u/DisastrousLand6863

Bit of an odd explanation but hear me out! I want some advice here. I’m 22 and I’m pre-everything but determined to get to a point where I can pass visually (or at least be at a point of androgyny, as I’m gonna be attempting to go stealth in certain environments).

My looks work against me… I have a feminine face with nose piercings, slim frame, D cups, I’m a lil bit shorter than average. It’s difficult for me to wear what a typical guy would and pass — casual straight cut/skinny jeans emphasise my hips, a plain tee exposes my chest, a short haircut brings out my fem face. Among many other things. I’ve tried, but it’s difficult for me to fit in with the average man because I naturally stick out. >!(Hell, I stuck out even when I was a girl… being an autistic POC sucks.)!<

Genuinely I think the only way I can pass is averting the norm altogether and committing to being an alternative looking ‘cool’ guy. I’m very into fashion anyway so it resonates. Atp the only way for me to avoid suspicion is a look where it makes sense to be a bit feminine, if that makes sense.

That said - any tips for passing specifically as an alternative guy?

Maybe a bit of a weird one. I’m 21, British, and pre-T, attempting voice training to get my voice to androgynous/passable for a teenage boy (as it’s how I tend to look). I’ve been using online resources, most of which is American.

I’m lowk struggling a lot to get my voice to a point where it even sounds like a pre-pubescent boy’s. It was perplexing at first but I’m starting to wonder if it’s accent related — I attempted putting on an American accent and surprisingly I was sort of able to sound like a teen boy or a frat dude. Hella frustrating since in my regular English accent I just sound like a deep voiced female.

Is this a phenomenon that genuinely has some truth to it? I expect it’s to do with speech patterns tbh but there’s barely any advice out there for British trans guys so it’s something I’m finding hard to fix. Fml.

I’m aware immersion is useful and I do listen to Brit male podcasters/youtubers etc but the way I speak is so ingrained now that it doesn’t really help and I find it hard to pick up on the nuanced differences without direct instruction.

Help a guy out.

I’m currently in second year studying a degree I ultimately enjoy but don’t have any sort of specialised deep interest in. The dissertation module next year is optional but I guess I’m in two minds. I can’t think of anything I’m interested in enough to write it on, but obviously it’s very uncommon not to do a diss and I’m worried it will hurt my prospects after graduation.

I’m planning to apply for an Occupational Therapy accelerated masters (so it’s vocational, not research) but I’ve heard it’s competitive so if my application or interview flops I plan to look for something generic in the business sector, marketing or agent work etc. That said, does forgoing the dissertation put you at a disadvantage in interviews? It seems like a massive benefit to have a big independent project to talk about.

My uni hasn’t given any sort of guidance on how to choose dissertation topics so I’m at a bit of a loss, the only info I have is that it’s 6k words. I don’t think I’d get a bad grade if I chose to do a diss on something I’m not overly interested in, but it seems like it’s a lot of stress and I’d be doing it just for the sake of it.

So - pros and cons of doing a diss? Is it worth it if you can choose not to?