Passing tips for ftm teens of color.
Aight listen up trans men of color, I know some of y'all probably have difficulty passing and see all these passing posts directed towards white trans people and see tips that don't/won't necessarily work for you and I gotchu.
Hair
Go for hairstyles that are trendy rn. Things such as dreads, hightops, waves, or even an afro. Braided or twisted hairstyles are also really good! Don't listen to that whole "tapered sideburns make you look more feminine" thing either. Cause that's a common thing for people with straight hair. The majority of my guy friends who are poc have tapered sideburns because it's trendy for us. Also guys have messier hair, so sponging your hair is a great way to get that look.
Face
If your face is very round try working out or drinking more water. Drinking water helps you lose some of that fat in your face, and working out in general with cardio will help you lose face fat as well. Or you can do jaw exercises to make your jawline sharper and your jaw muscles larger to give your face a more masculine look.
If you have peach fuzz shave it off, most cis guys don't have peach fuzz. Use castor oil mixed with coconut oil on your top lip, brows, or anywhere you want thicker hair. It works, trust me I have actual eyebrows now. Or you can use minoxidil. I follow a guy who grew a full beard pre-t using minoxidil.
Body
In general working out can help give you a more masculine physique but it's not for everyone. If you want a flatter chest and some nice pec muscles BENCH. Bench press a lot in your workouts, it will help make your chest smaller and easier to bind trust me. If you want a V taper focus on building your shoulders and lats, it'll make your upper body much broader. If your heavier focus on doing cardio to lose some fat but also work on building muscle. Keep your nails trimmed as well, shorter nails make your hands look more masculine.
Clothes
In general try to avoid wearing brighter colors as they look more feminine and make your chest stick out more. Try to shop at stores like Vans, Pacsun, H&M, American Eagle, Zumiez, or other trendy stores like that. Please wear shirts your size since bigger shirts don't actually help with hiding your curves and can even accentuate them more. Also go on Pinterest or look at other black mens outfits to get inspiration for outfits. You can never go wrong with a hoodie and some shoes that are the same color if you want a simple outfit.
Wear an undershirt or tanktop under your shirt. Its really popular for black men to do this (along with wearing basketball shorts under pants lmao) plus it helps hide the outline of your binder.
As for pants Pacsun is the best place to buy them, it may be more pricy for some of you but if you can afford it they have perfect sizes for shorter guys and their jeans fit better. Try to avoid skinny jeans unless you get them in a size up or even 2 sizes up so they're looser and don't hug your curves straight cut jeans are your best bet. Joggers, sweatpants, and sweatshorts are amazing for hiding your hips, plus they're super comfy and trendy. Also sagging your pants can help hide your hips, just don't sag with your pants below your ass.
For underwear try to stick to briefs as they're the comfiest and most common. Good brands for comfy briefs are Champion, AND1, American Eagle, Fruit of the Loom, and Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger. Try to get the spandex ones or the sports style ones as they're comfier and don't feel as scratchy. If you wanna pack while wearing these you can do it without a harness with certain sports boxers since they're made to be tight and hold everything in place.
For shoes try to stick to Nike, Adidas, and Vans. In general just try sticking to sneakers. Wearing shoes of other brands isn't really that common for POC but if you wanna wear other brands or styles of shoes you can. Or you can wear slides with socks, please never wear your slides without socks. If you're self conscious about your shoe size you can go up a size or two and just stuff the front of the shoe.
Mannerisms
I'm sure you already know the basic stuff like don't swing your hips when you walk, try not to swing your arms as much, don't slouch and stand proud but there are other things which can help you pass as well. Learn how to dap people up, it's a common thing for black men to do and it helps you blend in and not look as akward. Try not to raise your voice at the end of a sentence and keep your voice more monotone. Also talk out of your throat voice, I know people always say guys speak out of their chest but they don't. Their voices usually just carry more depth which makes it sound like they're talking from their chest. Speaking from your lower throat is the best way to get a more masculine voice. Try not to use your hands when you talk unless your showing the size of something. Girls tend to always talk with their hands and guys just don't.
That's all I really have for now but I hope it helps a little bit.
