Accept that you will not be able to pull off many of the fashion tricks that cisgender emo guys do. To what extent varies based on your dysphoria and comfort with being misgendered now and then.
Pack. A store-bought packer is best, but if you are low on money a sock will work. Be aware that if someone gropes you, you're busted. Read tips from other trans guys on packing comfortably.
Get a good binder. You will need something tight enough to thoroughly compress your breasts enough under tight clothing, while still being comfortable and safe. It should also be discreet. Underworks sells some great binders that are both discreet and comfortable. TomboyX also sells good ones. Never use tape or bandages can bind, as these can seriously damage your ribs.
Watch how tight your shirts are. Often even the best binder will show a bit of your breasts and you should probably go with a moderate to tight fit if you're an A or a B cup, moderate if you are a C or a D cup, and baggy-ish if you are larger than that. Please note that technically a D cup is the average, but it's more likely you'd wear a size too small. If you do wear the correct fit, adjust that accordingly. However, if you are very flat-chested, go with tight shirts, muscle shirts and tank tops.
Reduce the look of large breasts if you can. If you are naturally small, post-surgery or your binder flattens you out perfectly— which it probably won't—then that's great. But most of the time, you'll need to cover them up. Vests and hoodies are great for this. You can also try a leather or pleather jacket or a denim jacket covered in patches—preferably representing gay pride, your favorite bands, and/or cult movie patches. Many cisgender guys don't have flat chests, especially if they work out. See if you can make your breasts look like pectorals. Look at pictures of shirtless men with muscles to help you see what big pectorals look like.
Wear masculine or androgynous shoes. Doc Martens, combat boots, Paraboots, biker boots, and masculine industrial boots are masculine looking. You can make them more scene by buying them in bright colors, but black will work with any outfit. Black spots, No Sweat, and Converse are androgynous to masculine, while Vans and Keds are androgynous. If you go with Vans, stick to black and white checkered or those with skull patterns.
Make sure your jeans do not feminize you. If you have slim hips and a flat butt, you can wear "girl" jeans and tight jeans while still being read as male. However, if you have a bigger butt or wide hips, you might have to settle for looser pants. One good way to keep it Emo is to keep the pelvis area of the pants loose, while tightening the legs. If combined with the right accessories and hair, baggy camo pants can look scene. Rip up your jeans, since that's a more masculine thing to do, and they also reveal unshaven legs. If you are medium hipped, you can probably wear tight jeans as long as they are black. Definitely wear black; it will slim everything out. No matter what your hip and butt size are, pinstripes are good because they appear to both slenderize your lower body and increase your height. Avoid sparkles, animal print, hearts or traditionally feminine colors like pink, lavender or purple. Skulls and stars are generally all right as long as you have masculine hips and a flat butt. Avoid shorts if you are short for a guy because it will make you appear shorter. If you are already tall or average for a guy you should go with knee length or below-the-knee shorts in a camo pattern.
Work on your fitness. This can help shape your body, and reduce fat in your chest and butt. Muscles help you appear more masculine. Skinny guys tend to be stigmatized and considered "feminine." This is unfortunate, and there's little you can do about it. If you're naturally thin, enormous muscle is probably not realistic for you. However, you still can build muscle, and feel good about yourself at any size.
Don't shave your arms, underarms or legs. This is considered feminine. While cisgender males can get away with it, most FTMs can't.
Wear square, thick-rimmed glasses. These will make your face appear more masculine. Pick glasses that suit your face. This is often the opposite of frames that suit someone who identifies with females. If you have a square or rectangular face, go with round shapes to provide contrast to your angles. If you have a round or oval face, try rectangular glasses. You should probably stick with silver or black rims.
Build up muscle. Even though being muscular is not a particularly scene thing, it can really help with passing. While extreme muscles will look strange and are totally unnecessary, a bit of toning really helps. At least try to build up your shoulder since guys generally have broader shoulders. Experiment with various types of exercise, and find something you enjoy. Do you like hiking, biking, jumping rope, lifting weights, or playing backyard sports with your family?
Be very careful with makeup. If you use it correctly, makeup can help you pass. For example, if you have very large eyes, black eyeliner applied to the inside of your lid could make them look smaller. Adding some foundation to your lips could make them less rosy and thus more masculine. Shading in your eyebrows with an eye pencil will make them look thicker and therefore more masculine. Don't pluck them unless they are extremely thick to the point of being very unattractive. Skip the mascara, however, since longer eyelashes definitely feminize faces. Definitely avoid fake eyelashes. If your face is masculine or androgynous, you might be able to wear eyeliner normally. Don't use an elaborate design, however, since it's mostly the emo girls who do that. If you have a somewhat masculine face, you could wear eyeshadow. However, stick with darker colors such as black, gray, and dark red, unless your face is truly masculine, in which you could wear brighter shades of pink and red. You may be able to get away with green but stay away from purple, light pink or anything with glitter. Most FTMs can wear nail polish as long as it is black. Lipstick should be avoided unless your face is masculine, and even then should be in black or a very dark black-red. Avoid any makeup but foundation and concealer if your face is very feminine.
Wear a more masculine emo hairstyle. Even though long hair can be attractive on all genders, it will feminize you, unless you have a definitely masculine face (which you probably don't unless you've been on puberty blockers for a while). You probably won't be able to get away with hair that goes past your chin. Styles with spikes can look masculine, since girls don't normally have them. Very straight hair is also a good idea because curls and waves tend to feminize faces, and they're not particularly scene. Frullets—hair that is short in the back and long in the front—are both moderately masculine and extremely emo, especially if you spike the back a bit. Shaggy hair can work if you have a masculine face or androgynous face, however it can be a problem if your face is feminine. The scene mullet is generally too feminine for most FTM guys. If you have a very feminine face, you might have to go with a very masculine emo style, such as a fauxhawk or something similar to Pete Wentz, circa 2007. Shorter isn't necessarily better though, because it can draw attention to feminine features on your face. Color wise, you should probably avoid pink or purple unless your face is very masculine. Additionally, light blond on its own is not such a good idea, because it is mostly scene girls who sport it. However, blond streaked in black hair can look good. Avoid brown and blond combination's, as they are also mostly seen on scene girls. Black and red is a good choice, because it's somewhat unusual on emo girls. Green is also unusual for women. Coons, tips and streaks are fine, but avoid leopard or zebra print.
Wear clothing that will make you look taller. Pinstripes are good, as well as the color black. Go monochromatic if you are short, since having a shirt a different color than the pants splits the body and shortens it. Platform, industrial style boots will also make you look taller. You can also try shoes with lifters on the inside (or toilet paper if you're cheap). The taller you look, the less likely people will think you are a girl.
Relax when people mistake you for a girl or can't tell if you're a boy or a girl. This happens to a lot of guys, especially emo and scene kids. However, it is especially painful for a FTM, since we've gone our whole lives being mistaken for girls. Remember: this happens to cisgender males too.
Wear masculine accessories. Anything with spikes looks masculine. Arm warmers and armbands that have horizontal stripes on them are great, because they make your bone structure look bigger. Gauntlets also help make your bone structure look larger and the spikes look masculine. Belts with interesting buckles draw attention to your crotch, so wear them if you're packing and don't if you're not. Some good choices would be straight edge, skull, band and pink triangle. Ties are good because most women don't wear them. They also make a vertical line, thus making you look taller. For the same reason, scarves are great. Go with checkers, skulls, camo, stripes, vintage and humor for your ties. Knit fingerless gloves are androgynous and also make you look more scene, while pleather or leather fingerless gloves are very masculine, but more punk than scene. Avoid wearing bandannas on your head since they are feminizing unless it is worn horizontally as a headband. On your neck, in your pocket, or on your wrist is fine though. Shutter glasses are androgynous as long as they aren't pink or purple. Fedoras, baseball caps, trucker hats and newsboy caps are masculine while beanies are androgynous as long as they don't have kitten ears.
Stick with masculine and androgynous scene symbols and slogans. Avoid Hello Kitty and diamonds. Brass knuckles and skulls, as long as they aren't cutesy skulls, tend to be very masculine. Tee shirts with cult shows, such as Invader Zim and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and movies, such as Nightmare Before Christmas and Rocky Horror Picture Show, tend to work. Skelanimals are fine as long as you choose the masculine versions, such as the tux shirt and the lightning bolt shirt. Robots and dinosaurs tend to be androgynous. Phrases with the words brootal, rawr, rad and hardcore tend to work. Avoid anything saying cutecore, glamor, or "haters make me famous."
Choose your piercings carefully. Go for ones that look more masculine. Septum piercings are masculine, though very painful. No matter how feminine or masculine your face is, eyebrow and lip piercings are great and will help you look more scene, while still not feminizing your face. Tongue piercings, eyebrow piercings and cartilage are also fine for any facial type. Spikes are helpful. Piercings in the ear (except gauge piercings), belly button, nostril, and cheek are considered more feminine, as are Monroe piercings.
Use masculine body language. Women generally try to take up less space, while men take up more.
Spread your legs apart and if you cross your legs. Do it in a square style. Also, cross your arms higher than you usually would, since women cross their arms lower. Generally avoid putting your hands on your hips. If you do, do it when thinking, not when annoyed. Drag your heels slightly when walking.
Avoid stereotypes. Not every man is a macho man. Men come in as many varieties and levels of masculinity as cisgender guys. There are artsy trans men, intellectual trans men and even effeminate trans-men. You don't have to be straight either; it's perfectly okay to like men. Sexual orientation and gender orientation are not related. There are plenty of gay, queer, and bisexual trans people. Be yourself and don't try to be more masculine just because the media tells you to be.
Comments
0 comment