No fantasy faces and lives please. Susans is not for pretenders

[Nero]

When you post a photo or avatar of someone other than yourself and claim or lead our members to believe it's you, you're insulting all of us. Insulting our intelligence (since many of these photos are easily turned up in a google search as being some model who is either a well known cis person or just very unlikely to be you).

You're also >-bleeped-<ting in the face of our many members who have shared their real faces and real lives with us. They were brave enough to share themselves warts and all with us. So don't chicken out and try to pass off a gorgeous cis person as yourself. You don't have to be beautiful to get into this club. You just have to be real. And there are many of us who don't show our faces for privacy reasons. Perfectly understandable as well. Just don't pretend to show your face, unless it's really YOUR face.

If for whatever reason, you want to play out a fantasy on the internet - a fantasy face and fantasy life - please go elsewhere. Fantasy has its place, but it's not here.

Avatars of famous people or models are ok; as long as you're not trying to fool anyone it's you.

[Jill F]

I am one of those who has felt violated.  Lying about the avatar picture is one thing, but I have also read some "experiences" lately that don't exactly add up either.  I feel like I have wasted considerable time and effort in some attempts to be helpful.  I never really thought of this place as crawling with trolls or pathological liars until lately, and now, unfortunately, I have had to pull out a few extra grains of salt.

I am 100% for real and I don't have to worry about keeping my story straight, because what I tell is the straight story.  I'm guessing you all know that by now. 

And yes, that supermodel in my avatar pics is actually me.

[dalebert]

I'm live on UStream once a week for anyone who wants to verify that the manic lunatic in front of the microphone is actually me. It's a little terrifying, I know. Yes, that's a real person and not a cartoon character.

[Hikari]

The internet is full of trolls but, it is a pretty weird troll to try and live out a fake life at a website like this I mean, it isn't going to really extract many tears nor is it going to be profitable in any way. Seems to me if one wants to live a fantasy thru text they should write a book it would probably be more profitable than trying to pass off fantasy as reality.

[bunnymom]

The bunny is representative of my fur kids. I'm just an average middle aged woman. I just happen to be cis. I choose not to post a photo of myself out of respect for my daughter. She is my one and only.

[Carrie Liz]

Yeah... posting pictures of genetic females and trying to claim that they're trans women is seriously not cool...

It results in really nasty bouts of dysphoria for those who actually are trans, because it makes us feel like we got cheated in the genetic lottery, and it's kind of torturous to think that someone else's life is all peaches and roses appearance-wise while we have to suffer and scratch and claw for every single iota of our femininity.

[Miss_Bungle1991]

Yeah... posting pictures of genetic females and trying to claim that they're trans women is seriously not cool.

Yeah, anyone that does that is totally bogus. I tend to do the anthro thing as an avatar just because I dig it. I've posted my actual pic a time or two so some people do know what I look like. I have to say that the anthro version of myself is much cuter.

[Ms Grace]

Sadly it's a form of Münchausen by Internet, but instead of a gravely ill persona some people go for some kind of fantasy trans existence with bizarre little tragedies or dramas sprinkled here and there that actually seem to have little basis in reality. The perpetrators are usually spotted pretty quickly, if not by the mods then by other members who tell us. It doesn't take much to unpick the ludicrousness of certain fake personas when looking back at post histories.

[Shodan]

This avatar is what I really look like IRL. No seriously. It is. I just took it a moment ago.


But on a more serious note, I'd always wondered about a few of the pics here. I, personally, don't like looking at myself still so I try to have an avatar to reflect how I feel on the inside. I figure that an avatar reflects something about you, and can sometimes be clever, funny, or serious. I can understand why somebody would want to try to represent themselves with a cisgender woman, but I, personally, find it disingenuous, especially if you try to pass it off as yourself.

[Umiko]

this is my first online support group type thing, so when i hear about this stuff, i get very skeptical causing me to doubt myself even more than i already do or whether i made the right decision. honestly, this is why i was scared at first to be completely honest. sry i had a little pity party there but i'm just being honest. i dont like pretenders. i rather people be themselves for it doesnt matter how much of a basket case they are as long as i get to see the real you, i wont judge you at all.

[sad panda]

I never really thought of this place as crawling with trolls or pathological liars until lately, and now, unfortunately, I have had to pull out a few extra grains of salt.

Also seriously messed up sexual predators. :| Nobody wants to think that but it's the internet. You still have to be careful.

[Hikari]

Also seriously messed up sexual predators. :| Nobody wants to think that but it's the internet. You still have to be careful.

TBH, this part worries me, I like to think that since I am not attractive I wouldn't attract any predators, but....I know that the reality is, anyone can be a target. Still, it leads me to be a bit more disconnect and suspicious than I would like.

[Megan Joanne]

TBH, this part worries me, I like to think that since I am not attractive I wouldn't attract any predators, but....I know that the reality is, anyone can be a target. Still, it leads me to be a bit more disconnect and suspicious than I would like.

Not attractive my ass. You are all kinds of pretty. Even the so called unflattering pictures, you look fine.

But yeah, anyone can be a target, but that's not just internet.

So, what am I missing, who's been passing themselves off as someone else?

[sad panda]

TBH, this part worries me, I like to think that since I am not attractive I wouldn't attract any predators, but....I know that the reality is, anyone can be a target. Still, it leads me to be a bit more disconnect and suspicious than I would like.

Basically if people seem a little TOO interested in you, or in trans women, or in women in general, and wants to get close to you, chances are they're not telling the whole story.

[Umiko]

Also seriously messed up sexual predators. :| Nobody wants to think that but it's the internet. You still have to be careful.

wait, what the hell? this is why i'm glad i dont really post my pics up that much though some know what i actually look like.

[Phoenix_2812]

Fantasy lives is one thing but on another forum I used to visit regularly, there was someone (person A) who got a friend (person B) to post about their (person A's) death. Turned out it was fake and the so called "dead" person (person A) had been watching the topic just to see how many people would miss them. A sick and twisted way to see how many people like you, that's for sure.

Chris

[sad panda]

wait, what the hell? this is why i'm glad i dont really post my pics up that much though some know what i actually look like.

I put mine up a lot in principal because my gender marker says M... it's kinda like, a statement, but then I regret it a lot. Regretting it already even (well I mean after posting in this topic, you never know who's getting off on the attention right now)

[Mariah]

Just in case the one I was using that was among the options that are available to choose from in this forum was problem. I went back to no avatar at this point. I don't like any pic of my self and won't tell after laser removes my facial hair. I hope the one that was available to choose from wasn't a problem because I didn't upload anything pic at this point at all.

[the old mare]

Well, just so you know, that really was me in the shark hat...

[Jess42]

Basically if people seem a little TOO interested in you, or in trans women, or in women in general, and wants to get close to you, chances are they're not telling the whole story.

Yeah, wasn't there a post here about two or three weeks ago someone wanting to meet transgirls or wanted a transgirlfriend or marry and transgirl? I thought that was kind of creepy. I think one of the mods told them this wasn't a dating sight I replied and metioned the creepy part and then one of the mods locked it up pretty quick.