On Tucking

[Guest Kaylee234]

Hey, that's a great idea! I'm going to have to look around for bikini bottoms now~

~ Kay

[Guest NightRainRaven]

I was thinking about corn starch and was wondering how much does it takes. I feel that it will end up a paste. Hehe but I guess I could come home and then build a paper mache house :-) hehe

Thanks for the advice.

<3 Sam

[VickySGV]

Good old baby powder which is talc and cornstarch with a bit of flour of zinc will do just fine, and you will smell baby fresh as well.

[Guest Christina xxx]

This was really helpful thanks

[Guest Melissa Lissa]

Deodorant/antiperspirant is another trick for preventing sweating down there. White solid underarm deodorant. Works just like on the underarms.

[mara13]

Deodorant/antiperspirant is another trick for preventing sweating down there. White solid underarm deodorant. Works just like on the underarms.

Wow, I never thought of that. Thank you for the tip, I will have to try that.

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Cotton dears

[Guest sophia.gentry58]

I was just going to ask the question, "why hasn't anyone thought of using antiperspirant". I always use antiperspirant down there, specifically the baby powder variety.

Sophia

[mara13]

I don't use anti-perspirant because the stuff burns when I use it down there, and results in a rash.

[Guest ClareJuliette]

I'm new to all this (see my intro!) and was looking the other day on how to hide the bulge - the women's trousers I'm currently wearing are quite tight up front. People around me don't yet know that I am trans so I'm not wanting to hide that I possess such things but that the trousers aren't for men. And life's a lot easier in women's clothes because than I at least know that I am doing something to behave as me and not as him. (Although today has been hard)

I've been trying tucking for the last few days and I have to say that the practice is far easier than the description I found which sounded awful and squeamish old me didn't cope. Fortunately I have some over-tight knickers - one of the 'mistakes' when working out recently what size to buy - and they are proving great at holding everything in place. And the discomfort I'd been expecting proved a lot less than feared - yes, it's not what I'm used to but it's OK and easy enough to get used to and forget about so that's fine and wonderful.

Now of course I'm paranoid that people will be wondering why the bulge that 'should' be there isn't there.

[Guest Madison_Always]

Hi ClareJuliette!

Welcome to lauras! I must say that as a heterosexual girl I have never looked at male presenting persons private area to notice if their anatomy was visible through their clothes. I think you will be fine. I tuck all the time and have never been bothered. Even if someone were to notice I doubt anyone would have the courage to ask any sort of questions about it.

Madison

[Guest ClareJuliette]

Thanks for the reassurance.

You're probably right - strangers rarely ever even mention my nail polish. Some give it rather strange looks! The only stranger to do in the last month was a woman who was dead jealous of it as my blue was better than hers. If in Britain we're all too polite to comment on nails then I guess it must be so that they won't comment on bulges from poor tucking skills.

In reality since, very recently, switching to women's clothing (apart from on my big feet) I've had loads of comments on how good I look, how healthy I look and how great my clothes are. In 40 years dressing as a man nobody ever told me such things. Then again this is the first time I've ever been comfortable and enthusiastic about clothing though when out and about it's socially acceptable trousers rather than the skirts I'd prefer to be able to publicly wear. One day ... [starts daydreaming]

[Guest KerryUK]

Hi Clare,

I can cast a little light based on my own experiences. Once I decided that I needed to transition (about 18 months ago), I started to introduce more and more gender neutral things to my day to day living. I had been tucking for some years before this anyway but continued to wear bloke clothes. I started to buff my nails and slowly started to change my hair style to more and more femme. All of this while undergoing laser hair removal for my face. Nobody noticed a thing - I asked after I came out at work if any of my colleagues had seen any of the (to me) glaringly obvious signals. Nope - not one. One thing that people had noticed, I had complimented them on how nice they looked with a particular top or skirt or whatever - they hadn't felt that it was creepy but rather thought it was strange for a 'guy' to take an interest. Now they all know. So my point? You will be surprised how little people observe in others. If you do things subtely and introduce things over a period of time - people will generally not notice. Enjoy.

K x.

[Guest ClareJuliette]

Enjoy.

K x.

Thank you for all that. Makes me feel better hearing that the experiences of others don't live up to my fears.

[Guest KerryUK]

Enjoy.

K x.

Thank you for all that. Makes me feel better hearing that the experiences of others don't live up to my fears.

You're very welcome Clare. In my experience, fear (although healthy) actually make things potentially worse in our own minds. In other words, the fear of something happening is far worse than reality. Go out there and enjoy girl - just remember, introduce things slowly and surely. Somebody once said to me when I first started on my own journey "slowly, slowly - catch a monkey". That sticks in my mind even now and was one of the best bits of advice anybody could have given me.

K x.

[Guest Amber Lynn]

JustMeUK, what you said about the slow integration of gender-neutral things into your life and how little people actually noticed was very nice to hear, and makes me feel better as well. Thank you!

Even though I haven't necessarily made a final decision yet about transition, but have been sort of starting to move towards that same direction anyway (introducing subtle feminine mannerisms to my daily behavior and looking into laser hair removal now).

Not to derail the thread too badly, but I was intrigued by what you said about slowly changing your hairstyle. I have purposefully delayed going to get it cut for several months now, with the vague goal of having somewhat longer hair in the future, so growing it out wont take as long (unfortunately, my hair, when longer, just wants to turn into a big afro... ) I had no idea what exactly my plan was before my possible decision to transition, so I've just been leaving it to look more and more ridiculous, not that I care too much how I look as a guy.

So I was wondering, what kind of hairstyles did you adopt that made your hair slowly change from male-typical, to gender-neutral, to more feminine? (again, I'm sorry for being so far off-topic, feel free to message me if that's easier)

Thanks,

Gina

[Guest ClareJuliette]

Hair! I had mine cut rather short just before the floodgates opened and I had to embrace that I'm Clare. Since then I've been lusting after all sorts of pretty hair accessories but haven't got the hair for it.

I haven't got a clue about styles or growing into styles having lived as a man who didn't give a whatever about his hair. Apart from when younger and letting it grow for years I've generally just had a hack-it-off cut from the cheapest person I could find. Never any decent styling except once when it was free and once a couple of years ago for £2 at a local college having it cut by the national student hairdresser of the year who had already graduated.

So I can't help with advice. I'm a hair ignoramus. And a makeup ignoramus. But have rapidly become an avid clothing - I couldn't care less about that before either. I'd be asking for advice too probably - but my wise wife is making plans and I'll just go along with what she says. She would possibly be able to help with de-afro, de-frizz advice too as she still has problems with it but her hair looks very different than it used to without resorting to regular salon trips.

Good luck with getting good hair advice here and beating your hair into submission from 'male' through androgynous style to 'female' should you conclude you want it or want to try it. At least if there isn't a total 100% certainty of things (say, only 98%!), hair is easy to change again.

[Guest KerryUK]

Hi Gina,

Thanks very much for asking and I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I don't get on her very often as I am a very busy girl.

Well, my hair was short to begin with and I love the 'Pixie' style. So I decided to head away from a crew cut #2 all over and to start growing it out and spiking it - also leaving the fringe so that I could cover more and more of my forehead (and receding bits). I initially told my female hair cutter that I wanted a more gender neutral look and she didn't bat an eye. Eventually, it continued to grow and I just kept the tidy (but spiked up) style. Then one day, I said to her that I am Trans and that I was ready to go for a feminine cut - she did a wonderful 'Pixie' style which was really feminine and I have stayed with that for a good while now (around 5 months I guess). I absolutely love it. So once again Gina, 'slowly slowly, catch a monkey' is the name of the game.

I hope this helps.

Hugs

K x.

[Guest Amber Lynn]

JustMeUK,

It's no problem at all, thank you very much for the reply! Your advice is very much appreciated, I may try heading that direction myself soon. I'm trying to take each process, hair only being one, slowly and steadily, as you say. It's great that you had (and maybe still have) such a nice stylist that was able to help you achieve your evolving look through that process, and it sounds like the result was really great!

And Clare, I'm also fairly ignorant in all this stuff. I'm steadily getting better at makeup and clothing, but I'm far from an expert at either and love learning more and finding styles that fit me. Hair's just another territory to conquer! Like you say, the great thing about hair is it isn't permanent, and the great thing about androgynous styles is that they seem like they'd help ease everyone else into a new you. Good luck to you as well!

Thank you again everyone!

Love,

Gina

[Guest danabanana]

Is it dangerous to invert yourself and push everything inside? I don't want to hurt myself, and it's painless unless I do it for extended periods. I'm planning on eventually having SRS and don't want to do permanent damage.

[VickySGV]

It's unlikely you will endanger your SRS by tucking as you describe.

[Guest danabanana]

Is it dangerous to invert yourself and push everything inside? I don't want to hurt myself, and it's painless unless I do it for extended periods. I'm planning on eventually having SRS and don't want to do permanent damage.

Hi Dana,

I tucked 24/7 for about 3 years prior to SRS. Adding in the effects of HRT, things changed dramatically from their original appearance. I was apprehensive about SRS as well.

However, the tissue seems to have a high elasticity. It hadn't gone away, it just hadn't been extended out for a long time. The surgeon was pleased with the skin there and SRS went well. Except for one thing: being tucked for that long, I did get yeast infections in the tissue that was folded up. I had used Monistat cream to clear it up, but still must have had spores on my skin at surgery - the yeast infection reappeared after SRS and delayed my recovery.

I worried more about the effect on the testicles than on the skin, actually. I had read that testicular cancer has been a result of testicles that aren't allowed their natural position, and was happy that they hadn't gone bad on me.

So, with cautions... be aware of your body and what's going on with it ... tuck away!

Love, Megan

Great to know, thanks Megan! I'm wondering if Gold Bond powder can help with that. Going to have to google that one.

[Guest savannah]

Hi Brenda,My name is Savannah Breaux.I am a mtf.I have been trying several things.So far nothing really works.Have been thinking of trying a gaff,when Savannah can get the extra money.She is on retirement, it is not easy.A lot of trouble just to keep bills paid,& grocery in the house.Savannah was cursed with more than she should of had,and she hates it.She evens crys herself to sleep sometimes hopeing & praying for her SRS-GRS.Take care god bless u & family.hugs Savannah.

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Hi Brenda,My name is Savannah Breaux.I am a mtf.I have been trying several things.So far nothing really works.Have been thinking of trying a gaff,when Savannah can get the extra money.She is on retirement, it is not easy.A lot of trouble just to keep bills paid,& grocery in the house.Savannah was cursed with more than she should of had,and she hates it.She evens crys herself to sleep sometimes hopeing & praying for her SRS-GRS.Take care god bless u & family.hugs Savannah.

I Savannah,

Welcome to Laura's Playground hon. One can tuck regardless of size. Tucking takes practice, practice, practice.

Tucking takes time to master. Case in point: It took me at least a year to get proficient at tucking.

Please don't despair. You'll get there.

By the way, I have never purchased a gaff.

Love

Brenda

[Guest sally-jane]

i cant tuck dude to the position on my male parts as thy sit higher than they are meant to so it can be pain full any help would be handy