Looking over what I wrote in my last post, it sounded like my decision to fly en femme was one I simply made and then proceeded to implement. The reality is almost completely different. It was a decision that ebbed and flowed many times. Actually, until the morning of the flight, it could have gone either way. I spent lots of time getting ready (and getting ready to get ready).
Getting ready really started when I booked the flight a few months before the conference and at the time told myself that I would fly in girl mode.
I decided to do a search of the web to learn about the experiences of other part time TG girls who had flown en femme. There were a few but not a lot, especially in the past few years. Stories about what someone did pre 2001 or even in 2007 seemed ancient history. I found two girls who claimed they had done so recently: Meg at www.callmemeg.com and Kimberly at http://kimberlyhuddle.blogspot.com/.
I went over their stories carefully and found that they had reported no problems with either the airline or the TSA. That sounded good but one can never be sure on the web whether a story is real or just some one’s fantasy. The TG world, especially, is full of fantasy and I worried that reported airline trips were just one more bit of TG fantasy.
I also talked to other people of the TG community and several people said they “knew” of other people who had flown en femme (but had not done so themselves). Second hand information is always questionable.
Then I tracked down and read every bit of TSA information that might have been relevant.While not addressing TG people directly, what I read seemed encouraging. For example, breast forms for cosmetic or medical reasons are okay, need not be removed, and not subject to the 3oz, 1 plastic bag rule. They also stated that when a person is to be “patted down”, the gender of the TSA agent doing the search must be the same as the “represented gender” of the person in question. “Represented gender” sounded really good since it suggests that represented gender might be different than actual gender (and that would be okay). Throughout all the TSA literature, they repeatedly stated that each person is to be treated with respect no matter their appearance. While this was probably directed more at religious and ethnic minorities, I figured it also would apply to me.
All in all, it all sounded okay. A few TG girls had done it and reported no problems and the TSA seemed generally accommodating of “unusual” people.
Having convinced myself that flying in girl mode was at least conceivable, the next decision was what to wear. I decided I had three basic options:
The first option would be to go really femme and present a very feminine look. This would include wig, full makeup, breast and hip pads, jewelry, a dress or skirt outfit, heels/pumps, etc. Leave no doubt that I am presenting as a woman. The TG girls that had flown had gone this route.
The second option was go sort of a casual femme. It is actually how most generic women travel (and live) . It would include a wig, some padding (perhaps smaller breast forms), a little makeup, a little jewelry, unisex pants (i.e. jeans or cords), cotton top, and casual shoes (tennis shoes or boots). It is clearly a feminine look but sort of unisex at the same time. As I said, it is what you would see on most genetic women when they are not at work.
The third option was a very androgynous look, a little femme but really sort of ambiguous. It could say female or perhaps effeminate gay male. It would include a wig and female pants/top/shoes but without much makeup or padding. A casual observer would likely conclude “female” while those who looked more carefully might conclude gay male. About the only difference from the picture on my male ID would be the wig.
After much thought, I decided on the second option. The first seemed like too much of a risk, especially if I was refused entry and had to change back into boy mode to get onto the plane. The third option felt like a cop-out. Traveling in a unisex outfit with a wig hardly seemed like traveling en femme.
My final outfit was simple: wig, women’s blue jeans, a casual ¾ length sleeve red top, a lightweight blue denin jacket, and low heel brown boots. I wore a little foundation, some colored lip gloss, a little jewelry (watch, bracelet but no ear rings), smaller breast forms that suggested breasts but left a little uncertainty. I also used smaller hip pads that created a slight curve. My wig was brushed in sort of a unisex style. The outfit clearly said “female” but not too strongly.
I figured that if I need to go back into boy mode, it would be really simple: remove the wig and breast/hip pads and lick off the lip gloss. “Poof” I am a boy!
I also thought that I could “femme it up” as needed by adding more makeup, jewelry, and brushing the wig into a more feminine style.
This was an outfit I could fly in.
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