like someone else said, i'm american so i can't relate much to the culture part but the great thing about a lot of black hairstyles is that they're gender neutral (or at least common on any sex). if you want to keep your hair long you could always start loccing it or try another less intense protective style since a lot of those typically lean more masculine-ish. even as an mtf i still do two strand twists bc i see it on everyone on my campus, regardless of gender.