I passed! Yeah Me!

[Suzie Petersen]

Well no, I know this wasn't "passing", of course, but it was an interesting experience and a Nothing Burger overall!

I have recently posted in the picture area that I have been living in girl mode for a few weeks. One of the big things, for me, is that I have kept my natural nails very (very) long, shaped, and with a pink nail polish "It's a Girl" by OPI.
Lets just say they Really stand out, and .. I love them!

Today I had to remove my glued on hair and go do a few "guy" things around town. No girl clothes, no earrings, no heels, nothing, except, I left the long very pink nails.

I went to Home Depot, Kroger (food store), Bass Pro (Outdoors supply store), and Goodwill twice (Thrift store chain). I wasn't flashing my nails to people, but sure wasn't hiding them either.
And the reactions was on average ... Nothing! Nobody batten an eye, nobody said anything, nobody reacted to it, at all. At least as far as I know, but I wasn't staring at people to see if they noticed. I was just doing my thing in front of them, that's all.
I was in front of cashiers at all the stores, talking and interacting with them. At the Goodwill store I talked to the cashier about my choices in summer dresses and skirts. At Bass Pro I talked to the male cashier about the skinny woman's jeans I had bought last week and needed to exchange because they were a little too tight (Size 6, OK a girl can dream, right!), and all in all, nothing.

I was sorta' challenged to go out with nail polish in guy mode by a dear friend here on the forum, and I took the bait. But nothing!

So now I wonder, what is the next challenge? Do I need to wear dangly earrings, makeup, a dress, or high heels to get a reaction from people? Hmmm ... we will see, we will see.

[Sandi Beech]

When I had very long nails that were painted bright silver metallic, it took about 2 weeks before I got a response out of someone. I posted about it some time ago. My waitress was bringing me the check and said I have to ask you about your nails. Do you have grand daughters? I laughed and showed her pictures and she was very nice. The thing is, even when I have seen polish on other guys nails, I do not usually say anything. So some will notice, but few will bother to bring it up. Women seem more likely to bring it up if they like the look or color etc.

I have worn a number of things when otherwise in male mode. People normally do not say anything

Sandi

[kimdl93]

It?s great that no one reacted to your pink, shaped nails. We all want to be able to do our own thing without generating adverse reactions. Of course, who knows what anyone might be thinking, but if they keep their thoughts to themselves everything is cool.

[Crissy 107]

Suzie, Woohoo on keeping your pretty pink nails in guy mode. When I see a guy with nail polish I will give a compliment if I can, as I did just recently when I saw one of us in the wild at a drug store. I happen to be leaving at the same time and told her, I love your nails. She smiled and said Thank You. Sometimes I do not get the opportunity so I just admire them to myself.
I know you well enough that you were over the top happy today with your pink nails.
I know your color, OPI It’s a girl, very pretty for sure.

[bridget thronton]

Sounds like you owned it today Suzie well done

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Suzie That is Awesome, Most people are so wrapped up in their own little world to notice anything else, >Orchid**OO**

[alwayshave]

Maybe it is just my locale, but I see lots of men with painted nails. I hardly even think of it any more.

[docrobbysherry]

Nice post, Suzie. Proving the point I've made here often that, "If u think u passed? U didn't!"

Because when folks think u r really a woman with no doubts? They treat u VERY differently than as a trans or MIAD!

And, that's not always a good thing!

[Suzie Petersen]

Sherry,

Yes passing it is a fantasy for sure, unless you transitioned and did all the hormone stuff at a young age.

This post is of course just about implementing a very female thing in an otherwise completely male presentation. I did not want to cut my fingernails since I intended to drop directly back into girl mode when I got back home again and I am so enjoying the sensation of having them long for once, but I could of course have removed the pink polish. Would still have been displaying some very female nails, so I thought what the heck, just go as is.

I have not been out and about in girl mode in a very long time, but I am considering maybe going somewhere while on this trip. If I am recognized by people as a transgender woman and treated like any other person, then I would consider that a big win!

[Chiffon]

Thanks for the post Suzie. It's always great to read about others little day to day triumphs. For me, having long ago convinced myself as being non-passable, I am in awe of you and those who dare to go there, even if it's only with your nails showing, something I could never do. I encourage you to keep taking those challenging steps in public, GO FOR IT!

The other thing that strikes me as I've been reading news stories , is that I, without any real knowledge, just assumed there would be a lot more negative confrontations for those while out in dressed mode these days. But I keep reading posts like yours, which confirms that the general public is mostly indifferent and many GG's will offer supportive comments. My hope is that is the norm and negative confrontations from strangers are very rare.

[danniUK]

I think Chiffon's right - it obviously depends on exactly where you are, but I think the expectation for a lot of us is a negative reaction, whereas in reality the majority of people out there have a live-and-let-live attitude and really don't mind how others dress.

Was lovely to read your experience, Suzie!

[Kitty S]

Way to go Suzie! I once left the house without thinking about my red long coffin tips and was already 1/2 way to town before I realized. I rummaged through the car and found a pair of gloves so I didn't have to take them off. Luckily for me it was cold enough the gloves didn't draw any attention. Now I realize I could have probably just owned it and went in doing my thing.

[audreyinalbany]

a lot of male millennial wear nail polish all the time...it seems as though it tends more towards black and dark blue and what we might think of a 'goth colors,' but nail colors nonetheless

[Lana Mae]

Congrats, Suzie!
I started with nail polish in male mode except at work! I even have gotten positive comments from men!
Here in NC, men get pedicures but not color! What a waste! LOL
Hugs Lana Mae

[Suzie Petersen]

Thanks for commenting on this.
Not a very deep topic, just something fun to ponder.

Chiffon, Thanks, but am actually usually not one to mix up the gender presentation and I dont care much for the MIAD look honestly.
As I said, a friend put the thought in my head that I should try color nail polish in male mode, so it wasn't my fault, I had to

I am a little surpriced I have not been called out on this yet, as I have spoken up against this here before.

I am also usually a bit paranoid about leaving traces of makeup or any other signs, but this time it didn't bother me at all.
It might be because I have been immersed in the female presentation 24/7 for some weeks now, so I am a lot more used to feeling good about all the girl things than I usually am. Or maybe it is because I have much less pressure on me right now, being away from home, to remove any little clue indicating that I having been dressing. Not sure, but it just doesn't worry me now for some reason.

I rarely notice males with color IRL and never with long nails like this, but maybe I live a sheltered life
I do think in general there has been a shift towards this being fine for guys too, especially young people, but as Audrey said it is mostly black or blue, not pinks and reds.

I had gotten a few scratches in the polish so last night I took some time and had a pleasant little spa session.
Removed the pink polish, soaked my hands and pushed back the curticles, did a little filing, shaping and buffing, and re-did them in the sparkly dark red OPI I already have on my toes.
Where the translucent pink is a little bit discrete, this is definitely loud!
I applied 2 coats for full coverage on top of a clear coat and will do a clear top coat this morning.

I will likely have to go get stuf in town again in some days so we'll see if I feel brave enough to show these babies off!

I actually like the translucent pink a little better because the natural white of my nail tips shows through the color. It looks like french tips, which I always liked, and it makes the nails look longer.
I will likely leave this color on for a few days at least.

The adventure continues

[CarlaWestin]

Ponderous. A little nail trivia, I always put one or two coats of clear on first for the color to adhere to which makes removal more thorough.
As far as passing goes, 99% are too engrossed in their activity to even care. Or at least they seem not to. I have a collection of outtakes where folks do a double take after I've passed by.
And chances are that the dead give away is your relatively larger size as compared to most women.

[Suzie Petersen]

So, I did it again, went to town with nail polish in male mode. This time with my very loud sparkly red long nails.
Stopped at the grocery store for some things, Goodwill for another pair of cork wedges, and Kohls.

Again I was not trying to stick them in peoples faces, but also not hiding them at all, just walking around doing my thing.
At Goodwill I was browsing through a lot of clothes on hangars, often with women right next to me, and nobody said anything about the nails.
The checkout lady got a real close look as I handed her my newfound treasures including the 4+" size 11 wedges, so I guess she was tipped off as to why I have long red nails

Grocery store included handing my ID to the clerk to buy wine, so that was definitely a close look.

At Kohls I was browsing through the intimates for quite a while, looking for some panties with a little more control in the front (just cant find what I want for some reason), and of course the "Clearance" section, my favorite brand!
I didn't buy anything so no close encounters, and the store did not have many people there, as usual.

So once again, no reaction that I am aware of. Didn't watch people to see if they did a double take, so who knows, but no verbal reactions, and no little flock with pitchforks following me around

I think I might change color today, just to try something different. I have an OPI Nude (don't remember the actual name) one, which is nice and not as loud, might give that a try.

[char GG]

Nail polish on men has become very common where I live. Yesterday, the male at the drive through McDonalds window had pink nail polish. Usually, I see men with green, gray, black, blue, but pink was new.

It's not a big deal any longer.

[Suzie Petersen]

I agree Char, it seems it has become at least Not Unusual these days, especially with younger males, but it does seem to depend some on where you are located. The places I go, I only very rarely see males with nail polish.

Just the other day we were video chatting with our daughter in law and she was showing off the 4 year old granddaughter and the 7 year old grandsons nail polish, they were both very proud of it.

I didn't start this thread to suggest there was anything revolutionizing here, to be honest it was mostly because it was actually a big thing for me to do, and maybe a hint to other like me that if I can do it, You can too.
Perhaps it is a step in my personal development and my shift to loosening up a little on my own insecurities and fears of being seen as different, and God forbid, gender non-conforming.
I have always been one to believe you should present as either male or female. If you want to look and behave like a woman, go for it but go all the way and make it believable. I understand there are a number of people here who think differently and simply like the clothes for instance, but for me it was never the clothes themselves, it was the complete change to look like a girl, or now more like "A woman of a certain age!"
From the first time trying on something of my moms, and I don't even remember what that was, until I was trying everything to completely look like a girl including coming up with something that looked like hair, breasts, making "that thing" disappear, and so on was very short. I started doing this way before puberty so that was not the driver, I just wanted to be a girl and look like one.

I am now on the 4th week of basically living full time like this, looking like a female all the time, with a few days break in the middle where I had to go to a convention and a couple of times where I changed to male looks to go to the stores, because I am a wimp. Some things that normally are exciting in the dress-up scenario are beginning to shift to being somewhat ordinary, just the way it is and while I like this change, I am also a little bit concerned by it to be honest.

As for the nail thing, while I get that polish on men is not that uncommon, I do think having nails this long, and shaped like mine are now, is. It's almost like there is what has become an acceptable male version of what used to be considered a purely female thing to do, but there is still a difference in how it is done.
I really didn't expect a negative reaction from anybody seeing me, if I had expected anything bad I certainly would not have gone out like that. I did think that there could be some kind of reaction, even possibly a compliment, but I have not noticed anything at all.

So all in all it was/is a just fun experiment, brought on by me needing to go out and get some things and not wanting the hassle of having to remove the polish, and definitely not wanting to cut the nails yet, that coupled with some prodding by a friend here who suggested that I should try it and that I might like it.

I'm afraid she was right!

- Suzie

[Rhonda Jean]

We probably all need to remind ourselves sometimes that this thing we do is supposed to be fun! For me, nail polish in male mode falls into that category. I'll admit that there are situations and places where even now, after doing it for decades, I'm not really comfortable. Bass Pro would be one. I do it, and I've done it there, but it takes a few deep breaths before I go in. I don't think that's a bad thing. I think even the non reactions are interesting. At a restaurant where you KNOW the waitress saw your nails but just continued as normal... I think that's cool! I'm not even sure how I read that. Careful not to piss off a customer? Maybe. Not thinking it's a big deal? Maybe. Thinking it's the coolest thing she ever saw, but contains her exuberance? Could be that, too!

I'm a regular nail salon client. When I've asked how many men they see, I've been told that as many as 30% of their clients are male. I do not believe that. What I do know is that practically every time I'm in a busy salon there is at least one more male getting his nails done, and every time I've been able to see, they've gotten color. It's common to see couples. Now, where they go when they leave the salon, I don't know. I thing there are a lot of polished toes covered up by socks and shoes, and I almost never see a male wearing fingernail polish outside of the salon. This time of year when the flip flops come out I start watching. I think the most I've ever seen is 5 or 6 guys with polished toes over the course of a summer. I'm surprised more guys don't do it. It's such a simple, harmless, and temporary thing, it just seems like it'd be more common than it is.

Where I do see it is on American Idol or The Voice. Any of these performance shows. A lot of guys wear nail polish on those shows. Kind of surprising to me to see it there and not in the general public.

Oh yea, if anybody sees me as gender non-conforming... I think I've earned that!!

Way to go Suzie!!

[Suzie Petersen]

I did it again today, out to several stores with very long loud pink nails, and the surprising reactions were ... nothing, again.

I was at a number of stores, including HomeDepot, Kroger, 2 different beauty supply stores and others, and even though I definitely had my nails on full display, nobody cared.

This is good, don't get me wrong, but it is not what I expected, and not what I many times have feared.

I am definitely learning some things about myself, and I am pushing some limits pretty hard, and the feedback from the world, even unspoken as it is, is You be You, we don't give a sh.. (Hoot).

I listen intently to Rhonda Jean's words with respect to having long and colored nails in male mode, and she is right, just as she is in anything else she talks about or comments on here.

And as Char and others have said, this is just becoming a normal thing for men to do. I believe it, now. I was hesitant, but my little experiment pushing that sliver of the gender line a little, definitely suggest that they are right.
That line in the sand has been crossed a long time ago, by people far braver than I and with Rhonda being one of them, so it is a lot safer for the rest of us who identify as a Chick(en), to follow along.

So what is the next line in the sand I am going to challenge? I am not sure, maybe it is carrying a purse in male mode, maybe makeup, I am not sure. I still dont like the MIAD mode, no matter which variation of it, but I guess I am actually becoming a little more comfortable with people looking at me thinking, that guy is just not really 100% a guy, there is some girl in him too.

I kinda' like if they think that, because they would be right, and that's pretty cool.

Suzie

[Sometimes Steffi]

I admire how brave you are, and that you get no reaction wearing nail polish in male mode. I'm just to fearful to do it, except under limited circumstances.

I've gotten my nails done many times in girl mode and took them out for a spin around the block.

The only time I've done them in male mode is on the way to Keystone. My wife disapproves of my dressing, so I hardly ever leave the house en femme, and certainly when she's around. But, I always get my nails done locally before Keystone, and drive up there en homme. So I'm visible if I need to fill up the tank or stop off for a coffee or a snack. And even though I do have to show my hands paying for coffee, I hide my hands to the extent possible.

But, I usually choose a much more obvious color for my nails. My favorite is "Cherries in the Snow" by Revlon, which is a reddish fuchsia. Maybe I should try something less obvious like "It's a girl".

[Suzie Petersen]

I don't know what has come over me Steffi, because I am usually fearful about these things too. Right now however, it doesn't bother me at all.
Having been in girl mode for weeks now I'm sure has something to do with it. Of course this hasn't made me Think like a woman, or Feel like a woman or any of the other clich?s, but I constantly see my female image in the mirror, from I wake up till I go to bed, and I see and feel the nails all day too, so perhaps I have just become a little more used to this just being the way I look.

The few times I have had to disguise myself as a guy to go shopping for a couple of hours, I do Not look in the mirror! Can't stand it!

[Suzie Petersen]

I was getting paint supplies and groceries again today in male mode, except for my long nails that right now are painted in OPI "I am Really an Actress" Dark red with sparkles, and a shiny topcoat.

And today, I finally had someone comment on them! First time even noticing a reaction.

A woman looked at them and said "Can I ask you something, why do you paint your fingernails?"
I was totally unprepared. I honestly was not thinking about my nails at all, more focused on her giving me the right product, and she caught me off guard. My reflex response was "Because it is cute!".
She continued "Do you like it?" and I just said "Yes, very much!"
Then we both continued on.

The funny part to me, was that this was the lady I was dealing with, in the Paint department!

I wish I had had a better response, or had asked her for an opinion or something, but I was already on my way away from there and didn't stop.

I know what y'all are saying, it is no big deal and nobody cares.
A couple of weeks ago I was absolutely uncomfortable going out with nail polish on, end especially not something this loud. I don't know if other things going on right now has an influence on me, or there is just something in the drinking water here, but it really doesn't bother me now, for whatever reason.

Edit: so regardless if it is becoming a normal thing for men to wear nail polish, to this woman who was maybe 35'ish, it was unusual enough that she felt she should ask why.

Suzie

[Crissy 107]

Suzie, If it’s something in the drinking water can you send me a bottle or two