Gendercraft, Version 7-7-2018
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Gendercraft Helping clients to align their gender expressions with their gender identities Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD Disclosures • The speaker and members of the planning committee do not have a conflict of interest in this topic. • There is no commercial support for this program. • The speaker will discuss uses of hormonal medications that are well studied, but off-label. Many thanks for contributions and advice from: Carrie Chandler Jody Davis, RN, MSW, LISW Theodore Hutchinson, PhD Dionysus Mondlich Jacob Nash, MA, CDP Gabriel Pellikka Kaye Plumley, CT Brenda Robson Sarah Taylor, MA, CCC, SLP L. Justin Wheeler, LISW-S Ginger Williams Participants in an earlier version of this seminar Learning Objectives • Define “passing” and provide reasons why gender-diverse people often have conflicted relationships with the concept. • Describe tools available to gender-diverse people who wish to feminize or masculinize their presentations, including by managing hairstyle, facial hair, facial appearance, skin care, shoulders, chests, waists, hips, genitalia, clothing, accessories, posture, movement and communication. • List methods that gender-diverse people can employ to minimize awkwardness and embarrassment while obtaining clothing and other materials associated with a gender different from the sex assigned at birth. What gendercraft is: • A toolkit of devices, methods and skills available to people who seek gender expressions more consistent with their gender identities • Analogous to “tradecraft” or “stagecraft” • A body of knowledge for people raised in genders incongruent with their identities and who did not receive training and socialization consistent with their identities • A means to compensate for pubescent physical changes of a sex incongruent with gender identity • Helpful for both binary and non-binary trans people to individualize their gender expressions • A menu from which people can choose, whether or not there is concurrent use of hormone or surgical treatments (though hormones and operations can affect the need for or the methods of gendercraft) What gendercraft is not: • A set of procedures that anyone is required to use • An implication that people who don’t use it are any less valid than people who do • An endorsement of the binary model or a criticism of non-binary identities • Easily found or assimilated even among those who immerse themselves in the trans community Disclaimer and Request Let me be clear: I am not telling anyone what to do or how they should live their life. If someone doesn’t like a presented idea, then they shouldn’t use it! What I am doing is providing options. Without knowing one’s options, one might not make the choice that’s best for them. This list of possibilities is not all-inclusive. Please let me know if there are other tools of gendercraft I might capture for future revisions. Gendercraft: Why of interest to healthcare professionals? • It is no less important in our patients’/clients’ affirmations of their authentic selves than use of hormones or surgeries, which sometimes attract more attention. • To become aware of the issues being debated inside our patients’/clients’ heads, as well as the awkward and difficult choices that trans people are up against in living their identities • To understand that these are not automatic or effortless decisions • To be able to offer guidance and affirmation to our patients/clients in their efforts to make their outsides resemble their insides • To provide balanced advice concerning the risks and benefits of using a tool versus the risks and benefits of not using a tool Passing “Passing” = being perceived as a cis-gender person in one’s identified gender. (Historically, this term has also been used in a racial context.) Passing is not all-or-nothing. Environment affects one’s ability to pass. Crowded spaces contain distractions that make passing easier. Also, success is affected by whether other people are preoccupied with their own activities, such as in gambling casinos, department stores or busy restaurants. In any event, few trans people pass 100% of the time, and even some cis-gender people exhibit confusing gender signals. Among many gender-diverse people the concept of passing stirs up conflicting emotions. (As we will see, even the term itself is problematic.) Trans people often feel conflicted about the concept of passing. Here are arguments on either side of using gendercraft tools: Against: For: Passing seems like a form of deception. It’s just the opposite: it’s living one’s truth. One dresses for self, not others. “Blending in” is a less loaded term. It shouldn’t matter how one presents to the world. The reality is that it often does. The only gender police are the self-appointed ones. The self-appointed ones can be vicious. Someone who blends in is more safe from harassment and assault. It can be inconvenient and expensive. It can be worth it. Less costly approaches are available for most options. It can be frustrating when efforts fall short. Even then, efforts can be rewarding – glass half-full. Forgoing use of gendercraft tools may be more Using the tools can be gender-affirming and self- acceptable to others in one’s family and social circle. validating. Gender dysphoria can improve. Internalized transphobia can be a barrier. Living one’s truth fosters emotional growth. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual to make their own choices according to their own needs. There is no “one size fits all” model. Gendercraft Methods: Outline Appearance • Managing hairstyle: taking account of the shape of the face; flattering and unflattering styles for MTF and FTM; hairstyles and treatment for FTM with male pattern baldness from testosterone • Managing unwanted hair: color blocking and covering of beard; electrolysis, laser, and comparisons • Facial appearance: skincare, makeup and eyeglasses • Managing the silhouette of the torso: shoulders, chest, waist, hips and legs for MTF and FTM • Managing genitalia: gaffs, tucking, packing and standing to pee Behavior • Posture: gender differences in standing and sitting • Walking Communication • Pitch, resonance, intonation, word choice and gestures • Active vs. passive listening Shopping for Clothes • Things to know before you go • Three approaches to getting what you need MTF Hairstyles: Optimized according to shape of the face • Compared to cis women, trans women are more likely to have squared and long faces. • Curly or wavy hair can compensate for angularity. Volume on the sides rounds out the head’s silhouette and keeps the components in proportion. Images from: thehairstyler.com MTF Hairstyles: Optimized according to Shape of the Face These styles provide both curves and side-volume. Images from: amazon.com, thehairstyler.com, thehairstyler.com MTF Hairstyles: Optimized according to shape of the face Wispy bangs can compensate for high foreheads. Image sources: allthingshair.com, elipsosalon.com, liebeleben.me, therighthairstyles.com MTF Hairstyles: Choose colors harmonious with skin tone For many skin colors there is a discernible warm or cool tone. Use this table to categorize your own: Warm tones Cool tones Blood vessels on inner surface of Blood vessels on inner surface of forearms are green. forearms are blue. A white sheet of paper next to A white sheet of paper next to the face makes it look great. the face makes it look terrible. Gold jewelry is more flattering. Silver jewelry is more flattering. • Example: Honey blonde goes better with warm tones; straw blonde goes with cool tones. • Sometimes hair colorants or wigs are described as such, but not always. • Knowing your skin tone also helps in choosing flattering colors of clothes. MTF Hairstyles Don’t forget the eyebrows! • Eyebrows “frame” the face and their appearance is a key component of gender expression. • Photos of Michael Jackson illustrate common differences between masculine and feminine eyebrows -- masculine eyebrows are lower, flatter and bushier. • Ideally, obtain professional help to trim and shape the eyebrows, and then maintain them at home. • If circumstances don’t permit more extensive changes, a certain amount of grooming may still be possible, such as to trim the lengths of the hairs and to pluck the outliers. Comb the hairs upward and then downward, snipping hairs that protrude through the comb’s teeth by a chosen distance. Images: bookwormroom.com, Sam Villa Hair Tutorials on youtube.com MTF Hairstyles Don’t forget the eyebrows! • The diagram shows classic locations for the eyebrow to start, peak and end. • After completion of trimming and plucking, comb the brow from its inside end to its outside end with a wand of clear or tinted eyebrow gel. • While the gel is still wet, pinch the eyebrow from above and below between forefinger and thumb to decrease the brow’s perceived thickness. Images: virtualffs.co.uk, amazon.com FTM Hairstyles To compensate for soft, round faces, go for angles, sharp lines and edges. Plucking or electrolysis can square up rounded hairlines. High and Tight Medium/Longer Length The Undercut Modern Pompadour http://point5cc.com/four-great-haircuts-for-trans-mascftms/ FTM Hairstyles “This is the picture that I've consistently had the best luck with at hair salons. I bring it in and say, `Give me this,’ and even if it doesn't come out the same … the result is usually something I can live with.” -- Gabriel, in his FTM Guide Gabriel, The FTM’s Complete Illustrated Guide to Looking Like a Hot Dude, ftmguide.rassaku.net Hairstyles for Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) in FTM Users of Testosterone Trans men under treatment with testosterone can develop gradual MPB, as seen in cis men. Some people are more susceptible to this adverse effect than others. Clean Shave Buzz Cut Short Caesar Shaggy Layers From: Brett & Kate McKay, Balding Gracefully: Tips and Hairstyles for Balding Men See: artofmanliness.com/2010/07/14/balding-gracefully-tips-and-hairstyles-for-balding-men/ Medical Treatment of MPB in FTM Users of Testosterone • Finasteride (originally marketed in the U.S.