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I have noticed a lot of stories that involve a SF or Magical change M2F, the changee ends up shorter, very often shorter than the average height for women. As a lover of tall women, I find this unfortunate, not that this has made any real change to how I have enjoyed the story.
What I am wondering is why this choice is being made? I can understand that exceptionally tall TG people may wish they could be shorter, but it seems to be taken to extremes, even with characters that were not particularly tall prior to the change.
Just a musing. Any answers would be nice.
Comments
wishful thinking
it probably comes from a deep seated need to be absolutely feminine. The author views their ideal self to be female and nothing removes questioning one's gender like small stature usually accompanied by larger breasts and a narrow waist.
Esthetically these qualities are as far as you can get from being 'read' as male. I am 5' 11 inches and even though no one calls me sir to my face I feel I don't pass... and I dream of being tinier. It borders on compulsive some days... I usually end up crying quietly while trying to keep working.
If someone were to give/sell me a SF/Magic presto-change-o device... I'd be 5'5" 115lbs and I know this cannot ever happen... still a girl can dream.
Its particularly disheartening to see all these women and girls who by an accident of genetics have everything I want. Before I transitioned I sought mental health counseling because I would have violent rages (that I was barely able to control.) I would dream of seriously harming women. I was ashamed and worried I was a serial killer/rapist... 'but I am feeling MUCH better now' quote from Night Court. Once I admitted I was TS and began my RLT process those hatreds mostly dissipated... now I just wanna scratch their eyes out... *laugh*
Body Image Mismatch is one of the many silent mental disorders transsexuals carry with them but try not to let it get out where people can see it. I say transsexuals because that's what I am. Others can have their own label.
Dayna.
edit: Oh and some/most of these stories have 'humiliation' as a bonus fetish... a male reduced in stature is a flavour of humiliation.
Humiliation
You wrote: "Oh and some/most of these stories have 'humiliation' as a bonus fetish... a male reduced in stature is a flavour of humiliation."
I've noticed that as well and it doesn't sit well with me in fiction or in real life. I highly esteem women and have all my life. It bothers me to see TG fiction bring the humiliation factor into it as if becoming a woman after being born male was a step down. I feel it lends a fetish concept to the whole trans experience. I work hard to counter any idea that non trans people may have that makes trans look like a fetish.
By way of example: At church, people have noticed that I wear a bra. In some shirts, the band across my back is just there, even if the fabric is dark enough to not let it show through. My Pastor brought it up to me in private once. To his credit, he didn't get all preachy, but seemed just to want me to know that people had noticed.
Then a few months later, I was out grocery shopping with my "assets" (thought they be store bought, my breasts are assets) on display when the Pastors son, then the youth pastor of our church, happened to spot me. Being gregarious, came down the isle and talked to me. He didn't say anything at the time, but that Sunday, he cornered me for a private talk. As I tried to explain transgender to him he listened but didn't comprehend, due to his preconceived notion that trans anything was fetish based. At the end of my explanation, he asked, "What about porn?" without even so much as hint at a segue. The abrupt change stopped me dead in my tracks.
We were talking about gender variance and in the blink of an eye, we were talking about porn. As I told him, I won't deny that I've fought the battle with porn, but never did any of the porn I've ever looked at involve trans people. Well, I take that back. I did watch one where a guy dressed as a female nurse to examine a woman... rather intimately. To me it was just bazaar, not arousing.
No, for me being trans isn't connected to any fetish and it bothers me when I see others, trans or not, make that connection.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Choices!
Kiste,
I feel the same as others, being small and delicate if the epitome of femininity; my ideal would be 5' ish with a 34b/c 22 34 figure, size 5 shoes and a size 8 UK dress size!
As most writers are or have been males, their size equates to masculinity so when they write they naturally want to be smaller, though with bigger
boobs they may regret that if they ever did achieve their dream.
When I transitioned I was quite lucky, I am 5' 10" with a 38c 26 38 statistics I take a size 16UK dress, and shoe size 8; so I guess I am a taller than most.
With good spanx and a bucket full of cosmetics I look something like!
Relax about the fantasies of others; but if I could choose I would be 5' isn with a 34b/c 22 34 figure still we can dream, reality is a bitch!
Take care
Christina
I try to be plausible
I attempt to vary it. In Kregg's story, Arshala is shorter than Kregg. There is a reason for this which will be explained later. If the Albaz(Elves) were short and I mean keebler elf short, then he'd have gotten bigger as Arshala. In Quantum Implicitum, both characters, Andrew and Cavin will have a different change. The same with the MTF change in Fracta Sole. There's also an F2A in Fracta sole as well. In MOTU, one of the shapeshifters I have can alter their height and sex as needed.
Doing research on body shapes and height for males and females, I attempt to make it plausible and keep the physical characteristics within reason for their ancestry and genetics. I found some nifty charts showing the average size by age. That helped a lot with picking the size and not making it stick out.
I also found some charts on DA by Majnouna for different human genotypes and what features they'd have. Here's the link to one. There are two others in her tutorial section.
http://majnouna.deviantart.com/art/Guide-to-Human-Types-part...
I basically try to write a character that's plausible.
Internet High Fives All Around
Stardraigh
( •_•)>⌐■-■
My Deviantart
(⌐■_■)
It's all relative
I'm tall - 6 foot, 130lb, 36b, UK size 12 (US 8) - and enjoy being tall but then I have many tall friends, am the shortest sister and was not a convincing male before transition.
I'm aware of being lucky in my appearance but want to reassure others that being tall whether genetic female or MtF isn't a failing and can be a pleasure.
However I hate US shoe sizes as UK 7 (EU 40-41) turns out to be US size 10 which sounds enormous!
Rhona McCloud
My own personal hell.....
Is that I am somewhere between 5'11" and 6' - depending on what time of day you decide to measure me, and just how tall I am standing.
Like most people, my spine compresses slightly as the day goes on due to gravity, and then expands back out that same amount overnight as I am laying horizontally.
The US Navy has me listed as 6'0", yet the State of New York says that I am 5'11".
Based on my genetics, if I had in fact been born physically female as befits my mental image of myself, I would be around 5'7" or so. Given the option, that is where I would choose to be. Not because of some feminine ideal - but rather due to the fact that is where my genetics should have placed me if it were not for the regretful twist of fate which screwed up my life.
Dallas
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Kiste,
I very much agree!
I was 6' 0", but after 18 months of estrogen I shrank to 5' 11". That was 22 years ago and I'm still 5 11. When I think about how tall I'd like to be the range is about 5' 8" to 6'. Looking the way I do, maybe being a little shorter and smaller all over would make me fit in better. If I had a nicer body from a totally fem puberty, even being 6' would still be nice. I'm used to the advantages of being tall. If I were much smaller I think I'd be much more afraid of assault, etc, too.
I'm also bothered by the newly created womyn having very little strength. Guy level T in muscles does make them 30% stronger or so in well trained athletes, but even slightly athletic wimyn or those with physical jobs can be quite strong at least thru middle age. Fictional very weak Tgals just seem very undesirable or even unrealistic to me.
What is the point of imagining oneself as the perfect girl or wimyn being too small or weak to do many ordinary and/or pleasurable things one could do in life?
Cheers to Rhona McCloud. I'm glad you're fine with your height. I wear US size 9.5 or 10 wimyn's shoes; this is equiv of US men's 8.5 to 9 and in cycling shoes, at least, EU 42.5 to 43. My foot size seems to be about average for gals near my height or heavier boned, somewhat shorter wimyn.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Pulp Non-Fiction
It's a cliche in fiction, but a lousy reality as well: I'm an inch shorter than I used to be!! O.o
Thanks for all the answers
Thank you all for your well thought out answers. I do not self identify as TG, I am pretty much happy with how I am, but would not be unhappy if I were to visit the Wizard and be turned female. (Or MAU, or Bikini Beach, or any other).. I am very envious of the clothing options that women have, I guess I would call myself gender neutral.
I am currently 5' 11.5' and really wish I were at least an inch taller, and if one of the aforementioned changes happen, I would be unhappy to be shorter.
OTOH I do recognize that tall women (TG or not) do sometimes have a hard time finding well fitting clothes.
I do enjoy reading gender change stories, and I can understand fully the idea of writing wish fulfillment tropes..
On another topic, as far as I am concerned TG women are women, whether pre-op, or post, or any other spectrum. Gender is defined to me as what someone self-identifies as. I am a proud supporter of LGBT rights, and was even before I met my BIL who was gay.