Imagine

Stuff 90: Aloha

By J.J. Atwell

Love That Word

Who wouldn’t love a word that goes both ways? For those that don’t know, the Hawaiian word “Aloha” is used both when greeting and when leaving. In Hawaii, you say Aloha when you meet people, like walking into a store, and when you are done, like leaving a store. 

Wait, did you think I was going to write about sexual things here? Sorry, no. Instead I’d like to cover a few things that occurred to me on my recent two-week vacation in Hawaii. 

Plumeria

The picture at the top of this edition of Stuff is a plumeria flower. These flowers grow in many tropical climates, but somehow seem synonymous with Hawaii. They are used to make leis – the real ones, not the plastic ones you find in the tourist trap stores. They are also used in home decor. A plumeria plant can be a nice accent to your house. You can also pick the fragrant blossoms and float them in a bowl of water for a centerpiece on the dining room table.

In Hawaiian culture, women often wear a plumeria flower in their hair. Those who are single and traditional looking wear the flower on the right side. Those who are “taken” (or just don’t want to be bothered) wear the flower on the left side. That’s right, plumeria flowers are part of a secret romantic code on the islands. 

Are Coconut Bras Comfortable?

A question that occurred to me while in Hawaii is how comfortable could a coconut bra be? I’m sure it would provide great support for those boobs, but wouldn’t the inside be horribly rough? Certainly the edges would be worse than an underwire bra. Wouldn’t they? And how do you specify what size coconut you need when having one made? By the pound? Let’s hope that you don’t have to actually climb the tree to pick the right coconut. 

Yes, my mind goes off in odd directions at times. I can’t say that I actually saw a real coconut bra for sale in any of the shops I went into though. No real grass skirts either. Probably just as well, but fun to think about.

Hawaiian Food

There are some very interesting food items in Hawaii. Some will strike us mainlanders as being a bit odd. For example, Spam is very popular and appears on many a restaurant menu as part of a dish served at any time of the day. Typically, Spam is fried but may also be incorporated with other ingredients. 

My favorite Hawaiian dish is something called Loco Moco. While mostly a breakfast dish, it’s also good at any meal. It consists of a base of white rice on top of a hamburger patty and a fried egg. This is topped by onion or potato straws and drizzled with brown gravy. No, this doesn’t really have anything to do with CDing other than it will likely be the subject for a future “Any CD can cook” column here on Stuff. 

I’ll Be Back

I’ll be finding more Stuff to write about. I welcome comments and suggestions here on Stana’s page or by email at Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. Aloha!

Wearing Boston Proper

Frederick Weller femulates in television's In Plain Sight.

Wonder What's Under

Not Your Father's Wait Room

Sisters

My Second Makeover

On Wednsday, I wrote about my first makeover. I was flabbergasted by the results. The makeover completely changed the way I looked. 

I was caught up in the moment and enjoyed my makeover. However, I thought it was over the top. It was fine for attending the First Event banquet that evening, but it was too much for sashaying around the hotel the following morning. So after the event, I used many of the techniques that Jim Bridges used during my makeover, but toned it down considerably.

Eleven years later, I was ready for my second makeover. This would be completely different than my first makeover which occurred in the safety net of a trans convention. My second makeover would take place in a local mall out among the civilians. Not only that, it was my first solo outing en femme!

I dressed appropriately to fit in with the other women shopping at the mall. I wore a long black tunic sweater, “heather-gray” leggings and pant boots, as seen here:

My goal was to go to Sephora or M·A·C for makeup advice. After entering the mall, I encountered Sephora before M·A·C, so I went into Sephora. Immediately, a sales associate asked me if I needed assistance and I asked her if she could provide makeup advice. She was happy to do so and sat me at a makeup table for consultation. I talked her out of performing a complete makeover. Instead, I asked her just to improve what I had done.

I was concerned with my eyebrows, but she said I had done a good job with them and that they did not need any work. But she did suggest some other improvements. She said I needed to draw my eyeliner out further towards the outside of each eye to give them more of an almond shape. She also said I needed lip-gloss and a little more mascara and blush. She implemented the suggestions and I was so happy with the results that I asked her to take my photo. Here it is:

During my makeup consultation at Sephora, I mentioned that I had beard cover under my foundation and that I was wearing beard cover because I was a crossdresser. The sales associate probably knew that already. She sensed my uneasiness and tried to settle me down by saying “You only have one life to live and you should live it like you want. If someone has a problem, then it is their problem, not yours.”

I have been living those words ever since!

Wearing Boston Proper

Șerban Copoț femulating Taylor Swift on Romanian television’s Te cunosc de undeva!

My First Makeover

By January 1995, I had been regularly attending support group meetings for over 5 years, but I was still closeted, that is, not going beyond the safe confines of the support group’s meeting place.

A few girls in my support group attended First Event, an annual transgender convention held in the Boston area and recommended it to me as a way to expand my horizons. I was ready, so I registered for the convention and when the big day arrived, Elaine, another ham radio girl who I knew as a ham long before I knew her as a girl, drove us to the convention hotel in Natick, just west of Boston.

After settling in, I began exploring the hotel and here I am in the photo above, trying out the catwalk that was set up for the First Event fashion show. Wow, my hemline is short! I guess some things never change!

Later that day, I sat in and watched Hollywood makeup artist Jim Bridges perform a makeover on another First Event attendee. The transformation was amazing. I was so impressed that I made an appointment for a makeover late Saturday afternoon, so I would look my best for the Saturday night banquet.

It was my first makeover and I was a little nervous going in. How would I look? Would I be disappointed?

During the makeover,  I asked Jim which actresses he had worked with and he rattled off a few names. Then I mentioned that I thought Jaclyn Smith of Charlie’s Angels fame, was one of the most beautiful women among the current crop of stars (circa 1985) and he responded that he had done Jaclyn’s makeup a few times and that she had lousy skin that required a lot of work! After bursting my balloon, he patched it up by adding that I had better skin than Jaclyn Smith!

Anyway Jim’s transformation of me was as impressive as the transformation I witnessed earlier. I literally did not recognize myself when he was finished. “Is that really me?” I wondered when I looked in the mirror for the first time after the makeover.

After the makeover, I returned to my room to get dressed for the banquet. I was anxious to show off the new me and when I finally made my grand entrance, my friends and acquaintances did not recognize me either… in a good way.

Wearing Boston Proper

Șerban Copoț and Cezar Ouatu femulating on Romanian television’s Te cunosc de undeva!
Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.

MTF To Go

I asked about places to go for male-to-female transformations and Amy, Anonymous, Jennifer, Monika, Micki and Tami responded. Their answers are listed below enumerated by state, name of salon, city and website. (I did not include MAC, Sephora and Ulta because they are everywhere.)

California

Annaliese Style, Los Angeles, https://www.annaliesestyle.com

Beautiful Me Makeovers, North Hollywood, https://beautifulmemakeovers.com

Maria Lee, Los Angles & San Francisco, https://www.marialeemakeup.com/male-to-female

Transitions, Los Angeles, Hollywood, https://www.tgtransitions.com

Colorado

Phyllis’ Fantasies, Denver, https://phyllisfantasies.com

Connecticut

Scarlett’s Makeovers, Thompson, http://scarlettsmakeovers.com

Florida

Cross Dress, Sunrise, https://www.cross-dress.com/MTFMAKEUP.html

Sierra M2F Studios, Land O'Lakes, https://male2female.com

Georgia

True U Designs, Atlanta, http://trueuladydesigns.com

Illinois

Transformations by Rori, Arlington Heights, https://transformationsbyrori.com

Indiana

Miss Kriss, Indianapolis, https://ksc3676.wixsite.com/cdbfmisskriss/kris

Maryland

Makeovers With Elizabeth Taylor, Tacoma Park, https://makeoverswithelizabethtaylor.com

Massachusetts

David Nicholas International, Boston, https://www.dnimakeup.com

My Changing Room, Boston, https://www.mychangingroom.com

Minnesota

The Doll Haus, St. Paul, https://www.lafemmemystique.net

Nevada

Be Just You, Las Vegas, https://www.justyoulv.com

N2 The Looking Glass, Las Vegas, https://n2thelookingglass.co

New Jersey

Glamour Boutique, Fairfield, https://www.glamourboutique.com

New York 

FairPlay Imaging, Staten Island, https://fairplaytv.com

Femme Fever, Long Island, https://femmefever.com

Long Island Image Expression, Long Island, https://longislandimageexpert.com

Miss Vera’s Finishing School, Manhattan, https://www.missvera.com

Oregon

Bombshell Transformations, Portland, https://www.bombshelltransformations.org

Pennsylvania

M2Fantasy Makeovers, Pittsburgh, https://m2fantasy.com

Texas

Coco Coquette, Austin, https://www.coco-coquette.com/pages/services

Washington

Over The Rainbow Transformations, Rainier, http://www.victoriasrainbow.tv

Wearing Alice + Olivia

Christopher Morley

Stuff 89: Any CD Can Cook

By J.J. Atwell

Do You Cook?

Today I’d like to depart from my usual ramblings and talk about cooking. I’ve fairly recently come to enjoy cooking and have been experimenting with various recipes. There seems to be two schools of thought about recipes, one where you must follow the recipe precisely while the other view is that a recipe is just a guideline. I tend to fall into the latter category, except when baking which is often more about chemistry than anything else. 

The subject of today’s Stuff was inspired by the Pixar animated movie Ratatouille. In that movie there is a recurring theme based on a popular book written by a restaurant owner that “anybody can cook.” I’m here to tell you that it is also true for CDs, but there can be some challenges when cooking en femme.

Challenges?

Well, if not major challenges, at least some things to consider that might not occur to you when cooking in guy mode. Starting at the bottom and working up, think about your shoes. If the recipe calls for a lot of time on your feet during preparation and tending to the meal, you’ll want to wear sensible shoes. Save those 4-inch stilettos for serving the food when it’s done. 

Moving up from the feet, got a nice outfit on? Perhaps something with a fluffed out skirt? And of course your boobs are standing out proud. All of those make perfect landing spots for spills as you combine, stir, cook and plate your food, so be sure to have a nice apron to protect your finery. 

At the top, don’t forget your hair. Loose hair will be annoying as you bend over the mixing bowl and the stove. Be especially careful around open flames with a wig on! The picture of me at the top of this page was made using Image Playground on the Mac. Notice the chef’s hat and the scarf, both helpful when cooking en femme. 

Try This Recipe

With all that taken care of lets cook! 

I recently had occasion to try this recipe from AllRecipies.com and it turned out pretty good. Of course I modified it to my taste and I encourage you to do the same. 

Here is what you’ll need:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Garlic - 1 clove minced or substitute minced garlic from a jar.
• Bread Crumbs - 1 cup. Substitute Panko or crushed Ritz crackers, if desired.
• Parmesan Cheese - 2/3rd cup grated. More is better.
• Basil - 1 teaspoon dried leaves. I leave this off.
• Black Pepper - ¼ teaspoon or to taste.
• Salt to taste.
• Other seasonings as desired. Cajun is good. 
• Skinless boneless chicken breasts - 6
• Baking dish 9" x 13" or whatever size you have that will fit the chicken breasts
• Two mixing bowls 

Got all that together? Great, lets cook!!!!

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 
2. Lightly grease the baking dish.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. 
4. In a second mixing bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil and seasonings.
5. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture.
6. Place the coated breasts in the baking dish. Top with any remaining bread crumbs.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes. The size of the chicken breasts will affect cooking times so use a meat thermometer to check for a safe internal temperature of 165°F.

When done, serve this with your favorite side dish. This would go good with some fettuccine or mashed potatoes. Maybe pair a crisp Pinot Grigio with it. 

I’ll Be Back

I hope you give cooking en femme a try. In the mean time I welcome comments either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Boston Proper

Riya D'Souza

AI Me

The AI version of me working furiously trying to finish a freelance job so I can get back to work on the blog! 

Getting Personal

I have often thought about having a personal stylist have their way with me. I think I do ok styling myself, but I always wondered if a pro would do better. Instead of just looking ok, maybe a stylist could make me look fabulous! 

The local Macy's offers this service for free with 20% off of anything you buy – what a deal! In this day and age, I imagine there will not be a problem female-styling a male, so I may take them up on that offer. 

Have any of you readers ever experience a personal stylist service? Do tell! Was the experience good or bad? Girls want to know.

Wearing Lafayette 148 New York

Rachel out and about shopping at Nordstrom.

Building

Crossdressing confidence is like building a house. As you build a house, it slowly grows piece by piece, board by board, room by room. When you are finished, you move in and live in the house and don’t think about building it.

Similarly, you build your crossdressing confidence going out among the civilians and experiencing the world as women do. Each experience out adds another piece to your house. When you are finished putting all the pieces together, you are ready and you won’t think about building confidence.

How do you know when you reach that point?

That’s easy... you will reach that point when you stop thinking about what you are doing and just do it without hesitation. The confidence-building stage is over and it is time to move in and enjoy what you have built.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Peter Šrámek femulating Gabi Tóth on Hungarian television's Sztárban Sztár All Stars.
Click here to watch this femulation on TicTok.