How to not look so much like a guy or a tranny

[Valerie Nova]

I figured I'd offer some tips for girls here who want to actually look like girls. This is stuff I've learned through trial and error and I'm sure someone here might get something from it. Some of this might be common knowledge,
Posing
Now, being a guy without a corset (yet!) I have no curves whatsoever. If I just stand facing the camera you could draw a straight line down my side. But that doesn't mean I can't fake curves for the camera! Try practicing this in a mirror: have your side face the camera to give the illusion of a skinny waist, but then above your waist, turn torward the camera. Not completely, but enough so your shoulders are angled about 45 degrees from the mirror/camera. This makes your shoulders seem less broad and makes your boobs stick out. Then move your legs apart to give the illusion of hips. It looks nice to have one foot facing the camera and the other pointing to the side, so you can see the shoes better. Also, suck in your gut when the camera flashes! :)

Clothes
It's kind of important that your clothes match. It can be hard to figure out what matches sometimes, but the main point is that they should be similar styles. Pick a look, for example, hipster chick, college student, businesswoman, etc., then try and choose clothes that that type of girl would wear. Some clothing works with many types of looks, for example, the purple blouse I'm wearing works with two totally different looks. I've found that skirt/blouse combos work best for me because they define the waist best. Plus, I have the skirt come up to my belly button which makes my legs look super long. I used to have an underbust corset, and I found that sewing little hooks on it so I could attach my bra to the top edge worked really well, since the bra hid the top edge of the corset and kept it from showing through clothes. As far as matching colors, typically earth tones go together, pastels go together, neutral colors go together, different shades of the same color go together, black goes with anything and makes it look more sophisticated, denim goes with anything and makes it look less sophisticated, but wearing all one color looks kinda weird. Making your top half a different color from your bottom half also looks cool, as long as the bottom half is a neutral color. Also, I've found that wearing dark colored blouses tend to minimize my broad shoulders. White blouses always make my shoulders stand out. Oh, also you should have your shoes match something else in your outfit, like your skirt or blouse. Additionally, there should be "balance" to your outfit. Your attention should be drawn to the whole outfit, not just one particularly lound piece. If any of your body parts are distinctly non-feminine, try and wear something that won't draw attention to that body part.

Shoes
I've learned that the more of my feet that shoes hide, the more feminine they look. My heel is ugly-looking and very masculine, so I always avoid sling-back shoes. And of course strappy sandals are a no-no, as they don't leave any of my big man-feet to the imagination. I prefer pumps, boots, and wedges for shoes, as these cover most of the ugly parts of my feet. Interestingly, peep-toe shoes actually look quite good on me even though my toes are none too pretty. But anyway, try and avoid shoes that no non-stripper girls would ever wear. You can look sexy without going over the top. Actually, that goes for everything else you wear too. As the Buddha said, moderation in everything.

Jewelry
Some bracelets, a necklace, a ring or two, and earrings, all go a long way toward a real-girl look. Of course, don't overdo it. If your ears aren't pierced and you don't have a metal allergy, I've found that metal rings from various sources can be cut through in a spot, then the ends smoothed, so they form a c-shaped spring that will clamp on your earlobe. This works well with thin metal bracelets to give you big hoop earrings.

Body Shaping
Corsets are the best by far for body shaping; although they restrict your motion quite a bit, they give you a nice, thin waist. An underbust corset works well, and you can attach your bra to the top edge of it so that the corset isn't quite as visible through your clothes. Add some hip and butt pads and fake boobs, and you'll have the body of a real woman, at least by appearances. In a pinch, you can use water balloons as fake breasts. This is also helpful if people go through your stuff sometimes, and you don't want them to find disembodied boobs. I'm using water balloons in my pictures. Oh, and never forget the benefits of losing weight. In general, the less you weigh, the hotter you can look as a woman!

Common Crossdressing Mistakes
It can be easy to spot a crossdresser, because many of them go way overboard in trying to make themselves look more feminine. If you're actually out doing stuff, don't wear clothes inappropriate for the situation, ie, a skirt and pantyhose when you're doing garden work. Also, a lot of crossdressers have a terrible fashion sense. If this includes you, get some help, here or otherwise! Also, like I said earlier, it's good to wear clothes that cover or minimize your more masculine features. Keep these tips in mind and hopefully it won't be as obvious you're crossdressing!

[Kathi Lake]

Thanks for the tips! Some good stuff, here.

:)

Kathi

[Christie ann]

Posing
Also, suck in your gut when the camera flashes! :)


I do that all the time anyway

[Melissa Jill]

The whole fashion sense thing and clothes matching, I can forsee that being what I struggle with most.
Any tips, or is it just something that comes with time?

[suzy1]

A lot of work and thought has gone into this thread.
I would say there is a lot of good advice here.
And it’s reflected in your pictures too.
Well done.

SUZY

[Lorileah]

Thanks for sharing your standards and ideas. In general agreeable, in total...well who is to say what is appropriate or not? My grandmother did gardening in skirts and dresses for 92 years. Still there are some thing some could use as a base

[sissystephanie]

I think I have all 3 of those skirts, and I do love them. Might have to get the top!LOL I have to admit I am very much like Joanne, as I dress to please myself and no one else. Since my wife passed away I have no one to do my wig and my makeup anymore. I am terrible with both items, so I don't even bother. I just dress and go out as a guy in feminine clothes. Those that don't like it don't have to look!!

[Jocelyn Quivers]

The whole fashion sense thing and clothes matching, I can forsee that being what I struggle with most.
Any tips, or is it just something that comes with time?

It will come with time. I've just recently gotten it through my head that it is a fashion no no, worthy of getting the wrath of the fashion police to wear open toe shoes with panythose. Finally after all of these years of proudly sporting that trend, I have decided to go against it.

Great tips, one additional one, with posing, is finding an angle that works well for your build. The reason I am seated in all of my pics is that while seated my girth is somewhat disguised and less apparent than when standing.

[MonicaTC]

Thank you for this posting, Vir. This is some good info for me.
Monica

[Karren H]

You forgot to mention "don't wear womens jeans". It a dead give away that your a crossdresser!! And I keep forgetting to suck in my gut when I walk by the security cameras in the mall! (And Women don't have guts, btw.. They have mid-riffs!! . )

[jacky83]

One mistake I find us with is overdressing. The more casual the more more we blend in.

[Michelle James]

It will come with time. I've just recently gotten it through my head that it is a fashion no no, worthy of getting the wrath of the fashion police to wear open toe shoes with panythose. Finally after all of these years of proudly sporting that trend, I have decided to go against it.

While I am against just about anything that keeps me from blending, I think the rule about no pantyhose with open toed shoes is ridiculous. I think this rule was made up by a group of GG pantyhose Nazis who wouldn't wear them no mater what. You know the type. A small issue like hose with sandals is nothing compared to the much bigger faux pas seen everywhere.

[Michelle James]

One mistake I find us with is overdressing. The more casual the more more we blend in.

Amen sister

[Michelle James]

You forgot to mention "don't wear womens jeans". It a dead give away that your a crossdresser!!

Now you've gone too far!! LOL Another dead givaway is wearing a prom dress to the mall, but you can take away my jeans when you pry them from my cold dead fingers. LOL

[Katesback]

Well my friend Philis goes anywhere and fits in reasonably well. How is that. For one she tends to dress like most women (as said earlier). She also has confidence which is the real key. If you do not have the confidence your always going to stand out even if you were wearing a berka. LOL.

Katie

[ninapuella]

Thanks for the advice on jewelry. I havent been thinking of that yet. You look great in your photos.

[Karren H]

Now you've gone too far!! LOL Another dead givaway is wearing a prom dress to the mall, but you can take away my jeans when you pry them from my cold dead fingers. LOL

That wasn't a prom dress I was wearing... It was my casual gown!!! Lol.

[Michelle James]

That wasn't a prom dress I was wearing... It was my casual gown!!! Lol.

And tose weren't my jeans they were my Jeggings. LOL

[Lorileah]

One mistake I find us with is overdressing. The more casual the more more we blend in.

Little houses on the hillside little houses made of ticky tack and they look just the same. C'mon people if we wanted to blend in just wear what you wear now, Part of the fun is dressing up and being pretty and I love to be noticed.

The OP "rules" may work for posing and static photos but as Karren indicated we don't walk around sticking our butts out and sucking our stomachs in. Neither do GG's! And they don't all put their hand on their hips and bend at the waist or point one foot in front of the other. They don't walk like catwalk models.

There was a thread not long ago asking why CD's tend to pose in suggestive ways...this thread answers that question. Put your right foot in put your right foot out ...stick out that chest soldier, stand up straight shoulders slumped (because if you throw out your shoulders you look masculine) but do stick out your chest! Wait slump your shoulders and sick out your chest...doesn't that make you look like the crones in every fairytale? Girls don't put their hand on their hips with the fingers in front was one of the first things I was told in how to present...I rarely see women with their fingers in the small of their back unless they have a backache (from slumping and sticking out their chests at the same time no doubt).

Fashion is...well fashion. It is the statement a person makes by donning clothing that they like. If you follow someone else's "fashion advice" it isn't your fashion it is theirs and you are emulating it.

So, here is the deal (as I see it). Be yourself, have fun, wear what you like (within laws and local regulations), stick out that chest and be proud. If you want to blend wear drab clothes that no one will notice, but trust me when you start trying to follow the "rules" to fit in you will stick out.

[Jocelyn Quivers]

While I am against just about anything that keeps me from blending, I think the rule about no pantyhose with open toed shoes is ridiculous. I think this rule was made up by a group of GG pantyhose Nazis who wouldn't wear them no mater what. You know the type. A small issue like hose with sandals is nothing compared to the much bigger faux pas seen everywhere.

I know, it is a silly rule, I personally happen to like the look. I am just ashamed to say. I SOLD OUT!!! :devil: At this pace I will soon be going bare legged in all of my pics. :eek:

[cordgrass]

No, it is an EXCELLENT RULE! Kudos to you for following it.

I appreciate these tips--I'm learning how to photograph my SO and she wants to look as femme as possible in the pix--now I have tips on how to pose her.

[Bridget Fitzgerald]

As far as sucking in a gut, just do what women do, wear clothes that flatter your shape as best as possible (and fit) and go with it.

[Stephanie Anne]

oh sh*t I fail at crossdressing!

[Jorja]

Thank you, Vir Novum. There are some very good tips in there.

From past experience, if you want to blend in and dress like 99.9% of the GGs in this world, you need to take a trip to the mall. You will need a good book, a pen or pencil, note paper, and some coffee or something to drink. Find a comfy seat near one of the more frequently visited stores like J.C. Penny's or Marshall's. Whatever is in your town. Do not drool and make an a$$ of yourself. Just sit there and observe. See what girls and women near your age are wearing. I mean really, a 63 yr old grandma in a miniskirt, stripper shoes, and a tube top,,,, come on get real. I only know of 2 GG grandmas that could pull that off ;). Make notes then go shopping.


Edit: Always wear jeans when Karen is near!:D
If I had her address I would send her a pair.

[LitaKelley]

should add, make sure your boobs aren't too big.. The majority of GG out there don't have enormous torpedos. I disagree with the posing part entirely. Having been working with professional models for the last 17 years, I've not once ever seen any model posing in such a manner. Disregarding the fact I know you as a CD and also disregard the face blur and hair, I'd recognize the pose and photos right away as a CDer

[Valerie Nova]

Thanks for the advice on jewelry. I havent been thinking of that yet. You look great in your photos.
Thanks. :) I blurred the face out mostly because I just threw on the clothes and I know little about hair or makeup (yet!) so I didn't want to spoil the pictures with my guy face. ;)


I think I have all 3 of those skirts, and I do love them. Might have to get the top!LOL I have to admit I am very much like Joanne, as I dress to please myself and no one else. Since my wife passed away I have no one to do my wig and my makeup anymore. I am terrible with both items, so I don't even bother. I just dress and go out as a guy in feminine clothes. Those that don't like it don't have to look!!
Yes, I was thinking of that too. I don't dress to please anyone but myself either, but the tips were kinda in line with the title of the thread. So if you don't care about not looking like a guy, then you may not need any of these tips. ;) I just got a new purple blouse today that I love, it's a bit fancier than that one. Also, I found a skirt that I used to own at the Salvation Army. I wondered what happened to that skirt. I know it was mine too because I reinforced the waist. What are the odds? Yay, wednesday, half-price day at the Salvation Army!


A lot of work and thought has gone into this thread.
I would say there is a lot of good advice here.
And it’s reflected in your pictures too.
Well done.

SUZY
I should have posted a picture of me just facing the camera and not posing for comparison. Yikes! I took the picture, but I was in such a hurry to delete all the pictures off the camera card I forgot to pull that one off first.


should add, make sure your boobs aren't too big.. The majority of GG out there don't have enormous torpedos. I disagree with the posing part entirely. Having been working with professional models for the last 17 years, I've not once ever seen any model posing in such a manner. Disregarding the fact I know you as a CD and also disregard the face blur and hair, I'd recognize the pose and photos right away as a CDer
Well, it could be because this particular pose mitigates a lot of the problems CDers have with trying to look like women. I lost all my bodyshaping gear a few months ago and initially I didn't care that much, but now I'm getting back into rebuilding my CD gear collection and hopefully I'll have a new set of gear soon. With the corset and pads and real breast forms I look a lot more like a girl in virtually any pose, aside from the broad shoulders. But as long as I don't face the camera/mirror directly, my shoulders aren't that noticeable.

I was browsing the forums after my return following a long absence, and noticed a lot of people having trouble with stuff I'd figured out over time on my own, hence this thread.

[Michelle James]

Thank you, Vir Novum. There are some very good tips in there.

From past experience, if you want to blend in and dress like 99.9% of the GGs in this world, you need to take a trip to the mall. You will need a good book, a pen or pencil, note paper, and some coffee or something to drink. Find a comfy seat near one of the more frequently visited stores like J.C. Penny's or Marshall's. Whatever is in your town. Do not drool and make an a$$ of yourself. Just sit there and observe. See what girls and women near your age are wearing. I mean really, a 63 yr old grandma in a miniskirt, stripper shoes, and a tube top,,,, come on get real. I only know of 2 GG grandmas that could pull that off ;). Make notes then go shopping.


Edit: Always wear jeans when Karen is near!:D
If I had her address I would send her a pair.

I agree 100% especially about sending Karren a pair of jeans. Seriously though I did hours and hours and hours of the same kind of research. I took notes as well. I believe it is the best advice we could offer.

[Eva_nine]

a couple tips i have found that help me look my best:

V-necks help alot in disguising broad shoulders.

High heels are fun but GG's rarely wear them out of the house

Jewelry, it helps draw the eyes away from other flaws(thats why GG's wear it too but they are typically hiding slightly different flaws)

[OccasionalSkirt]

Thank you, Vir Novum. There are some very good tips in there.

From past experience, if you want to blend in and dress like 99.9% of the GGs in this world, you need to take a trip to the mall. You will need a good book, a pen or pencil, note paper, and some coffee or something to drink. Find a comfy seat near one of the more frequently visited stores like J.C. Penny's or Marshall's. Whatever is in your town. Do not drool and make an a$$ of yourself. Just sit there and observe. See what girls and women near your age are wearing. I mean really, a 63 yr old grandma in a miniskirt, stripper shoes, and a tube top,,,, come on get real. I only know of 2 GG grandmas that could pull that off ;). Make notes then go shopping.


Edit: Always wear jeans when Karen is near!:D
If I had her address I would send her a pair.

I was just at Target, and most women were wearing sweat pants and hoodies :(

[Ria]

That's great stuff... I always look like I'm going to a wedding or a club!

[Bethany_Anne_Fae]

Part of the fun is dressing up and being pretty and I love to be noticed.

And they don't all put their hand on their hips and bend at the waist or point one foot in front of the other. They don't walk like catwalk models.

Fashion is...well fashion. It is the statement a person makes by donning clothing that they like. If you follow someone else's "fashion advice" it isn't your fashion it is theirs and you are emulating it.
So, here is the deal (as I see it). Be yourself, have fun, wear what you like (within laws and local regulations), stick out that chest and be proud. If you want to blend wear drab clothes that no one will notice, but trust me when you start trying to follow the "rules" to fit in you will stick out.

Yes!! this is exactly how I look at things too. There can be no set "rules" for anything we do. Only guidelines becasue we can't all be put into the same category.

Zara

[Shayna2008]

You can never have enough of these informative threads!

Another important consideration is confidence. Walking through a store with a sense of purpose and objective is important. Looking scared and nervous can draw attention you don't want. Basically look like you've been doing this all your life! Easier said than done, but possible. Took me a while to build up the confidence but after a while the scare-factor fades and it becomes more fun/normal.

A quick tip I'd like to add is comfort. For example, don't buy shoes that are a size too small just because they're the closest size to what you wish was on the rack. If you're comfortable in properly sized clothing, the self-conscious factor goes down and you can enjoy yourself more and focus on other things like posture, etc.

[Sophie_C]

One thing I'd also add is to work on makeup in a way even beyond serious. Now, that is not the same as putting on a lot! I'm saying to work with professionals, a lot, over and over again, to get a VERY, VERY natural look. And, I am saying makeup professionals, since drag queens intentionally get it mistoned and over the top (the opposite of what you want). A handful of girls here have done it with talented GGs, so I do say it is possible.

Foundation should be natural. Eyeshadow should be not over the top, and especially working with what you are wearing, your age, where you are at and even the time of day. Each element should be worked on with a tremendous amount of artistry and precision.

If anything I've seen to pull off passibility it has been this:

- Being slim, but not too slim for a woman of your stature
- Padding, if your body needs it
- Incredibly subtle and flattering makeup
- Eyebrows that look within the typical female maintained range (but not too thin, either.)
- Your own real hair, or human hair wigs, done in a very natural and 'normal' feminine style, that being a style to also lays shadow over your (naturally more prominent) jawline and brow ridge (if necessary).
- The clothing tips stated in this thread.

Anyway, please keep this thread going! I wish there were more like this! :)

[t-girlxsophie]

You forgot to mention "don't wear womens jeans". It a dead give away that your a crossdresser!! And I keep forgetting to suck in my gut when I walk by the security cameras in the mall! (And Women don't have guts, btw.. They have mid-riffs!! . )

watch out Karren your new pic is leaving yourself open for criticism,the Jeans lovers will point to the fact your sporting a "baseball cap" albeit a pink one:heehee:

:hugs:Sophie

[spotlessMind]

Props for putting together a helpful thread, thanks!

[charlenesomeone]

There are still clip on earrings made, and a few department stores have them. Like the pose, but have to agree, be yourself. Be comfortable
and well, some just will not pass, but if you enjoy the clothes, ok. Try to look good, and as others have said, look your age and where you
are at.
Char

[Valerie Nova]

You can never have enough of these informative threads!

Another important consideration is confidence. Walking through a store with a sense of purpose and objective is important. Looking scared and nervous can draw attention you don't want. Basically look like you've been doing this all your life! Easier said than done, but possible. Took me a while to build up the confidence but after a while the scare-factor fades and it becomes more fun/normal.

A quick tip I'd like to add is comfort. For example, don't buy shoes that are a size too small just because they're the closest size to what you wish was on the rack. If you're comfortable in properly sized clothing, the self-conscious factor goes down and you can enjoy yourself more and focus on other things like posture, etc.
Yeah, I've definitely seen other CDers at the Salvation Army and I try not to look like them. I always act confident toward the cashier when I check out, and while I'm browsing the clothes I always just look intently at the clothes with a confused look on my face like I don't know what I'm doing. But confident! Definitely confident! I still like the self checkout at Wal-Mart though...

I've found that if I buy shoes a size too small, they usually stretch out a bit to where they fit nicely. Which is nice because there's a much bigger selection of 11s than 12s...


Yes!! this is exactly how I look at things too. There can be no set "rules" for anything we do. Only guidelines becasue we can't all be put into the same category.

Zara
Yeah, reading this thread, I've realized we all have different goals in our dressing. Some like the feel of wearing women's clothes, some want to pass in public, etc. I guess my goal is to be able to look in the mirror or at a picture of myself and think, wow, that chick is not half bad looking!


a couple tips i have found that help me look my best:

V-necks help alot in disguising broad shoulders.

High heels are fun but GG's rarely wear them out of the house

Jewelry, it helps draw the eyes away from other flaws(thats why GG's wear it too but they are typically hiding slightly different flaws)
I do like v-necks, especially with either the really short sleeves or the sleeves that come just past your elbows. I've never really identified why I like them, they just seem to look good on me. Maybe that's why. They tend to show a bit of chest hair though, so they usually take a bit of adjusting to minimize that. And I try not to buy anything with no sleeves, since then I'm guaranteed to show some armpit hair. :p


There are still clip on earrings made, and a few department stores have them. Like the pose, but have to agree, be yourself. Be comfortable
and well, some just will not pass, but if you enjoy the clothes, ok. Try to look good, and as others have said, look your age and where you
are at.
Char
I like hoop earrings though, and I've never really seen them as clip-ons. So I've been forced to make my own, once out of one of those sets of brain-teasers that's made out of wire shapes where you have to figure out how to disconnect the two parts. I was able to get three different sizes out of that set! :p


One thing I'd also add is to work on makeup in a way even beyond serious. Now, that is not the same as putting on a lot! I'm saying to work with professionals, a lot, over and over again, to get a VERY, VERY natural look. And, I am saying makeup professionals, since drag queens intentionally get it mistoned and over the top (the opposite of what you want). A handful of girls here have done it with talented GGs, so I do say it is possible.

Foundation should be natural. Eyeshadow should be not over the top, and especially working with what you are wearing, your age, where you are at and even the time of day. Each element should be worked on with a tremendous amount of artistry and precision.

If anything I've seen to pull off passibility it has been this:

- Being slim, but not too slim for a woman of your stature
- Padding, if your body needs it
- Incredibly subtle and flattering makeup
- Eyebrows that look within the typical female maintained range (but not too thin, either.)
- Your own real hair, or human hair wigs, done in a very natural and 'normal' feminine style, that being a style to also lays shadow over your (naturally more prominent) jawline and brow ridge (if necessary).
- The clothing tips stated in this thread.

Anyway, please keep this thread going! I wish there were more like this! :)
I haven't really gotten into using makeup yet. I suppose because putting on and taking off makeup requires the use of the bathroom and I've always lived with other people who I don't want to know about my hobby, not to mention I don't want to hog the bathroom while I'm experimenting. The few times I have tried, I've looked kinda like a teenage punk rock chick that hasn't gotten the hang of makeup yet. :p

My goals right now are first, get a good set of bodyshaping gear, second, lose some weight, third, figure out makeup, and fourth, get a wig that isn't from the Halloween store. Once I do that, I plan to go to one of those CD photo shoots, so I'll have some pictures of me while I'm still in my 20s and can actually look kinda hot as a chick. (I hope!)


Little houses on the hillside little houses made of ticky tack and they look just the same. C'mon people if we wanted to blend in just wear what you wear now, Part of the fun is dressing up and being pretty and I love to be noticed.

The OP "rules" may work for posing and static photos but as Karren indicated we don't walk around sticking our butts out and sucking our stomachs in. Neither do GG's! And they don't all put their hand on their hips and bend at the waist or point one foot in front of the other. They don't walk like catwalk models.
Actually, one of the reasons I looked kinda awkward in those pics is that I had 10 seconds on the self timer to make sure the camera is oriented right, run over to my place while wearing heels, and get in the right pose before it flashed! I usually had time to get my chest and hips right, but didn't pay as much attention to my feet, and just put my hands wherever they happened to be. I got better at it by the time I took pictures of my last outfit. (the one in my avatar) The others, my chest is sticking out too much relative to my butt. The picture in my avatar looks a bit more natural.


There was a thread not long ago asking why CD's tend to pose in suggestive ways...this thread answers that question. Put your right foot in put your right foot out ...stick out that chest soldier, stand up straight shoulders slumped (because if you throw out your shoulders you look masculine) but do stick out your chest! Wait slump your shoulders and sick out your chest...doesn't that make you look like the crones in every fairytale? Girls don't put their hand on their hips with the fingers in front was one of the first things I was told in how to present...I rarely see women with their fingers in the small of their back unless they have a backache (from slumping and sticking out their chests at the same time no doubt).
Again, I had maybe a fraction of a second to adjust where my hands were! But I'm impressed that you have enough attention to detail to notice that. But yeah, this pose was conceived as way to look good in a photo or in the mirror, not like I'd go around like that all the time. ;)

I also noticed that the camera is too high. It was maybe a foot above my head, because that was an easy place to mount the tripod. But it makes my feet and legs look funny and probably makes me look shorter. Se the table next to me to get an idea of the angle that picture was taken at.


Fashion is...well fashion. It is the statement a person makes by donning clothing that they like. If you follow someone else's "fashion advice" it isn't your fashion it is theirs and you are emulating it.
In that light, I suppose my advice still holds that when picking out clothes, you should pick a "look" and try and make sure all your clothes fit that look. Of course, "drag queen" is a look too!

[Valerie Nova]

I just had another thought. Quick, do an impression of a teenage girl going clothes shopping. "Oooh! I got this really cute top that matches that skirt I got on sale last week! And there was a two for one sale, so I found another one that goes with those pink and black shoes I have! I had to get those shoes because I looooooved them, even though they didn't really go with anything I own! But now I have two new outfits I can wear!"

See, most guys don't get the constant obsession with "matching" and "outfits". (in this sense, sets of clothes that go especially well together) But really, I think part of being more feminine also involves thinking like women or at least understanding how they think, in this case on the subject of fashion. It doesn't come naturally to many of us, or even many GGs for that matter, but it can be learned. However, GGs without as much fashion sense are forced to learn the hard way in high school, by the subtle ridicule of their peers when they make mistakes. Eventually, virtually every GG learns at least the basics of fashion. Most CDers are never exposed to those social pressures though. Any thoughts on this?

[Lorileah]

Actually, one of the reasons I looked kinda awkward in those pics is that I had 10 seconds on the self timer to make sure the camera is oriented right, run over to my place while wearing heels, and get in the right pose before it flashed!

Been there done that deleted 100 pictures to get one almost good one ;)

[Carly D.]

I kinda hate open toed shoes as well.. My toes are such hampsters.. I mean they just look out of place in most open toed shoes.. If I wear tights then the little guys look like they belong there but otherwise who let the vermin out?? You know?? I really have gotten to where pumps are my favorite shoes and for me, I'm at the six foot mark, and wearing high heels is a no no for women of my height but my excuse for wearing high heels is I'm not woman so that rule doesn't apply to me. Of course I rarely go out so..

[Valerie Nova]

Been there done that deleted 100 pictures to get one almost good one ;)
Funny, the experiences members here have in common! :D


I kinda hate open toed shoes as well.. My toes are such hampsters.. I mean they just look out of place in most open toed shoes.. If I wear tights then the little guys look like they belong there but otherwise who let the vermin out?? You know?? I really have gotten to where pumps are my favorite shoes and for me, I'm at the six foot mark, and wearing high heels is a no no for women of my height but my excuse for wearing high heels is I'm not woman so that rule doesn't apply to me. Of course I rarely go out so..
I suppose if all proportions are larger, from a ways away people may not be able to realize how tall you are. The same holds for photos, thankfully. :)

I've always been incredibly fond of high-heeled boots. It's my favorite part of winter! Come the first cold weather, I can barely watch where I'm going between checking out all the girls in their high-heeled boots. Fortunately, these are quite conducive to CDing.

The best CD clothes leave a fair amount to the imagination, and make people imagine that things are there that aren't, or that things aren't there that are. ;)

The image of me in the mirror wearing a stretchy dress with no bodyshaping gear is still burned into my mind no matter how many times I try to get rid of it! Thankfully, that was an easy lesson learned.

[TGMarla]

Also, suck in your gut when the camera flashes! :)

Yeah that!

And then there's this:


Part of the fun is dressing up and being pretty and I love to be noticed.

Yeah that, too. Women should take a clue from crossdressers. Dressing up is way pretty, and people like "way pretty". Girls should do "way pretty" more often. And I like doing the "way pretty" thing as much as I'm able to be way pretty. Give or take a few "ways". :battingeyelashes:

I'd steer clear of water balloons, sis. Better to just get some pantyhose, clip off the ends, and fill 'em with rice or birdseed. If you can't afford, or can't explain a set of falsies, that's the way to go. They don't jiggle so much (unless you're into that), and they don't leak or puncture. :eek: And they'll last a good long time.

[Valerie Nova]

I'd steer clear of water balloons, sis. Better to just get some pantyhose, clip off the ends, and fill 'em with rice or birdseed. If you can't afford, or can't explain a set of falsies, that's the way to go. They don't jiggle so much (unless you're into that), and they don't leak or puncture. :eek: And they'll last a good long time.
Not a bad idea. I haven't had any problems with the balloons popping, since I use the 12-inch ones and just fill them up to the size of boobs, so you can step on them with heels and they won't break. The only problem I've had is when it's cold wherever I was keeping them they don't feel nice at all against the skin! I like that they're bouncy and squishy but that's not something I'd mind giving up.

[Denise69]

I concur with guyz aren't taught fashion and matching. Scarily enough, I learned under the guise of spending time with my daughters, "What not to wear" on TLC. To the point that my GG SO asks me for advice.

[JustineFallow]

Virtually every femme photo of me uses the 45-degree shoulder trick because it's absolutely necessary!

[Celeste]

Super tips,especially the ones about color.Everyone is so different,but for me staying away from things that are to light really keeps the body looking trim.I keep all my old pics that didn't work and review them in order to find the mistakes,almost all of the bads ones were bad because my colors were wrong,to loud or not right for my complexion.I believe its ok to stretch the boundaries a bit but keep it within reason.And the jeans thing,omg there are so many different styles,they can look good,its just a matter of searching hard enough to find your best style and fit.