Total femme preparation time?

[Jay Cee]

Someone here posted how they don't like how much time it takes to put makeup on. That got me thinking: How much time does the average crossdresser spend making themself look beautiful? I'm not only thinking of makeup, but hair removal, looking after clothes, shopping, hair (or wig) care, etc. In other words, how much more time do you spend now, as compared to before you started crossdressing, on your general appearance?

I'm staggered by the hours I have spent looking at clothes - in the past month, I've spent more time on Jessie than I would spend in the average year on my male alter ego. Wig shopping took almost a full afternoon. I haven't really scratched the surface as far as makeup is concerned, but I know that will be many more hours yet.

The experience has certainly helped me to understand a woman's time (and money) expenditures that much more.

[Patty B.]

With the amount of shopping I've done with my wife this past year, I now fully understand why she's taken so much time, shopping, dressing etc. It takes quite a lot of time to shop for clothes that will fit and look right, and sometimes time trying to find something to wear out of your closet isn't easy. Hair makeup, nails all in all it takes quite a lot of time to look good. It certainly isn't easy being a woman or trying to look your best.

[Danni Bear]

Jcameron,

I can't speak for how long for a cd'er anymore. For a woman to spend a long time would take something out of the ordinary. We usually include it with our everyday shopping. Hair and other essentials are a part of our daily ritual, it is the same no matter your gender.

Danni

[Persephone]

Overall, everything can take some time, but look at it as an investment rather than an expenditure. After all, you are doing it for you.

[Phyliss]

Total time spent in prep,... difficult to say.
1. at least and hour every two weeks for finger nails, this can be amortized into minutes per dress up time.
2. full body wax every 9 weeks, again can be figured in as a per dress up time number
3. clothing purchases and time spent here become an investment in "ready access"
4. wigs can also be though of as "on hand" inventory of durable goods, as well as shoes.

Having spent the multi many hours acquiring the "basic material" and the expendables, ie, makeup, hair spray, perfume, hose, you have a "supply" of building material.
Then there is the on going time spent perfecting our craft.

I can't begin to figure "total prep time" .... I do know that it results in a case like yesterday. Not counting my "after work out" shower. I took about one hour from start to finish and out the door for a day with two friends. "Passed" all day with proper pronouns from waitress, and parking lot attendant, plus some poor half blind (I guess) old fella who smiled and winked at us.

[Deanna2]

Time spent shopping is not like real time. It's like being in heaven where there is no time.

As for time spent in dressing, it depends. If I'm doing wig, makeup, etc it can take quite a while. If I'm just wearing a cami, skirt and heels (as I do most days), it takes all of about 10 seconds.

[AKAMichelle]

The only difference to me is about 15 minutes per week spent shaving my body and about 20 minutes extra each time I go out on hair. the hair didn't become an issue until I started using my own hair. Makeup has become about 15 minutes each time as well. Shopping is just one of those everyday things that you must do. Yes it takes longer for a woman but it becomes just part of the process. You learn over time to go faster as you are getting ready. Not to mention a little practice which also helps.

I just don't even think about my time getting ready because I enjoy the process too much.

[victoriamwilliams1]

For me it depends on how I feel for that day. I have been known to change my mind on an outfit based on how I feel and what it feels like outside. Also other factors such as time of day and the day of the week. Nothing draws attention like a ball gown at 7am!

[jenna_woods]

Well for me with makeup, nails, and fixing my hair, then I have to find something to wear! Has to be just the right thing for that day, most times this all takes a hour and a half, wen I used to be in male mode it was 10 minutes, at the most, it doesn'y make since but i do it every day.

[DoreenR]

When getting ready for a night out, it takes me about an hour from shaving to dressed, and that includes doing my nails. As far as the amount of time spent shopping, and beauty upkeep, that is fun time for me, I've never considered it anything else.

[docrobbysherry]

Time spent shopping is not like real time. It's like being in heaven where there is no time.

In fact, it is my belief that God doesn't COUNT shopping time. So, I think if we DIDN'T spend all that time shopping, we'd all die a lot earlier!

[Tina B.]

Not much more than the average woman does. And not nearly long enough to get tired of doing it!LOL But then I don't dislike the amount of time spent putting make up on, I find it a big part of the fun.
Tina B.

[Niki-]

It varies quite a bit. Anywhere from 40-90 minutes depending on whether I have to shower/shave, or decide to cover the brows or use my own.

[Sarah Doepner]

I don't know if I can do any reliable numbers on this. It's been so long now that I've been shopping for girl stuff whenever I go out that I don't remember what my shopping time was like before. I'm sure I've added at least a half an hour to every thrift store trip, probably more. I go to more different stores now than I ever did before and spend more time in the cosmetic section of any store that has one. My showers take longer now since I'm touching up my shaving on a daily basis and the after shower routine is longer than ever before. At least once a week I work for 45 minutes or an hour on my toe and finger nails. There is added time for the laundry, but not much.

The biggest time committment is still the process of bringing something new home and seeing how it works with everything else in the closet. And I guess I should add in the time I spend here on a daily basis and the time spent working on issues related to our local support group. I'd be doing some creative writing regardless, it's mostly crossdress related these days, but not always. I don't know if I should count that time or not, probably not.

I wouldn't be surprised to discover that crossdressing accounts for around 20% of my time during an average week whether or not I go out.

[Cheryl T]

Including shower and shave I've gotten down to about 40 minutes...I prefer to take the full hour and do things right...

["Mary"]

You all are good! It takes me between 90 mins and 2 hours.

[nikkijo]

pick out out fit... 5 min, makeup, 5 min, dress, 3 min, pick out shoes, 1 min, do hair, 10 min, walk out door get into truck, 1 min.

[suchacutie]

Maybe I'm interpreting this thread a bit differently, but I thought that the idea was not the prep time directly related to gender transition, but the time spent supporting the possibility of the gender transition. I hadn't really gone down this road, but now that I think about it, it is immense:

General hair removal: about 10 min per day.
Body pampering after shower each day: 20 min.
hand and toe nails: avg of 15 min every other day, so: 8 min per day.
maintaining feminine "stuff" (washing, general care): avg 5 min per day.
reading about various feminine issues (voice, makeup, this forum): 30 min per day
looking for and obtaining feminine apparal (clothes, shoes, makeup, etc): 15 min per day.
discussing Tina with my wife: avg at least 15 min per day.

That's an 1 and 3/4 hours per day, not counting actually BEING Tina!

omg...we must all be insane if we put that much effort into our tg selves. And yet, as I've said in a lot of posts here, my life is clearly better that it was 5 years ago, and it was pretty doggone good then! I'm in better physical shape, better emotional shape, and I know a lot better who I am.

It is an investment, and it's worth every minute!!

tina

[Tammy V]

If I am having a night out, hopefully I will already done all the shopping I need in advance. If I am going to wear open toe heels I will paint my toenails and thats like 30 minutes with drying time, another 20 or so if I paint my fingernails too. This year I discovered stick on nails, which I often use on my fingers now. Hopefully I have already done my eyebrows also, and I try to keep them trimmed and plucked anyway. Shaving and shower depends on when I last shaved everything, but I usually give it an hour (have never been a quickie shower person). Makeup still takes an hour and getting dressed and putting on hair will take about 30 minutes usually. I try to alot 3 hours to this whole process, and I also usually try to eat an early dinner between shower and makeup.

[charlie]

Hello JCameron?
The most time spent is putting together outfits. I love a well put together outfit. I used to wonder why my wife sat in front of the closet looking at things and not dressing......now I know! I love going out, and what I'm wearing is what will be seen. So the picture has to be perfect before it goes out. There is where lots of time is spent. Buying things is fast and easy. I know what I like and what would go with the shoes and dresses that I have. Makeup takes 45 minutes. Nails 30 minutes. Deciding what to wear takes forever!

[kimdl93]

I can't speak to making myself beautiful, but my morning makeup routine takes me a little more than 1/2 hour. The clothes are the easy part - I like to wear each item in my closet before repeating....that keeps me in a sequence for a couple of weeks...unless I change my mind and wear something else!

[tricia_uktv]

All my life?

[KatieV]

Forever. What a joy the preparation is. Never enough mirrors, never enough time! Changing outfits, taking pics, just enjoying being a girl.

[StephanieC]

I think there is "regular maintenance" and "finishing" work. I do a good chunk of my maintenance on the weekend which gives me a chance for think time. I decide my clothes the night before which gives me a chance to do any necessary ironing. For me, the "finish work" (makeup) is about 15 min unless I have to paint nails...that's extra. But I need to concentrate when I'm doing my makeup lest I go out with two eyes of different colors.

[Yolanda_Voils]

From 2 - 3/12 hrs total

Of course this includes changing outfits a half dozen times.

I used to wonder why my g/f's would change outfits like that.