Contemplating leaving your home for the first time dressed as a woman is scary. Where to go, what to do and who you will see can often be worries that stop you from going at all! But you have done the groundwork so that will help to make it a good experience.
Appearing confident is always the best way to start. You need to maintain your dignity and calm and to focus on feeling good about yourself.
It is possible that you will meet someone who is unkind, but it's a lot easier than you might think to simply take a deep breath, hold your head high and go for it, sister! On your first time out, you might invite a trusted friend to go with you. Going with someone else always makes you feel more confident.
If you are feeling concerned someone might be looking at you or you're feeling nervous, then having a friend with you can always give you some valuable reassurance.
When you are out, you may worry that people are looking at you. When we have been out with the trans women we work with, we often find they are looking at other people to see if they are being looked at.
Most of the people they look at seem to us to be caught up with their own little worlds and are looking in shop windows, talking to friends or just passing and not taking any notice of the trans woman.
Some helpful ideas for when they do look at you is to smile at them. Smiling makes you look friendly and disarms a lot of people as they do not seem to expect it these days.
Look through the practical tips in this booklet to help boost your confidence with passing. When you feel that you have removed the more masculine traits, your self esteem will be boosted as well as your self belief.
Stay strong and relax. If you feel a little tense, take some deep breaths to help you to stay calm. You know when you've had that look in the mirror before you left home that you look good, so remind yourself of that and go and have fun!
TIP:
Be confident. Stay calm. Smile. Making sure your behaviour is feminine will help your passing.