Introspection

mirror

Mirror

16 of 19 © 2011 Connie Tsang; model: Janie Black
Rearview Mirror

“When I wake up in the morning, it’s always an interesting thing for me because I have a big mirror beside my bed, so when I open my eyes, sometimes I see a guy, and sometimes I see a girl. It’s a very strange thing, you know?” – Claire Black (Janie)

Out of Body Experience

One of the reasons I sometimes doubt the authenticity of my feminine side is that I find myself almost with a feeling that I am observing myself.

I have many things to remember to do differently in order to be the woman I imagine myself to be, and there is a sort of internal dialogue going on sometimes as I evaluate myself.

That doesn’t seem natural and so I start to get a sinking feeling that if it takes so much effort, it may just be that I am putting the whole thing on. I start wondering whether it is simply an exercise in self-deception.

But, I probably should cut myself a little slack here.

Read More»

Gender Divide

After some time as a guy, it has become a bit easier to notice some of the differences in the way being a woman makes me feel.Spa Girl - Gender Female

Long gone are the days when I would dress to turn myself on. Was a time, I would look in the mirror and see a hottie (my opinion only) staring back at me, and that was enough.

These days, I dress appropriately to the task of meeting and attracting others – friends acquaintances and others – and functioning in society while expressing my own personal style.

As I have been flittering through my home, I realize that being female means being aware – of oneself, of one’s environment and of others.

Read More»
understanding

Understanding

15 of 19 © 2011 Connie Tsang; model: Janie Black
understanding

“One of the things about doing this is I just have gotten a completely different appreciation of what women do, what women are, what they go through, all of those things. If I forgot my phone in the car, or I have to feed the meter or something, running out to my car in heels is different than running out to my car not in heels, y’know?” – Claire Black (Janie)

as it comes

As It Comes

14 of 19 © 2011 Connie Tsang; model: Janie Black
as it comes

“I prefer if I can [spend the day as] the person I feel naturally. But sometimes I can’t, either because I have obligations as a guy, which is not as hard for me to deal with, or because I don’t want to miss an opportunity to go out as a girl when I have the chance. If I force it, I just end up feeling out of sorts.” – Claire Black (Janie)

quiet joy

First Day Back – Quiet Joy

I decided to make a trial run of my return to being Janie today.

I don’t know why I chose this particular moment; I had to rush like mad to get ready if I was to make my appointed rounds. And, after so long, I wasn’t sure whether I would remember everything – the makeup, the jewelry, the purse, the walking, the voice. But, I had decided, and when a girl makes up her mind, there’s no reasoning with her.

Or, maybe that’s just me.

Read More»
special

Special

13 of 19 © 2011 Connie Tsang; model: Janie Black
special

“I don’t feel trapped in this body… I find that being both sexes is nicer than being just one alone. I think it’s special in a special way. In a different way, it’s a special thing. A lot of people don’t understand it. A lot of people can’t handle it. A lot of people don’t like it. But for those that do, it’s really something unique and special.” – Claire Black (Janie)

Why Now? – Getting Real

Some of you may be wondering, as one reader asked me the other day, why “all this self-doubt has surfaced.”

First, I thank all of you for your concern and encouragement.  But, don’t worry, I’m not despairing.

The truth is, I have kinda forced the issue…

I have been Janie for some time now, and for the most part, I have just let things unfold as nature would have them unfold, and took it as it came.

I have followed a well-worn path of first dressing alone at home, then, feeling the need to get out of the house, I started going to clubs and finding out-of-the-way shops and cafes.  I started posting photos and thoughts on the internet, feeling that the vastness of the world-wide-web offered sufficient protection to my identity – that those I knew would be unlikely to run across my images – and that has held true, so far.

But, as Janie develops, I have found that it is never enough. 

Read More»

Subtle Difference

After more than two weeks of uninterrupted manhood (slightly impurified by the Janie duties to which am committed and to which I had to attend) I tentatively put my toe in the waters of femininity today.

I am just wearing short workout shorts and a cropped t-shirt and running shoes, but, for the first time in a while, I am allowing my feminine persona to emerge a little, just to feel what it is like. I am still not certain whether the experiment of being a guy is over, but I wanted to see the difference, if only for a day.

Read More»

Nature-Nurture

12 of 19 © 2011 Connie Tsang; model: Janie Black
nature-nurture

“I started doing this, I guess, 4 years ago now. I’m still not sure, even today, if this is something that I’m doing or something that I am. It’s a really big issue for me, because if it’s something that I do, then I have to start asking questions about why I’m doing it. Is it productive? Is it self-destructive? Is it procrastination? Is it guilt? Is it not right? Are you true to yourself? All that kind of stuff. But if it’s something that I am, well, that’s what I am, and I might as well just stop the pretense of a lot of things. But I don’t know that yet. I really don’t.” – Claire Black