I saw a ~19 year old transwoman on the bus last week. Her hair was beautiful and her fashion sense was on point, but her facial structure gave her away. She had a face similar to this pic but slightly sharper. She was going downtown with her fat XX chromosome friend. They were probably headed to a gay bar or something.

All the guys in the vicinity were stealing glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking, as if they were trying to figure out exactly what it was about her that seemed so uncanny. She and her friend caught me looking right as the bus got to my stop, so we only made eye contact for half a second before I left.

She was smiling, so it seemed like she was actually reveling in the attention, but I wonder if that was a facade and she was actually uncomfortable.

Transwomen, how do you respond to strangers looking at you like they're trying to evaluate you?