<p>By the time beach week rolls around, I’ll be on day ~70 of HRT (currently on day 33). I also was a year on gynecomastia-inducing (prolactin-secretion-inducing) risperdal shortly before (to treat a different psychiatric condition) and even before risperdal I sort of had the condition. In any case I’m kind of approaching an A cup; I’m taking 8 mg estradiol and 200mg spironolactone daily, and there’s already tenderness and they’re starting to look feminine in appearance as opposed to being simple manboobs (sorry for the image, I’m just trying to ask for social advice!) </p>
<p>Well, this gives me a dilemma in beach wear because while my face is somewhat feminine in cheekbones and bone structure, and continues to be feminized with HRT (apparently HRT can give dramatic results in 6 months to a year in transforming the fat distribution on your face) it probably won’t be sufficient by day 70 to sufficiently aid in passing. But at the same time, most of the friends I am going with are starting to accept my new identity and treat me androgynously (and I dress androgynously now), so wearing male beachwear would be a sort of a step backwards. Plus I don’t know if I’d be arrested for going topless; well maybe not by day 70, but by the later half of the summer it might start to be potentially obscene. Or do I get free reign in going topless no matter how I look as long as I am legally male?</p>
<p>Due to a variety of features I suspect I have Klinefelter’s (genetic XXY) which I will ask endocrinology about tomorrow but this also makes tucking easier. Also, being Asian helps. ;)</p>
<p>Good luck to you, evitaperon. All I can tell you is that you’re way braver than I was; it was about 5 years between the time I started HRT and the first time I went to the beach, on a vacation to Cape May with my son, who was then 15. And although I wasn’t concerned by that time about anybody thinking there was anything different about me, I still wore shorts over my bathing suit. Even when I went in the water. And might do so still, despite having had surgery since then. Of course, I was, and am, probably more than twice your age, so displaying my body isn’t exactly something I’m fond of doing under any circumstances!</p>
<p>PS: Nobody cares if you’re still legally male, and nobody’s going to be asking you to present your birth certificate or driver’s license, if you’re presenting as a woman and you appear to have a female chest. I would strongly advise you not to go topless, unless you’re at a nude beach.</p>
<p>EP, good luck! I second the suggestion of a hat and sunglasses. You will rarely see me without those accessories on a beach. Sunglasses are the cheapest and the only proven prevention for degenerative eye diseases. TJ Maxx usually carries a variety of hip designer styles that cost about $10-20. Get into a habit of wearing sunglasses even when you are not sunbathing, it will save your eyesight - I’m not kidding. And as long as they block both UVA and B, they are fine (even if they are not Oakleys or Maui Jims). For a hat, if you are not into Kentucky derby fashion, a baseball cap would be just fine, and you can even swim in it (I always do).</p>
<p>As far as swimsuits go, swim shorts are perfectly fine for young ladies (again. check TJ Maxx and Target). There are plenty of college- and HS-aged ladies with size AA or A chests. For that reason, many swimwear brands make heavily padded tops, you might want to look into that (last time I was looking at swimwear at Target, I could not find a single NON-padded top, lol). A nice thing about Target is that you can buy a few suits to be tried on in the privacy of your home and return what did not work as long as all the tags are still in place. If you decide on a 2-piece suit, I recommend getting a halter style top, which is less prone to wardrobe malfunctions than string-y bikini tops. IMO, a sports bra worn as a swimsuit top would look out of place on a beach and might draw unwanted attention, while a rashguard shirt over a sports bra is perfectly OK (and it will protect your body from harmful UV rays).</p>
<p>To s of reasonably priced rash guards, racer back tanks and board shorts at discount stores and even Costco. Going topless in a non-nude beach would be going faaarrrrr backward IMHO.</p>
<p>And remember, most people are so busy worrying about how they look in a bathing suit that they don’t have time to worry about how you look in a bathing suit!</p>
<p>OK a slightly different but related issue…to wear sports bras or other tops and not look funny I think I need to tan the top of my breasts to accentuate them so they don’t look like muscles or guyboobs albeit A-cup sized, but I don’t know how to not look funny, pass, tan that area, without going topless for at least 1-2 days.</p>
<p>There are moisturizers that are also self tanners. This isn’t the orange, streaky stuff of 10 years ago. Just a gentle, gradual color. It’s not 100% fool proof, so you do have to apply evenly, but not nearly as unforgiving as the products of even 5 years ago. I’m not talking about tinted moisturizers, these are sunless tanning lotions but in a moisturizing base. Much more forgiving. Neutrogena makes one that is very gradual. Your other option is to spray tan a few times, which does fade (and can be pricy) but if you get some natural sun in the meantime you’ve met your goal. Whatever you do make sure to always wear a good sunscreen even once you have a little color. Also to keep in mind, as ladies we are often trying to get rid of one type of tan line or another across our shoulders from sitting at a soccer game in a Tshirt, being at a picnic in a tank top, then we hit the beach and we’ve got a halter and lines all over the place. It’s pretty common. I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Agree- definitely NOT topless, only obese men with extra chest fat can get away with this. You have chosen a female form and may as well start dressing like one. Many A cup women out there (btw cup size is determined by chest size- number of inches larger than it determines, A, B…) so some of us who are tall and “broad backed” had more breast tissue with a smaller cup size than the average female, especially if thin. They have made bras that are “nearly A” but unfortunately manufacturers tend to cut out the smaller cup sizes in the larger bra sizes, sigh. You could be one of those who needs bra extenders to get the proper breast fit with a larger torso. Walmart has them in the sewing dept, perhaps JoAnne fabrics as well. The one cup size of swimming suits is a dilemma for many women- padding needed and care to not flip out of that huge cup!</p>
<p>No, you do not need to worry about an even tan. You will not look funny. There are people (like myself) who put on a bathing suit about once every 10 years. So some parts are definitely browner than others. No one cares.</p>