Passing

For those of my readers who are FtM (or just curious) here are some passing tips:

• Appearance
• Binding
• DO NOT's
• Use tape
• Use ace bandage
• Wear a binder for more than 8 - 12 hours
• DO's
• Buy a compression vest from an FtM owned website or a group that has compression items made specifically for FtMs
• Personally I got my vests from Underworks:
• http://ftm.underworks.com/ 
• Make sure that you position your breasts the right way so that you can make your chest as flat as possible
• Clothes
• Avoid female clothing in general
• V neck shirts often accentuate a more masculine neckline
• Facial Hair
• Guys don't have peach fuzz, unless they have not gone through puberty yet
• If you have shave it
• Don't draw on facial hair
• Unless it is for a picture and make sure that it doesn't look awkward
• Packing
• Definition: Making it appear as if you have a package
• Look at magazines with male models (you won't get looked at if you look in a magazine rather than real life) see how it sits and you can use an actual packer, socks, lots of things...if you are going to the trouble of trying to look as though you have a package I would suggest not half assing it!
• Mr. Limpy
• There are a lot of websites that sell Mr. Limpy (a packer that just happened to be my first packer as well as many other FtMs first packer as well).  It comes in 4 different sizes and 3 different colors.  The one thing I will say...don't overcompensate.  I got the small (5 inches) and that is more than enough for me to get my point across.
• Mr. Limpy looks and feels fairly realistic and I do not have any complaints (at least not as of yet)
• If you wear loose fitting pants or long shirts packing is most certainly not a necessity.  Only wear one when you see fit.
• Extras
• Voice
• As of right now I am still working on this...so if you find a fool proof plan for someone with a relatively high / 12 year old sounding voice, let me know
• Bathroom use
• Stand to Pee (STP) devices
• There are many out there, some are just for use in the bathroom while others are packers as well...and then there are some used for peeing packing and "playing"
• Medicine spoon
• You can go to Walgreens or CVS (any store that has a pharmacy section) and get a medicine spoon.  You can either heat up and cut off the end, or if you have a grinder just grind off the end (that is what I did).  Either way be very careful and don't hurt yourself!
• There are also plenty of videos on youtube just type in STP do it yourself or STP comparisons...there are a lot more people out there far more knowledgable than I am.
• Other means
• There are plenty of cisgender (people who were born into the proper gender) men who sit down to pee.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, so if you don't want to worry about accidents at the beginning jst be confident and walk in to the bathroom pee (wash your hands) and get out.  
• Walking
• Sit out in a park or public place one day and just observe.  Don't copy one person's walk because it is not you and you are only stereotyping walking.  Try a couple of them out and then see what sort of mixture just becomes your walk.

Passing...fails and wins:

 As of right now I have not been able to find a better feeling then passing.  Passing just means that instead of people seeing me as a girl (which unfortunately physically I am) they see me as a guy.  Having people use proper pronouns puts this huge smile on my face.  With that havung been said I do want to get the point across that the people who have known me for years or even a little while before I cam out I am not expecting them to change their pronouns for me overnight...that would be rude, inconsiderate  and in my opinion quite douchey.  But when they make the effort it is duley noted and greatly appreciated.  So for the rest of this little piece when I am talking about passing and what not it is more directed to the general population that does not know me.

Physically speaking for me, passing has always been relatively easy.  I have walked in a masculine way practically my entire life.  Most of the things that were listed in other people's passing lists I had or have done for quite awhile so it wasn't really a shift.  So the physical comes fairly easily to me the voice is what always kills me.  I look a lot younger than I am (22) which sometimes helps because when people see me and I have a high-ish voice most people play it off as just a young voice.  The phone is what always kills me.  Where I work at least 60% of my job is talking on the phone.  There are those customers that don't say ma'am or sir and just give me the order.  They probably think I am a girl in their minds but by not saying I can pretend they don't.  Then there are the people who feel the need to say ma'am (unfortunately it is never sir) over and over and over again.  It is a limitation that I have and quite frankly it sucks!  The Testosterone will help with that but even in that case it will take a good 2 months before my voice is masculinized enough for conversations over the phone to go my way.

I guess what my major point is, is that there are a lot of people out there (gender nonconforming people in general) that just want to be seen as people rather than what they have or don't have in their pants.  There are people who don't see themselves as either gender.  Talk to them as a person and if you have a question ask them.  I would rather someone ask me if I am a boy or girl then just assume and end up calling me a girl.

More entries to come soon!  Thanks for reading...