Obviously, nothing I say here is going to work for everyone (people are different!), but this is a master list of things that have helped me, personally fight gender dysphoria as an AFAB person and feel more comfortable in my body and identity. This is not limited to people of one specific gender identity; trans guys, transmasculine and transneutral enbies, AFAB gender-fluid peeps on their male days, butch and gender-nonconforming queer women, literally anyone who feels these tips would be helpful is welcome to them.

Below the cut are three lists: style tips to help you achieve the look you want, ways you can alter your behavior to help you be read as male, and finally, little things you can do to cope on bad dysphoria days. Let’s get started!

Pt.1: Masculine Dress

• Go to a barbershop for your haircuts. Barbershop stylists are more accustomed to masculine styles than salon stylists, so you’re a lot more likely to end up with what you actually want. Plus, they tend to run cheaper, and just the act of going will give you Good Gender Feelings.
• Give yourself spiky punk hair, a fauwhawk, or a Tintin quiff .
• Alternately: slick your hair back like you’re in a late 70s mobster movie.
• Button-up shirts are simple, stylish, and buttoning them is another act that just feels affirming. (I have a thing about the cuff buttons on long-sleeve button-ups. Idk what it is, but I always save those for last because I feel so f**king manly when I button them.)
• Button-ups or blazers over t-shirts is a look and a half.
• While we’re on the subject of t-shirts: wear one size bigger than what fits snugly. One size up is usually enough to hide most of your chest bulge without looking outright baggy.
• Sports bras and boxers. But you probably don’t need me to tell you that.
• Chinos or work pants for cooler weather. Cargo shorts for warmer weather.
• Tuck. In. Your. Shirt. I will harp on this tip forever because it WORKS.
• Wear your caps backwards.
• Wear a fedora or a newsboy cap with “dressier” outfits.
• Teach yourself to tie a tie. You’ll feel so proud of yourself when you get it right for the first time.
• If you’re into jewelry, there are plenty of good options for masculine bracelets. Anything leather, those bead ones that everyone’s wearing, chains, silicone ones with cool slogans or the name of your favorite band, telephone cord-style if you’re like me and you like to fidget with your jewelry…you have options, friend.
• Invest in a good pair of boots, and if those are too much, I find that men’s high-top sneakers have a similar look and feel.
• Wear dress shoes with thick, sturdy wooden heels. They make a click-click sound when you walk that will make you feel like an absolute boss.
• Buy your deodorant, shampoo, etc, from the men’s department.
• Carry a wallet instead of a purse.
• Keep your nails short, and they can get a bit ragged too; guys tend to care a lot less about things like that.
• Don’t shave, if you feel comfortable with that.

Pt.2: Masculine Behavior

• I got this tip from the blog @123pret-e and it really works: imagine a line under your feet while you’re walking, like one you’d see in the middle of the road. Walk to the sides of the line, not on it.
  
• Power stance while sitting is knees not touching, toes pointed away from each other, back straight – if you want to relax, lean your whole body back with your chin tilted up instead of slouching. Folding your hands in your lap (or on the table/desk if there is one) is fine, but if you want to give off serious Authority Vibes, steeple your fingers instead. And if you’re in a chair with armrests, you can rest your arms on them as the name implies and lean back or slightly to one side.
• Power stance while standing is feet about six inches apart (look up “soldiers at parade rest” if you need a visual). In an informal situation, you can hook your thumbs through your belt loops and kick out a knee, and relax your shoulders; in a formal situation, your hands should be clasped in front of or behind you, and your shoulders should be squared.
• Hooking your thumbs through your belt loops is a good masculine gesture in general.
• Strut. Swagger. Give yourself permission to take up space.
• Lean on any available wall/doorway/lamppost like James Dean.
• Hold the door open for women, and offer to help them with their bags at the store. (If it’s nighttime, offer to walk with them to their cars, especially if they have children with them/it’s a rough neighborhood or a secluded area/they might feel unsafe for any other reason. Safety in numbers.)
• Using a recording app like Voice Pitch Analyzer to track your progress, try some daily vocal warmups that might help deepen your voice. And speak more from your chest than from your throat; deeper, stronger voices tend to come from the chest and diaphragm.
•  Be uncouth from time to time. Seriously. Guys in general are a whole lot less worried about picking wedgies in public, or getting sauce all over their face while eating spaghetti, or sniggering at terrible sex jokes, than women are. Letting yourself be a little “gross” sometimes is all part of my final and most important behavior tip:
• GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO TAKE UP SPACE. I cannot stress this enough. AFAB people are conditioned from childhood to be unassuming, and unlearning that is both one of the hardest, and one of the most rewarding, parts of coming into your masculine-of-center identity. So be big. Be loud. Be cocky (heheheh). Be proud, be unapologetic, be you. You got this, dude.

Pt.3: Things to Do When Dysphoria Feels Like Too Much

• If you use men’s deodorant, put some on. If you use men’s shampoo or bodywash, take a shower and wash with it. Hell, if you have cologne, put some on! Doesn’t matter if you’re just sitting around the house, it’s still great to smell nice.
  
• If you’re able, work out. Pump iron, punch a bag, run or bike or swim a few laps. Not only will it make you feel stronger, it’ll take up the focus and energy that would otherwise be wasted on anxiety.
  
• Do a “masculine” household task, like mowing the lawn.
  
• Choose some badass “entrance music” and listen to it when you need confidence.
  
• Study your masculine icons, and try to imitate them in some small way. (Example: for me, that means watching clips of James Cagney, and styling my hair like his if it’s long enough or imitating his famous shoulder roll in the mirror before I leave for the day.)
  
• Watch a movie that’s considered a “dude flick” (like Blade, Indiana Jones, The Bourne Identity, or The Untouchables, just to name a few of my personal favorites). Imagine yourself in the main character’s place.
  
• Sing the male parts of showtunes, or look up “best monologues for male actors” and read some aloud.
  
• If you’re feeling bad about your voice, look up “male singers with high voices” and listen to some. (I always find Jersey Boys comforting when I’m dealing with voice dysphoria – Frankie Valli had a girlier voice than I do, and people loved him for it!)
  
• Listen to an episode of Making Queer History, Queer As Fact, or a similar podcast, about a masculine-presenting AFAB person from another time. Tell yourself that if they made it, you will too. 
  
• Learn how to express your identity (e.g., “I am a man,” “I am non-binary” if there’s a word for it, “I am not a woman,” etc) in different languages and practice in the mirror.
  
• Give yourself a cheesy, badass nickname (the website PairedLife.com has some amazing suggestions).
  
• Alternately (or even better, in conjunction with the idea above), come up with a fun alter ego you can “become” when you need a confidence boost – a Hollywood heartthrob, a superhero, a grizzled biker, a pirate, whatever you want. (I have a few characters that I’m known for playing at random, often slightly inappropriate times; currently my favorite is a slightly incompetent 1920s gangster called Bugsy, with the stereotypical accent and everything. It makes everyone around me laugh, and gives me the relief of not being seen as “me” if only for a moment.)
  
• Search for your chosen name on Urban Dictionary and read all the nice things people are saying about you. :)
  

Feel free to add more!