Look Androgynous
The song Androgyny by Garbage always made you curious? You crave the looks of the young boys in Japan whom you can't be sure if they're girls or boys? You want people to turn heads when you walk wondering if you are a girl or a boy? You simply are dissatisfied with the range of appearances condoned by your traditional gender role?
Androgyny can be defined as the balancing of feminine and masculine traits. If you are female and wish to look androgynous, you are seeking to eliminate or minimize some of the feminine aspects of your personality and appearance, and promote or maximize many of the masculine aspects (the opposite applies for males). Androgyny is altogether different than being transgender or transsexual and should not be confused with either. (Though if you identify as non-binary, it can be a great way to express that.)
Steps
- Start shopping around and get clothes that are either unisex or follow the new trends. For example: get straight leg pants, button downs, cardigans but nothing too girly. Preferably in shades of grey, blue, black and red.
- Try cutting (or having a hairdresser cut) your hair in a pixie cut, either slicked back or natural. If you don't have the proper face shape to get a pixie, you can always get a bob and style it the way you want. Asymmetric haircuts are all the rage right now. If you're a guy; grow your hair long, maybe get a side-fringe. It's more difficult for girls with long hair to look neutral, but if you love your Rapunzel locks or can't stand having hair in your face, you can probably make traditional hair styles work. Or, you could just put all your hair under a hat.
- Eyebrow size and shape is another characteristic that is strongly associated with gender. If you are a male, try plucking or waxing your brows to a thinner, arched, feminine brow. If you are a female, try letting your brows grow out to (or keep them as) their natural shape.
- If you particularly care for makeup, line your eyes in grey or black eyeliner but nothing too flashy or obvious. Forget the red lipstick and the blush. Stick to foundation, matte powder and maybe concealer to hide the pink in your lips. (Go easy on that; you don't want to look like a corpse).
- As for the shoes, converse and oxfords (high heels for girls) work. Anything will do as long as it's not too flashy or girly. Sneakers will work well for casual dress.
- Be independent. Be the kind of person who can do things for themselves. You can try to get things done by yourself such as cleaning your bedroom, doing your homework, and maybe cooking or cleaning. This will show you are responsible and independent.
- Avoid wearing soft and powdery colors like they're the plague. But you don't always have to wear bold, dark colors like black. Other colors can be neutral such as navy blue, forest green, brown, and black. Camouflage is a good pattern to stick with.
- Compress your breasts if you have them. These are a big give away. You should be completely flat. A sports bra may work if you are very small, but for anyone over a AA it won't work. You will need some sort of binder. Please note that binding can be dangerous and damages tissue over time. If you are about an A or a very small B you can use under-armor, which is intended for men who are athletes. You should be able to find their compression vests in a sports store. Under-works, Mango and T-Kingdom make these.
- Hide your legs, unless you don't shave them. Girls have very different legs than guys, and they are usually shaved. Try a pair of really baggy jeans to hide your curves and maybe a loose belt slung low on the hips. Couple this with a really big t-shirt, and you can fit in almost anywhere.
- Don't worry about others' opinions; what other people think of you is not anything to be extremely concerned about.
- Be in shape. When it comes to physique, well, that one can be a bit harder. Build some muscle! Don't go body building (because some "muscles" are better left undefined).
Tips
- Never bind with ace bandages or duct tape.
- Looking androgynous isn't necessarily the same as cross-dressing. You can include some aspects attributed to your sex and still look androgynous. For example, a girl who dresses like a guy but also paints her nails can look more androgynous than a girl who just dresses like a guy. Often it's a matter of defying expectations.
- Be careful if you chose to bind your breasts, it can pose health risks. If you have difficulty breathing or pain your chest, STOP binding immediately! Never bind for more than 8-12 hours.
- Yves Saint-Laurent started the whole "tuxedos for women" trend. They looked androgynous but never like aliens.
- Work out. This doesn't mean that you should go to the gym and lift huge weights everyday, just keep your weight at a healthy level and remember to do your push-ups!
- Don't hide who you are. If you're a girly girl and want to look androgynous, follow the ongoing trends right now; the whole I stole this from my boyfriend's closet is all over the place.
- Almost always wear shoes like Converse high tops and so on. Black would be the best color,and Converse are very comfortable too!
- Go easy on the makeup.
- If you are considering binding, make sure to read up on the topic first. Things like double binding or using ace bandages can permanently damage breast tissue, and make you ineligible for chest surgery.
- You don't want to look completely flat when binding! No one has a naturally 100% flat chest. Instead, you want your chest to be approximately the natural size of an AMAB person with your body type.
Things You'll Need
- Straight leg jeans/trousers
- Vests
- Cardigans
- Wool sweaters
- Converse
- Leather oxfords
- Concealer
- Foundation
- A good hairdresser who can help you find the right haircut.
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