Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Post-male-puberty "Broad Shoulders" Vs. Strappy tops


Heather Nicole

Recommended Posts

I had a little bit of a theoretical panic just thinking today. I know that one of my favorite things about women's clothing is the possibility of strappy, shoulderless tops. I hate collars and sleeves, even short sleeves, and (in private) absolutely love the freedom of low-cut, shoulder-less spaghetti-strap tops. (Such as my favorite nightie!)

 

But I'm close to 40, I went through full male puberty, and I'm a bit on the large side even by "guy" standards. Obviously, FFS and SRS (and presumably HRT) aren't going to have any effect on masculine "broad shoulders".

 

So, are tops like this something that are just a fashion no-no for people like us, or is there any hope?

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

It's a bit tricky for me to answer you directly on this but my take was to look around at cis women, their shapes and what they wear. I was thinking that I do tend to wear slightly wider tops as they look better and, having a very quick search, found this page which seems to support my view: http://bodyshapestyle.com/2011/04/28/what-to-wear-tops-for-broad-shoulders/

 

A lot may also depend on what women wear in the places you go to as well as it is obviously easier to fit in.

 

Tracy

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

I don't know, I look pretty hot in a tank top and I have wide shoulders. I think a lot of it comes down to color choice to de-emphasize features you don't like and highlight the ones you do. There's some skill involved and body contouring with makeup is a thing (not a thing I can do, but I've seen some awesome examples). I think you'll be fine. At the end of the day, I wear what makes me feel good. Sometimes that's something with straps.

 

Hugs! 

Link to comment

I always worry about my shoulders too, but several of my favorite dresses are sleeveless and being perfectly honest, I think my shoulders look narrower.  It could be wishful thinking I suppose, but I'm more inclined to believe that sleeveless really does have a narrowing effect.  I mean think about it, there's no fabric there to add to the shoulder width.  I think to get the most flattering effect probably depends on the way the top is cut around the shoulders, so I say experiment with different tops. 

Link to comment

Good topic @Heathick!
I was fortunate (at least now I think so now) that I have rather narrow and not very muscular shoulders.  I really love how sleeveless blouses and dresses look on me.  And I have to agree with @Sally Stone that I think wider sleeveless tops actually can narrow the appearance of your shoulders. 

Spaghetti straps are another story, and I have a terrible time keeping blouse (even bra) straps from falling off my narrow shoulders.  So, in that case a broader shoulders might be a bit of a benefit.

@tracy_j's link is a great source.

Maybe the best part is the Fun of trying on different styles and seeing how they look.  Then you'll really know.

 

Link to comment
2 hours ago, KayC said:



Spaghetti straps are another story, and I have a terrible time keeping blouse (even bra) straps from falling off my narrow shoulders.  So, in that case a broader shoulders might be a bit of a benefit.


 

I have broad shoulders and still can't keep straps from falling off. lol

Link to comment
13 hours ago, Bri2020 said:

Spaghetti straps are another story, and I have a terrible time keeping blouse (even bra) straps from falling off my narrow shoulders.  So, in that case a broader shoulders might be a bit of a benefit.

The straps on any cami large enough to fit around my ancient manly-man beer gut are too far apart to stay on my shoulders. Wish they made sweet feminine clothes for old fat guys....

Link to comment
2 hours ago, Lee H said:

The straps on any cami large enough to fit around my ancient manly-man beer gut are too far apart to stay on my shoulders. Wish they made sweet feminine clothes for old fat guys....

 

Omg, yes, the enormous circumference of my chest/ribcage (fifty-something, not counting cup size) and "beer gut" are easily the biggest problems I face finding anything whatsoever to fit the upper portion of my body. (Heck, at my size, it's even a stretch to file male clothes that fit well...not that I've ever cared much for them...)

 

I do have one or two nighties (which I LOVE) that fit in that regard...despite being much shorter on me than they're intended to be. But, to find a bra, or even a sports bra, or any nice top...ugh!! I feel your pain!

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Wow, fifty? I have trouble finding one with a 46" band that doesn't assume I have gigantic breasts. Currently wearing a sports bra that's mostly just elastic and spandex for an A/B cup. I'm headed to the gym and realized that this tank fits loosely enough that if I don't wear a bra, there's a good chance that I'm flashing everyone.

 

Hugs!

Link to comment

Yup, fifty-something! The nightie i mentioned is..I think a 4XL..? Maybe 5? The male puberty fairy hit me pretty hard! (Didn't bother me at the time, I saw it as "rite of passage" and much-desired "growing up", but now I envy the transwomen who started early and avoided it.)

 

I think that size will go down a little bit when I lose the weight I need to, but even before I ever started considering transitioning, I'd already been thinking "Yea, I really should get a good sewing machine and learn how to make alterations and make my own clothes." At least I'm not totally a novice at it, I have sewn before, just not often enough to remember how to do it...and I never could keep a straight line!

 

I heard about a documentary series called "My Giant Life" about a few very large-frame women, probably even bigger than me from the sound of it. I should watch it, hopefully they'll talk about how they deal with clothing.

Link to comment

I've found a fairly good selection of 44A bras on ebay, and I use bra strap extenders to reach 46. They fit ok, depending on where in Peking the sweat shop was which made them. At least they're cheap, especially compared to the fashion engineering masterpieces from places like Vickie's Secret.

 

I don't know about 50" sources there, but just a cursory search came up with "Silk Ladies Bras 36-50 AA A B C D Lace Sexy Bra Lingerie Underwear Brassiere BH." 8 bucks, but delivery sometime in Nov. via "Express China Shipping" -- a masterpiece of oxymoronic description. 3 hook, black or pink. Sheer, lacy, pretty.

 

Should we start the Fattytrans Wishful Weightloss League?

 

~~Here's a big hug for a big girl, from another one, Lee~~

Link to comment

@Lee H : Thanks so much for the tip! I looked those up, and OMG, its so pretty I immediately ordered one. And then a couple others I found through the suggested links there ;) I have a bad habit of always equating online shopping with Amazon these days, so I never thought to check eBay or anywhere else. And this is the first I've ever heard of bra strap expenders! That's a complete game changer! I'm totally ordering some tonight.

 

22 hours ago, Lee H said:

Should we start the Fattytrans Wishful Weightloss League?

 

~~Here's a big hug for a big girl, from another one, Lee~~

 

Hah ha, yes I think we need that league! And a big hug right back to the big sweetie!

 

@KayC: Wow! All the way up to 58A? Oh geez,  I think I'm going to wind up going from a sparse bra drawer to overflowing in no time, flat! Sorry, checking account!

Link to comment

Eeeeee!!!! Ok, I just got paid today and I totally splurged, but I'm sooo SUPER excited about it!!!!!!

 

I took all my own measurements (best as I could), and I ordered the bra @KayC linked to (like you, the pink one - it's sooo pretty!!!!), and a rush-order on a custom-tailored dress - I've been wanting to get to wear a dress SOOO BADLY for soo long lately! This will be my first dress ever!! OMG, I'm so excited I cant wait to get to wear a dress!!! My own dress!! Of course, it's a light pink dress, naturally ;). My favorite colors for the past 20 years have been pink, purple and indigo. Ha ha, generic girly-girl I guess, but I have sooo much catching up to do! I was never a little girl!

 

Hee hee, I'm feeling so totally girly right now and I absolutely LOVE it!!!

 

Oh, and as an experiment, I also just shaved off my Will Riker beard for the first time in...probably over five years? Since I started growing my hair out...a couple years ago?...I realized I've never seen what I look like with both long hair and no facial hair. The results are...umm...weird, a bit... Mainly because I've spent nearly all of my adult life with facial hair (avoiding the "baby-faced-boy" look I was never a fan of on me), but also "weird" because of now seeing all the facial fat deposits that my beard had been hiding. Well, all the more reason for more much-needed weight loss!

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 107 Guests (See full list)

    • Kait
    • Mirrabooka
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.8k
    • Total Posts
      769.5k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,069
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Ali_Genderlfuid
    Newest Member
    Ali_Genderlfuid
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Caridad
      Caridad
    2. Certbunnie
      Certbunnie
      (25 years old)
    3. EstherElle
      EstherElle
      (43 years old)
    4. Juliet
      Juliet
      (43 years old)
    5. MelissaAndProudOfIt
      MelissaAndProudOfIt
      (59 years old)
  • Posts

    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
      Some anxiety is building up inside.
    • Heather Shay
      Suppressing your emotions because you’re afraid of them can be bad for your physical and mental health. Here’s what to do instead. When a toddler feels a “big” emotion, like anger or sadness, they tend to have a big tantrum on the floor. And these tantrums can be a lot to observe, full of thrashing, screaming, and tears. But a child reacts like this because the emotion they’re feeling is uncomfortable, maybe even painful.   Of course, as adults, we feel emotions too, and those feelings can be just as overwhelming, uncomfortable, or even painful as they were when we were children, even if we don’t let ourselves react in such a big way. But, sometimes, in our attempts to not give in to our emotions, we go too far: we run from them or suppress them — even if that harms us in the long run. Although there are many reasons we might suppress our emotions, one of them is that we are afraid of our emotions. Fear of emotions is called “animotophobia. It is not an official term in the DSM-5-TR. Still, fearing your emotions can have a significant impact on your well-being.      
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
      Been a while.... Do you sing or play an instrument?   I sing, write songs, play guitar, bass, harp. It is my sanctuary.
    • Willow
      Good morning   Ok I didn’t get to go home yesterday as expected.  In fact expect for a one hour break plus travel time I worked an 11 hour day.  another store needed me so I left my store half way through my day went home for an hour break then went to another store until 6   this morning I told Alexa to turn off my alarm but dozed another 30 minutes.   well at least today is a short day.     hugs   Willow
    • Heather Shay
      @KaitSo glad you are here. It's never too late to talk to your doctor. bI was 68 before I stopped lying to myself and talked to my doctor. He or she might be able to help. It may be easier to find an endocrinologist you specializes or a health care group who specializes. You might also seek out a therapist who specializes to help with HRT resources. Psychology Today can help find therapists who specialize. Glad you are here. WELCOME.
    • April Marie
      Skort, t-shirt, bra feels so good.
    • April Marie
      Good morning, everyone!   Coffee is flowing so my brain is beginning to function.    We've been busy caring for aging family members and trying to get the house open now that the weather is getting warmer. I've been working on getting the pool open and cleaned. It's almost ready for salt and starting up the heater. We may be swimming by next week.   But, it's raining here today so I guess I'll be stuck working inside.   Have a wonderful and safe, day!!
    • April Marie
      I had that same outcome from my first colonoscopy years ago. It just triggered more frequent colonoscopies for a period of time. Hopefully, that will be the same plan for you.
    • Birdie
      Biopsies came back mostly clear except one, one polyp came back with abnormal cell growth (pre-cancerous). It was completely removed during the colonoscopy so I don't know yet if further action needs to be taken. 
    • Kait
      Hey-o. My name's Kait. I haven't decided what to do about my last name yet. (Mononyms sound cool, but they're very problematic unfortunately).   I guess pronouns are important. They/them or it/its (strong preference for 'it/its').    Im not someone who's been active in the community for a long time, but I've known I was trans almost my whole life. It's just that financial, medical, and psychiatric struggles have kept it from the forefront of my priorities for 10 years or so. So basically during that entire time, I've been living as an AMAB, masculine-presenting person named kait. Which is not ideal, but I've been able to deal with it by dissociating from my body and viewing it as an appendage rather than as a 'self'.    Mostly I'm on here because I finally feel well enough mentally and physically to think about beginning HRT. Problem is, I really don't know where to start out what to do. I have an endocrinologist I see for an unrelated health issue, but honestly I don't have a very strong relationship with him. Is it best to start with my existing doctor? Or should I find an endocrinologist that specialises in this sub-field? What's the best available tech? Is 29 too late to be taken seriously about this by my doctor? I have no idea about these questions and so much more and I need help.   Side from trans stuff though, I'm the boringest person you'll probably ever know. I have a pretty rich inner life and a wonderful partner, but really all I do is work, sleep, and occasionally build tiny models.     
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      I agree that porn is a really bad thing.  Bad in general, but probably gives a misleading view of trans folks.  If you don't see trans folks out in the wild, but you see plenty of them online, that is going to give the impression that it is primarily sex-driven, and that trans folks are interested in sex with just about everybody all the time.  Similar to what people often assume about being bisexual.    I'm androgynous, so sometimes people look at me this way.  Especially if my husband and I are together (if they don't assume I'm his kid) people get that "judgy" look on their faces.  You can sort of read their minds.  I even heard on lady say something like, "Oh, that's just so wrong" when we came out of a shower at a truck stop.  I mean, I like sex and we have a great connection in that way, but its not "THE REASON" for our relationship. 
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...