Thick neck, can it be made thinner!?

[ToniTone]

One of the biggest factors to my dysphoria is also one that's pretty much out of my control, my thick neck.

 

Dumb question, I'm pretty sure the answer is a firm no, but... 

Is there a way to reduce the width of one's neck?? 

 

Besides some radical surgery removing muscles and tissues that is so unapproved of that it probably doesn't even exist... Is there some sort of exercise or diet (chuckles)? 

 

All I can think to do is to stop shaking my hair out after my shower to dry it. I can't imagine the couple shakes work the muscles much though. 

 

I feel like it's one of the big attributes that clocks me. If it were just a bit thinner, I'd feel more attractive and think it would greatly help me pass. But I doubt there is anything I can do about it... 

 

~Toni

[Jackie C.]

Your muscles atrophy a bit under HRT. I've lost about half a shoe size. My neck was never that thick though and I was blessed with not much of an Adam's apple. Part of the reason I work out so hard is to keep my muscle mass from decreasing too much. I didn't have much to lose.

 

So yeah, give it some time. You might be surprised by the results. Otherwise, look for clothing that minimizes your neck. One of the upsides of women's "nothing you have is ever good enough" fashion is that there are a lot of options out there to make you fit the ideal.

 

Hugs!

[Jackie C.]

Holy crap. I was just looking at a makeup tutorial on contouring... maybe practice that too. I am stunned... absolutely stunned... by the results.

 

Hugs!

[ToniTone]

Contouring is great and all, but it's more about the physicality of my neck that bothers. I dunno how to explain it, I dunno... 

 

But at least 70% of the time I'm wearing clothes. So I can definitely dress tactically to mask or distract from the features I don't like. Darker colors (neutrals as per my dress code at work), shoulder coverage (creates the illusion of narrower chest), and just right loose/tightness.

 

And accessories. Of course it is cute scarf season after all! Definitely take advantage of that! Just about the only thing I like about winter (and hot cocoa)...

 

And then there's my hair. I'm growing it out indefinitely (save for the occassional trimming of split ends). It's shy of touching my shoulders. Once that barrier is surpassed, it should help cloak my neck some. 

 

Thank you for your insight as always hun ??

 

~Toni

[Jackie C.]

We all (cis women too) have features we don't like. It's just part of being a woman. It sounds like you've got the skills to dress around the features that bother you. That's fantastic! It's just what all the cis girls learned to do at twelve.

 

I get the physicality of your neck thing though. We've all got parts we feel just a bit more dysphoric about. Fortunately, I was blessed with a skinny neck, but my chest is bigger than I'd like and I'm pigeon breasted which my tiny boobs do not actually disguise (unless I'm stuffing my bra, but I don't like to do that). Ugh... and on the subject; my giant freaking feet... just ugh. So yeah, we've all got features we don't like.

 

I actually got into a back and forth with my friend Xena (no really, her names is that cool) at the gym yesterday. We were both going on about how we envied the other one. I completely don't get it, she's practically perfect (seriously, she's a knockout, I would commit terrible atrocities to look like her) and I'm this gawky trans-woman, but... I guess the grass is always greener.

 

In the meantime, I've found that concentrating on the features that you DO like helps with dealing with the things that you don't. For example; I have lovely high, cheekbones and dimples. Spending a minute appreciating those in the morning helps me smile my way through my day.

 

Hugs!

[ShawnaLeigh]

I hear you sister.  Although I do not have a thick neck I do have fairly heavy and wide shoulders which could just be hiding the neck size.  Then a rib cage that is still a tid bit over 40". I say rib cage because I am basically down to just ribs having lost all the weight I have.  Like Jackie my breast are pigeon toed too.  One being a lot bigger then the other, like a small B and a AA, so yea I am with you on dysphoric body parts.  

My legs, feet, arms and hands are so sweet though.  LOL

 

Then we have the hair.

 

Lets not even talk about that here...

 

[ShawnaLeigh]

Sorry hit submit before I was ready...

So I mentioned this before but read someplace how a fairly big male body builder started a transition MTF and was trying to minimize all muscle groups.  Going for atrophy and having the body reduce of the muscles tissues by staving the energy sources is what she needed to do.  So basically she trained like a world class distance runner, which are basically super healthy but bean poles.  (No Judgements here)

No weights even for toning.  Veggies and some Carbs just for energy and no protein.

It does not seem very healthy to me.  

[Jackie C.]

Yeah, that's not really what I'm talking about. I have a pigeon chest. It's more like this:

 

 

I'm a little more rounded, but this gives you the general idea. My breasts simply do not project out past my breastbone at this point. I'd LOVE them to, but... biggest physical source of anxiety right there.

 

Hugs!

[ToniTone]

Thanks y'all for your encouragement! ?

I had pretty big biceps when I started this whole thing. They atrophied (I quit my manual labor jobs) and now they look more slender, about how I want them to. But I was prettt dysphoric about them early on too. But a number of girls told me they thought my arms looked pretty hot, lol!..

 

Anyway, I have a friend who has a condition that caused the neck to not develop properly, so they have a short thick neck ambiguous with the shoulders. They too are very self conscious of their neck. But they don't let it stop them from modelling in their fashion and glam photography. And imho they are stunning, wears it well! 

 

I brought that up to exemplify something, that I think we are more hyperfocused and critical of ourselves than is realistic. I often wonder if people's compliments are meer pleasantries, or of they are genuine comments if their external perspective of ourselves. 

 

I have pretty large feet for my height (size 10.5 wide mens and I'm 5'5"). But I love my gawky feet. They have robustness and a nice contour! 

 

~Toni

[ToniTone]

Ok, some of those if's are supposed to be of's and vice versa. THANK YOU autocorrect... <.<

[ShawnaLeigh]

On 1/3/2020 at 1:35 PM, ToniTone said:

I often wonder if people's compliments are meer pleasantries, or of they are genuine comments if their external perspective of ourselves. 

I agree with this too.  I honestly cant read people with this sort of thing.  I love compliments but get very few.  Although a few nurses have mentioned my weight loss and say I look "good" but in a flirtatious way that they would of a guy not a female.  I thank them but it does not "do it" for me.  LOL

[Lucca]

I'm a bit late here, but I have a thick neck too. However, much to my surprise, it has shrunk a bit. My chokers used to only fit if I linked them at the last link in the chain, then I didn't wear them for a month or so, and when I put them on again, I found that I needed to connect them about a centimeter tighter than I used to. So yeah, your neck can shrink on HRT. I recommend measuring it periodically so you can tell if it shrinks.

[ToniTone]

Ooh thank you Lucca! I think my neck has shrunk a bit on hrt, but still pretty thick imo. My arms have became slender! I stopped working manual labor and exercising a while back and allowed them to atrophy...

 

~Toni