. I try to look as male as possible, including binding (but only for special occasions, because I find it very uncomfortable physically, if very comforting mentally). But my face will always "give me away," I guess. I've made peace with not passing all the time, but I would like to at least blur the lines instead of just being read as bio female immediately.

And same for me about having a male chest. I'd like to, but I feel I couldn't because of my family.

Hence,
bio female + wants to look boyish - can't look boyish = androgynous.

I present as female because I can't do anything else. I don't have enough clothes that aren't female (I dress slightly androgynously on the EXTREMELY rare occassion I leave the house for non-school related reasons, but I'm a complete shut-in so I pretty much don't do so, and it's not androgynous enough), I'm not allowed to bind, I go to an all-girl's school, and my mum (the only person I'm out to) appears to think of me as an androgynous cisgirl.

I present as female beause I'm too broke and lazy to present as male.  I don't really go anywhere and everyone I'm usually around knows me so it wouldn't make a difference.  I don't bind because there's just no point in my circumstances.  If anything I want to let the breasts be more free.

I think I present, well sort of sloppy. Loose pants/jeans, sweatshirts, large t-shirts, etc. I never understood this until roughly a few months ago. And it's this: when I look in the mirror and see someone with a good figure (for a female, I mean), I feel that it is not really me. So I cover up by wearing baggy stuff. Then I feel more comfortable with what I see.

I clearly am female. Probably look on the butch side.


--Jay Jay

As still present as male (my birth gender) simply because I can not pass as a woman.  I am pre-HRT, and do not look anywhere near close enough to a woman to present as one.  As soon as I can somewhat pass, I will start to present as I really should. 

Quote from: Julian on October 03, 2011, 11:30:01 AM
For those of you who choose to maintain a presentation consistent with that of your birth gender, why do you do so?

Lots of reasons
* How I present is not that important to me. I want people to feel comfortable in my presence, I don't want to be judged some kind of nut, but other than that, I don't really care what I look like.
* I've lost way too much hair to pass as female or androgyne.
* I don't think presenting differently would help. My issues are social. Though male, I feel more comfortable in the company of females. I doubt I'd be any more accepted by them (short of total MtF transition) by presenting differently.
* I'm still pretty attractive for a middle aged male (despite hair loss). I like being and feeling attractive. Presenting differently would make me self-conscious.
* I'm still freaking out chicken $#!+ terrified of appearing in public with anything feminine in my presentation.

For me, it really depends on whatever I'm feeling when I wake up in the morning:

Female (biological sex): This one is the rarest of them. But on those few days, I'll wear clingy clothes, my best bra, put my hair in a high ponytail and don some dangly earrings. The days that I present as "female" I do so because those are the days that I'm really feeling like showing off my curves (of which I have plenty) and Dcups, where I want people to perceive me as a woman.

Androgynous (preferred): This is how I present most days. Even when I was little (starting about 1st or 2nd grade) I've always thought of myself as a tomboy and have dressed as such: usually jeans, baggy t-shirts or sweaters, beat up tennis shoes or boots, no jewelry. My hair'll be however I could get it to look best; it's a fickle beast and doesn't always respond well to attempts to tame it. I like the melding of the stereotypically "female" and "male" looks, and I must admit I also get a kick out of making people really have to think about what I might actually be, gender- or sex-wise.

Male (the newest of them): This one is, for me, really fun; I get to put on an altered version of myself. I'll wear loose, coarse clothing, tie my hair back to a bun or stuff it in a hat, put on my hiking boots, bind my chest. Also, if it's gonna be warm enough for shorts, I'll make sure to not shave my legs/armpits for a few weeks in advance. I'll change the way I walk, lower my voice, etc. The days where I'd rather be a man are interesting ones to be sure, as they're all part of my self-discovery; I only recently came out as genderfluid.

My name is Shannon on female/androgyne days, Shane on male days. It's been fun, and I hope it continues to be so.  No one should ever, EVER have to feel like their way of presenting themselves to the world is beneath that of others.

Fun, isn't it?

I think I made someone do a double take yesterday. I got a new hat. These are great, called a cadet hat, don't have that too big bill thing going on  (for a little head). Other things were pretty androgynous. Anyway the woman took maybe 5 minutes and then said "thank you ma'am" but the ma'am was VERY quiet and not sure she was too sure.


--Jay Jay

Quote from: aleon515 on May 29, 2012, 04:38:09 PM
I think I made someone do a double take yesterday. I got a new hat. These are great, called a cadet hat, don't have that too big bill thing going on  (for a little head). Other things were pretty androgynous. Anyway the woman took maybe 5 minutes and then said "thank you ma'am" but the ma'am was VERY quiet and not sure she was too sure.


--Jay Jay

Wow. I love the way you describe that.

There would be an awful lot of plucking, shaving, shopping, and make-up before that would ever be possible for me, but you make androgyny sound so much fun, it might almost be worth it!

Typically Female: Why- I like skirts, colourful scarves, and looking pretty (not that being male would prevent me from wearing skirts and looking pretty if I thought I would still look male, but I don't). I still don't shape my eyebrows because I don't see the point. How- It's pretty easy since I'm physically female.
Male: This is the most often lately. Why- So maybe, someday, someone will see me as a male. Also, female me is fine looking male, but male me is a little less comfortable looking female (probably because I feel invisible). How- I wear a binder, baggy pants, and button down shirts or t-shirts. I still don't like hairy legs.
Pirate/steampunk: Why- It's fun. How- Value Village is my friend. I wear blouses and sometimes vests and tie a scarf around my waist. I used to have pirate boots, but they're worn down. I also add other things sometimes like certain earrings or something. Sometimes, I mix it with more scarves. Sometimes, I mix it with regular clothing.
Mad scientist: Why- Guess. How- I don't really yet, but I do have a Dr. Horrible lab coat.

Quote from: agfrommd on May 29, 2012, 05:34:53 PM
Wow. I love the way you describe that.

There would be an awful lot of plucking, shaving, shopping, and make-up before that would ever be possible for me, but you make androgyny sound so much fun, it might almost be worth it!

Funny thing AG, but I thought I would be too old to pass too. And you know women have this peach fuzz-- one is said to see this and think something unconsciously. I'm too old to have that androgynous boy-look. Of course, I didn't actually "pass"-- but even the pause. I savor the pause as it is sort of is what I feel. "What gender am I, you decide." Actually liked how I looked which isn't usually the case.

--Jay Jay