Do you really want a feminine physique

[Candice Mae]

I've been on these boards for about five years, one of the common subjects that have been discussed is the feminine physique. Whether it be smaller muscle mass, breasts, waist, or hips, posters have wanted it all. Let me be clear here I am not talking out these posters want to live as a woman or have SRS. They just want to have a more feminine physique for dressing purposes, and remain male otherwise I am posting this in the CD section after all. As I continue to transition I notice that its becoming harder and harder to look masculine. I have little to no muscle mass left, breasts, and a waist guys shirts or pants either show of my femininity or look like I'm wearing a tent, there's a point were you look like a woman in men's clothing. Not that its a bad thing for me, But it would be troublesome for those wishing to remain male. Over time people around you will also notice a change, most of them will not say anything. But they will be aware that there's something going on, and for CDing purposes is altering your body really worth it?

Now I can not speak for everyone or predict their experiences, I do this to inform those going down this path to make sure that they are aware of whats ahead.

[suchacutie]

For those of us who started rather far away from the feminine ideal (whatever we individually felt that is), the problem seems so far away. On the other hand, there are those of us who really do wish to be able to switch back and forth as equal-gendered partners in life. That brings on wondering, "What body improvements are compatible with both genders?"

As we age, we lose muscle mass. So, I'm focusing on the muscle mass that I want to keep: primarily my core! To get to see that core muscle mass, I need to lose the non-muscle that covers that muscle! So, being healthy and losing weight around the middle while maintaining that core muscle mass (including my butt!) is my focus.

So how else do we maintain balance, or decide we don't want balance and go off as Candice has described?

[Marcelle]

Hi Candice Mae . . . good point. However, unless the CDer in question is going to begin HRT the type of changes you are talking about are not possible. I have dropped roughly 20 pounds of mass in the past year. While it part it was to make dressing easier it was mostly because my physician recommended that weight is weight and your body is designed to only carry so much and the older you get the harder it is to loose. So pushing right to 50 this year she wanted me to shoot to my target weight 150 - 155 lbs (I stand 5'6"). So through a heavy aerobic and form and function regime (diet as well) I am down to my target weight range. However, my body is still all "guy" just lean muscle vice bulky. So unless the CDer is going to take non prescription hormones (not a wise choice at all), breast development, weight redistribution is not likely. The best a CDer can hope for is a lean athletic build but as a guy they are still going to have a guy's chest, shoulders, arms and legs

Hugs

Isha

[kimdl93]

I also have such a long way to go, and I don't know whether I have enough time to even get close to having a somewhat feminine form before I end up with and old persons body.

[LeannS]

I am about 200 lbs now. Looked in the mirror and the clothes look alright but they could look better. So I decide to get off the soda, not eat so much smaller portions,
and with exercise we can do this. I will loose my man boobs and that is fine. but I am not holding out for the hour glass shape either.

Leann

[Rogina B]

If you are in good shape[not overweight]...Does it really matter? For everything you can tweak,there is a cost or something else that gives away maleness[visual]..Growing a thick skin,learning to look your best and act with confidence,is far more beneficial! The people that accept,embrace and include Transgender persons tend to look a whole lot deeper than outside appearance.

[Saepe]

My ideal body is about 50/50, yeah. Right now I'm losing weight (5'8½", 162 lbs, was 185 lbs three months ago), but I'm also planning on starting mild HRT. A slightly enhanced waist to hip ratio, softer jawline and about A-cup breasts would be perfect!

[Michelle789]

It depends on what kind of body alterations you are making for CDing purposes.

Hair Removal

If you are going to do a few laser or electrolysis sessions to reduce the beard growth, but not eliminate it completely, that is acceptable for a CDer. It gives you the best of both worlds. You can shave the beard easily when you want to CD, and let it grow back out when you want to be a male and have a beard.

You can wax the rest of your body, which causes the hair to disappear completely for a few weeks, and then to grow out even thinner. This makes it easier to pass as a woman, yet men wax these days too so if in male mode and you're hairless or with thin hair, no one will notice, because men can be hairless too.

Shaving, is tedious, and takes longer, is also an option. Especially if you only CD occasionally and want your beard or body hair back quickly, and it to grow back as it normally would for a male, this is your best option. If you wish to CD often, you may want to consider waxing and some laser/electrolosys, or be open to spending lots of time shaving.

The point is, it's easier to pass as a hairless man than it is to pass as a hairy woman. So hair removal options that give you the best of both worlds are the way to go if you're a CDer. Occasional CDers,who CD once per two weeks or less often, may just opt for shaving when the occasion comes. CDers who CD more frequently, such as twice per week or more, may want a more semi-permanent hair removal course of action.

Muscles

While you can't reduce your muscle mass by much, and the fact is that having a testosterone based body means you're going to have more muscle mass, you can make yourself appear to be less muscular. Simply eliminate all strength training exercises and playing sports, and stick to cardio exercise alone. Cardio will help you to stay in shape, lose weight or prevent weight gain, and will not build the bulging male muscles that weight lifting and sports do. Of course, this may be a bummer for those who actually enjoy strength training or playing sports, and you may have to resort to being more of a nerdy bookwormish male, but you can still pass as male being a nerd or a bookworm. Being a nerd or a bookworm (or properly, an intellectual) is gender independent. It is neither male nor female to be an intellectual, and both men and women can be intellectual.

Hormones and Surgeries

I would definitely not recommend a CDer to do HRT or get any surgeries. In fact, for a CDer to do HRT or get surgeries is harmful to your body. HRT and surgeries are meant if you're a TS and need to transition.

However, unless the CDer in question is going to begin HRT the type of changes you are talking about are not possible.
........
The best anyone can hope for is a lean athletic build but as a guy they are still going to have a guy's chest, shoulders, arms and legs

Unfortunately, Isha is right. Unless you're blessed with a feminine body, or at least some feminine features, you're stuck with a male body without HRT. However, hair removal and eliminating bulging muscles is possible. But you can't change your hip/shoulder ratio, or grow breasts, or soften the skin, or feminize the face or any other part of the body, without hormones. And I do not recommend hormones if you're a CDer. If you feel a need to feminize your body with hormones, I would strongly suggest seeing a gender specialist and find out why. Maybe you have deeper issues and could be a potential TS. If you and a gender specialist both agree that at least a mild dose of HRT is necessary for you, then you may do so. But please do not start HRT without consulting a doctor first.

[mikiSJ]

I do not want to start a war, but I am not a crossdresser, I am transgender on estrogen and trying to get as feminine a body as possible is a definite desire and reality.

For those girls here that do not want to transition, and as Rogina said, not overweight, there are plenty of appliances that can be attached to your body that will help you achieve a feminine figure.

HRT, in my case, is getting me there: together with age related muscle loss and a sedentary life story is getting my shoulder width into the same plane as my hips and I am starting to get a waist.

So, the Size 8 forms go on EBay, don't have to worry about hip pads and that waist cincher is still rolled up in my lingerie drawer.

[larry]

YES !!! That is exactly what I want..

[Barbara Dugan]

I believe the vast majority of crossdresers want a more feminine physique, now the reasons can be different

[Michelle789]

Barbara, what you just said really goes along with what my therapist said about CDers having less progressed GD than a TS. I think this question is a really good question for a gender specialist. Seeing a gender specialist first to help you figure out what you should do, and then finding an endocrinologist to give you hormones and monitor your hormone use is probably the best way to go.

[Kate Simmons]

I'm working on it but some would be surprised what smoke and mirrors and misdirection can do without changing a thing really.

[Krista1985]

Yeah the body envy comes in waves for me. Some days I really want all the curves and secondary features to compliment my dressing. But then back in boy mode, I want to develop my muscles and work on my physique. The balance is tilted in favor of a masculine frame and body, but sometimes when I dress I wish my arms were smaller, my waist thinner, my hips wider. Overall, I'm OK with a masculine body, I do hope to attract a female partner, and it helps to have the male characteristics.

Funnily enough, if I go a few weeks without lifting, and my chest gets a lil flabby, I'll really like it when dressed. But when I see moobs poking up under my oxfords in male mode, I freak out and hit the gym to tighten them back up.

So I guess it depends upon when you ask me! Right now, I'd take the whole female enchillada. Tomorrow morning I may feel differently though.

[Sc0rp10N]

Only temporarily for me. I enjoy being my masculine self 99% of the time, even if I'm an a$$ for some of it. But, its only when I cd that I wish I had a bit more voluptuous form, big butt, curvy torso, etc. But I'd also like smaller arms (lifting weights most of my life completely destroys that possibility) but my legs are HOT in cd mode, which helps me be happy with the result.

[Beverley Sims]

Candice,
I have learned t live with a small frame and feminine features all my life.
Things have only gone downhill in the lst ten years.

I do agree if it is something you do not have, don't aspire for it unless you are "really serious".

[Emi_]

To answer the actual question: Yes, I would very much like a feminine physique. Why should I lie about it or cover up that desire? I don't care for the masculinity of my body overall and I don't care if I look feminine - I tend to look feminine anyways nowadays. I am not interested in transitioning but I feel I look better the more feminine I look - that is why I cross-dress. Appliances and trickery are fine and have their place, but I am after something more authentic and complete that will be natural. I don't expect that I would ever look 100% like a female, but I would be good with just looking more feminine than I do.

[Cheryl T]

I would say YES. I would want a more feminine shape.
We can dream can't we?

I'm not about to do those things that would give me that shape such as implants, hormones and the like, and Mother Nature didn't bless me with features that would be construed to be feminine, but it's still part of all this to wonder what if ...

[njcddresser]

Hi. Since coming out to myself as a cross dresser last year, I have attempted to improve my feminine figure and have had some success. Beginning in January, I started to go to the gym regularly and really began to watch what I eat.

I've dropped about 12 pounds to my current 148 lbs. I'm 5'9". I do a combination of cardio and weights. My arms have certainly gotten bigger and if anything was going to give me away as a guy it would be my arms. I do a lot of chest exercises and have begun to to build some muscle mass in my chest to the point, I can wear a 36A bra with no padding and able to fill it out nicely.

I have almost no waist, butt or hips. I do wear padded panties and a cincher that helps give me some curves.

I don't see myself ever taking hormones and am generally satisfied with how I presently look.

[Terrylynn]

I would love to have a more feminine shape but that just isn't a possibility. At 6'3 215 lbs when I dress I look like a guy in a dress which completely destroys any illusion that I could ever pass. I look ridiculous in women's clothes so when I dress I try to stay aware from mirrors.

[Katey888]

Great point, Candice... One of those areas that I believe is a factor in determining just how much of a GD issue individuals experience... for those of us that are seen by anyone else, of course... closet dressers with powerful imaginations are at a distinct advantage...

Until the past 6 months nobody other than me had seen me dressed... It seems I'm lucky in having a fairly lightweight male physique, and Kate's observation on misdirection is a good and relevant one for all of us as the right clothing can make a positive contribution (a certain Oz girl's comments on leggings and looking chunky notwithstanding...! ) - and while I would like to have a smaller waist at the moment (that's just a lardy male thing) I don't want to feminise my body beyond just slimming down a bit.

I'm afraid I don't crave boobs or hips, I prefer my bottom to be pert (as I do on women), and I have no issue looking like an average male 98% of the time. But I can empathise and sympathise with those who are driven to present female and for whom those extra 'bits' help with the blending.

It's good advice Candice... in the nature of 'Be careful (or at least, be sure...) what you wish for...'

Katey x

[Deedee Skyblue]

Really not sure what I want at this point in my life, Candice... there are times when I wish I could look like a sexy lady, but most of the time I am happy to look like (and be) an older average guy who used to be a hot stuff jock and is now fighting to lose a beer belly. I am pretty resigned at this point in my life to the guy body, but I would like to lose enough weight to wear size 14 clothes!

Deedee

[Rogina B]

Barbara, what you just said really goes along with what my therapist said about CDers having less progressed GD than a TS. I think this question is a really good question for a gender specialist. Seeing a gender specialist first to help you figure out what you should do, and then finding an endocrinologist to give you hormones and monitor your hormone use is probably the best way to go.

Who are you talking about? A "crossdresser" or a "transsexual"? One is most often consumed by what they imagine they see in the mirror while the other is trying to get the GID under control so they can have a life. HUGE DIFFERENCE!

[CrossJess]

Oh yea! I do cardio work out on a crosstrainer every night for 20 minutes keeps everything toned with out putting on muscle mass this is particularly good if you want thin legs and a girly butt, my arms and legs are quite skinny with out looking manly thankfully, I also watch what I eat and don't booze or smoke these are 2 of the biggest things to make you look old and fat before your time oh and keep out of the sun, I've been working on my tummy for a month now to pull it in to give me a more hour glass figure, I also drink a big bottle of water a day in fact i drink loads more than that but it makes the liver produce more male estrogen this in turn gives you a more feminine silky looking skin because testosterone levels are being lowered because estrogen levels are high probably explains why I cant grow a beard very well...more bum fluff, lol I found this out when I went for a blood test once and the doctor said I had more womanly arms & skin than most of the woman that come into the surgery haha and she then ask if i drink a lot then told me how it all works lol etc I remember saying to her "Oh that's why I'm so emotional then!", quite cool how the body works and what you can change

[Erica Marie]

Honest. Yes I do want a feminine figure. But needless to say I was born with the wrong hormones and genetics. I do what I can to stay in shape, I never had much muscle mass but the weight I have is still all in the wrong places. I know without hormones my figure will never be just the way I want so I will have to make do with what I have.