Changes: little by little

[Billiejosehine]

Well during these past few weeks that I have been on my own; not only have I been going through the emotions as I wrote about in a previous post, but I been having more freedom to explore and be myself. I also have been buying myself more clothes and accessories to complete my look; trying not to go overboard. But that seems like a challenge since I find shopping fun. What's interesting is that before I never cared to go shopping and I used to get scared to go out shopping for women's clothes. At this point it seems so natural. On Friday I actually bought my self some shoes that are women's, but don't look overly feminine. And today after thinking about the whole week, I decided to get my ears pieced. As I am slowly changing my apprence little by little the next couple of things I am concise ring to do is get my eyebrows trimmed, dye my hair, and possibly a tatto (not sure about the tatto though).

[saratg99]

Sounds simular like me in my younger years. After meeting a few friends on line (if you ever do this), we were always helping each other achieve a more outworthy appearance. I to ended up getting my ears pierced, shaving my whole body, growing my hair out and trimming my eyebrows. We would go to thrift stores and try on outfits that would look cute at the clubs. I remember being so comfortable at who I was becoming that one day I needed a black bra for a new top I had purchased and walked into K-mart, went to the lingerie department, found my size and took it up to the register to pay. After I had done that, I thought how many guys go into a store and buy a bra and nothing else...still puts a smile on my face.

[Katey888]

It's good to hear you're not going overboard, Billie - would be easy to do and find yourself in deep water... :)

And while these are little things they all represent progress for you - and they contribute to making you feel better about yourself, so they are not trivial in that sense! :cheer:

I agree about the tattoo - think carefully as they are a little more permanent than eye shadow... :D

Katey x

[I Am Paula]

I did it similarly, while still presenting male, I pushed the boundries. Getting my ears pierced was liberating, it felt like I was making changes to my body, which it needed, no matter how small. It's also great to get comfortable with all things female, just be used to buying, trying on... what this stuff does.
My vote goes for no tattoo. Tacky.

[Shy_Confusion]

A lot of what you're saying is the same as what's going through my mind right now. You're not alone.

I'm only going to speak on the tattoo, though.
Be careful on the tattoo. Make sure you know what you want and make sure it's something you'll always want. I'd say give it time to formulate fully in your head instead of settling for "close enough". Trust me. You'll regret it otherwise.
Spend the money and go to an accomplished artist at a reputable shop. If you're not sure, ask around. Tattooed folks are always happy to point you in the right direction. If you're on a budget (like so many of us) you can wait until next January and even reputable shops will run a pretty decent discount because they are so slow. Hope this helped.

[Beverley Sims]

Billie,Advance with your changes slowly.
I would advise against a tattoo it is not an easily reversible step.
You can always try transfers.