Who's Wearing the Pants
On Those Hot Summer Nights?

Coreen Clark
© 1996 Transgender Forum



With the weather finally getting warm here, I've been trying to come up with ways to dress lighter. There is nothing worse than having sweat ruin ones foundation, or having it sting the eyes, which causes them to water and wreck your liner or mascara (the water proof makeups do help, though). Women do have a lot of skimpy options for summer. For example, hot (as in sexy!) shorts, with a tube top, halter top, or even a bikini top! Unfortunately, such items don't work well for myself if I also want to get out and be passable, as will be explained shortly.

The biggest cause of "boiling over" is definitely from wearing a wig! Regrettably, there is not much one can do to reduce the temperature, except perhaps wearing the hair up as much as possible. A ponytail helps too, but either way, the top of the head is still covered. I've decided to try growing my natural hair long to see if I can get away without wearing the wig. It's not quite long enough yet, and I'll have to find some ingenious style to hide my widow's peaks. Ironically, while I wait for it to grow, it actually is *hotter* than when I kept it short.

Though many do shave their legs (or more!), there are still plenty of us who don't, for various reasons. Probably the biggest reason why some don't is that they worry how they will explain it to others, especially in the men's locker, or at the beach. There can be other rational, however, such as in my case.

Can I be unpleasant for a moment? I have to state that I'm an *extremely* hairy guy, which I loathe. Not only is it hot, I must hide certain parts of my body every time when dressing en femme. Shave it off you say? Uh-uh... can't. It's the wife factor. She loves hairy guys, which is one thing that attracted her to me in the first place! Through a series of compromises, we have worked out a bit of "give and take". Some goes her way, some my way. Consequently, I do epilate my arms and shave the pits regularly. We still battle over me shaving my chest, so I do wear higher necked outfits at times to appease her. Unfortunately, where she draws the line is in shaving the legs!

In order to deal with this, I use a trick my friend, Stephanie, told me a number of years ago. Wearing three pairs of pantyhose usually works amazingly well in concealing the hair, depending how sheer they are. They can be all the same color, or you can start with a shade close to your skin color and wear what ever color you want over that. With the resurgence of tights over the past fashion seasons, they are readily available, and are more opaque than pantyhose. I have a vast stock in many colors, but usually wear either a beige or black pair as a base, with one or two pair of pantyhose over that. If out in sunlight, the three layers are usually mandatory, but you might get away with two in the evenings, or in dimly lit club. Completely opaque professional dance tights can be purchased, but, in my opinion, they look good on stage, but not up close. You've probably guessed the problem with any of the above mentioned methods... they're all quite hot!

Thus, I have been trying to get away from wearing pantyhose all the time. With that said, about the only other option is pants. I remember when I first joined my local TG club and us "newbies" saw some of the older (read: longer- time, not elderly!) members in girls pants. We'd say, "What self-respecting girl would wear pants when she could be wearing a skirt or dress?" What we didn't realize then was that these girls were either coming from, or going out in the general public. You have to admit that the majority of women out and about are wearing pants of some kind. So, since I have started wearing them myself, not only do I find it easier to pass, but find I'm a lot cooler too! The added bonus is now I'm able to show off my painted little tootsie nails with sandal toe shoes; something that just won't show with multiple pairs of pantyhose on.

Now, wearing girls pants doesn't mean you have be presenting a butch image. There are all kinds of different styles from pretty to sexy. My collection has grown larger than I ever would have imagined. When I find a style that I like and that fit, I try to buy a few pair in various colors, usually including black, navy, and forest (gotta get some browns!). I have a selection in dressier fitted styles, leggings and jeans.

I really love leggings because, with the right top, they're quite sexy . They fit like pantyhose and are very cool. Cotton Spandex ones are typically cheaper than the brand name Lycra kind such as Danskins, but the latter feel so silky smooth I can't resist. There are a lot of solid colors available as well as some pretty floral print versions. Combined with a long, untucked silk blouse, you can be a babe and beat the heat at the same time!

My jeans are becoming a more and more used item in my wardrobe. I had two pair in size 15; one blue and one red, but I just replaced them the other day with size 11, since I've lost 30 pounds since Christmas! At the same time, I picked up a pair of pink ones too. Being too long, they all required me to rehem them, but this I found remarkably easy on the sewing machine if I took the time to press the seams before sewing. What I really like about the jeans is, with the proper style, they aid in shaping the hip to waist area in a more feminine way!

There are a couple of points that are important when considering ladies' pants. You really need to have a good fit. We're not talking about some elasticized waist, A-line skirt where there is a lot of "room for error". Hence, you really need to try them on. If the store has an easy return policy, you can buy/order several styles in a range of sizes, to try them on at home at your leisure. What I like to do (and this goes for shopping for other item, be it bras, control panties, etc.) is grab one of those hand-baskets in most bigger stores, load it right up with many styles in a range of sizes, then head to the men's fitting rooms. You can even throw some other (male?) items on top, for those who are worried they might run into someone they know. If you don't want to tackle hemming yourself, you'll have to check the fit in the inseam, as well as the waist.

Secondly, remember that in general, women's pants fit much higher up into the crotch area. You'll really have to make sure they are pulled up as far as possible, which brings us to the third point.

Appropriately, the third important point has to do with the "third leg". You're going to have to perfect your tuck if you haven't already. You can not have that bulge showing, so you'll have to get it quite smooth, and make sure it's going to stay that way! This is especially true, and of the utmost importance, when wearing leggings!

If you're in the same boat as me when it comes to leg shaving, and you're burning up in the heat why not consider some women's pants? Remember, if you're also worried about going out in public, you'll blend in better, and that should help ease your mind as an added bonus. There are far more places to go where pants are more appropriate than a dress is. Don't worry about not feeling feminine. Trust me, you will!



Back to Transgender Forum's home page