I have to put more effort into my female presentation because I'm not a female. A woman requires less effort to look female because she is. I try to look presentable in male mode too. I shave every day and try to look as neat as possible.
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I have to put more effort into my female presentation because I'm not a female. A woman requires less effort to look female because she is. I try to look presentable in male mode too. I shave every day and try to look as neat as possible.
I was a practitioner of Dress for Success for years in male mode since the perception of my expertise relied on it. Wore a collared shirt to mow the lawn. LOL After I retired I became relaxed and wore casual boat and golf clothes.
On the fem side when young I was one of the best dressed girls in town. Spent hours making sure to have the right look. Today about the only thing I wear are women's jeans, shorts, and casual tops. If we go out I have pants and blouses.
When I am planning to go out in girl mode, I always have to do a mental time line of when I need to start getting ready. The math is time I want to be there, plus travel time, plus an hour. So if I want to be somewhere at noon, and it's a 45 minute drive, then I need to start getting ready around 10:15, slightly earlier if I need a shower. I have to shave, makeup, dress, put on my limited accessories, arrange my wig, make sure my purse has everything I need--and based on experience, that takes about an hour.
Guy me would start getting ready at about 11:10 for a 11:15 departure.
As a guy, I dislike shopping for clothes. Get in, if it fits and looks ok, buy it and be done (of late, buy it at Costco, try it on at home, and keep or return).
In girl mode, a couple of weeks ago I spent 3 1/2 hours trying on dresses (probably 50 or 60) at a Savers store, and loved every minute of it. I have probably spent more time in the last 18 months shopping for girl clothes than I have in my 60 years for guy clothes.
As a guy, I don't own a suit.
Girl me has over 30 dresses.
Guy me has a ton of running shoes and two pairs of dress shoes.
Girl me has probably 15 pairs of heels.
In the summer, I used to wear shorts and sneakers to work (although the company I retired from doesn't allow them anymore). The rest of the year was business casual.
Girl me loves to wear dresses, nylons and heels.
So yes, I pay a lot more attention to my female presentation than my male presentation, even though less than 5% of my time is spent in girl mode. I've lost 50 pounds in the last six years to do better in my races, but my bigger motivation was to fit into smaller dresses.
Guy mode is no major effort. I don't have to lock up & hide my male wardrobe or shoes.
Early next year I'm going to a wedding, so will spend 30 minutes getting dressed
It'll be my biggest effort in many years
- that's 15 minutes more than me in getting into girl mode and
- 25 minutes longer than dressing in boy mode.
I certainly do not on a daily basis, saying that i do shower daily so i am not smelly....lol.
I don't put any effort into my male look, it has not changed in years.
I'm the same either way. For the majority of the time it's jeans and t-shirts. I have no reason or desire to be different levels of maintenance.
I don't put much effort into my male appearance either. Though I and my clothes are always clean and sanitary, which have to be in my line of work.
Like most here, I don't put that much effort when I go out in "male" mode. Depends on where I'm going, but if it's to the dog park, or bunnings (Aussie hardware store chain) I can outside the house within five minutes of getting out of bed. Having said that, the average male in these places looks like they've slept in their clothes, so I don't stand really.
When I dress (and I've yet to either leave the house dressed, or put on a wig or makeup) it can be several 'outfit changes' and up to half an hour deciding what to wear.
Michelle.
I usually like to present well in either mode unless I'm doing yard work or something else requiring I dress down a bit. I will make more of an effort en femme because there's more involved in the process.
Well, I usually wear "Business Casual" at work (Sport shirt, Dress pants)---But being a Scientist, that often might be called to go outdoors "in the field" occasionally, I buy most of my clothing from an "Upscale thrift shop" so it's really no big deal if my clothes get dirty or damaged. a 3 or 4 Dollar shirt and a 4 to 6 dollar pair of pants (some of the stuff nearly new) So I can Look good in the office AND in the field (Perhaps a bit over dressed)-------My CD stuff, however comes from "on line" or is "inherited" from females friends. Since I don't go out, my CD wardrobe is generally "role play" and different characters, along with conventional female clothing----As my big CD "fun thing" is photography and costumes---etc.
It takes a lot of work to turn a 59 yer old male into anything closely resembling a GG. Obviously I've been male all my life so presenting as my male self doesn't take much effort shower, shave, brush teeth, comb hair and put on clean clothes. When presenting as a female there is a lot more shaving, 30 minute worth of makeup, extra time styling my wig, more time with foundation garments (getting the right tuck and making sure my bra is not too high on my chest making my breast forms look unnatural), picking the right outfit to blend in for the time of day and occasion, selecting the right accessories (jewelry, scarf, shoes, fragrance etc). So yes I take more time and effort when presenting as my femme self.
It's the same amount of effort for me however I dress, possibly why it's easy for me gender blend?
Stacy!
If I'm going to a formal event like a funeral (typical at my age), I'll go to a lot of effort. A good shave, suit and tie, shined shoes, trimmed nails, etc. If it's an ordinary day, I'll wear jeans or shorts and an appropriate shirt. I'll still shave but perhaps not as thoroughly. Some days I'll forget.
As Krisi, it's much the same. Getting all "fancied up", I'll spend a lot of time and effort. A casual day at home, a good shave of course, beard cover and lipstick, etc. but less time and effort than if I was going out in public.
My wife is the same except of course, she doesn't have to shave or use beard cover.
On occasion i.e. Visiting parents,taking wife out, but generally I'm very casual in bloke mode, jogging pants soccer jersey. Its not as much fun of course but I do like to get suited and booted for my wife now and again, she does love me in a smart suit
I put in the same amount of effort regardless of appearance / presentation because my wardrobes are so intertwined, it seems.
It definitely takes less time for the male me to get ready, I'm usually dressed in 5 minutes or less. Tina takes about 30-45 minutes, most of that is the makeup! :D
I don't necessarily take more time to get ready as a "miad" than i do in male mode, but i do have far more care and enthusiasm about my appearance. :daydreaming:
When dressed at home i want to look and feel as good as possible, whereas in male mode (underdressed) it's more a case of sling on some outer clothes to go out and face the world, without being that bothered how smart i loook.
As my male self, I'm a jeans/shorts and t-shirt type of person. In the winter, it's flannel shirts and jeans. I haven't gone out in a long time en-femme and have been content dressing in private. I'm keeping the door open for this though, but I'll have to get some newer dresses, skirts, blouses as the ones I have are styles from the late 1980s.
Since I started letting my hair grow I've had to put more effort into styling it. Over the last few years someone would take my picture and post it on facebook with my hair disheveled. Since I perform as an entertainer I started hating most photos taken of me while in male mode. Keeping hair looking good has always been a struggle. And as it grows I've been trying different methods to keep it in place.
If I have more of a formal event, I'll iron a shirt and maybe even shine my shoes. I like having a couple pairs of jeans that look new but I don't like paying $50 for them.
I put relatively equal effort into both my male and female presentations. It does take longer to present as Karen for obvious reasons.
Karen
No comparison, I put much more effort and time into my female presentation. Probably because I am a guy:danceman: who just really enjoys presenting as a woman:doll: The prices we pay.
I definitely put as much time in my daily appearance, from the hair to the polished work boots
Thanks for all of your responses.
Interesting differences in how long it takes each of you to get ready to present as females. My husband takes a great deal of time getting ready to go out as a woman and probably half hour max to get ready as a man.