MyTransitionPartner v 2.0beta

appearance tips for those assigned female at birth

Because of the expense of medically transition, appearance is often the first and most important element of socially transition. Some parts of changing your appearance are relatively cheap and easy to do, such as buying gender affirming clothing. This guide is designed for those assigned female at birth (AFAB) who want to enhance femininity or androgyny. 
  • Clothing
  • Breasts/Genitalia
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If you want to dress more androgynously, then picking clothes is simply a matter of picking what you like and don't like. Thus, if you pick more masculine women's clothes, then you will already be used to the sizing. If you are looking to enhance masculinity or if you want to incorporate items of men's clothing, clothing sizing will be much different than what you are used to.

Sizing
Men's clothing sizes for pants are based on waist measurement. Men's clothing sizes for shirts are ranked S-XXXL+. Shirt sizes may be based on shoulder width, but the easiest thing to to try on different sizes until you find the right one. As with women's clothing, once you know "your size" most clothing sizes will be standard for you. It is less common for men's clothing sizes to fluctuate by brand than it is for women's clothing sizes to fluctuate. If you wear a small size in women's clothing, you may have difficulty finding pants. This is a common problem for very skinny cisgender men. Consider looking at pants in the junior men's section. One difficulty you may encounter is with your breasts. Men's clothes are not designed to accommodate for large busts. You may need to go up one or two shirt sizes, in addition to binding your chest, in order for your shirt to fit. Your best bet is to ask a friend of the same gender for help in deciding what fits you and what doesn’t. Then, once you have a size range, it’s all about trial and error. Trying things on and seeing how they work for you.

Underwear
Underwear sizes mirror pants sizes.

Shoes
Go to a shoe store and ask for a measurement. Be sure they give you the size for the correct gender. For men with smaller feet, you may need to look in junior men's shoes.
Chest Binders
There are many ways to reduce your chest size. The cheapest, but least effective way, is to wear a tight shirt, compression athletic shirt, a tight sport's bra, or a combination of several of these options. The most expensive and most effective way is to purchase a chest binder. These can be purchased for between $50 and $100, though you may be able to find a used binder exchange. You absolutely should not use an ace bandage to compress your chest. This can be very damaging to your breast health and could make top surgery more difficult.

Genitalia
Packers are available to enhance your crotch area. These resemble flaccid, strap-on dildos, and provide the same aesthetic as a penis. Some packers are even designed to let you stand to use the restroom. There are fairly inexpensive options available.

Next steps:
External links are provided to assist users in their transition by connecting them to more specialized resources. Darcy Jeda Corbitt Foundation and MyTransitionPartner do not vet the resources we provide on this website. We cannot guarantee the helpfulness or quality of the external resources we provide. Content on the links provided are reflective of the opinions and experience of the content's author. Linked external pages do no imply endorsement.