All women need to perfect their look and transgender women are no exception. We need to figure out the clothes that best suit our bodies, the hairstyle and the makeup which will bring out the best in our features.
For me that has meant simplifying my base wardrobe with mostly solid colour tops and using accessories like scarves, jewelry and cardigans to switch up my looks. It makes choosing what to wear so much easier for those of us who aren't really clothe horses to begin with. Yes, I want to feel feminine but comfortable which also means wearing shoes I can spend hours in although admittedly I have one pair of killer heels I reserve for that event I might one day attend.
There's a lot more to me than what I wear so I don't want that to be a distraction. Hence this summer I will be often sticking with a simple T-shirt, shorts and ballet flats.
It's funny; the more I have felt comfortable with my being trans the more that has meant focusing on the internals rather than the externals.
For me that has meant simplifying my base wardrobe with mostly solid colour tops and using accessories like scarves, jewelry and cardigans to switch up my looks. It makes choosing what to wear so much easier for those of us who aren't really clothe horses to begin with. Yes, I want to feel feminine but comfortable which also means wearing shoes I can spend hours in although admittedly I have one pair of killer heels I reserve for that event I might one day attend.
There's a lot more to me than what I wear so I don't want that to be a distraction. Hence this summer I will be often sticking with a simple T-shirt, shorts and ballet flats.
It's funny; the more I have felt comfortable with my being trans the more that has meant focusing on the internals rather than the externals.
I realize I come from the perspective of having physically transitioned more than two decades ago (good grief, that just became true not long ago), still only being in my 40s, and as someone who couldn't pass for male if I tried, but I've never been a fashion-focused person. Sure, I make sure to find clothes that flatter the contours of my body when I'm in professional mode (and admittedly, that's easier for me than other trans women), but on my own, the focus on internals has been around a long time.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, ultimately, it's pretty awesome! That you're focused on that! It's about being comfortable subjectively first and foremost. Objectively we manifest that comfort. I'm fine in T-shit and jeans most of the time, and don't much care if I don't wear makeup just to meander around the neighborhood. And yes, I qualify this again that I can more easily slip into this mode than many of my trans sisters. But we can all get there.
Thank you for this blog. For showing how introspection can be done, even later in life. True, it's getting easier and easier for younger generations of trans people, but we should all know that the focus is on the internals, on our comfort with manifesting our internal SELVES, however that's done.
and as always thank you for your ever insightful commentary Caryn.
DeleteI know I'm lucky that I can pass because lots of trans women my age even with help from hormones often cannot. This gives me more options to work with but I have found that I settle into myself I am noticing its less and less about clothing and just about being comfortable with yourself no matter what one wears :)