Passing Through the TSA

The Situation:

I had an opportunity to fly to another city to attend a trade conference. I seriously doubted that I would meet anybody I know, so I figured that this would be a perfect opportunity to take an entire trip en-femme! Unfortunately, I don't dress 100% en-femme, so all my government issued identity cards still have my male name on them.

After some research on the web, talking with friends and a TSA official, I was convinced that this is doable, so I made my reservations (in my male name) for the airline tickets.

Travel Day:

I'll have to admit that I was apprehensive. I wore a cute top, fashionable jeans, and flats. You still have to take your shoes off, and I have seen too many women struggle with getting tall boots on and off in the security line, and thought that this was too much to hassle with on this trip.

I first walked up to the airline counter to check my luggage, and the nice lady did look me up and down twice, finally smiled with a slight lean to her head, and wished me good travels. I passed the first hurdle!

I then stood in line and eventually reached the first security checkpoint, where they verify your identity. I gave them my passport (more on this in the homework section below) and my boarding pass, and waited. No bells went off. No doors flew open with storm troopers coming out. The TSA man did look at my face closely several times, then made the appropriate notations on the boarding pass, and said "Thank you" with a nod of his head towards the next line. That was it! I made it!

The X-ray line was cakewalk, as I had already taken all my jewelry off and was not wearing an underwire bra, so I collected my handbag and shoes, and off to the gate where I put my earrings, necklace, watch and bangles back on.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and I was even asked if I needed help in collecting my luggage off the conveyor.

The Return Trip:

This was also the same treatment, looking between my face and the passport several times, but then saying "Thank you" and that was it!

So here is your homework:

1. Plan on traveling en-femme when it's appropriate!
2. Stay calm and collected when you travel. If you appear very anxious or uneasy, they will pick up on that and you will raise a red flag with security.
3. I would strongly suggest that you carry your driver's license and your passport with you when you travel, and use your passport for the identity confirmation. My logic in this is that when you take your ID out and hold it in your hand for a while, you have a larger probability of loosing it or misplacing it. Something you really don't want to do when traveling dressed! When you carry two separate IDs, even if you do happen to misplace your passport, you still have your driver’s license safely tucked away in your purse, so you can still get back home, rent a vehicle, a hotel room, and so on.
4. Enjoy your self and stay in the moment. As a women, you definitely have to pay more attention to your personal safety, and staying alert to your surroundings is the first step.

Bon Voyage my friend!

Acceptance Hands Down!

So here is the scene:

You are fashionably dressed and sitting in a popular coffee shop with a friend discussing the latest movies over coffee, when the hostess seats a nice looking couple at the table next to you.

The man, of course, will glance at your face to see if it falls into a traditionally wide acceptable range, and then automatically shift to your chest and what he can see of your butt and long legs. No surprises there.

But what will the woman look at? Chances are she will start with your hair, then face and makeup, then your outfit, and then to your hands.

Based upon her observations, she will decide if you are a threat to the relationship she has with the man, partially based upon your hands and if you are wearing a wedding ring.

So why the hands?

Several reasons:

Do you have a wedding ring? No ring probably means you are looking for companionship; and her companion is right beside you.

Do you take care of your hands and nails? This is a good indicator of how you take care of yourself overall. Dry and rough hands are very obvious!

Your hands will also help revel your true age to help her in your assessment of you.

So how should you take care of your hands?

* Avoid letting them dry out by always using hand lotion.
* Keep your cuticles in shape.
* Your nails should always be clean, nicely shaped, and even across all fingers. You definitely don’t want a nail or two broken back to the quick while the rest are long!
* If you can, keep a layer of clear polish on to protect them. I personally have trouble doing this as the polish tends to wear off on spots after a day or two. Very unbecoming.
* If you can, a manicure even now and again is very nice! Not only will they make your hands look beautiful, but they typically also massage your fingers, hand and wrist. I love that part!

You should also consider making sure that you keep shaving off any hair on your fingers. Unfortunately it's kind of a giveaway, as I found out several years ago.

It was Halloween, and I was dress to the nines in this cute outfit I had picked up. I stopped for a moment in a small store on the way to my destination, and as I finished my purchase, the gentleman behind the counter asked if I was in costume. I kind of sheepishly grinned and confirmed his suspicions. He told me that I looked very convincing (for which I'm still grateful ;-), but then he told me that it was the hair on my fingers that gave me away.

Lesson learned for this girl!

So here is your homework:

1. Pay careful attention to your hands so that you can easily recognize when they are dry.
2. Always use lotion on them and don’t let them dry out.
3. Keep your fingernails clean.
4. After showering, use an “orange stick” to push up the cuticles.
5. Keep your nails filed and nicely shaped.

Stay beautiful!

Linda