Let's Make A Deal En Femme

Most mornings, I settle into a familiar routine: coffee in hand, MacBook Pro open, and the television tuned to Let's Make a Deal. It’s comfort viewing—colorful, a little chaotic, and built around costumed audience members trying their luck with the host.

I’ll admit, I watch for two very specific reasons.

First, there’s Tiffany—Tiffany Coyne—whose outfit of the day is reliably worth noting (usually a short dress paired with high heels, styled to perfection). Second—and this is where things get more interesting—I keep an eye out for any audience member who shows up en femme.

That second category is surprisingly rare. Most mornings, I’m left with nothing more than a passing admiration for Tiffany’s wardrobe. But every now and then, the show delivers.

March 30 was one of those mornings.

A contestant named “Landon” appeared dressed as Lucy Ricardo—the iconic role made famous by Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy. The costume was spot-on. Landon made a highly convincing Lucy.

Look a little closer, though, and the tells were there: the height, a voice that leaned unmistakably male, and, of course, the name “Landon,” which doesn’t quite pass unnoticed.

Still, credit where it’s due—the effort was impressive, and the result was genuinely entertaining.

Naturally, curiosity got the better of me after the show. A bit of Googling revealed that Landon is Landon Reid, who turns out to be very active—and very entertaining—on Facebook and TikTok.

Worth a look if you’re inclined.

And so it goes!

Wearing Ann Taylor

Mateusz Banasiuk (left) femulating Kylie Minogue on Polish television’s Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo.
Click here to view this femulation on Facebook.

Stuff 113: Shop-a-Zon

By J.J. Atwell

Online Shopping

What CD doesn’t love to shop? I’m sure that many of us shop for our girl stuff online. I do a combination of online and in store shopping. Online shopping has the advantage of being easy and less stressful, so today I’d like to focus on some “best practices” to observe when shopping online. I’m sure I’ll miss some but, as I see it, these are some important things to consider when shopping online. You’ll want to be aware of who makes the garment, who you are dealing with, who is marketing it, what the return policy is and how accurate is the advertising. 

Know Who You Are Dealing With

While browsing the internet, you’ll likely be targeted with ads for some nice looking apparel. Some of these ads will be from known retailers while others will be names you’ve never heard of before. Be especially careful when considering merchandise from those last ones, especially if they are cheap. You may be buying from a vendor whose sizing is suspect, which I’ll cover a bit more later, or just some shoddy thing that bears only a passing resemblance to the picture in the ad. Remember that the pictures you see are carefully staged to present the product in the best light.

Personally, I do a lot of my online shopping through Amazon because it’s easy to check seller ratings and return policies. Whatever site you use, stick to reputable platforms and avoid clicking on random ads that lead to unfamiliar sellers. Remember, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably isn’t for you.

When you see something you love, check the retailer’s reputation first. Look for reviews and check whether customers mention issues with sizing or quality. A beautiful dress might look like a dream online, but the actual product may not be what you were expecting. 

CD Specialty Stores vs. Regular Stores

As I see it, there are two categories of places where crossdressers can shop online. The first is stores that specifically cater to crossdressers and the transgender community. The second is mainstream retailers that simply sell women’s clothing. Both options have advantages.

Stores that specialize in crossdresser fashion understand the needs of their customers. They often offer larger shoe sizes, forms, shapewear and clothing designed to accommodate a masculine frame. Two examples are Janet’s Closet and The Breast Form Store which have built strong reputations in the community. They also offer discrete shipping if that’s an issue for you.

On the other hand, regular clothing retailers provide a much wider selection and sometimes lower prices. Many of us happily shop at places like Nordstrom, Kohl’s and Target. These companies generally have good return policies and size charts, which can make shopping easier.

Personally, I lean toward regular retailers for everyday clothing. They offer more variety, and it can feel nice to shop the same places everyone else shops. But crossdresser-specific stores can be incredibly helpful when you’re looking for specialty items or guidance.

Know Your Size

You found the perfect outfit online, but how do you know what size to order? You don’t, because sizes vary widely. It’s probably the biggest challenge when buying women’s clothing online, especially for crossdressers. Unfortunately, women’s sizes aren’t known for consistency. A size 12 in one brand might fit perfectly, while another size 12 might feel like it was designed for a completely different species.

To make shopping easier, measure yourself carefully. Measure everywhere when you do this, not just bust, waist, hips. Also measure your wrist, neck, waist to floor, sleeve length and ring size. You might want to check the Stuff installment that Stana published on August 5, 2024, for tips on this. Once you have all your measurements, look for the sellers size info before ordering to determine what size you should buy. Be especially careful when ordering from Asian sellers. 

Know the Return Policy 

Even with the best planning, not everything you order will fit the way you hoped. That’s simply part of online shopping. Before placing an order, check the return policy. Some offer free returns while others require you to pay for return shipping.

Also watch for “final sale” items. These are often heavily discounted, but they usually can’t be returned. 

A good return policy gives you peace of mind and makes it easier to experiment with different styles.

Browse Incognito

When you browse clothing sites, your browser remembers them. Before you know it, ads start popping up everywhere. That might be fine if you live alone and share your computer with no one. But if you’d rather keep your girl shopping private, consider using your browser’s incognito or private browsing mode.

It won’t make you invisible to the internet, but it can reduce the number of targeted ads that suddenly appear on your screen later. Nothing raises eyebrows faster than a banner ad for high-heeled pumps appearing while someone else is looking over your shoulder. Think of it as digital housekeeping.

Shopping Strategy

If you recall a couple of previous installments of Stuff, I’ve talked about having a shopping strategy. Knowing what you are looking for helps keep you from being distracted by shiny things. It’s easy to accumulate a lot of random pieces, but will they add to your options or just clutter your closet? Think about it as a big, multi-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Each piece should go with one or two items you already have. 

A good approach is to shop with a purpose. You might be looking for something specific to compliment something else. Perhaps a skirt that goes with a favorite top. A new pair of jeans to replace those old, worn out ones. Or, you might decide you need a completely new look. In that case, try to find complete outfits. Often looking at the pictures accompanying the item can give you an idea of what to pair it with, be it tops, bottoms, shoes or other accessories.

I’ll Be Back

While shopping, remember fashion should be fun. Enjoy the process and enjoy wearing the results while 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.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Sha Na Na femulating on television's Sha Na Na.
Click here to see this femulation on YouTube.

Men at Work

Manicurist

Bridal Consultant

Hairdresser

Schoolmarm

Theme Park Tour Guide

No Kings

 

Grocery Shopping

Like a good housewife, I do the grocery shopping once a week. Aldi first for the bargain prices, then Stop & Shop to pick up whatever Aldi didn’t have.

I usually shop between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning and at that hour, both stores are eerily quiet. Which is why I was a little surprised this week to encounter a crossdresser at Stop & Shop.

A large, tall woman, she appeared to be in her 30s, wearing a maxi dress and long, curly brunette hair (not a wig). Little or no makeup, her face read unmistakably male, and her expression—well, let’s just say it wasn’t a happy one.

We crossed paths twice—once in an aisle and again after checkout—so I had the opportunity for a couple of discreet, second looks. Enough to confirm what I thought I was seeing.

This wasn’t my first crossdresser sighting while grocery shopping, but the timing struck me. It came just days after I’d written about whether crossdressing is becoming more common. Sometimes the world has a way of underlining your questions.

And for the record, I was shopping en homme that morning. Though I’ll admit, I’ve made the same trip en femme more than a few times in the past.

And so it goes.

Wearing Tory Burch

Massimo Bellinzoni (right) femulating in the Italian film Nottataccia (What A Night!).

Is Crossdressing Becoming More Popular?

Or Just More Visible?

Every so often, someone will ask, usually with a raised eyebrow and a tone somewhere between curiosity and concern, whether crossdressing is suddenly “on the rise,” particularly among younger men.

It’s a fair question. Walk through certain corners of social media, browse fashion editorials, or spend ten minutes people-watching in the right urban neighborhood, and it can feel like something has shifted. The old lines, once thick, permanent, and aggressively enforced, now look faint, negotiable, even optional.

But before declaring a full-blown trend, it’s worth slowing down. What we’re witnessing is not quite what it seems. Because the real story isn’t that crossdressing has exploded. It’s that the silence around it has.

For decades, men who wore feminine clothing existed in a kind of cultural shadow. Some did it privately, some occasionally, some as part of a deeper identity, and some simply because they liked how it looked or felt. What they shared was not necessarily motivation, but invisibility. Social cost kept things quiet. You didn’t see it because people made sure you didn’t.

That pressure hasn’t vanished, but it has weakened. And when pressure eases, visibility rises.

Younger men, in particular, are growing up in a different atmosphere. They’ve inherited a culture where gender rules are no longer handed down as commandments but offered more like suggestions. Try this. Don’t try that. See what fits. Ignore what doesn’t.

That doesn’t mean they’re all crossdressing. Far from it. Most aren’t. But more of them are willing to experiment... once, occasionally, or in specific contexts without assuming it defines their entire identity. A skirt might be a fashion choice. Makeup might be aesthetic. Presentation might be fluid, situational, or even playful.

And that’s where the confusion creeps in.

We tend to collapse everything into one category: crossdressing, identity, lifestyle, orientation, as if they’re interchangeable. They’re not. A young man trying on a different presentation for a night out is not necessarily making a broader statement about who he is. He may be. Or he may just be trying something on, in the most literal sense.

What’s new is not the behavior itself. It’s the permission.

Of course, it’s not universal. Geography still matters. So do family, workplace, and social circles. In some places, the old rules remain firmly in place, and stepping outside them still carries real consequences. Even where acceptance is higher, there’s often an unspoken line between what is “edgy but acceptable” and what crosses into discomfort.

So no, we’re not looking at a tidal wave of young men abandoning traditional dress overnight. What we are seeing is something quieter and, in its own way, more significant.

A gradual loosening. A willingness to question what used to be unquestionable. A shift from “never” to “maybe,” and in some cases, to “why not?”

And once that shift happens, even a small number of visible examples can feel like a cultural surge. But it isn’t a surge. It’s a reveal. The men were always there. They’re just harder to ignore now.

And so it goes.

Wearing Alice + Olivia

John Hurt femulating in the 1975 British film The Naked Civil Servant.

In Touch

It started, as these things often do, with something small and entirely deniable.

“Just curiosity,” said Frank, holding up a tube of tinted lip balm in the pharmacy aisle like it was evidence in a trial. “Practical, really. Winter dryness.”

His wife, Carol, didn’t even look up from comparing two brands of moisturizer. “Of course. Hydration is important.”

That was a Tuesday.

By Friday, Frank had “accidentally” discovered that Carol’s cardigan was “surprisingly comfortable.” By Sunday, he had opinions about fabric drape. And by the following week, he was standing in front of the bedroom mirror, turning slightly to the left and then the right, asking a question no man in his bowling league had ever asked out loud:

“Does this color wash me out?”

Carol, to her credit, adapted quickly. Some spouses resist change. Carol organized it.

“Well,” she said, arms folded, evaluating him with the same calm authority she once used to choose kitchen appliances, “if you’re going to do this, we’re going to do it properly.”

That was how Frank found himself booked for a “consultation.”

---

The salon had a name that suggested both luxury and inevitability: Refinement.

Inside, a row of men, formerly known as guys, sat in plush chairs, each at a different stage of what could only be described as… progress.

One was having his eyebrows shaped with the solemn intensity of a sculptor restoring a Renaissance statue. Another was being fitted for something that involved boning, lacing, and a level of commitment Frank had not anticipated.

Frank swallowed. “I thought maybe we’d start with… a scarf.”

Carol smiled. “We are starting with a scarf.”

Two hours later, Frank emerged with a softly layered haircut, a light application of makeup, and a scarf tied in a way that suggested he had opinions about art galleries.

He looked… good.

Annoyingly good.

---

The shift spread faster than anyone expected.

At the office, it began with small changes. A bit of moisturizer here. A neater haircut there. Then came the cardigans. Then the shoes.

Within a month, Casual Friday had been replaced by what HR cautiously called “Expressive Presentation Day.”

Frank, now frequently referred to by Carol as “Frances, when he’s making an effort,” found himself mentoring younger men.

“You’re rushing it,” he told Kevin from accounting, who had shown up in a dress that clearly had not been chosen with his proportions in mind. “You need structure. And better shoes. Those are… optimistic.”

Kevin nodded solemnly. “I thought the heels were the point.”

“They are,” Frank said. “But not like that.”

---

Meanwhile, the women adapted in their own way.

Carol bought three new pantsuits. Not because she needed them, but because she enjoyed the symbolism.

At social gatherings, the dynamic had shifted so completely that no one even mentioned it anymore.

Wives stood in small, confident clusters, discussing careers, investments, and travel plans.

Their husbands, now softer, neater, more… considered, stood nearby, comparing fabrics, adjusting accessories, and occasionally asking each other, in hushed but earnest tones:

“Be honest. Is this too much?”

---

The real turning point came at a neighborhood party.

Frank arrived in a tailored skirt suit, understated but precise, with a small brooch Carol had insisted on.

As he stepped into the room, there was a brief pause… the kind that used to happen when someone broke a social rule.

But now?

A nod.

A smile.

A quiet, collective acknowledgment: Yes. That works.

Carol slipped her arm through his. “You clean up well.”

Frank exhaled, just slightly. “I was going for… put together.”

“You succeeded.”

Across the room, Kevin from accounting was explaining pleats to someone who looked deeply overwhelmed.

Progress.

---

Later that evening, as they walked home, Frank adjusted his scarf against the cool air.

“You know,” he said, “I didn’t expect it to feel like this.”

“Like what?”

He thought for a moment.

“Like I’ve been underdressed my whole life.”

Carol laughed, not unkindly. “Most of you were.”

He glanced at her. “And you’re okay with all this?”

She considered the question, then gave a small, satisfied nod.

“Oh, I’m more than okay with it,” she said. “I’ve been waiting years for you all to catch up.”

Frank looked down at his high heels, good shoes, he now knew, and then back up the street, where a few other couples walked ahead, the silhouettes just slightly different than they used to be.

“Funny,” he said. “All it took was getting in touch with our feminine side.”

Carol squeezed his arm.

“And a little guidance,” she said.

Wearing Boston Proper

John Hansen (center) femulating in the 1970 film The Christine Jorgensen Story.

Downsides of Crossdressing

Pammy asked, “Are there any downsides to crossdressing?”

If you’re asking honestly, then yes, there are downsides. It’s better to look at them clearly rather than pretend it’s all upside. Whether those downsides matter depends on the individual, the situation, and how it’s handled.

Here are the areas where things can get complicated:

Social consequences are the biggest factor. While attitudes have improved, negative reactions still exist especially in more conservative environments. In some workplaces or communities, being “outed” can create real problems. Partners, friends, or family members may struggle to understand or accept it. It may not be fair, but it is reality. You have to decide how much visibility you’re willing to risk.

Relationships can also be affected. Crossdressing can introduce confusion, insecurity, or mismatched expectations between partners. One person may see it as occasional expression, while the other sees it as something much more significant. Secrecy tends to make things worse if it’s hidden, it often damages trust. The hard truth: avoiding honesty early on usually leads to bigger problems later.

Emotional patterns are another area to watch. For some, it’s not always harmless fun. Cycles of enjoyment followed by guilt can develop. There can be a tendency toward escalation, that is, needing “more” over time to achieve the same satisfaction. Others may experience uncertainty about what it means for their identity. This is where self-awareness matters. If it starts controlling you instead of the other way around, that’s a red flag.

Financial cost is easy to underestimate. Clothing, shoes, wigs, and makeup add up quickly. Maintaining multiple wardrobes can become expensive, and trial-and-error purchases often mean wasted money. Without discipline, it turns into a quiet but persistent drain.

Safety concerns depend heavily on where and how you present. Public harassment, uncomfortable confrontations, or vulnerability in unfamiliar environments are real risks. Online exposure can also lead to ridicule or doxxing. Situational awareness isn’t optional—it’s necessary.

Time and energy can become significant. Grooming, dressing, and makeup take effort. Add in planning, logistics, or secrecy, and it can consume more mental space than expected. Like any hobby, it can crowd out other priorities if left unchecked.

For some, but not everyone, it can become habit-forming or compulsive, especially if it’s tied to stress relief. If it starts to feel like something you have to do rather than something you choose to do, that’s worth paying attention to.

Bottom line: crossdressing itself isn’t inherently bad. The downsides come from how it fits into your life, how honest you are about it, and whether you’re in control of it…or it’s in control of you.

If you keep it intentional, grounded, and integrated with the rest of your life, most of these risks can be managed. But if it becomes secretive, compulsive, or starts colliding with your relationships and responsibilities, that’s when the real costs show up.

Wearing Boston Proper

Bruce Watson femulating in an episode of television’s Charlie's Angels, 1981.

Spring Sprang