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If you are an MTF transgender woman or are in the process of transitioning, looking good is probably high on your list of priorities. In fact, a transgender woman has a reputation for being fashion icons. They push the envelope when it comes to beauty and style. If you are an MTF trans woman and you want to spice up your appearance, one of the best places to start is your face. Your face is the first thing people notice about you, and it plays a major role in how feminine you are perceived. If you want to come across as feminine during a first impression, then you must learn and master the art of applying make-up. Below are some insightful tips that will help you learn to apply makeup appropriately and beautifully.

If you are an MTF trans woman, you have probably made many adjustments during and after the transitioning process. Because you grew up male, there are some things you have to learn now in order to be a woman. Luckily, there is a lot of information available to help you become the female you always dreamed of. To be good at applying make-up, you must be knowledgeable about the ins and outs of it. Researching is a good way to sharpen your knowledge on how to apply make-up. Through researching, you will be able to learn important information, such as what brushes to use, the colors that complement your skin tone, and so much more.

Buy Quality Products

To apply makeup beautifully, you must first have the right tools and products. As mentioned above, you must first make sure that you know which brushes and products are the best. However, you should note that quality products come with a hefty price tag. However, they do not need to cost an arm and a leg either. The key is to invest in some expensive products and choose less expensive options in other areas. Quality brushes are one good set of products to invest in because they offer you more control when you apply your makeup. Quality brushes are also beneficial because they are more durable.

Never Ignore Your Eyebrows

Never make the mistake of leaving your eyebrows ungroomed. However, grooming your eyebrows does not necessarily mean that you pluck them. The point of eyebrows is to frame the face, so cleaning up wayward strands is all that is necessary. You can reshape and tame the rest of them with eyebrow wax.

Plump Lips

it is undeniable that fuller lips are sexier. To have full lips without giving off a intercourse doll vibe, you should line the lips slightly outside the natural line. Next, you should use a lip brush to fill in your lips with your chosen lipstick. Then, powder the lipstick lightly and carefully dust away from the excess. Finally, reapply the lipstick one more time. This ensures that your color will remain vibrant even for a whole night out. If you cannot seem to get the shape you want, visit a professional to learn how to achieve the right look.

It is said that women often have some difficulty when it comes to developing self-confidence. They tend to focus on building others up rather than helping themselves. For an MTF Trans Woman, things can be even more challenging. Therefore, it is important for MTF Transgender Women to take some time for self-confidence development. Luckily, self-confidence can be mastered via learning, and even if you stumble here and there, you can succeed if you persevere. Here are some tips that will help you bolster your confidence as an MTF Trans Woman.

The ability to relax can be advantageous when developing self-confidence. First, you must identify the situations that trigger nervousness. Once you know the types of situations that make you feel tense or uncomfortable, you will be in a position to make adjustments so you can relax. For example, if you know you are about to enter a situation that naturally fills you with apprehension, try to think about happy things. The mental distraction allows you to calm yourself and relax.

While mental relaxation is important, you also need to ensure that your body posture is relaxed. You should relax your facial expression when talking to people as well. Once you practice these tricks, you will not only be able to relax but also be able to enjoy yourself even in situations that used to make you tense.

Focus on Your Strengths

Focusing on your good points is a great way to build self-confidence. In order to focus on your strengths, you must kill negative thoughts. It is especially important to be aware of your self-talk – the way you think about yourself. You should always avoid negative self-talk as it often has a negative impact on confidence.

Groom Yourself and Dress Nicely

Looking good often translates to feeling good. When you have confidence in your appearance, your general self-esteem also increases. On the other hand, nothing kills your confidence more than a messy, dirty appearance. However, dressing nicely does not necessarily mean that you need to wear expensive clothes. All you need are clean, well-fitting clothes that show off your best features.

Awareness of multiple genders and sexual orientation has recently taken a limelight in the media, however misconceptions and stereotypes still linger because of this. Before we start to dive into this subject matter, it is important to know simple terms such as gender, intercourse, and sexuality. Gender is what people feel within themselves, according to cultural understandings. Such as girls are soft and compassionate, whilst men are less so. intercourse is a biological term which directly refers to the genitals one was born with. Sexuality is whom one is attracted to sexually and emotionally. This may or may not align with their gender.

Gender fluid is an identity that seems to be regularly mistaken. Gender fluid refers to a gender which varies over time. A gender fluid person may at any time identify as male, female, neutrois, or any other non-binary identity, or some combination of identities. It is a gender identity which can be described as a mix of boy and girl. A person who is Gender Fluid may always feel like a mix of the two traditional genders but may feel more boy some days, and more girl other days.  Being Gender Fluid has nothing to do with which set of genitalia one has, nor their sexual orientation. It is solemnly as what they feel like inside, and gender fluid people never seem to stick with a single gender identity.

Many celebrities consider themselves genderfluid, such as Miley Cyrus, Tilda Swinton, DJ Ruby Rose, and Andrej Peji?. Standards for each gender has been ever evolving, from more intense beliefs, to sneaky yet still beliefs.

One of the main misconceptions for people who are gender fluid is that their gender is nonexistent, however, an individual who is gender fluid experiences a constant shift between the gender spectrums. There are some people who fall under the Trans spectrum that do not feel dysphoric about their gender, but it is well known that most do. Gender Dysphoria is a feeling of your physical body not matching up with how you feel internally that it should be. Many people would describe the feeling of dysphoria in many different ways, though all of the ways that it is described make it clear that it is a negative feeling.

Many people who are gender fluid will date bisexual or pansexual people, those who are attracted to two genders or are attracted to people no matter what gender they are. Some people who are gender fluid will use pronouns other than he/him or she/her. Some will use the gender-neutral they/them, or another term that they choose and use regularly. Along with different pronouns, sometimes they will use gender-neutral terms for themselves while dating. Instead of having their significant other calling them their boyfriend/girlfriend, they will term such as “date mate” or even a term as simple as “partner” or “significant other”.

Many people who are gender fluid will often dress and appear as unisex or androgynous, though in some cases they will decide to mix objects that most would place within gender categories. A good example of that would be someone who decides to wear masculine appearing clothing, with makeup or another part of themselves appearing feminine.

It is recommended that when coming across a genderfluid person, that you politely ask what pronouns they would like to be referred as. Some people who experience fluid gender don't use the word "genderfluid" for themselves. Some people with fluid genders call themselves by a word such as genderqueer, bigender, multigender, polygender, or other words. This can be because the people haven't seen the word "genderfluid," or it can be because they don't think it describes them well. It's important to understand that each person has the right to decide what to call their gender identity and that they're the only one who can do that.

Some genderfluid people find that their environment does not influence their gender identity to change. They find that their gender fluidity is unpredictable and happens randomly. Other genderfluid people find that their gender changes depending on the situation, and is influenced by inside or outside sources. For genderfluid people who think their changes in gender might have to do with their menstrual cycle, they think it might be caused by how the natural hormone levels rise and fall during that cycle. It’s possible that a person might think that they tend to feel male during their periods even if that’s only rarely the case for them because the incongruence of that situation would feel noticeable and memorable.

The biggest thing to keep in mind for both sides of a relationship with someone who is gender fluid, whether that relationship is platonic or romantic, is being honest with each other about who you are and what you are looking for. Being open with a significant other can really be better for both people involved than one might think.

Transitioning is a very complex process. Every transgender woman has a unique transitioning trajectory. The approach that she adopts towards transitioning depends totally on her personality and her own priorities as an individual. There is no ‘one fits all’ method to transitioning. Every transgender woman has a distinct individuality and that is what guides her future life choices.

She might go all the way up to altering her physique and facial structure surgically as much as possible to look more feminine. That is, she might go for Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS). Or she might just opt for the Hormone Replacement Therapy and take it from there. But irrespective of whatever approaches she takes, a basic grounding in etiquettes of femininity would certainly help her in projecting that feminine image.

She is taking a leap of faith by choosing to live like a woman. She is a beautiful woman already. She feels like a woman inside out. It’s just that as a transgender woman, she needs to master some external manifestations of femininity in order to take forward her journey as a woman.

And it’s not just about fitting in or some stamp of approval from society. It is very much about her own desire to give a beautiful, sublime expression to her innate femininity.  Societal codes and conventions aren’t always binding and suffocating. Sometimes, they get us the kind of recognition that we have been craving for. Adhering to a certain etiquette of femininity would also make a transgender woman feel that her body and heart are completely in sync.

This article is going to list some tips that a transgender woman can follow for bringing out her innate femininity.

Dressing & Fashion

The dressing is more than just an external manifestation of femininity. What a woman wears offers a window to her soul. For a transsexual woman, it is important to choose stylish, chic, feminine attire that will complement her looks, personality and body type.

Whether she is wearing dresses or skirts, the colours and cuts should complement her body type and enhance her femininity. She should also keenly follow all the latest fashion trends. Of course, she should not blindly copy these trends. She has to eventually evolve her distinct style in accordance with her unique beauty and attributes. But it is very important to know about all the happening trends in the world of fashion. She should not come across as someone who wears beautiful but outdated clothes.  For a modern, feminine woman, looking contemporary and chic is equally important.

In fact, a transgender woman should read fashion magazines on a regular basis. She should never miss out on the ‘Fashion’ and ‘Lifestyle’ pages of the newspapers. Constantly checking out what celebrities are wearing these days gives one a perfect peep into the world of fashion and glamour. It will also give her innovative ideas on how to design her own wardrobe.

Yet another advantage of reading a fashion magazine is that it will give her an idea as to where she can buy the clothes from. She will get an update on all the latest and happening ladies’ apparel stores in the town.

Last but not the least, it is very important to check out what other women around you are wearing. You just have to walk around the street and observe the kind of clothes that women are wearing. This will give you more practical and hands-on tips for dressing up. Maybe, what a fashion model featured on the magazine cover is wearing is not practical for you to wear in day-to-day life. Maybe, it doesn’t suit your body type. But if you notice women around you, which will give you an idea on how to merge the high fashion sensibility of designer wear with the more practical sensibility of day-to-day wear.

Learning the Art of Applying Makeup

A transgender woman has to perfect the art of applying makeup. It might seem like the easiest thing in the world considering that most women apply makeup on a day-to-day basis. But applying makeup well is not that easy. It is a skill that can be mastered with constant practice and learning.

A transgender woman should always choose the right kind of makeup according to her skin tone and facial features. If her eyes are small, then she has to highlight her eyes using adequate eye makeup. If she already has large eyes, then the eye makeup would be somewhat different. If she has fuller lips already, then she has to be very careful while applying lipstick. If she has thin lips, then it is very important to enhance those through makeup.

A good way of learning make up is by watching YouTube tutorials on ‘how to apply makeup’. Social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. have amazing makeup tutorials. Depending on your skill and experience level, you can choose the kind of videos you want to watch. If you are a beginner, you can watch videos listing ‘makeup tips for beginners’’. If you as a transgender woman want to learn how to apply basic, nude makeup for an everyday look, there are specific tutorials for those. If you are interested in learning party makeup or more edgy, dramatic makeup, then there are tutorials for that too.

Practice is very important for perfecting the art of makeup. Just watching YouTube videos isn’t going to do the trick. One has to constantly practise what one has learnt.

Appropriate makeup that highlights her facial features will make a transgender woman bring out her gorgeous self in full bloom. And after all that makeup, do not forget to ace the look with that gorgeous, alluring smile!

Feminine Voice

Makeup, dressing sense, all these constitute the 1st step towards the external manifestation of femininity. But communicating in a feminine voice is equally important. And this can be tricky terrain for a transgender woman. The transition process is complex and multi-layered. Finding a feminine voice during and post-transition can be challenging.

But with a few tips and tricks, a transgender woman can simulate a feminine voice. Even if she has a deep, manly voice, she can make the pitch somewhat higher and the voice would sound feminine. If she breathes from the stomach and then speaks, it would help in getting rid of vibrations in the chest.

A transgender woman with a somewhat manly voice can also consider taking singing lessons or just practice singing by herself. She can try out her favourite numbers. Singing is an excellent way of training the voice in a way that makes it sound more feminine. Singing would add the high-pitched notes to her voice. It would also make her voice smoother. All this would certainly enhance the feminine quality of her voice.

If she wants to go a step further, she can even consider taking professional voice lessons. There exist professional voice training courses specifically targeted at transgender women to help them make their voice sound more feminine. A professional coach can give you numerous tips and tricks for voice projection that can make your voice sound smoother and sweeter. You could also try out YouTube videos that teach voice projection and offer lessons on how to make the voice sound more melodious and feminine.

Speak Softly

It’s not just the quality of your voice that makes you sound feminine. The way you speak is very important. A transgender woman should try to speak as softly and politely as she can. A soft, soothing deep, husky voice can also sound very feminine. On the contrary, a screeching voice, the kind of voice where the speaker is literally shouting can be very unpleasant on the ears.

So, she can step up her feminine quotient by speaking softly and politely.

Eyebrows and Shaving are Very Important for her Grooming

Eyebrows define the shape of the entire face. For a feminine look, it’s very important that the eyebrows are regularly plucked and in great shape. Messy, bushy eyebrows aren’t going to make you look all that feminine. Neatly plucked eyebrows with a bit of arch are what will do the trick.

It goes without saying that shaving is very important in order to get rid of all that stubble. Also, you shouldn’t shave in a hurry. Take your time and make sure you are doing it perfectly. Be gentle so that you don’t end up developing any rashes or infections by being too harsh and rough on your own skin.

Clear, smooth skin is the hallmark of ultimate femininity. And for getting that type of look, you have to be extremely meticulous and patient with your shaving routine. Waxing is of course the easiest and most convenient practice. But you can even consider electrolysis or laser hair removal.

Be Confident

Just as a woman cannot wear any makeup better than a smile, she cannot wear any attribute better than confidence.

A confident woman literally radiates with the unique beauty of her personality and she spreads her special aura everywhere she goes.

People are naturally attracted to a confident woman, they wish to speak with her, they want to be around her and take her opinions seriously.

So, a transgender woman should be confident in all spheres of life. When she radiates with the beauty and confidence of her innate femininity, absolutely nothing can stop her from conquering the world.

TransSingle present a video of  Laverne Cox, a bright star, and transgender activist

You are finally close to living your life as a trans woman. And you are probably even close to joining a trans woman dating site or a transgender dating site. Just imagining what it would be like to live in the skin of somebody you’ve always believed you are can be such an exhilarating experience. For a trans woman living out her life and identity, it can be a fantasy meets reality kind of situation. And yet, this is just the beginning. There are so many things to learn about feminine sartorial choices and grooming.

It is obvious that all these things are new to her as a trans woman. Her life till now has been completely different so the whole thing about having to switch over to an uber-feminine identity can be a bit too overwhelming. This constant pressure to be ultra-feminine can literally drive her crazy. So it’s important that as a trans woman, she finds her unique point of balance, in accordance with her personality and distinct beauty.

In order to live out your life as a trans woman, you need to have a basic know-how of feminine fashion and beauty etiquette. You would learn more as you go along but it’s important to get equipped with the basics. This article lists out a few tips that will definitely help you in your journey towards embracing womanhood in all its feminine glory!

Dress According to Your Personality and Body Type

We all live in a rather complex world where everyone is trying to copy each other. Especially when it comes to fashion, there is a lot of peer pressure to embrace trends and look a certain way. While it is very important to keep an eye out for all the latest trends in female clothing, you should never feel pressured to dress a certain way. Just remember, the best fashion statement is made by those who create their own statement with clothing.

Shop according to the latest trends but go for styles that complement your body type. If you have great legs, then go for minis and micro-minis that let you flaunt those legs. If you are concerned about your relatively flat chest as a trans woman, then go for dresses and tops that create the illusion of greater cleavage.

Always make sure that your dressing sense goes well with your personality type. Don’t let age define your sartorial choices. Age is an overrated concept! It’s rather a personality that matters. There are 40 plus women who can carry miniskirts and shorts gorgeously. And there are 20 plus women who would feel more comfortable in trousers and long formal shirts. What dresses would look good on you is all about your personality and aura as a trans woman! Just remember that when you finally begin to date someone through a transgender dating app or a trans dating site, they will be impressed not as much by your fashion choices as they will be by how you carry those choices.

Go for Makeup Tricks that Make your Face more Feminine

Now, the approach to makeup a trans woman should follow is actually quite different from the one a cis woman follows. Cis women actually use makeup to give their faces a more chiselled appearance. In the case of a trans woman, the goal of makeup has to be the opposite! Since you already have quite a chiselled face, you want to soften your facial features and want a softer looking fuller, feminine face.

Avoid contouring, especially if you haven’t had hormonal fillers to soften your facial features. Too much contouring would actually draw even more attention to your bone structure, making your face look even more masculine. And you don’t want that. You rather want to tone down that masculine ‘super sculpted’ look. Opt for highlighting to give a softer and feminine feel to your face.

There are multiple makeup tricks you can actually use to play with your facial features to create an illusion of a more feminine, fuller face. You can check out a transgender blog or a transsexual blog with makeup tutorials for trans women. The internet these days is a great resource for such information. You could find so many video tutorials specifically geared towards creating a more feminine facial structure using the art of makeup. And the best part is that in most of these videos, you can see a trans woman working on her face and showing the transformation!

Do Not Overdo Makeup

Makeup is tempting. Let’s accept it! When we walk into a makeup store for a new look, we have this desperate urge to slather on all the eyeshadows and eyeliners and blush and shimmer and what not. But on a serious note, don’t do that! Never overdo your makeup. A minimalistic, nude makeup look that gives you a fresh face is the best for everyday appearance. And for special occasions like a date or parties, you could jazz it up a little bit but don’t go overboard. A guy you’ve just met through a transsexual dating app or a transgender dating site would love to see you in a fresh-faced look when you are out on your first date. No one likes a painted face if they can make out that it’s painted!

The idea of makeup is to subtly highlight the best attributes of your face and make it look softer and feminine. If you overdo your makeup, you would just end up looking like a drag queen. Again, the internet is a great resource for learning the art of applying makeup. Check out a transgender blog or a transsexual blog for makeup advice. Also, interact with other trans women on a trans forum and find out what works best for them.

Do Consider the Advice of Sales Staff

Now, this applies to both makeup and clothes. The sales staff is experienced in terms of figuring out what would look good on a particular person. They can scan your entire physical profile with just a look! So, whenever you walk into a clothing store or a makeup store, do consider the advice of the sales staff.

At a makeup counter, the sales staff would have a better idea of what foundation would suit your skin tone best, how much coverage you need if your skin texture is rough and coarse, things like that. And at a clothing store, they would exactly know what styles would suit your height, personality, skin tone and build.

It’s understandable that you might feel conscious as a trans woman to walk into a store and strike a conversation with the sales representatives, especially if you are in the transitioning phase or haven’t had hormonal treatment yet.

A lot of staff at high-end fashion stores though is sensitive towards transgender people. And they might just tell you about some awesome makeup tricks. So do not shy away from talking to the sales staff. In fact, if you can afford it, get a makeover. That will make you feel confident and super gorgeous.

A Concealer is Must in your Makeup Routine

As a trans woman, concealer is a must-have in your makeup routine. It becomes even more important if you are in between transitioning. A good quality concealer will skilfully hide all those under eye dark circles. It can also conceal your aftershave and all those dicey giveaways of your physical appearance that can make you look masculine, if not properly covered.

When you finally go out on a date with somebody you met through a trans woman dating site or a transgender dating site, you don’t want to spend all your time stressing about how your face is looking and if it is looking feminine enough. So, investment in a good concealer is a must.

Experiment with Your Sartorial Choices

As a trans woman, you obviously face a lot of pressure to look good. But that doesn’t mean you religiously stick to a particular style and play it safe all the time. Fashion is all about experimentation! So don’t be afraid of trying out new styles. A tried and tested approach many women apply is that they go for muted, sober colours when it comes to their wardrobe. Break that monotony. Go for bright reds, pinks, yellows, violet, green, etc. Do not be afraid of trying out colourful lowers. In fact, colourful harem pants, dhoti pants or palazzo will give you an ultra-chic, hippy look.

When deciding what to buy, go for clothes that convey the essence of your personality. Fashion is not about the clothes you wear in order to conform. It is a statement you make in front of society. So, if there is something bold and quirky in that statement, society takes a greater note of your distinct personality. And when you finally go out on that dream date with a guy you met through a transsexual dating app or a transgender dating site, you will see that he can’t just get take eyes off you!

While gender and sexual orientation refer to two very distinct aspects of our human lives, acronyms like LGBTQIA+ suggest that the transgender community is part of the queer community. This can cause some confusion for anyone who is not particularly well-versed in the terminology.

Commonly, ‘queer’ as a reclaimed slur refers to people whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual. Queer people can identify as bisexual, pansexual, homosexual and much more. Transgender, meanwhile, refers to gender identity, i.e. whether a person identifies as male, female, genderqueer, nonbinary, or similar. Inter* people also have a special gender identity.

Intersectional identities

Of course, gender and sexuality are intricately linked and always rooted in the society we grow up in. Like anything in life, sexuality and gender identity are fluid and can change over time. The cis-female teenager who realizes she is bisexual might, later on, come into their nonbinary or genderqueer identity and embrace pansexual as a term… or take up the more general, less narrow term ‘queer’.

With the growing acceptance of queer people in society, the fight for transgender rights is becoming more and more the focus of activism. Unfortunately, even among the LGBTQIA+ community, transgender people may have to deal with huge levels of misunderstanding, bigotry, and transphobia. In a similar vein, people with trans identities can be homophobic, biphobic, or harbor prejudice against any other marginalized groups.

Figuring out who we are is always a struggle. Yet when several marginalized identities converge in one individual, the journey to accepting one’s identity as a whole may be even more difficult. If, on the one hand, you struggle to accept your queerness, and on the other also have to contend with a transitioning process, this double-dose can be overwhelming.

If you have yet other marginalized identities, for instance, if you are a person of color, then you have to deal with everyday overt and covert racism, too.

One thing is essential to remember, though: Despite how it might sound, this is not a competition. All pain and suffering are valid and there is no score to keep.

Also absent: a schedule.

Some people realize at quite a young age that they are different, whether in terms of gender identity or sexual orientation – or both. Yet this isn’t the case for everyone, by far. Others start to explore the dimensions of their identities in puberty and some much later. It is never too late or too early – you have your own pace, and that pace is as legitimate as that of everyone else around you. As mentioned above, this is not a competition and it’s also not a race to the finish line of knowing which boxes you fit into.

How To Embrace Your Different Identities

We all have to fight countless battles in our quest to accept our gender identity and sexual orientation. The path to our goal, i.e. feeling at home in our own skin, leads us through self-doubt, maybe even self-loathing, as well as discrimination and harassment. Sometimes from strangers, yet most often it originates from those closest to us.

When you live in a queerphobic and transphobic environment, you of course are much more likely to struggle with your identities. But even if your family is loving and accepting of your identity, you do not live in a vacuum or a bubble that only includes you and your loved ones. Media and the internet are ripe with harmful messaging and filled with bigotry.

How, then, can you move towards self-acceptance? Here are a few tips that have helped fellow transgender and queer people.

Connect with the trans community:

Find others who have gone – or are currently going through – the same or similar processes as you are. If you struggle with your gender identity, seek out the transgender community in your area or online. Ts dating sites can be a great place to start as well since they usually can be used to forge friendships, too. Connecting with a trans community can bring a sense of peace and calmness to a person who is transgender and struggles with accepting who they are.

Connect with the queer community:

The same holds true for anyone struggling with their sexual orientation. Seek out fellow queer people, ask questions, listen,  and reflect. There is a reason the Q in LGBTQIA+ stands for ‘questioning’ – you are welcome here, too.

Find your tribe:

Especially if your own family does not connect with you or maybe even cuts ties with you, find people who you click with. Finding one’s tribe, one’s chosen family, is not a quick fix to belonging but rather a life-long process. You will know when you have a person in your life who feels like family even if there is no blood or legal relation between you.

Look for role models:

Sometimes we cannot seem to turn off that voice in our heads that tell us that we’re bad because we’re different from the so-called ‘norm’. A good way to turn negative self-talk into positive self-talk is to look for role models. There are amazing transgender people who are spreading a message of love, solidarity, acceptance, respect and, most importantly, the message of self-love.

Educate yourself:

The more you read about gender and sexuality, the less ‘wrong’ you will probably feel about being ‘different’. While most of us are taught that there are two genders, male and female, with some intersex people in between that happen when the chromosomes aren’t XX or XY, the scientific reality is much more complicated.

It takes more than one simple set of chromosomes to determine a baby’s sex, i.e. biological gender. Even if the fetus develops in one particular direction, the differences on an individual level are astounding. No two cis-women are the same, just like no transgender women are the same.

There are countless videos on YouTube about this, just as there are many helpful articles and essays that break down the sometimes very complicated science surrounding this issue. Maybe your quest will also unearth podcasts that provide insight in audio format. You might also check the local library for recent publications. There is no ‘right’ way to go about this – it all depends on your preferences and access. As long as you are curious and have an open mind, you’re set!

Be open to different dating platforms:

If you stick to Tinder or Grindr, chances are you will see an endless gallery of people who seem to adhere to a standard default. Of course you, as a nonbinary or gender-nonconforming person, or someone on the asexuality spectrum will feel like there is something wrong with you.

Which is why it is important you also try transgender dating sites and ts dating apps. There, you will find like-minded people. They might not share the same identities, but they will be a lot more open and understanding than the folks swiping left elsewhere.

Join LGBTQIA+ support groups and communities:

Whether a group on Facebook or a hashtag on Instagram, go and see what wonderful people hand around in your online neighborhood. You can find new friends, helpful mentors, or just a sense of community there without having to leave your home.

Play with fashion and style:

How will you know who you are if you don’t try different things? Usually, one’s teenage years are the time for experimentation and pushing boundaries. Yet the more we understand about sexuality and gender, the clearer it becomes that it is a lifelong process.

So it is never too late to slip into a different garment, try on nail polish or lipstick, see how a binder feels or what it’s like to dress like you always wanted but never dared.

Talk to a professional:

Fortunately, the stigma surrounding therapy is receding as more and more people embrace the importance of mental health. Struggling with your identity can be facilitated by a therapist if you feel like this might be helpful – and, more importantly, if you have access to such a service.

Part of your approach to making peace with your identity might include medication. If someone suggests so, do not immediately decline. Sometimes, medication like antidepressants can truly save a life in combination with other strategies.

Explore your body:

Speaking of therapy, you might want to explore somatic therapeutic forms as well, if you have the means and the time. If not, you are free to get to know your body better and explore what feels nice on your own. Yes, this refers to masturbation!

Of course, joyful movements that do not involve sexual gratification also count… but yes, touching yourself in a kind, curious, and appreciative way will help you on your path to accepting your identity.

Be patient with yourself:

Last but not least, remember to be patient. The path to self-acceptance is a process, not a sudden realization. Life isn’t static and your circumstances will inevitably change, which can affect your gender identity and orientation, too.

You’re not alone – confusion is the norm. Embrace it, and see where it leads. After all, you don’t owe anyone an answer, not even yourself.

If you're a transgender person, don't avoid seeing a doctor out of fear of a negative encounter. Instead, look for a doctor who is empathetic and respectful of your specific needs. By doing so, your doctor can help identify ways to reduce your risk of health concerns, as well as identify medical conditions and refer you to specialists when necessary. Once you're talking to your doctor, be honest. Share your gender identity. Tell your doctor about any medicines you take or have taken, any surgeries or procedures you've had, and any associated complications or concerns. Talk about any stress, discrimination, anxiety or depression you're experiencing and how you cope. Also, tell your doctor if you're sexually active. The more your doctor knows about your health history, the better the doctor will be able to help you. 

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A MTF trans woman is a lady who was born with the male biological gender. That is, her body had physical and biological characteristics of a man so she was assigned masculine gender at the time of birth. However, she identifies herself as a female. She had the eerie feeling of being trapped in a male body for a long, a feeling that gave her a lot of anxiety and discomfort. She battled this on a daily basis till she finally decided to come out as a woman. And once she begins to come out as a woman, she might choose to undergo certain medical procedures to develop the outward appearance of the female gender.

Having said that, it is not easy to be a MTF trans woman in this society. Although things are way better than let’s say 20 years ago, they are still far from best. People now perhaps recognize the right of transgender people to live a normal life but accepting them is a different issue altogether. It is still difficult for trans people to find regular jobs. If they are in college or university, completing their education becomes a challenge for them.

A transgender woman goes through a lot of societal challenges once she comes out in the open. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. These challenges can definitely get her on the verge of a breakdown. But with her characteristic courage, determination and confidence, she can overcome these challenges.

This article tells you about the main challenges faced by a trans woman and how to overcome these.

Struggle with Identity

A trans woman goes through an acute identity crisis for a long time. For every courageous person who has come out as a transgender lady in the public, there is a rather painful background story. She undergoes the most harrowing of identity crisis while growing up. The society judges her by the identity that is assigned at the time of birth. She has the biological characteristics of a man so she is expected to behave like a boy. She is supposed to adopt the typical mannerisms of a guy and socialize in a male pattern as she grows up. But all this gives her enormous distress. She feels like she is trapped in a wrong body and there is no one she can communicate this with. The parents come from the same society so even they might dismiss what she feels and just ask her to conform.

And that is the worst kind of struggle anyone can face. To have people tell you in your face that what you feel so deeply and truly is abnormal, nothing can be more painful than that. This identity crisis often gives rise to gender dysphoria.

All this can be really traumatizing and scary because if you are an adolescent, you can’t even take steps to undergo medical transitioning because you don’t have the finances plus you can’t take such decisions for yourself. That’s why many transgender people come out in the open later in life.

But you don’t have to let this identity crisis mark your life. If you feel like a woman trapped in a male body, speak to your family about it. They might dismiss you at first but if you persist, they will understand you and help you in your journey. If your family is hostile, confide in a friend whom you think understands you. In the meantime, you could get valuable information from a transgender forum and learn from other trans people's experiences. If it gets worse, you could seek help from any of the organizations working for the rights of transgender people. There are many such organizations active these days. A simple Google search will help you figure out how you can get help from one of these.

Struggle to Find Love

This is the common struggle many transgender women face. Once they come out in the open, the next challenge is to find love. Societal apathy makes it next to impossible for a trans woman to seek a partner the way a cis woman does. She can’t just walk into a party and strike a conversation with a guy she finds interesting. The guy might just turn hostile and even abusive the moment she reveals her identity, for all she knows.

So the best bet for a transgender female looking for love is to join a transgender dating site. These days there are many dating sites specially designed for the transgender community. These sites are relatively safer s compared to conventional dating sites. Also on these sites, the person you are talking to more or less knows that you are a transgender woman. In a conventional dating site, there is always that added risk of someone not knowing your identity even if you’ve categorically stated that you are trans.

A trans dating site also gives you the flexibility of communicating with different kinds of people from across the world. Your choices are not limited. If you were dating someone through family or friends, then you would have a limited pool of people to choose from. So this is an added advantage with online dating. Also, there is no pressure to really meet anyone. That’s the best part. You can go on chatting with different people for a long time till you finally decide to go on a date. And if you still feel uncomfortable about meeting someone, you don’t have to. There is no compulsion.

Finding love as a trans woman is definitely not easy but it’s very much possible. It takes all sorts to make this world. There are many wonderful guys out there. Meeting the right one at the right time is all about destiny.

Struggle with Work and Education

Most transgender people undergo some kind of struggle with work and education. This struggle is more acute in countries where the laws are mostly directed against transgender people. But even in countries where the law recognizes their rights, trans people face this problem.

For a trans woman, completing her education or keeping a job is a major challenge. That is why many transgender women keep on delaying medical procedures because they are scared of losing on education or work. There are many transgender women who are forced to lead double lives. They have to hide their identity at the workplace. They are forced to live out their real identity only in private or with close friends. That’s why it’s no surprise that many trans women just quit their jobs.

For a MTF transgender woman with no savings or little financial means, this can be a source of acute distress. Everyone has the right to earn their livelihood. But in case of trans people, even if the company doesn’t directly discriminate against them, there is so much apathy and transphobia at the workplace that they end up quitting anyway.

For a MTF trans woman trying to live a normal life post-medical treatment, all this can be very complicated. Even if she legally gets assigned the female gender after the gender reassignment surgery, she still faces problems.

The only way to address this is by creating more and more awareness around issues faced by the transgender community. Many people don’t even know what is exactly meant by the term trans. They probably confuse trans people with gays and lesbians. So firstly, a massive social movement is needed to educated people about the meaning and implications of the term transgender. Laws alone cannot bring changes. It’ only when cis people in schools, colleges and workplaces will become champions of transgender rights that things will begin to change for good.

Struggle with Conventional Notions of Femininity

This is a typical struggle that a trans woman undergoes. She has the pressure to conform to the conventional standards of femininity. Just feeling like a woman isn’t enough. She has to make sure that her dress, appearance, behaviour simulate that of a cis woman. She attends grooming classes, learns the art of applying makeup, and takes voice lessons to make her voice sound more feminine.

Somewhere, a trans woman has to find her own ground. She has to create her own distinct style and aura. Even all cis women are not the same. Some cis women are ultra-feminine whereas others are more tomboyish and carefree. So there is no sure shot manual to being a woman really. A transgender woman should feel free to embrace femininity in her own unique style. She should not get bogged down by the whole conventional baggage of femininity. Her essence is that of a beautiful woman. And her outward being should reflect that in its distinctive aura.