Do you look nicer in male mode since you started dressing?

[ME2.0]

I was wondering if you changed your attitudes or appearance in male mode since you started dressing.

I was an average dresser who went too long between haircuts, just wore deodorant and washed up in the shower once a day. Shaved twice a week.

Now that I'm crossdressing, I'm shaving every other day. More timely haircuts, thinking about cologne. Looking into skin care products like moisturizers and exfoliators. Also, thinking about fancier male clothes (thinking about trading in the winter coat for a nice tan trench coat). Maybe spending so much time being Staci is rubbing off on my other half. I'm not thinking about being androgenous, or metrosexual, just seem to be paying a bit more attention than usual how I look around the clock, not just when I'm Staci.

I guess it's a positive thing. But was just wondering what you guys thought?

Staci

[Miss Maxine]

You bet. I never go out without makeup or well-groomed eyebrows. I've given up on pants, male footwear, and body hair, as well. My posture has improved from both my shoes and my feminine poise. Oh, and my skin is thanking me for using moisturizer. And...most importantly, all of this makes my girlfriend happier.

[Misti]

Do you look nicer in male mode since you started dressing?

Good question, Staci. I never have really liked my guy-mode; but since you have brought it up, I would say he's better off now for having Misti in there for, lo, these past 18 months, or so.

L&R
M. :love: (the guy-mode says, Hi, too! :devil:)

[Anna Lorree]

With regard to posture and general grooming, yes. With regard to clothes, nope. My male wardrobe is dull, utilitarian and blah.

Anna

[DanaR]

With regard to posture and general grooming, yes. With regard to clothes, nope. My male wardrobe is dull, utilitarian and blah.

Anna
This fairly well describes me too. My wife says that I could take some lessons from Dana. As a guy, I'm just not that interested in clothes (guy clothes).:D I do have a tendency to look at girl clothes though.:D

[noeleena]

Hi,

Depends on who answers this, you have to reilise , i ....hated ....totaly boy / male clothes, hated longs of any type so wore shorts pretty much for 54 years, I did not like how i looked ether.

Tho i have a friend one of many ....who ....said i would have looked a hansome man about 5 months ago. she knows im a woman so yes we can talk about my past well i do with many people , no probs there. yes i have a good number of pics . im not bothered with my male background as such just those bloody clothes, so youll get the idear those clothes & me did not get on.

As a side to this i did a lot of horse rideing had our own & i said to Jos why did i not shave my legs this would have been over 30 years ago becuse my leg hairs knoted up some thing shocking & Jos would not have said any thing or would have bothered her . just did not think to do it then. & we talked about this two days ago.

Oh yes clothes, well im far happyer in my womans clothes & i do dress nicely .

A male suit to me is a straight jacket & i never ever wore one ,& ties that was a noose around my neck..

so pretty much shorts socks & ether boots or nice shoes a tee & jumper when cold & did have a duffle coat that i liked so not very dressed up , of cause on the moter bikes & so on wore wet weather gear or a wind coat,
I tryed to keep away from male clothes as best i could, was not a true male to start with . any way im over that now.

Tho it was a struggle .oh yes i do have a pic of Jos & i on here some where in the pic place, & that shows what we looked like some years ago.

...noeleena...

[lady di]

yes yes yes i have even got him to wear pink & panties with a little make up................................................ .....di

[Karren H]

At work I've gotten the reputation of always over dressing for every occasion.. I wear a suit and tie even though my boss and our VP rarely do... And I'm always well groomed... On days I go to the mine and show up in casual attire and a ball cap... Nobody recognizes me. Lol.

[ReineD]

Now that I'm crossdressing, I'm shaving every other day. More timely haircuts, thinking about cologne. Looking into skin care products like moisturizers and exfoliators. Also, thinking about fancier male clothes (thinking about trading in the winter coat for a nice tan trench coat). Maybe spending so much time being Staci is rubbing off on my other half. I'm not thinking about being androgenous, or metrosexual, just seem to be paying a bit more attention than usual how I look around the clock, not just when I'm Staci.

This is so nice to hear!!! I'm sure your wife/girlfriend is also thrilled that you care about your male appearance. When you go out together, you can make her proud! :)

Usually threads like this are full of responses from CDers who take delight in spending as little time, effort, and money on male clothes, in favor of the femme clothes and presentation.

I once asked if the average CD's refusal to take pride in his male appearance was a form of rebellion or something. :p If memory serves, the bulk of the respondents explained that males don't usually care about these things, which doesn't at all jive with the men in my life. My sons, brother, father, ex, male friends, etc all care about their appearance, especially when they go out with women!

[LeaP]

My wife keeps me looking presentable when it comes to everyday male clothing, else I would walk around rumpled and threadbare. I just have never been able to make myself care about male clothing. Right now I have a made to measure suit suit that's been waiting for me to pick up at Brooks Brothers for weeks and I just don't care. Over time, with age, and progressively exploring deeper into dressing and gender identity, my attention to male clothing has only declined further, not gone in the other direction.

Grooming, skin care, brows, etc. are another thing entirely. I'm also on an aggressive weight loss push.

Lea




I once asked if the average CD's refusal to take pride in his male appearance was a form of rebellion or something.

Reine,

You posted your response a second before I did, I think, so I didn't see yours first.

Yes, it is a sort of rebellion for me. The male clothing is "not me" and I've always viewed it as pressure to conform.

Lea

[Cheryl T]

Not really. I'm still a jeans and t-shirt type. I shave daily no matter what so that hasn't changed (unless you count hating to shave more each day).
I do moisturize more, but haircuts are just as infrequent (no one sees it under my wig).

It's a uniform at work and casual at home...till this girl arrives, then who knows....LOL.

[Anna Lorree]

I once asked if the average CD's refusal to take pride in his male appearance was a form of rebellion or something. :p If memory serves, the bulk of the respondents explained that males don't usually care about these things, which doesn't at all jive with the men in my life. My sons, brother, father, ex, male friends, etc all care about their appearance, especially when they go out with women!

Reine,

For me it's not a matter of rebellion, rather it is that my male persona is not what I am exploring right now. I made my male persona my priority in my 20's (to the detriment of my feminine self), now I am learning to love my feminine self. I am exploring Anna in order to have balance between both sides of me. Because of that, I put my emphasis on my feminine appearance more often then not.

Another factor is that where I live, men just don't tend to dress formally. Wranglers, Carhartts and camo are far more common here than polo shirts and suits. As a CD, I learned to blend in as a male. Now, all of that said, yes I do own nice male clothes as well as feminine clothes. I just don't want to wear them as much as I want to wear my feminine clothes.

Anna

[Makina]

Yes

Crossdressing helped me to learn a lot about my tastes, my sensuality. It opened me to knew colors (clothes and make up), new odors and tastes(make up products, perfumes, wax, curling tongs, buble bath, mix of all), new feelings (pantyhose, earrings, clothes fabric, pulling hairs, long hair, walking with heels, applying cream), new sounds (earrings against the phone, feminine words like "sweetheart", "pretty").

I decided my tastes are not only linked to my feminity but directly linked to me. When my legs are cold I put on pantyhose, I always dreamed to have my hear pierced so they are pierced now. I love my long hair. I always loved pink so I wear pink male clothes sometimes. I cream my body, epilate myself, trim a little my eyebrows. It is what I feel good for me, in male and in female mode. And I find myseld nicer. And my wife finds me nicer, and happier.

[Marleena]

Not yet.:)

I'm your typical outdoors type in guy mode. Tshirts and jeans with stubble on the face, ball cap, but still clean. Marleena is due to break out soon (after the holidays) which requires clean shaven.

[suchacutie]

I clearly am more mindful of my presentation in both genders now that I have more than one gender to worry about :)

But, it's more than that:

I was at a routine physical about 4 years ago and the doc and I got to chatting about aging and he looked at me sternly and said, "fight it! If anyone can, you can!" I'm a scientist and he was challenging me to use what I know toward my longevity. What he didn't know was that it wasn't just the science that suddenly peeked my interest. As I was walking back to work I looked the older men that I ran into with much more intereset. Almost all of them were either slightly bent over as they walked, or had hair wildly growing out of everywhere!!! YUCK.

So that did it. Now I think of deportment in both genders. I use all of the skin anti-aging products I think are actually working for me. I moisturize everywhere every day (as does a famous center-fielder, or so he said in a recent interview!). I need to watch my diet to keep Tina's curves improving! I clearly don't want hair growing in bushels from everywhere!!!

GGs have worried about health and appearance for years, and it's time we took our cue from them! :)

tina

[Cynthia Anne]

I answer yes! Since I have been out so regular I take a lotta' pride in the way I look all the time!

[TGMarla]

I don't know. I've been dressing my whole adult life, so it's impossible to say. :battingeyelashes:

[KimberlyJane]

Accepting myself as dual gendered made me a happier and complete person, and it followed that I became proud of myself, no matter the mode. I have much better posture, better skin, less hair, and look ten years younger or more than my 50 years would suggest. (At least according to friends and family..) So yes, accepting Kimberly made Tim a better person, and I started to care how I looked more than I had for some 30+ years.

I also windsurf, both as Kimberly and as Tim, and I simply had to keep my body in better shape to feel comfortable at the beach. Of course living in Estonia for three years exposed me to the pedestrian environment there, and since people are out in public every day, they all strive to look better! The friends there helped me to select clothes that fit properly, and had style, for both Tim and Kimberly. I think it all comes down to self acceptance, once you accept yourself, you stand taller and want to look better.

Much love!
Kimberly

[Meg East]

Yup, I do a better job taking care of my skin, lotions, sun blocks etc.

[RenneB]

Oh yea, just like the others have said. I now take much better care of my body, shave, skin care, etc... Lost over 40 lbs and have just a better perspective on life. Having Renne come out to the world (not family though) has made a big impact on my male half... It's like this new world of fem, with it's own language and fashion....

Renne....

[dsmth]

Not sure if I look nicer or not (:)) but it definitely has affected my male mode. After I started crossdressing this year I became much more aware of clothing. It made me think much more creatively about clothing. I bought more varieties of clothing in colours I normally did not consider. I pushed my boundaries. I experimented in clothing as a guy like I'd never done before. So I think that crossdressing has had a positive influence in that regard.... and in many other ways besides! I think in a way I started dressing this year because late last year my SO complained that I had no sense of style in clothes... I was (inwardly) offended because I knew that I had it in me but realized at the time of her statement that I was suppressing myself! I would wear the same shirt/pants so often it would drive my SO to complain. Maybe she regrets that now!

[Jessica Who]

Excellent discussion!

Actually, I have always taken pride in my appearance and cared about male fashion. To me, there's more to it than shirts & jeans. Also, I've been moisturizing my face and waxing my eyebrows since high school. My father also takes pride in his appearance, though he is not cd.

I love looking my best no matter if I'm presenting as a guy or girl :)

[drag n fly]

At work I've gotten the reputation of always over dressing for every occasion.. I wear a suit and tie even though my boss and our VP rarely do... And I'm always well groomed... On days I go to the mine and show up in casual attire and a ball cap... Nobody recognizes me. Lol.
Karren...you look great in that avatar...soopah doopah smooches Jackie

I guess I don't have a real all male mode anymore..I'm always at least half female in dress.....Love it ... Jackie

[Brynn_A]

I guess really, that that boy in the corner dresses far worse. All his clothes come from goodwill and are replaced only when absolutely needed. Granted, he does have a better hair cut and shaves more often. Then, there are the omnipresnt earings and perfume. Oh dear, that poor, poor boy.

[christina s]

I have to admit dressing has been part of my motivation to get back into shape but besides that i don't think there has been much change in my male life

[miss jenny]

I think that because we try hard to blend in "en femme" mode that our male persona innevitably gets taken along for the ride as well.
It is not a jekyll/hyde clash but a blending of both and i think our dress sense in either mode benefit

[Joann Smith]

Over the past few years my male presentation has changed just a tiny bit ... I think.. Like for starters I changed my every day nail color from clear to light pink to now gold with a clear glitter top coat.. I have had all my facail hair zapped off. What little body hair I had got thin and then quit growing .. I have lost 25 pounds and gained 40 D breast...and I wear Estee Lauder purfume every day now .. And I have been arching my eyebrows and tightening the skin underneath my eyes with eyecream to remove some dark circles and even my skin tone so it looks more like i am wearing foundation.. The funny thing about it is that no one has paided it a whole lot of attention to any of it because I have done it SLOWLY...

[ReineD]

Yes, it is a sort of rebellion for me. The male clothing is "not me" and I've always viewed it as pressure to conform.


Thanks for your honesty, Lea. I can understand this attitude if someone is transsexual, or questioning whether or not they are TS.

But this is to everyone - I don't understand the not caring about male presentation from CDers who say they do identify male. If such a CDer is either young or doesn't go out much, and depending on the lifestyle, I suppose I can see not wanting to depart from wearing blue jeans and bang-around Tshirts or henleys. But, to those of you in relationships who do go out to restaurants, shows, etc where people dress a little nicer, is there any desire at all to present nicely even if it is for your SO?

I'll tell you something from my perspective. I like to dress for myself, this is true, but I also especially enjoy looking nice when I am out with my SO so that he can be proud of me. I would not dream of going out on a date in my regular, well-worn clothes that I wear every day (unless we were just going to the local diner or something). Not that I dress up to the nines when we go out locally, but I do try to look my best even if it is a casual evening, or at least better than I look when I'm just running to the store for milk. I dunno ... maybe women are socialized to be pleasing to the eye more than men are, but even when I see my sons get ready to take their girlfriends out, I note they take extra care with choosing their best available "look", shaving extra close, etc. And as they got older, away from the teenage years, their tastes in mens clothing matured too, to the point of appreciating a nice sweater, pants that are flattering, and shoes that are not sneakers.

Does any of this make sense to anyone here who doesn't take pride in their male appearance and who is not TS? Do you not want your wives or girlfriends to be proud of your appearance?

[Julia_in_Pa]

If I ever was to present as male I would be drop dead gorgeous.


Julia

[Missy]

I still look better in male mode then dress mode still shave once a week but oh I do like wearing bra and panties

[ArleneRaquel]

I believe that my presentation as a male is much better. Since going 24/7 Ive lost weight and I've groomed myself much better. Also I have a much better attitude about my looks since " Katrina Maureen " , now " Arlene " hasappeared on the scene.

[meri]

Yes, I am keeping myself better groomed, keeping my weight under control, wear a lot of sport jackets and kilts in guy mode. I don't like going out looking shabby anymore. Didn't used to bother me. My wife even commented about the change and appreciates the fact that I make an attempt to look better.

[Josie M]

I think I use Josie to help motivate me to take better care of my male self. Try to maintain good diet and exercise (desperately clinging to a size 14 ;) hoping to see size 12 again someday ). Better grooming, skin care, etc. Trying to find more creative ways to present the male half....

So yea, I guess there's some cross influence happening

[ReineD]

There are several of you all in a row who like to also look nice in guy mode. So ... I wonder if the CDers who hate looking nice as guys are, in fact, not all that happy about being guys? Even if it is subconscious?

[stephanieg]

I feel crossdressing got rid of my shyness and I am nicer to this day.My father agrees with me on this and says my life has changed.

[Barbara Dugan]

I would say that I look better as a guy sinced I started crossdressing, I watch my diet and my grooming habits have improved but I have to admit that really thin brows and moobs don't look so natural while on drab most of the time I wear a cap to minimize the attention of thin brows and I canot longer use tight shirts because the moobs show tru .

[ReineD]

But you know what people? (Those of you who say that you keep your bodies trimmer, and take better care of your skin in guy mode) ... do you do this out of pride of being a guy, or is it because you want to look cuter as a girl?

I'm asking the non-TSs or the non-questioningTSs here.

[Barbara Dugan]

But you know what people? (Those of you who say that you keep your bodies trimmer, and take better care of your skin in guy mode) ... do you do this out of pride of being a guy, or is it because you want to look cuter as a girl?

I'm asking the non-TSs or the non-questioningTSs here.

Definitely cuter as a girl

[Rachel Morley]

Do you look nicer in male mode since you started dressing?
I suppose so. I mean to say that now that I have had 13 sessions of laser facial hair removal I don't have the dirty or scruffy stubble beard growth anymore, plus my eyebrows are thinner and more nicely shaped, plus I apply hand cream often and my fingernails are nicely manicured.

[JavaJunkie]

Well considering i've been dressing for a looooooong time lol who knows? I mean I did go thru a phase of wearing nothing but baggy clothes with platinum blonde hair but that was mostly just because I was really self conscious of my body among other things. Considering I'm kinda doing the whole androgynous presentation full time I'm always well dressed but I guess that would be a matter of opinion now wouldn't it?

I do shave every day though just because I absolutely abhor body hair of any kind and keep up with mani/pedi's/eyebrows though I do most of it myself these days to save money. I would say though that my grooming habits have kept the wrinkles at bay...so far lol...and I've been told more than once I look nothing like my age. Genes...hygiene habits....who knows lol...just thank goodness I don't look older than what I am!

Just because you're presenting as a male doesn't mean you have to come across as a total slob. Even doing a little like finding or getting clothes tailored to fit you will probably a) give you more self confidence and b) catch the attentive eye of your SO.

[Josie M]

I do wish to look better as a girl, and "cuter" is great, but "passable" is the real goal. However, there are also times that I wish I could push boundaries in guy mode...at least try to be a little more creative in developing that look. There's a whole "corporate dress code" that carries implied limits.... Funny, a GG friend of mine was just remarking today about maybe the reason I dress if for the creative outlet....and that's at least partially true I think.

On the other hand, when I started a family of my own, I grew a beard and kept it for a while (much to my wife's chagrin ;) ). In that case, I was sub-consciously blocking Josie. Eventually, I came to understand that Josie is part of who I am blocking her is neither appropriate not healthy.


But you know what people? (Those of you who say that you keep your bodies trimmer, and take better care of your skin in guy mode) ... do you do this out of pride of being a guy, or is it because you want to look cuter as a girl?

I'm asking the non-TSs or the non-questioningTSs here.

[natalie james]

nope. still love super baggy clothes, and don't really take care of my hair, even tho i do wear it long. people describ my male style as the "stoner" look.

[Beth Mays]

Big Brown takes up 12 hours a day 5 days a week of my life. They are very explicit on what we can and can not wear if it can be seen ....if it shows .. black, white or brown.. . we can have our uniforms taylored to fit better but still only so much you can do. I could wear pantyhose to work if I so chose as long as it falls into the color code even a cami on place of a "T" but not pink.
I do shave every day (well most days) wear eye cream, smell as nice as I can and want to look as good as the job will allow.
So do I care more in GUY mode.. sure I do.

[Vanessa5]

I am going to say that I do take better care of my skin. Moisturize moisturize moisturize. My shaving has gone from maybe once a week to almost everyday.

When it comes to clothes- male stuff (icky yucky bleech) don't really care what happens to them. Stains, rips, and holes pretty normal for most my drab stuff. I would like a nice suit but that is another story. My enfemme clothes are always hung up and well taken care of. No rips and if anything spills I get to it right away. Always washed and pretty smelling. Lots o work but well worth it.

[zoe m]

Nope, not really. Now that I CD more I have even less time or energy to put into my male attire! Not that I ever really did. But I guess I do have more motivation to keep in shape now.

[SallyS]

I'm thinner! My skins softer and I take more care of myself as a man. But going into my 40's I knew I needed to take my health more seriously anyway:)

My female beauty products do have a positive affect on my male appearance (I think I look a few years younger?)

So my female side really does improve my male side in lots of ways:D

[Jolie Deen]

YES!

I get loads of compliments that I look good and youthfull for my age.

I guess keeping your skin well maintained, regular pruning, exercise, and eating well all pays off! :)

I love looking my best x

[jillleanne]

When not in femme mode, I rarely shave daily, and dress like crap really, probably because I haven't bought male clothing in over 3 years. I now detest shopping for my guy self and find it about as exciting as watching cheese age. I do however, stay epilated!!!

[Sophiewouldbenice]

Unfortunately not really, my face is too less contour without beard. But hey, the transparent improves also my male self :) and sometimes my longer hair.