: Transformation of Zoe :
So there's this girl I know. Her name is Zoe and she's 22 years old. I met her several months ago at one of my TG groups. Her boy name is Sean, and she even dresses like my friend Sean from Pennsylvania - black rock band t-shirts, black pants and sneakers. Except that my Sean is FTM transsexual and Zoe is MTF, but is still early on in the transition department. Zoe has been on a low dose of estrogen, started growing her hair out long and completed two laser sessions on her face, and is fortunate to be very thin and relatively short (5' 9"). Although she looks very much like a boy right now, she's not going to have any trouble passing eventually, if she gets certain things done and gives the hormones a chance to work.
A few weeks back Kyla and I went to a meeting and Kyla met Zoe for the first time and became fast friends. Although Kyla is only three years older, she is obviously a lot further down the transition road than Zoe. As both Kyla and I share an interest in helping young TG people, we decided we were going to take Zoe under our wings for a night and give her a makeover.
Since Kyla is the expert in makeup and clothing styles for younger people, I put a challenge forth to her: I would give her $50 to spend on clothing and makeup and we would see what she could accomplish with Zoe. One of Kyla's aspirations is to be a personal style consultant, so I figured this would be an appropriate challenge for her, since many young TG people don't have a lot of money to spend when they are first starting out.
We started out at Dots, a discount fashion boutique, but didn't find anything there so we walked next door to Ross, a designer label discount chain. Kyla picked out a pretty black tunic top with a scalloped lace hem, a turquoise zip-front cardigan sweater, and brown corduroy pants.
Cardigan......$11.99
Pants..........$11.99
Tunic..........$9.99
Tax............$2.80
Total..........$36.77
We also bought Zoe her first bra, although she does not quite need one yet. Since the bra was not going to be visible, we didn't count that cost toward the budget. Kyla tried to take Zoe into the women's fitting room to try on the bras, but the attendant wouldn't let Zoe in. So they tried on three bras in the men's fitting room, and picked one, leaving the other two bras in the fitting room - sort of our TG calling card.
Then we went to Wal-Mart for the makeup. We found a palette of eyeshadow, lip gloss and blush colors in the stocking stuffer aisle that gave Zoe a large number of shades to play with. Kyla picked out her proper liquid foundation, some finishing pressed powder, eyeliner, lip gloss and mascara to complete the shopping trip.
Foundation.............$2.47
Powder.................$2.24
Lip Gloss...............$1.67
Mascara.................$2.47
Eyeshadow.............$2.88
Eyeliner pencil.........$1.67
Tax......................$1.11
Total....................$14.51
Clothes.................$36.77
Grand Total............$51.28
We came back to my apartment to do the makeover. While I made dinner, Kyla took Zoe in the bathroom and did her hair and makeup. Here are the before and after photos.
I remember not all that long ago that I was in Zoe's shoes, not knowing anything about makeup or clothes, afraid to make a mistake or even try things outside my comfort zone. I had a lot of support from my online friends early on, giving me encouragement and boosting my confidence to get me where I am today.
It was wonderful seeing Zoe's face light up and get a glimpse of how beautiful she will be someday. It was also a nice feeling helping a young T-girl feel hopeful about going through transition. And I think that making this quantum leap forward today in becoming a girl will show her that this is really possible, and that with practice and perseverance, she can live her life how she chooses, on her own terms, and feel reasonably sure that people will accept her. And I told her tonight that it's up to her to build on this, to practice what she's been taught, and to carry her progress forward.
A few weeks back Kyla and I went to a meeting and Kyla met Zoe for the first time and became fast friends. Although Kyla is only three years older, she is obviously a lot further down the transition road than Zoe. As both Kyla and I share an interest in helping young TG people, we decided we were going to take Zoe under our wings for a night and give her a makeover.
Since Kyla is the expert in makeup and clothing styles for younger people, I put a challenge forth to her: I would give her $50 to spend on clothing and makeup and we would see what she could accomplish with Zoe. One of Kyla's aspirations is to be a personal style consultant, so I figured this would be an appropriate challenge for her, since many young TG people don't have a lot of money to spend when they are first starting out.
We started out at Dots, a discount fashion boutique, but didn't find anything there so we walked next door to Ross, a designer label discount chain. Kyla picked out a pretty black tunic top with a scalloped lace hem, a turquoise zip-front cardigan sweater, and brown corduroy pants.
Cardigan......$11.99
Pants..........$11.99
Tunic..........$9.99
Tax............$2.80
Total..........$36.77
We also bought Zoe her first bra, although she does not quite need one yet. Since the bra was not going to be visible, we didn't count that cost toward the budget. Kyla tried to take Zoe into the women's fitting room to try on the bras, but the attendant wouldn't let Zoe in. So they tried on three bras in the men's fitting room, and picked one, leaving the other two bras in the fitting room - sort of our TG calling card.
Then we went to Wal-Mart for the makeup. We found a palette of eyeshadow, lip gloss and blush colors in the stocking stuffer aisle that gave Zoe a large number of shades to play with. Kyla picked out her proper liquid foundation, some finishing pressed powder, eyeliner, lip gloss and mascara to complete the shopping trip.
Foundation.............$2.47
Powder.................$2.24
Lip Gloss...............$1.67
Mascara.................$2.47
Eyeshadow.............$2.88
Eyeliner pencil.........$1.67
Tax......................$1.11
Total....................$14.51
Clothes.................$36.77
Grand Total............$51.28
We came back to my apartment to do the makeover. While I made dinner, Kyla took Zoe in the bathroom and did her hair and makeup. Here are the before and after photos.
I remember not all that long ago that I was in Zoe's shoes, not knowing anything about makeup or clothes, afraid to make a mistake or even try things outside my comfort zone. I had a lot of support from my online friends early on, giving me encouragement and boosting my confidence to get me where I am today.
It was wonderful seeing Zoe's face light up and get a glimpse of how beautiful she will be someday. It was also a nice feeling helping a young T-girl feel hopeful about going through transition. And I think that making this quantum leap forward today in becoming a girl will show her that this is really possible, and that with practice and perseverance, she can live her life how she chooses, on her own terms, and feel reasonably sure that people will accept her. And I told her tonight that it's up to her to build on this, to practice what she's been taught, and to carry her progress forward.
