When, If Ever, Does "transitioning" End?

[Carolyn Marie]

Elizabeth K's thread about living as a woman got me thinking about this. I don't think I'm stealing her thunder by posing this question separately.

So when does one finish transitioning?

Is it when you're full time 24/7 in your proper gender?

Is it when you've come out to everyone?

Is it when you go "stealth" and no longer need support such as provided here?

Do you ever really finish transitioning?

Just some food for thought.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Donna Jean]

.

Hmmmmm

This has been here before and the answers seemed to run the spectrum...

I was of the opinion that we never finish transitioning...even if we are 24/7 full time and out everywhere..

See?.....I look at it like when I had my '55 Chevy...It was never finished...

There was always some little thing that I could add, one more modification, rebuild the carb, wax it...

It was never done...always a work in progress no matter how "complete" it looked to everyone...

Carolyn, that is my take...I'm sure there will be others...

Good topic, Hon...

Huggs...

Donna Jean

[Guest Elizabeth K]

I agree with Dee Jay. There is always something that seems to be needed. Our breasts take 6 to 7 years to fully develop to the maximum. My friend Veronica who is 3.8 years postop - is talking about getting her teeth fixed for a more female mouth. She also wants more facial work, but more like a face lift to tighten up her chin.

Socially, I think we get more and more feminine. Look at those older T=Girls in their home pages - if you have been following them all these years, they just seem to get better and better looking, and so comfortable in their bodies. You begin to think they could never have been natal males!

And the voices of older T-Girls are amazing!

Finally it takes a while for people we know, to forget we weren't always women.

So I suspect we transtion forever!

Just my opinion

Lizzy

[Guest ~Brenda~]

One can always scrutinize oneself and find flaws to be perfected. There will come a time when you realize that everyone around you takes you for who you are without questioning. For FTM, it is the man who you are. For MTF it is the woman you are. This is to me complete external transitioning.

Internal transitioning is when you completely accept yourself to the point of no shame explaining who you are to others. Internally, you have transitioned.

Transitioning has many levels... self-recognition, self-acceptance, other-recognition, other-acceptance.

There is a distinction between self-improvement and complete transitioning. All cis-gendered people question themselves as to their physical beauty. The same is true for us, but at a more insecure and consequently, intense level.

To have transitioned means to me is that you understand and accept who you are. From that comes acceptance from others.

Transitioning is more mental and psychological than physical.

Understand that, and you are free

Love to all

Brenda

[Guest Melanie Dawn]

I don't think so. As humans, we are constantly evolving and developing as people. Therefore, I don't think we ever "finish" transitioning, it's more of a different stage after srs, etc.

Melanie Dawn

[Guest AshleyRF]

for me it ends when all traces of that thing I was are removed from my life forever.

[Guest ChloëC]

I am under the belief that if you asked anybody, "If you could change anything about your physical appearance, and it would be totally free, and totally painless, and quick, what would you change?", that everyone would come up with something they'd like a little different, smaller/bigger this or that, darker/lighter that or this.

I would think transitioning is done whenever you decide it's done, and realize you're now into 'sprucing' up your looks, and that....never ends, and is totally independent of transitioning. Life itself is a work in progress. And I suspect there were never any specs to begin with. At least to my thoughts.

Hugs

Chloë

[Carolyn Marie]

I'm one of those that doesn't think its a physical issue, at least not solely.

When you accept yourself, totally, as your true gender, and you no longer fear or care what others believe, then you have "transitioned." While no one can ever leave their "old self" behind completely, because you can't separate yourself into a "present" and a "past" person, once you've accepted yourself as either a woman, or a man, then who you were no longer matters much.

Some, perhaps most of us, can not get to that level of self acceptance without the accompanying HRT and surgery. I maintain that while those physical issues are important, even critical, they aren't required for everyone.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Researching the question, when does transitioning end?

TUESDAY

Hope this helps

Lizzy

[Sally]

Transitioning to me is very much like any other changes in our lives.

Like evolution, the process of aging - we are all transitioning throughout our lives so in effect no it never ends, we just become so used to it all that we don't think about it any more than we have to think about breathing.

From Birth until Death - Life is Transition.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Cowboy]

Well, y'all brought up really good points that made me rethink my answer. lol.

To me, transitioning ends when all the surgeries are complete. When all the things that need to be corrected physically, are.

When the name change becomes final, and all the other documents are corrected.

When there is no more need for binders, or packers, and the only major thing to worry about is continuing hormone therapy.

After that, its all about upkeep.

Taking care of yourself, and living as an every day man or woman.

You can never change your past, and being trans will forever be a part of our identity, but for me, thats when transition ends.

Cowboy

[Sakura]

i believe, that from the day you come out to the day you die , you are in transition .

Sakura

[Guest SailorGirl]

So when does one finish transitioning?

When you are comfortable in your own skin and no one can take that from you.

[Guest miss kindheart]

I have to agree with so many of you here

It started at conception and will end in my decay

All energy is borrowed and one day we have to give it back

vanna

[Guest N. Jane]

Well I am going to take a contrary view (from my own experience at least).

I never bought into the "I am supposed to be a boy" stuff and fought against it from childhood on. I felt short-changed through my teens because even though I lived part time as a girl, I still didn't have the full girl's life. I started HRT when I came of legal age (18) and had surgery when it became available (24). The moment I woke up in hospital I knew I was "DONE"! That was it, no more problems - it was girl's life, it was all mine, and nobody could take it away from me. The rest was just 'growing up' and making up for lost time.