less is more

[jo_ann]

this is probably obvious to many, but probably a good point to bring up once in a while.

-Voice-
I was practicing my femme voice again in the car (I also usually record it with a nice boom mic and a portable digital recorder so I can see how well I did and adjust accordingly). So I started out in my usual manner.. chipmunk it up, then try talking female. I noticed right away that I was just trying to hard. I sounded like some sort of bubble-headed blonde pushing out too much air. I kept pulling back until I was almost talking like I normally do, but I was still in the female octave... and it sounded almost convincing! hundreds of thoughts entered my mind.. if I keep practicing can I make it passable? do I dare order a pizza with my femme voice and see if they act strange? Could I do a podcast pretending to be female and convince people?

-clothes-
All my crossdressing years, I've always worn stuff that was either ****ty or very formal, trying to get my best bang for buck. "let's see, prom dress, diamond earrings, 3/4 scrunchie wig, shiny 5" pumps, pantyhose, pearl necklace.. looks good to me".. More so lately I've found that just wearing female jeans and a nice blouse is sometimes more fun.. You don't get sore so quickly (constricting dress with heels makes you not want to be a woman very long).

-makeup-
Again, I think we all try to imagine the adult-actress overly made up. Videos where you see men get made over (usually by drag queens) with very thick eyeliner and false lashes. yes it looks very femme and does a great job of making them completely different, but close up you realize how un-natural it looks and how much attention it brings to yourself

[Jenna1561]

Jo Ann,

The fem voice has been impossible for me to achieve. I may be tone deaf (whatever that is) but I usually remark that I am tone ignorant. I can't sing, hard to tell when someone else is off, etc. I have a terrible time trying to figure out if I'm doing it right. I bought Melanie's DVD, but when I try talking, people still recognize it as a male voice.

I guess I nee to find someone to give me voice lessons - wait - that probably costs money. I already spend way too much on clothes and shoes. Guess I'll just keep workin at it.


Jenna

[Billijo49504]

Jo Ann, I think if you do your best with the voice, you won't have a problem. I personally know a few GG ladies who have deep voices. They are deeper than mine. Both are large ladies. And both have daughters , that are friends of my daughter. One of the ladies has died by now, but syhe had a very deep voice. Probably from smoking too much....BJ

[AmberTG]

Jo_Ann, I find myself in the same frame of mind these days when it comes to clothes, I used to dress trashy, I like the look, but wowis it obvious, and a 50something woman just doesn't dress that way. (not that that would stop me)
However, I find that I'm just more comfortable in a simple skirt or my Ryders jeans now. My heels have gotten a bit lower also.
I'm still working on the whole makeup thing, I never used to wear it, just in case someone came home unexpectedly, which used to happen randomly.
The voice.....well, I'm workin on it.

[Rhonda Jean]

Back in my early 20's when I first started publicly crossdressing I wore my wife's clothes. Conservative business wear, skirt suits, etc.. I had bra-strap length hair and was really skinny. As far as I knew, I passed completely. I may not have, but if I didn't, no one ever showed any indication of having read me. I'll never forget the first time I walked into McDonald's and the girl behind the counter got bug-eyed! I was paniced. I had no idea how she read me. I started over compensating. I started buying my own clothes. My skirts got shorter and tighter, heels higher, hair bigger, makeup louder. I thought that whatever that girl had seen that screamed CROSSDRESSER would be unnoticeable compared to my overwhelmingly feminine attire. WRONG! I finally realized it was my beard shadow that initially gave me away. I didn't even have to shave every day until my mid 20's. But even after I started doing a better job of covering the shadow, my attention-grabbing clothes made me much less likely to pass than my more ordinary feminine presentation. It gets repeated on CD boards all the time... Dress your age. Wear what other women are wearing in the same circumstances. Seek middle ground. Just because you see 2 women at the mall in miniskirts and 4" heels doesn't mean you'd be blending in wearing the same.

I'm almost 50, still pretty skinny and shoulder length hair. I'm usually quite comfortable crossdressing in public. Over the years I've learned what works for me. About once a year I conjure up enough courage to venture out in a miniskirt and too-high heels. Lots of fun, but chances are I'm not going to pass.