How do you look?

[Kate Simmons]

How do you look en femme? How do you see yourself and how do you think others see you? No one ever says to a woman "You look like a woman" They say something like "You look nice, you look great, you look fantastic or You look beautiful." That being the case I'm not so concerned whether I look like a "woman" so much as if I look like one of those. I have been complimented with all of the above expressions at one time or another and that made me feel pretty good.So how do you feel you look when totally dolled up and have you had genuine compliments on it? :)

[Jaylyn]

I have never been out so can't answer anything but how I see myself. I think when I dress to please me sometimes my mood can take the dressing in a whole different direction than pretty, great, or beautiful. When I do want beautiful I take my time and make sure every part of makeup and clothing matches. Those are the times I feel like I've changed my age looks and emerged into more feminine mode.

[Lea]

Except for Halloween I have never been out.

I had one guy that finally got the nerve to come over and ask if I was a girl or a guy as the people at his table were debating.

[Jenniferathome]

First, I think I look really different when "transformed." Really I'm unrecognizable. It's a fascinating thing. I think I look close to a normal woman of my age but close is not enough for this test. I believe anyone seeing me for more than a passing glance sees a cross dresser or maybe more likely, a transsexual. My wife says I am a good looking "woman" but innumerable cues show me as a man.

Once, a lovely, slightly drunk, much older woman complimented me with a,"You look lovely." The unsaid caveat was "for a dude." She knew I was a cross dresser prior to the comment.

[Richelle]

Kate,

I feel that I look like any other middle aged woman when I am fully dressed as Richelle. I have received compliments on my outfits, but nothing like you look nice.

Richelle

[Lexi Moralas]

On the rare occasion I am able to get fully dolled up I feel like I look good , I a woman , I usually blend well enough until I have to speak. But I feel like I look good enough to go just about anywear with out a problem

[Annaliese]

I think I look better than in male mode, or I just feel better in fem mode. Either way feel good about my self, and are happier that I am not hiding so much, been out to my wife for a long time. Like today, make up on new girl boot cut jeans, underdress, bra and enhances. Life is good.

[Stephanie47]

Does walking down the street in a knee length red long sleeve sheath dress, red heels and a blond wig and getting a honk from a pickup truck and a hoot from the driver count? It was decades ago when I probably could pass for a six foot long legged blond. These days some Boy Scout would probably run up and help an old lady carry her groceries to the car!

[Julie Denier]

I know I don't pass and never will. It's good enough for me to create a respectful and classy femulation, and feel pretty in the process ;)

[Nadine Spirit]

I think anyone and everyone who gets a good look at me knows immediately that I am a guy. With that being said, my wife tells me that she is not so sure that everyone does. I told her, well of course everyone knows for a fact that I am wearing a wig. Again my wife says she is not so sure, that it is pretty hard to tell with my newest wig unless you are super close, and most people don't ever get close enough.

Complements? Yeah I get them all of the time. I used to think it was because people felt weird about being around a guy dressed as a woman, but nowadays I am not so sure anymore. I am beginning to relax and think they are actually genuine complements.

[Jennifer-GWN]

Do I look like a woman... I do as much as I can to perfect my feminine presentation and fall more in the girly girl space than tomboy knowing full well that I'm blessed with a genetically male body but I'm not willing to let that get in my way and hold me back (I did for far too long). Do I see myself as a woman... yes... and I pay far more attention to my appearance and presentation as a women compared to when presenting male.

So in the end I feel pretty and there are aspects when I look in the mirror that say both male and female depending on presentation and go about my day with as much confidence as possible and live my life as I continue forward.

cheers... Jennifer

[ChrissyW1]

Was a little down last week. The wife and I went out for a run with me en femme at night. There were a few people out in the neighborhood and she kind of freaked out to avoid them. She later told me that she'll just have to get over it and learn to accept being with a guy in drag, as I just can't pass. I mean, I'm tall, but I'd thought I was starting to approach blending..... =(

[Madilyn A.]

When I am dressed I believe I look pretty good for a mid 60's gal. My biggest giveaway is my height.

[Christie ann]

I always look better in my mind than anywhere else. The camera and mirror are always disagreeing with my idea of what I look like. My first wig looked like a young Rod Stewart...not the look I was going for. My make up skills rival most 8 year old girls but, I was complimented once on the dress I was wearing. No passing here, just taking advantage of how busy people are and how they really don't pay attention.

[jeank]

When I'm in drab, I'm not one to really spend time on my appearance - I dress for comfort first and foremost.

But when I'm in Jean mode, then I take a lot more care with how I look - even though so far it's only been at home and for me. I feel I look a lot better.

But to a third party I think I'd still look like a guy in a frock who's made an effort :heehee:

[kimdl93]

Yes, I've had a number of very nice compliments...ranging from you look nice to you look beautiful. That's certainly not how I see myself and I can't attest to the genuineness of any such compliments. I've never been a good mind reader.

[Adriana Moretti]

what girl dosent like a compliment? I perfer mine from real women though...those always make my day ....

[Renee Elise]

It feels amazing :). Especially when the comments come from genetic girls.

[Ally 2112]

i really do not go out and im single so i really do not know what others think .I do however try to look the best i can when dressing and do realise i most likely do not pass

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Kate, When I dress I always try to look as best that I can and I believe that I can pass without talking.:daydreaming:

[GretchenJ]

Once, a lovely, slightly drunk, much older woman complimented me with a,"You look lovely." The unsaid caveat was "for a dude." She knew I was a cross dresser prior to the comment.

Thats always been the thing with me. I have been complimented a couple of times, but as my pessimistic personality, that always sits in the back of my mind. Are they being sincere, are they appreciating the effort, are they trying to strike a conversation to hear me speak - which will confirm there assumptions.

Like Adriana mentioned, for some strange reason, I will take a complement from a woman as more sincere that that from a guy - maybe because I assume no alternative motive.

Weird?

[Janine cd]

When I was in my 50's and early 60's, I could have passed except for my height and broad shoulders. Now that I am in my mid-70's, I think it would be very unlikely.

[Angie G]

To me I look beautiful. To others I must look ugly. The only one who has really seen me is my wife. And I don't think she thinks I'n beautiful but never tells me that.:hugs:
Angie

[tia61]

My male cousin responded this weekend I look like a woman. Made my day! Whatever we look like it's how we feel about ourselves.

[Tracii G]

Yes I have heard compliments like that but few and far between.
One day when I felt I was having a so so make up day one lady in ULTA stopped me and said you look so wonderful I love the sweater dress you have on.
I thanked her and she stepped back realizing I was a guy( you know the look ) and said you look so pretty its amazing.
I was stunned to be honest because I didn't think I looked that good.
Made my day tho'.

[Jenniferathome]

Thats always been the thing with me. I have been complimented a couple of times, but as my pessimistic personality, that always sits in the back of my mind. Are they being sincere, are they appreciating the effort, are they trying to strike a conversation to hear me speak - which will confirm there assumptions....

Gretchen, I did not mean to state that it was insincere. I think the compliment was genuine. Considering the material with which I have to work, I WAS lovely! :)

[AllieSF]

I am like Jennifer in that I think that I can give a close approximation of a woman, but not pass on close inspection. I do receive a lot of compliments from women when out, but like Kate the OP, I think that they are complimenting on how well I did in trying to reach my goal as a man trying to pass as a woman (most probably impossible for me). That being said, I have received a few true statements by others that they thought I was a woman until they heard my voice, and one of those commentators was sitting at the table right next to us.

[CherylFlint]

It's the icing-on-the-cake and the cat's meow all in one.
Doesn't happen often but when it does I feel as I've just hit a home run.

[Rileyaz]

Gretchen, I did not mean to state that it was insincere. I think the compliment was genuine. Considering the material with which I have to work, I WAS lovely! :)
Jennifer, you have a lot more to work with than me. I was out recently and it wasn't until I spoke that I was clocked. Having said that, there is no way I would pass if someone really looked.

[kayla316]

In my mind I look great but I know I'm not passable. I don't do it for other people I do it for me and I feel great when dressing.

[lingerieLiz]

When I was young I was told I was pretty or beautiful. This was in the late 50s and CDing was unusual but to have a SA in a dress shop tell you that you look great in that dress and mean it to who she thought was a girl. Even more exciting was when a guy told the guy I was with, she is pretty referring to me. He couldn't wait to tell me. By the time I was in my later 20s It became harder to look like a woman. As time went on I looked less and less like one. By the time I hit my 50s I realized that there was no way I could pass.

[Candice Mae]

Well judging by how many times I've been asked for my number, been bought drinks, and followed around by guys like they were a lot puppy, I think I look pretty good.

[paulaprimo]

the important thing for me is that i feel good. i'd like to think that i look good also...
never had a compliment from a woman and only a few from men.
seems most of my compliments come from other cd'ers, which is very much appreciated,
but i guess that pretty much sums up my appearance... :)

[Carrie R]

I hate to sound like a pompous ass, but I've been told by both men and women I look "awesome." Actual use of that word. as I usually have low self esteem I'll take it as I'm not very good at most things. It does make me laugh, as I know what I'm really like, which is somewhere between terrible and awesome.

[GretchenJ]

Gretchen, I did not mean to state that it was insincere. I think the compliment was genuine. Considering the material with which I have to work, I WAS lovely! :)

Sorry Jenn for going off topic somewhat - I was not disputing your statement, but it was your very keen phrasing of "implied statement" that triggered me thinking of my own experiences, mainly my own insecurities that I have in both my male and female personna. My apologies if I offended in anyway...

[docrobbysherry]

I don't dress for others, Sherry dresses primarily for ME!:daydreaming:

Small wonder no one has ever complimented me when dressed. Just another homely old man in a dress.

Sherry gets an entirely different reaction. Dropped jaws 364 days a year. But, hit on at Halloween! Still, no compliments in person. Sigh!:straightface:

[Majella St Gerard]

I think I look damn sexy, I do get a lot of compliments, from men and women. I don't try to pass, I don't wear a wig but from the neck down i think I look like a woman.

[bridget thronton]

I look like a grandmother who should be baking cookies

[Kate Simmons]

I can bake cookies AND look good Bridget. ;):battingeyelashes::)

[heather ann martin]

I look like a smartly dressed middle aged woman. Which is exactly what I want to be. Mind you I have had an awful lot of practice so I know what I'm doing.

[Maria Blackwood]

Some questions are best left unanswered in my case.

[Ressie]

I think I have potential to look a lot better. I haven't been out hardly at all, yet I've had a couple of compliments. Of course, I don't pass as a GG. I think some of us are PT barnum types. We can fool some of the people all the time, and maybe all of the people some of the time? But I recently met a CD that told me passing isn't what's important. What's important is being who you are. ;)

[Lacyfem]

What a good question as when done fully makeup and all I step back from a full length mirror and admirer myself but still wouldn't call myself beautiful as I know at 6'2" and taller in heels I do get noticed quite a bit on the few times I've been out. So doubt anyone would call me beautiful or good looking. I guess that's why I don't go out much and love to dress in private for myself and others that do think I'm pretty. There are those that are totally passable and I envy them but I'm happy with my fem look as do love dressing for the men who enjoy my company and the compliments I get from them make me feel fem, wonderful and beautiful.

[Cheryl T]

I feel I look nice most of the time, pretty some of the time and part of the time I just want to find the number of that plastic surgeon. But I'm sure that's how most women feel during their life so I am fine with that.
As for compliments, yes, I've had a few and they have come from both men and women. They always are a bolster to my confidence and always welcomed.

[samantha rogers]

Its a tough question, isn't it? I have no idea, really. But more importantly, I don't really care. I go out quite a bit. I do it for me. This is who I am and I don't want to be bottled up in a room somewhere. I did that way too long. Sure, I hope to be attractive. Who doesn't? I think I look ok. I don't think I am embarrassing. But with my height I always know I get extra scrutiny. Then again, I don't do this for anyone except me. It's just me. It's who I am. Accept me or don't. I expect there are people who don't care for the way I dress sometimes in drab either. There are always jerks out there ready to pass judgement on others for how they look. But whose life is it? I mean really...whose life are you leading? After way too long living according to how other people said I should, well...my give a darn is broken. lol

[jeank]

Samantha,

Well said - I think it's how we feel about the way we look rather than the actuality.
But the main reason for the reply is a bit off-topic.

It's great to see someone quoting JJ Cale (RIP) in their signature line - I still have his first 5 albums - on vinyl - which I bought when they were first released. "Naturally" I've been a fan for a very long time.......

[samantha rogers]

lol...me too Jean. I have the original vinyl as well. But if you have not heard it, you should give listen to the new Eric Clapton tribute album. He does Cale so nicely.
Sorry Kate, didn't mean to get off topic here...lol

[Siobhan]

Unsolicited compliments on my appearance always gave me a thrill, although at present I don't go out dressed. Some of the best- Chatting to another "girl" in a club who seemed rather diffident who when I revealed my real gender said she thought she was talking to a real woman. Trying on a suit in a Dublin store and being told by the sales assistant how good i looked in it.

[Ilsa]

When I was in my early 30's my friends said I looked like Gloria Steinem. I then asked them if that was the N.O.W. Gloria or the Playboy Bunny Gloria? You can guess the response!

[Alice Torn]

Like Madeline, it is my height that has always given me away, the few times i was out. Admirers send me lots of accolades on my looks, and beauty on email.

[Mistybtm]

I know I will never pass but even being on HRT, but I dress to relax and feel normal. I a too chicken to go out, except at night very late for a late night drive or a walk around the apt complex, I have thought about going to a nearby state and test the water. but need to find a cd friendly place to go and maybe meet up with someone experienced and knows there way around.

[missVS]

I think about it and am a bit self conscious. My first weekend out couple days ago I spent a lot of time in front of mirror making sure outfit and everything was in order. I know im also somewhere in between but no big deal. I am happy dressing up and that's the imporrtant thing. I did get some compliments from waitresses and other people like they are going to be nice and not say something negative I hope.

[ArleneRaquel]

After I have made myself up I look into the mirror, without my glasses, and I look gorgeous. When I put my cat's eyes on I am back in reality.

[DebbieL]

I look "slightly better than average" for a woman in her early 50s. Many people think I'm in my early to mid 40s.

I wear skirts or dresses most days and am well dressed but not so sexy or beautiful that people will spend too long looking. I can frequently spent 3 hours next to someone on the plane, in conversation, and they will ask a question late in the flight that indicates that they have no clue that I was ever anything but a woman. Sometimes I'll "spill the beans", but more often, we'll even see each other at the baggage carousel and wave at each other and the other person will still have no clue.

Of course, I've had LOTS of practice - going out every day for at least some part of the day from 1989 to 1996, and again from 2010 to 2013 when I went full time.

[Beverley Sims]

If I am done up well I get looked at quizzically these days.
Any less and I am busted.

[Giselle(Oshawa)]

when I am dressed I resemble my late mom(when she was alive of course)

[GinaD]

When I put in the effort to look my best, I feel I look pretty good for an older CD. I get a lot of compliments but not so many that I think I'm anything special. I feel pretty, and feel content with my appearance. After the many changes in my body over the last two years, I rarely feel uncomfortable when out and about unless I have to talk in a quiet setting. My voice is one thing I just can't seem to change convincingly.

[Janine cd]

I know that I could never pass as a real woman, but with the right clothes and a good makeup job I could make a good attempt at passing.

[Joni Beauman]

I usually like what I see in the mirror and how I feel. I spend a lot of time as Joni. However, photos are less flattering. Those darn secondary sex characteristics in facial structure. I was reading about them the other day and was a bit disenchanted by the knowledge those features would always be a limiting feature in passing. Joni

[claire1d]

Mentally I look fabulous. Once the pink fog dissipate....it is time to think about the next time I will dress :)

[Krisi]

I really don't know how I look. I take photos and I take videos and I study them but from the point of knowing that I am not a natural woman. I can see many of my flaws (I have a Veronica 5 on order to fix the hips) and I think I'm doing better as time goes on. I think I would pass on the street to folks walking by but I doubt I would pass sitting in a restaurant for thirty minutes.