Here are a few tips for guys who wish to be women and wish to have the confidence to go out in public. I went out often as the woman I wished to be, I don’t know how many people realised that I was a guy in drag, but nevertheless I felt confident enough to get out and about.

1) Height. Guys on average are taller than girls so it helps if you’re not too tall. I am lucky as I’m a mere 5ft 7 inches. We all want to feel sexy in outrageously tall stilettos, but for realism you need to wear shoes with a kitten heel, say no more than 1 1/2 inches. Even flats or sandals will work in many situations. Limit the 5 inch stilettos to the bedroom, not the high street.

2) Weight. Girls’ body shapes are totally different to a guy’s. Wider hips, higher waist and a generally more gracile frame. I have always struggled with my weight but you make a better woman the less weight you’re carrying. You don’t have to starve yourself to death but in my experience the lighter you are the easier it is to transform yourself. A beer belly is a total no-no.

3) Breasts. Most guys fall into the trap of buying silicone breast forms that are far too big. “The bigger my tits, the more feminine I’ll look, right?” No totally wrong. B or C cup is usually more than enough. With shoulders and chests wider and bigger than girls you don’t want to attract too much attention to your upper body. Mastectomy bras are better than normal bras as they have a pocket for breast forms. It’s possible to make a cleavage by taping your man boobs together with micropore tape, before putting on your bra with silicone fillers. There are also now some amazing silicone breast plates that you wear like a tee shirt.

4) Hips and bum. A guy’s narrow hips are a giveaway so wriggle into some hips and buttock padded underwear. There are many available from many sources on the internet. The silicone ones are amazing if a bit sweaty to wear! Some of them may be tight enough to hide your boy bits bulge but it’s also possible to buy some really effective panties, called a gaff, designed to hide your bulge. Another tip is to wear a skirt that is a lighter shade than your top, Black or very dark clothes have the illusion of shrinking the size of something, so broader shoulders and a big male chest can look smaller in dark clothes. A pale shade is better for the lower half to accentuate the roundness and curves of narrow male hips which still need to be enhanced with foam or silicone padding.

5) Hair. With really good quality razors shave your body (and of course your face) while in the bath just before dressing to go out. Especially shave arms and legs and your chest if you wish to create a faux cleavage! Buy the best quality wig you can afford. Select quiet colours like a light or medium brown, they are more convincing than platinum blonde or a flaming red. A wig with a fringe, relished by Americans as ‘bangs’ can help to hide wrinkled foreheads and reduce the masculine effect of a guy’s skull brow ridge. Look at the types of hair colour and style of real women, especially those of a similar age to your feminine alter ego.

6) Makeup. Of course you need to use makeup but I found that the more expensive makeups, the big brands, are easier to apply, easier to remove and give you a better look. Don’t overdo it, don’t trowel it on like plaster, you don’t want to look like a pantomime dame. There’s plenty of advice on applying makeup on real women’s beauty websites. Don’t be scared to pluck your eyebrows a little, most people won’t notice when you’re in guy mode. You may not need to be too drastic with plucking, look at the trend of real women’s eyebrows in recent years, they’re quite pronounced. Dua Lipa could be an eyebrow role model!

7) Body Language. Observe how women move and behave. They tend to take shorter paces when walking, they are often more delicate with all body movement, they don’t suddenly make expansive and expressive movements or gestures. If you have a medium to long haired wig, tipping your head forward sometimes to allow your hair to screen your face is quite feminine. Don’t speak too loudly, be a bit reserved. You don’t have to adopt a high pitched falsetto tone, just use your normal voice, quietly. Don’t swear or use curse words. Sadly there’s not much you can do if your voice is a deep bass or baritone. When sitting remember to keep your knees together. The act of sitting and standing up can be quite challenging, watch how real women do it. The first time I went out dressed in my car, a low slung sports coupé, I tried to get out of the car like a guy does, swing one leg out first then the other. Even girls in pants or jeans will use the method that allows you to get in and out of a car elegantly while wearing a skirt. Keep your thighs, knees and feet together and swing both your legs together out of the car, so you can plant both your feet on the ground together.

8) Clothing. Charity shops are a great source of ‘sensible’ clothes. What I mean here is that to be convincing you need to wear clothes that are appropriate to the age of your female self, if you’re a 50 year old bloke you’re never gonna look like a teenage girl, so don’t try. I loved knee length or slightly below the knee skirts. Dresses may be a problem for a guy because the different body shape, broad shoulders, narrow hips, so even with hip and bum padding outfits with separate tops and skirts are better. You may need a size larger top than the skirt to accommodate your body shape. Handbags and accessories are available in charity shops. Embarrassed to go to charity shops in your home town? Take a drive somewhere else on a shopping expedition! The internet is a painless way to buy stuff of course.

9) Piercings. I think it is more normal for guys to have pierced ears these days. I never got that brave and clip on earrings are a pain as they are either too tight and make your earlobes go red, or they fall off! Pierced ears are a definite advantage.

10) Bodily stuff. Use the Ladies’ loo in hotels, restaurants or public places. In UK there is no law that I am aware of that forbids this. If you go into a male toilet dressed as a woman you will surely attract unwanted attention. So walk straight in to the ladies’ without hesitating, remember the hair flick from 5) above, do that if you like. If there is already a woman or women in there they will likely be busy looking in the mirrors fixing their hair and makeup, they will see a woman walking in and think nothing of it. Go straight to a cubicle. Do your business sitting and don’t be afraid to direct your stream so it splashes! Have you heard how noisy girls can be when they pee? When you’re done, go straight to wash your hands, you may have to stand in close proximity to a woman who’s already there but she’s unlikely to notice you especially if you adopt a closed body language that doesn’t invite people to talk to you. Get out quickly but elegantly.

I’m sure there’s more but those are the main things I can think of!