transgender: getting a small waist, wider hips

book_of_apples · November 2013

alt account! i'm a dude who's looking to become a she-dude. basically, i'm looking for a way to make my waist smaller and my hips bigger through some manner of costume trickery.

i've been looking at waist cinchers and padded panties. i'm not looking for anything dramatic, just something that gives a feminine shape. i'm already a little overweight and if i can squeeze the area above my lovehandles, it looks vaguely feminine. note that i'm not looking for anything that's going to damage my body! just something that makes me look more curvy under clothing.

i've gotten success with butt pads to help out my silhouette, but it's really hard to find anything i can buy in person at an actual store that does anything for my hips or waist. maybe someone else has some ideas!

Metalbourne · November 2013

A corset isn't going to damage your body unless you over tighten it.

Corset-story.com has a bunch of different styles. You'll probably want to get something steel boned.

Sterica · November 2013

Bones get somewhat bigger if they're being used or stressed more. It's not going to make a massive difference, but any exercises that focus on the hips might make a slight change. I make no promises.

Also, I hear hormones will change fat accumulation to areas that are more typical for women. I'm not 100% on that, but I hear it helps give a more feminine figure.

Antimatter · November 2013

Rorus Raz wrote: »

Also, I hear hormones will change fat accumulation to areas that are more typical for women. I'm not 100% on that, but I hear it helps give a more feminine figure.

This is the truth in many cases, yes. Estrogen does this. If you can get a prescription from your doctor, that will help. Self medication is not safe.

Holler · November 2013

I don't have any good suggestions about making a smaller waist/bigger hips, but my suggestion is to focus on working more with what you have.

I have an hourglass figure, but without getting into it, I look goddammed awful when wearing a dress that accentuates my waistline. There are a lot of things I wish I could wear and look good in without forcefully manipulating my body into place, but I can't, and I'm too lazy to work around it. So I just started shopping for things I could make look good on me, instead of trying to make myself look good in things.

My main tip to that end is: starting now, your underbust is your waist.

My guess (and please let me know if this comes off as ignorant or douchey, since I am pretty ignorant about this) is that you will have a reasonable amount of control over what cup size you end up with? Not that there is anything wrong with being flat-chested, or that you can't look absolutely ravishing in an A-cup (or a no-cup). But, if you're going for curvy, it will probably be easier to create it up-top and to leverage that to make the curves, than to manipulate your waist and hips into check.

For example, I recently bought this:

As shown, it would look great on me if I either a) lost a million pounds or b) had a different weight distribution than I do. But working with what I have, it also looks good if I just wear it with the waist positioned differently:

Apologies for the ugly picture; this looks a lot better when you aren't trying to spend the least amount of effort while not showing your face to a bunch of strangers

It is surprisingly easy to get away with this on a LOT of dresses. I can't really vouch for any other kind of clothing, because I actually only wear dresses. (Which leads to my other pro-tip: wearing dresses every day means you are basically going everywhere wearing an oversized t-shirt and elastic-waist pants. It is the effort equivalent of wearing sweatpants everywhere, except you look extremely hot.)

book_of_apples · November 2013

thanks guys! a corset is something i'm looking at, but i want it to hide under the clothing, and i'm wary of comfort and layers. but i guess that's what i was asking for anyway!

holler, i look okay in dresses! shirts and jeans just don't flatter me, but for work i have to wear slacks / khakis, so unfortunately i can't ride that train out. i can adjust cup size, yes: i try to stick with a c-cup, since i think that looks good on me (not too big / small).

Cambiata · November 2013

They're hard to find nowadays because they're out of fashion, but if you can find some low rise jeans they might work to emphasize your hips and make your waist seem smaller. As with any figure, it will be about trying things on to find what works best for you.

cookiekrush · November 2013

high waisted jeans, or pants in general can help to give you definition to your waist and smooth out your love handles. Although, you don't want to go too tight and be uncomfortable.

I've always been a fan of empire/baby top tops to help give a different feminine look. It doesn't give a smaller waist line, but depending on the fabric, it gives a very elegant look. Best thing about them is, they're usually very comfortable.

Nana · November 2013

I think a lot of what could be worn under clothes has been covered, except for maybe one piece padded body-shapers. I think you would get better results with a corset- but I'm not sure how easily a corset can be hidden under clothing. My guess is that you wouldn't be able to wear any thin clingy fabrics with it with out the corsets features showing through.

But as for clothing that can help create a curvy look:

Maybe peplum style tops?

Accessorizing with belts around your waist might help define your shape better as well.

You mentioned you aren't as comfortable in shirts and jeans, maybe pairing jeans with a flowing/frilly cardigan?

Long-Ruffle-Cardigan-Ginger-Spice-Orange-Kinross-Cashmere-L11202F-13668_1.jpg

Something like this perhaps - maybe this one is a bit over sized but it is gorgeous.

8071831_fpx.tif?wid=1200&qlt=90,0&layer=comp&op_sharpen=0&resMode=sharp2&op_usm=0.7,1.0,0.5,0&fmt=jpeg

When frilly cardigans like this are closed or pulled together at the center like in this image it somewhat creates the look of an hour glass figure.

eqzoom85.ms?img=320430604.pct&outputx=340&outputy=408&level=1&ver=14

I think what I am talking about is a bit more apparent in this image, the way the cardigan opens up at the bottom makes the hips appear wider, and the frills add volume to her bust.

@cookiekrush mentioned empire waist tops and I think these could help you accomplish the look you are going for as well.

one-world-top-cap-sleeve-empire-waist-printed-pleated-tunic-h.jpg

Have you tried skinny jeans? In my experience skinny jeans tend to make peoples butts look bigger.

Best of luck to you!

flowerhoney · November 2013

Belts are one of the best ways to add some curve!
I love to wear oversized sweaters but they make me look like a shapeless box, so if I'm going out I try to cinch the waist with a nice belt.

Also, shapewear might be something you're interested in.
http://www.fashiontofigure.com/catalog/clothing/plus-size-intimates/plus-size-shapewear.html

You can find tons more styles and brands and stuff at a store like nordstrom (assuming you live in the US) or any department store really.

Not to be cliche, but always remember that black is slimming.
http://www.fashiontofigure.com/catalog/clothing/plus-size-dresses/crosshatch-my-heart-ponte-dress.html

See her dress? Those black panels pull in her waist and give her a mega hourglass illusion. The cross hatch design helps with that too!

I know you're trying to be curvy, not necessarily skinny, but I think some similar principles apply (since for a lot of women, "skinny" still involves curve, just without a tummy or thighs lol).

Look at your body and try to get a good understanding of how it works. Do you have a little bit of curve already? What are your proportions like? How tall are you? These are all things that influence what kind of clothing you should be getting.

There's tons of online resources too!
http://www.youbeauty.com/body-fitness/dressing-for-your-body-type
http://www.shopyourshape.com/

Penny Arcade

Quick Links

transgender: getting a small waist, wider hips

Posts