Disguises

In response to my post about my wayward contact, two readers pointed out that wearing contacts in one mode, and glasses in the other assist the disguise.

I've often thought about long hair.  I have several friends who wear their natural, long hair when dressed.

Back in my teens and twenties, my hair was quite long ~ definitely girl length.  It was never super long.  It did go below my shoulders, and I had my hair permed for a couple of years.  Sometimes, I wish I had a full head of hair now.  I'd probably let it grow as long as it wanted to, and try to style it so I could wear it in a male or female manner.

But when I get dressed, my wig is the final component.  Often, I look in the mirror and think I see my male self looking back, even with contacts.  But once I put on my hair and smile on, that changes.  Different hair is definitely a key part of the transformation.

Obviously, the body changes but people don't identify other people via body shape.  Well, I do sometimes, but I'm a special case.  I see three facial areas that help to keep people from realising that Bonnie and Ben are the same person.  (Voice is important, but I'm not going into that now.)

contacts vs glasses: people may not notice if you get new glasses; they will if you put on glasses for the first time, or take them off for the first time.  It makes a difference.

makeup: makeup can contour your face and change the shape, but even basic makeup can make a huge change.  Like glasses, eye shadow and liner make your eyes look different.  Lipstick causes focus to shift when viewing a face, which can result in looking at the target differently and not making the connection.

hair: play with one of the on-line hair styling programs and your photo.  Or look at a photo shoot in a woman's fashion magazine.  You'll see the same woman a dozen times, except each time she's transformed from who she was before.

The odd part is, I can't figure out which of those three are key.  I certainly don't look female if I put on contacts; I still look mostly like myself, whether male or female.  It's a small change that can change the opinion of the viewer, if she knows your male self and just met your female one.

Sometimes makeup makes me look female, sometimes not.  Putting on a wig first... well, if you squint and stand far enough away, maybe. 

There's an old Who song called "Disguises."  Since I started thinking about this post, I've been thinking about this song and hearing it a different way.  The chorus:

You're wearing disguises
Occasionally a girl surprises me
When she turns out to be you
Wearing disguises

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