Methods of passing as female

This article discusses methods of passing as female. People who wish to pass as a member of another sex may use various methods to disguise unwanted features and to emphasize desired features. People who may be concerned with passing as female include male crossdressers, drag queens, and trans women.

For natal males passing as female, this will typically involve wearing of a wig or styling their hair in a manner usually specific to females, removing or disguising facial hair and wearing makeup to make their face appear female, altering their body to resemble that of a female, wearing female clothing and accessories, speaking in a voice that fits their presentation and adopting feminine mannerisms.

Alterations to make the face and body appear female fall into two categories: temporary items that are applied or worn, and surgical alterations.

Breasts

See also: Cleavage enhancement

Some form of breast prostheses are usually used. If the clothing being worn will reveal the breast cleavage, some type of cleavage enhancement technique is also used.

Waist and hips

See also: Hip and buttock padding

Various methods are used to create a female waist-hip ratio, by either reducing the waist size and/or enlarging the hips and buttocks. A garment such as a corset, BodyBriefer or control brief is often used to reduce the apparent waist size and/or to flatten the stomach area. Hip and buttock padding is sometimes used to enlarge the apparent size of the hips and buttocks.

Tucking

Tucking refers to the practice of hiding the male genitalia so that they are not visible through tight clothing. The most effective way of tucking involves pushing of the testicles up into the Inguinal canal; most males can do this without any pain. Once this is done the penis is pulled back between the person's legs and a tight pair of panties or a gaff is then worn over the top to hold everything in place.

Permanent alteration of body proportions

Cosmetic surgery procedures that are often used by transgender persons living permanently as females include breast augmentation, liposuction and Buttock augmentation. The use of female hormones also alters the body, including changing the distribution of body fat.