Man hands

[Amie Marie]

Ok girls I need everybody's opinion. I am working up to when I'm able to get my picture taken. Im trying to be objective about everything and one problem I have is my hands, they are man hands. What is the best thing to do, hide them, leave them alone, or do I get some jewelry like rings to put on? I need an opinion. Who am I kidding I want a ton of opinions.

[Beverley Sims]

You can always hide one behind your back and hold a purse with the other.
Do not spread them out in front of you in full view.

[Marleena]

I can relate to this one. I took a set of pictures with my hands on my knees and I was shocked to see they looked like baseball mitts. So lesson learned never camera focus with your hands in front of you. I was so freaked I had to compare my hands with my wife's palm to palm. Hers were the same size and she's an inch shorter than me at 5'8".

Couple ideas, longer pointed nails with a light color, not bright polish on them to make the fingers look more slender. Women's watch or bracelets to move the eye away from hands. If you have hairy hands and go out definitely get rid of the hair.

[Amie Marie]

"I can relate to this one. I took a set of pictures with my hands on my knees and I was shocked to see they looked like baseball mitts."



After being honest with myself I was thinking the catchers mit. I have a nice bracelet and was trying to think about how I should do my nails.

[Ressie]

Of course, cupping hands is a usual technique for CDs, but sometimes it's a good idea to keep them out of photos. Behind the back works well. lol

[RonniCD]

Baseball mitts! LOL.....Hands are a problem for me-they're huge. In addition to the tips offered, I keep them with at least a soft curl of the fingers and a slight cup of the palm. I also try to show only the side views, like on edge. There is only so much you can do to minimize th.em

[~Joanne~]

Fortunately, I don't have this problem with my hands or my feet. They both look like the average GG's so I am told. Marleena gave some of the best tips, especially the removal of the hair. That is probably the biggest tell tale when it comes to the hands.

[kimdl93]

Just ignore them...but don't palm a basketball in your pics.

[Amie Marie]

Just ignore them...but don't palm a basketball in your pics.

That gives me a great idea! Picture next to a basketball player while he palms a ball. Instant petite, problem solved.

[Amie Marie]

Fortunately, I don't have this problem with my hands or my feet. They both look like the average GG's so I am told. Marleena gave some of the best tips, especially the removal of the hair. That is probably the biggest tell tale when it comes to the hands.

Ok miss Joanne, enough bragging. You are gonna make us bigger girls jealous and cry.

[stephNE]

Hi Amie, remember that things closer to the camera tend to look bigger, so sitting with hands on knees would not be good. I try to cup them with fingers into the palms.
PS love your stockings in the avatar!

[Emma Beth]

I was reading in a book I checked out from the library that if you paint your nails, leave a wider gap from the varnish and the sides of your finger nails and it will create the illusion of longer more willowy fingers.

:hugs: Hugs :hugs:,
Jamie

[~Joanne~]

Ok miss Joanne, enough bragging. You are gonna make us bigger girls jealous and cry.

Sorry, Believe me, I am not trying to ;)

[Angela Campbell]

Yes, long fingernails helps a lot.

[Barbara_Jean]

I am a "Plus Size" girl too, and something a GG Friend of mine told me, Girls come in All Sizes! She told me that just before meeting Barbara for the first time. After she said that, I started looking at girls I saw out and about and you know what? She was Right! I saw a LOT of girls out there that are WAY Bigger than I am! So, don't worry a lot about how big you are in any area, just look around and you will see other women out there just as big or bigger!
One thing you can do to make you hands look a little smaller and more feminine is to wear a larger size Bracelet. That will draw attention away from your hands so much. Also a nice set of nails helps them to look Femnine! Don't make them too long though, you don't want to look "Gaudy".
Hope this helps
Barbara

[susan54]

I have quite large but otherwise elegant hands, with some dark hair on the back of them. I have been told by GGs that this is the only way they were sure I was male. This doesn't bother me but if you are trying to pass try something I do as a way to look elegant. Wear high quality close-fitting leather gloves in the same colour as your jacket or coat. It is sometimes possible to buy these in a standard shop but you may have to go to Long Tall Sally, who only sell them some of the time. Obviously this won't work anywhere you would look odd in gloves, such as eating in a restaurant.

[mikiSJ]

Never use a short focus lens when doing portraits; it makes everything (hands) in the foreground look huge. The best lens for portraiture is an 85mm f/2 or better lens for a shallow depth of field, but since most of the girls here don't have this type of lens, keep the focus on the face and hide the "baseball mitts" behind something.

[DeeArel]

Longer nails and slender painting of nails will help. I also use wide bracelets and multiple rings. At lease one oversized ring on each hand also helps.

You will need to experiment to find the right combination for you.

[Amie Marie]

PS love your stockings in the avatar!

Thank you Steph, I bought them at the local walmart believe it or not.

Thank you everyone for your help, I feel one step closer to maybe pulling this off.
:cheer:

[AllieSF]

Unless you cut them off you are stuck with the hands that you have. As others may have said already, keep the nails clean, let them grow out a little, maybe a clear polish, some jewelry and in pics, just hide them. Now for some humor is this serious subject, even women can sometimes have "man hands". Look at this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSL4cmFW_GU

[Jilmac]

In standing pictures, your hands may be less obvious if you do a profile or semi profile as opposed to full frontal. In sitting poses try to avoid hands on the lap in an open or flat position. Finger rings, bracelets, and a good set of glue on nails will do wonders for man hands.

[Marleena]

Now for some humor is this serious subject, even women can sometimes have "man hands". Look at this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSL4cmFW_GU

Lol...Great clip Allie!:)

[Loni]

i have a big problem with my hands, as they are large and now with my friend mr arthritis they are also a bit swollen.
smallest ring size (pinky) is a 10.

but you can try long fingernails. and rings. items to make the viewer not look at the fingers works. curling up the fingers only makes them look like tree stumps.

.

[Chickhe]

For a portrait, the photographer can use some photo retouching to slim them down. What you can do though is try to make everything around them proportionately larger also...large nails etc. so they don't stand out. One thing that really helps is to remove all hair on your hands. Otherwise, just turn them sideways, hide them behind something else or just don't worry about them. Many woman have huge hands.

[Paula_56]

Ok girls I need everybody's opinion. I am working up to when I'm able to get my picture taken. Im trying to be objective about everything and one problem I have is my hands, they are man hands. What is the best thing to do, hide them, leave them alone, or do I get some jewelry like rings to put on? I ask my gg friend that's going to help but I want a second opinion. Who am I kidding I want a ton of opinions.

The biggest issue is hair, if you are out of the closet and have a supporting spouse you have probably already waxed or shaved your hands and arms. But like many of us this is not an option for me. I have always been disgusted by the hair on my hands and arms. Over the last year I have been slowly trimming it back. I use an at home hair cutting kit to thin out my arm hair. The ¼ inch attachment when run thru your arm hair brings it down to a nice level. I shave my fingers and parts of my hands and then leave just a bit. I then use a little bit of Sun-In, this is a product used to lighten hair when in the summer sun. This will lighten up what’s left. In the winter you can use a hair dryer with the Sun-In.

Next, if you want be a girl, or look like a girl start acting like one! Take care of those hands, buy some really good hand cream and keep it at your desk. Wear gloves when doing your manly activities, raking leaves, changing the oil or roofing.

Let’s talk about those nails. I keep my nails a tiny bit long, about a 1/8 of an inch of white at the tips. When I am on the road for work and planning a day out I’ll go to any local nail shop. I usually go the night before my outing endrab and get a French manicure. The French manicure features white tips that are accentuated by a natural looking base. The nail technicians are typically delighted and fascinated by me. I tell them I am going to a party dressed as a woman and they usually think this is so cool, and asked a bunch of questions. Once again this provides a great opportunity for outreach and education. Never has there been a negative or cold reception. The cost is about $20.00 with a gratuity. Now the trick with this manicure and how it helps us camouflage our larger hands is by having the white tips run a little deeper inward. Normally women have a ½ inch of nail tip that is polished white. Instead we have a ¼ inch of white polish but it doesn’t extend out past the edge of the finger. This creates the illusion of a longer nail and thus shorter fingers.

I understand that going to a nail salon might not be in the comfort zone of many girls. Another great option that produces fantastic results are Broadway press-on nails, get the short ones and you will get almost the same effect. I am wearing them in this picture. The only place I can find the press on nails is at CVS stores. I wait until there is a two for one sale and stock up.
Finally how we move, hold, and gesture with our hands send gender cues. I have seen beautiful transgender women who use masculine hand gestures that make them look out of place.
Here is an amazingly simple trick that I was saving for last. Here’s how we make our hands 30 to 40% smaller. Place you hands flat on the table in front of you. Then take your thumb and place it between your pinky and ring finger. See the difference? Now, add a faux engagement ring on one hand, a birthstone ring on the other, a gold watch on one wrist and some type of bracelet on the other, this teamed with your manicure and hand care what a huge difference! A rule of thumb (pun intended) when observing feminine body language is that women tend to make themselves smaller. For example women hold their arms closer to their bodies and cross their legs. Men hold their arms away from their bodies and keep their legs open. You’ll notice women keep their hands cupped or have their fingers curled inward while holding their hands idle. Women also tend to keep their hands above their waist. Another typically feminine hand gesture is self annunciation. This is when a woman demurely touches her hand to her chest when speaking in the first person. “In my opinion I really think you need to speak to Karen about this.”

Become an observer of women find a mentor and notice her movements and gestures. Then practice and don’t be afraid to act feminine. When I first started going out in public I was hesitant to act feminine, then it dawned on me. “You’re wearing a dress idiot!” Of course I should act feminine. Observe yourself in front of a mirror as you would when rehearsing lines in play. Learn the part and then it will become natural.
One thing I have noticed about transgendered women, the girls who look good work at their femme presentation. I’ve covered some of the things you can do to improve the look of your hands. Being a pretty girl takes time, dedication and effort. It’s not an impossible dream, you will take small steps that add up and someday you’ll be out in public and receive an unsolicited complement.

[AmandaBlack]

Kind of off topic but this reminds me of a friend of ours, very attractive 43 y/o Italian woman, aerobics/fitness instructor, very feminine and sexy...but has hands like a guy! If I didn't know her personally I'd think it was a CDer just by hands alone...she is so funny about it too though.

[Brittany CD]

Don't worry about it, many women have larger hands. It won't give you away

[Stephanie47]

Since the issue is picture taking, the obvious is to keep them out of sight. There are alluring poses with hands behind one's back or turned to one side. If you're wearing a nice sleeveless or short sleeve dress, you can clasps the hands in front out you with a shawl over the hands. When sitting crossing the legs at the knees would produce a 'well' that you can place the hands into. That should result with the hands below the visual sight line of the knees. A pouty look with hands across the chest with figures and hands placed under the armpits with a hip thrown out. Sort of the classic look of a wife saying, "Where the hell have you been in that dress all night??"

[docrobbysherry]

What? 2nd page of posts and no one has recommended gloves? I have the ugliest man hands on the planet! And, I've been hiding them when I go out and in photos with gloves for countless years!

Black gloves will make your hands look smaller and go with most outfits, too. Of course, I have a zillion pairs. So I can match them with any outfit.

Quick and easy. Beats the heck out of spending hours soaking, moisturizing, putting on nails, painting, and taking off nails again!

[Jaymees22]

Hi, Gloves sounds like a great idea and very glamorous. I like to wear longer sleeves that partially cover my hands that seems to help...Jaymee

[susan54]

Hey - I recommended gloves!

[Amie Marie]

So many great suggestions, thank you everyone for them. I have already started experimenting with a lot of them and have a few more to go to find out which is the best for me. BIG HUG to everyone for the help, Amie Marie. :kiss: