Passing as male

Well, for your chest, have you consider of getting a binder? It would certainly help. Also, if you don't want that, a thick wool sweater works really well, my TA in one of my class wear that with short hair and she looks exactly like a guy (I suspect she might be FTM, but no idea).

About how you speak, if you have a deep voice, I think it shouldn't be a problem. But try to be concious about your speech pattern. From what I have seen (and this is by no means an all-inclusive view, it is different for each person) female tends to speak in short thoughts, linking together, while male tends to have a more focused, condensed thought.

And for walking...hmm, I have no idea. But I would think it is about the hip and the bone structure of female and male.

 

I think it should come naturally. I've been questioning my identity for a while now, but it's so hard to explain it to people/come out as being gender fluid. I've told the girl that I'm talking to and she's cool with it, which is great. I can't sound like a guy, but my mannerisms are most definitely mannish. I'm okay with my girly parts, and it's impossible for me to go the whole gay yards by cutting my hair short. I usually mimic my guy friends/brother and it works. I also dress comfortably--large t-shirts, saggy pants occasionally, esp men sneakers and it's rare for me to do heels. If I was to give my boy side a name it would be AJ or Eric because my name is Arica just spelled with an A. Try looking up info online about masculinity, I've tried looking for some good links/advice, but no luck--I'll keep looking

 

I don't know about the other stuff, but as far as a masculine gait here are my observations...

Shoulders squared, arms to the side and slightly away from the body free to swing slightly, walk heel to toe. Legs kept somewhat apart, almost so that your legs make a straight line from your hips down to your feet. Keep them parallel when you walk like that, don't move them inward. When you step, kind of drop your weight on your feet instead of stepping lightly.

Easier to show than to tell, but hopefully that gives you a bit of an idea.

 

First off, I'm real sorry I haven't replied to any of your threads. Fact is, I have similar issues, but they're all going the opposite direction, for example, for me to pass as more androgynous, I have to make sure I act more feminine than a guy usually would.. Which kinda comes naturally, but still..

As for walking, I can tell you that most guys probably have more of a downward stroke in their step.. Like they're being weighed down, kinda. I do naturally have that kind of a step, so that's about the best I can describe it to you.. However, doing that kinda kept me hunched over, alot more than I'd like. So now, I'm making sure I at least keep somewhat straight when I walk..

 

As you've noticed, it's not so much about pitch but about the speech pattern. Male speech has a sort of staccato, reluctant style, as if you're trying not to say a single word more than you have to.

Or to put it another way, talk like you're afraid that if you open your mouth too wide, someone will steal your teeth.

 

As for the walk, the big difference I've noticed is that men's shoulders don't stay level - when the right leg goes forward, the right shoulder dips, when the left leg goes forward, the left shoulder dips. Women's shoulders stay in a straight line (exceptions being older women and women with extra-large thighs).

Somewhere on the net there's a flash animation showing the difference, I've lost the URL and it's p1ssing me off because I'm trying to improve my female walk and need to do some revision.

 

I have a link to cheaper binders (underworks). I have the tri top binder. It works well for me and I have a c-cup. I can link you to the website after I get off of work.

For now, if you want to bind, you could go with a tight sports shirt or 2 sports bras. (You wear one forwards and the other one backwards.)

 

I could be wrong Pexetta, but I think you have that backwards. Women's shoulders would dip while men's would stay level. That would be because women tend to move their feet in front of each other in a line causing their hips to sway a bit. The hip sway pulls on the other portions of the body causing the shoulder to dip. Men generally don't sway their hips when they walk so the body isn't being pulled on in this fashion. Look at the way a female fashion model walks because it is a really exaggerated version of this. Their opposite shoulder goes down and back because of the way their hips move when they walk. They pretty much cross their legs as they walk super exaggerating this motion.

 

I don't know what to say... god knows there are so many mistakes to be made in this game, but what I said there was based on a whole lot of very careful observation.

We need a third opinion, and quickly.

 

I thought about it some more, and I don't think either of us are exactly wrong. It all comes down to anatomy during the walk. A guy who is "strutting" will definitely drop his opposing shoulder. The shoulder drop comes from movement in the hip. The walk I was describing is certainly masculine, but it involves no movement in the hip. This would mean that the shoulders stay level during the walk. You might see more guys strutting their stuff, where they keep their legs parallel, but swing the hip forward when they move their legs. This would be a masculine walk, but would also include dipping the opposing shoulder as the hip movement pulls that portion of the upper body down.

I guess it comes down to the type of male walk you prefer.

---------- Post added 1st Oct 2012 at 06:16 PM ----------

Sorry for the double post, but I went over my drawing references. It looks like the shoulder thing is more of a personal affectation than masculine/feminine. Hips, arm movement, and stuff like that play a part. the most common theme is that men tend to walk with legs apart, heel to to, and heavy steps. Women tend to walk feet directly in front of the other (causes hip sway to), toe to heel, and step more softly.

 

BioMotionLab

Here is the animation I think Pexetta may have been talking about! It's quite interesting, you should check it out!

 

That is a really interesting link. It makes me wonder if there are regional/cultural variations on these walks. Where I am at (US/Midwest/Rural) the male walks in that link seem to be some sort of cocky, pimp strut, or "swishy" in regards to how they'd be perceived here. The female walks seem to cover an average range, though some would be considered pretty "tom boy" here.

Of course I'm in a place where a lot of people have the "farmer" walk. That is basically head down staring at the ground and placing one foot in front of the other. Comes from years in a pasture walking on cattle trails and looking out for cow pies/snakes/etc. LOL

 

Here is the link for the binders that I told you I would get you later.

FTM at Underworks

I also think that different people walk differently. It could depend on what region that you are in.

 

No problem!!