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Social Transition: What exactly is it?

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by rokara, Aug 8, 2018.

  1. rokara

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    That be the question!

    I had to postpone my appointment with a therpaist for the near future due to some personal uncertainty (mainly with my wife possibly getting a better job and some awesome insurance that comes with it), but I still want to move forward in becoming my true self. So instead of pursuing a medical transition, I decided to switch gears and socially transition. This is something I had planned on doing anyway once the effects of HRT started to become noticeable, but I thought I may as well start on it now.

    The bggest stumbling block I have is that I don't exactly know what a social transition is. Is it the same as a medical transition? Just simply changing name, pronouns and attire and not having the hormones to back it up? Or is it something completely different?

    If I am correct in one of my questions, I do need advice on what clothing to wear. I'm not out publicly, so I'd be basically dressing in stealth and would like clothing that is more subtle in appearance (not obviously female, but has a feminine touch). Please keep in mind that I am not publicly out as a transwoman, and where I live it's frigging hot a good chunk of the year and when "winter" comes its still generally pretty warm (highs between 70-80 degreees) with the occasional cooldown.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! :slight_smile:
     
  2. Mihael

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    Yes, basically it's the name, pronouns, clothes, mannerisms, voice, hairstyle, makeup, nails, scents, doing your eyebrows, shaving your legs, and so on. With the clothes, obviously you have find out what you yourself like. Shop in both sections and see what you like :slight_smile:
     
  3. Flynn S

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    Hey there!

    A social transition is like a medical transition but deals with presentation more than physical appearance. It’s like getting up one morning, looking in the mirror, seeing your body as your true gender reflected in the glass, and carrying out the rest of your day as that gender. For example, it would be like dressing in feminine clothes, having people call you by your correct name/pronouns, using the women’s restroom. It is a shift of presentation in society, concerning not just who you view/present yourself but also how others view/interact with you.

    As an ex-Floridian (I’ll be experiencing a real fall/winter for the first time in my life this year!) I understand completely the clothing difficulties of the climate. If you aren’t comfortable wearing skirts or dresses, you might choose to wear some form of skinny jeans. They tend to read more feminine and some women’s jeans are made of very light material so they wouldn’t be quite as hot. Women’s shirts also tend to have deeper neck lines - not sure if that works for you but is definitely more feminine in my mind. Someone else can probably help you out more with this since I’m not very familiar with feminizing clothing (sorry!). Also, don’t forget a nice jacket for that one day of the year when it might dip below 60!
     
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  4. Secrets5

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    Maybe one of those cute little sun umbrellas and some feminine glasses.
     
  5. Nimmer

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    Social transition is that, indeed: presenting as your gender, telling people to use your correct pronouns, etc. With or without hormones treatment.

    For clothing with a feminine touch, without being too obviously feminine... Hm, I'm not sure. I tend to do the contrary these days—my summer clothes are basically tank tops and sarouel/hippie trousers XD—so my advice is probably not the best. Skirts would obviously be feminine, for sure, and a lot of women's shorts/trousers are also very 'sexualised' (super short and/or very low waist), so I guess it depends on 'how far' you want to go. Or maybe stuff like, well, sarouels would actually help? (They're pretty much unisex, and the light ones are pleasant to wear in hot weather.)

    Also, depending on your hair's length: look for what you can do with it (discrete hair clips, getting a more feminine haircut, tying it differently than Ye Olde Unisex Ponytail if it's long, and so on).