Femulate

Tea for T

2012-01-27T08:42:00.001-05:00

After my shopping spree on Wednesday, I met the girls (Angela, Diana, Maryann, and Robin) for afternoon tea at a Tea Roses Tea Room in downtown Cromwell.

I have never been in a tea room in my life and I am not much of a tea drinker, but I looked forward to the experience.

It was a very feminine adventure. All of the customers and all of the staff were female and the room was beautifully appointed in a most feminine manner. You can get a glimpse of the room in the accompanying photo as well as in the photos on the tea room's website.

It was also very relaxing; we spent two hours doing our afternoon tea. Each of us had an individual large pot of tea (I had "Cheeky Peach"), and we had munchies to eat including delicious scones, delicate tea sandwiches, and yummy mini-desserts.

I arrived on an empty stomach and when I looked at the spread of food, I had my doubts that my appetite would be sated, but it was.

I had a very enjoyable time and I would love to do it again.

***

Wednesday was another day of affirmation of my womanhood.

When I parked my car at the mall at the start of the day, I had that usual moment of hesitation. But after a minute or two, I gathered myself emotionally, swung open the car door, exited the car, and walked to the mall entrance. Listening to my high heels clicking on the pavement affirmed what I was doing and there was no stopping me.

Everyone treated me respectfully. I'll never know if they read me or not, but no one indicated that they did and no one disrespected me.

I smiled at other women passing by in the mall and always returned the smile and sometimes they initiated the exchange of smiles.

I noticed one woman checking out my bootines and another spent an inordinate amount of time checking me out while she browsed the racks near me at Macy's. When I caught her eye, I smiled and that seemed to disarm her --- she smiled back and stopped checking me out.

It was wonderful and I am already planning my next time out en femme.

It is Mine

2012-01-26T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of the evening gown I bought today for $55 ($144 off list price)

"Bead detail along the round neckline frames this black Alex Evenings mesh gown with elegant sophistication. A criss-cross ruched empire waist softens the fit and elongates the look."

Isn't it beautiful? I can't wait to wear it!

Shopping Spree

2012-01-26T11:04:00.001-05:00

(updated below)

I was out all day en femme yesterday.

I wore my Victoria's Secret kelly green sweater dress, Payless tan bootines, Kohl's animal print scarf, and Fashion Bug white fake fur jacket.

I hit the first mall (West Farms Mall) at 10:30 AM and headed straight to the dress department of JCPenney to search out the dress I saw on their website. I quickly found a rack of that very dress and there was one in my size. I also found two other dresses to take into the fitting room.

After I stripped down and prepared to try on my finds, I noticed that the dress that brought me to JCPenney in the first place had a huge brown stain near its hem. It looked as if someone had stepped on the hem with muddy shoes while they were trying on the dress. I was disappointed as it was the only one in my size, but I tried it on anyway to see if it fit, and if it did, I could try another JCPenney store or order it online.

I had a hard time pulling up the zipper with my long nails and with the dresses low back, I was not sure if I had zipped it up completely or had a ways to go. I just assumed it fit and planned to try another JCPenne later.

I tried on the other two dresses, as well as three more that I shagged during my second search through the racks, but they were so unimpressive that I cannot recall a single one.

Only one hour into my day out and the balls of my feet already hurting. I assumed that the 4-inch stiletto heels of my bootines were the source of my pain, but whatever the source, my feet were not going to take me to the opposite end of the mall to Sephora. Also, I wanted to shed my fake fur. It was too hot wearing it in the mall and I could tolerate the mid-40 temperature outdoors without outerwear for the short time out between my car and a mall entrance. So, I went back to my car, shed my jacket, and drove to the other end of the mall.

I had a shopping list for Sephora. I needed to replenish my powder foundation, translucent powder, makeup setting spray, and I had to replace the wig comb that I lost or misplaced. A Sephora sales rep greeted me and helped me find everything on my shopping list.

While shopping at Sephora, I encountered the sales rep who did my makeover over five years ago. She greeted me as if we were old friends, but just to make sure, I asked her if she remembered me. She said she did and when she described that encounter way back when, I knew that she really did remember me.

I thanked her for the words of wisdom she gave me during that makeover ("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 lived by those words ever since that day and I have been very happy doing so.

Paying for my purchases, the cashier complimented my perfume (Chanel No. 19) and informed me I had enough Sephora points to qualify for a free gift. I chose a tube of makeup primer, paid for my purchases, and headed for the exit.

Since I had parked at a Macy's entrance, I made a quick trip through their dress racks, found a couple of potential items, tried them on, but rejected them all. So I left the mall and drove to another mall (Westfield Mall) to try my luck at JCPenney.

Twenty-five minutes later, I arrived at the mall, but before heading inside, I decided to switch footwear to the flats I had recently purchased from Avon. Initially, they seemed comfortable, although they were a little tight. The "seemed" comfort lost out to the "little" tightness in short order.

In JCPenney, I found a rack of the dress of my quest. There were fewer dresses on this rack than at the other JCPenney and I thought that my odds of finding my size were not good. Lucky me: after checking the sizes of all the dresses on the rack, the very last dress I checked was in my size.

I grabbed two other dresses with potential and headed to the fitting room where I encountered the same zipper problem I had encountered with the soiled dress. Had I zipped it up all the way or not?

I managed to slip my arms out of the sleeves and revolve the dress 180 degrees to see what was what with the zipper. Turned out it had about five inches to go; there was no way I could zip it up all the way without removing some ribs.

Going in, I figured that the dress would fit because I had another dress that size in the same brand (Allen B.) that fit perfectly. And when I tried the dress on, it looked great on me. So I was very disappointed; so much so that I did not even consider the two other dresses that I had dragged into the fitting room. I exited JCPenney and walked around the mall.

I visited Torrid and found their "optical illusion" dress to be interesting. I took a size 14 and 16 into the dressing room. To my surprise, the 14 fit and looked great, but I was not ready to spend $75 on a dress that did not outshine the $35 JCPenney dress.

My feet were not liking my tight shoes, so I visited Payless, which was just across the way from Torrid. They had a bunch of shoes in my size on sale, plus they were having a Buy One Get One (“BOGO”) at half price sale, so I tried on nearly everything they had in my size.

I purchased the two most comfortable pairs: a cute pair of black Mary Jane flats and a pair of black open toe sling backs with a 4-inch heel. Despite their heel height, I wore the slingbacks the rest of the day without a problem. By the way, between the sale and BOGO, the two pairs of shoes cost a mere $24.99.

The saleswoman at Payless was one I had dealt with a few times in the past at different Payless stores. On those previous occasions, I was always in boy mode, but I tried on girl shoes in the store, so the she knew I was a girly-boy. Now she was seeing me for the first time en femme. I mentioned that fact to her and she knew immediately who I was and was happy to see me in my preferred gender.

My last stop was Macy's. They had a much better selection of cocktail and formal dresses, both new and clearance, than the other Macy's. I tried on a half-dozen dresses. They were all very nice and of very high quality, so I was willing to pay more.

I narrowed down the selections and bought a "short sleeve, tiered floral lace scalloped hem cocktail dress." But overnight, I got a bad case of buyer's remorse and regretted not buying a long black formal dress with a pearl-embedded halter neckline that was on clearance.

The cocktail dress is very nice and it looks good on me, but I have plenty of good-looking cocktail dresses, while I own nothing like that formal. So, I plan to stop at Macy's today and if that dress is still on the clearance rack, it will be mine.

UPDATE: I went to Macy’s during my noon break and the dress was still on the rack. I grabbed it and took it to the cash register. The sales woman, who rang me up said it was the last one she had and gushed over how beautiful it was.

I told her I tried it on yesterday while I was en femme and it did look beautiful on me. She asked if I performed and we got into a conversation about drag.

When she rang up the dress, I was surprised. Its list price was $199, but it cost me only $55.

Girl's Day Out

2012-01-24T19:15:00.000-05:00

This girl goes out on Wednesday.

The weather girl promises that it will be a sunny day with temperatures in the low 40s --- that's pretty, pretty good for late January in this part of the world, so it should be a nice day out.

My plans for the day include meeting the girls at a local tea room mid-afternoon for tea and more. I am not big on tea, but I've never visited a tea room before, so I am looking forward to a new experience.

Also, I want to visit the mall because I saw a dress on the JCPenney website that will be perfect for my law school reunion. I want to try it on and purchase it if it meets my expectations.

On Monday, I did buy a new dress (see photo) online at Ideeli that is more suitable for the office than the reunion. It is so retro (just like me), but it does not ship until mid-February, so I won't know if it fits until then.

Best Brows for You

2012-01-24T09:02:00.001-05:00

Brows can either make or break your entire look. But with so many options--thick, thin, arched, straight--how do you know which brow shape is right for you?

Daily Makeover has the answer.

Blond or Brunette?

2012-01-23T19:26:00.000-05:00

I am having fun playing with Perfect365; I performed the following makeovers during lunch today.

New Makeover

2012-01-23T08:50:00.001-05:00

In the past, I have used software (both online and installed in my computer) that allowed me to do hair and cosmetic makeovers. As time marched on and technology moved forward, newer makeover software became available that was better than the older makeover software, as you would expect.

Patio e-mailed me about new makeover software, Perfect365, that is even better because it is even newer (it was released in November). It is available for the Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Windows. The Mac and Windows versions are free. The iPad and iPhone versions cost $4.99 and $1.99 respectively. There is also a $39.99 "full version" for the Mac and a free online version that you can use with your web browser.

Like other makeover software, Perfect365 allows you to experiment with a variety of options to achieve a new look or you can let Perfect365 do all the work by selecting its one-click option.

The software is intuitive and easy to use.

After trying out the software for an hour or so, I preferred to use the one-click option and then adjust individual parameters. For example, I might choose the "Glam" one-click option and after Perfect365 performs a “Glam” makeover automatically, I can change the color of the eyeshadow, change the shape of the eyeliner, etc.

Perfect365 does not do hair, so if you are making over a male into a female, you will have to add a wig using Photoshop or similar application.

The accompanying photos are examples of my handiwork, before and after using Perfect365.

2004 & 2005 Miss Eng'g Womanless Pageants

2012-01-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I presented the first of many webpage links sent to me by Femulate reader Oak featuring photos from the Miss Eng'g (Engineering) womanless beauty pageant at the College of Engineering, University of Philippines-Diliman.

In response to that posting, some of you sent me additional Miss Eng'g links - thank-you. I will collate those links with Oak's links and post them here as I reveal the Miss Eng'g links in a yearly fashion.

Last week's post referenced photos from the 2001 pageant. This week, I proffer photos from the 2004 and 2005 editions of the pageant.

Kickstarting The Joneses

2012-01-20T19:23:00.002-05:00

(Updated Below) The Joneses is a short film about a family along their courageous pursuitof love. Trevoris a 34 year old virgin, Brad was born with brain damage, and Jheri Rae Joneswas formerly their father. Now, as three single adults living under one trailerpark roof in small town Mississippi, they are each ready to embark on a journeyto find love outside this reunited, close-knit family unit.

Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects, is now accepting pledges to fund taking this short film and making it into a full-length documentary. This project will only be funded if at least $27,500 is pledged by Sunday Jan 22, 12:55pm EST. $22,521 has been pledged as of Friday Jan. 20, 7:30 pm EST.

If you would like to help fund this project, please visit to the Kickstarter website ASAP.

UPDATE: When I posted the above last night, the Kickstarter website indicated that $22,521 had been pledged to this project. This morning, the pledge total was only $14,688. I don't get it!

UPDATE #2: The project reached its goal!

New Heights

2012-01-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

Dayita sent me a link to an interesting article that discusses the meaning of the "statistical" differences between men and women (and transpeople). As it turns out, height is a pretty bad predictor.

Nevertheless, Andee Werthma and Carlos Chavez added a slew of Famous Females of Height to my collection.

5' 9" - Lily Aldridge - model - Victoria's Secret - source Andee

5' 9" - Stephanie March - actress - television, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

5' 9" - Michaela McManus - actress - television, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

5' 9" - Tamara Tunie - actress - television, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

5' 10" - Sutton Foster - singer, dancer, actress - Broadway, "Anything Goes"

5' 10" - Savannah Guthrie - host - television, "Today" - source: Carlos

5' 10" - Chanel Iman - model - Victoria's Secret - source Andee

5'10" - Diane Neal - actress - television, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

5' 10" - Behati Prinsloo - model - Victoria's Secret - source Andee

5' 11" - Lindsay Ellingson (photo above) - model - Victoria's Secret - source Andee

5' 11" - Erin Heatherton - model - Victoria's Secret - source Andee

Flattering Flats

2012-01-19T19:46:00.001-05:00

This girl bought a new pair of flats from Avon. A "Cushion Walk Exotic Print Loafer" in faux snakeskin with patent leather-like trim, wave-molded footbed, and skid-resistant sole. It is available in sizes 6 to 11, half sizes up to size 10. The shoes are on sale now for $24.99, but they will be $29.99 in the near future.

They are a comfortable fit and are very nice looking, too! It is not often that I buy flats, but I could not resist these.

She-Boying in Sheboygan

2012-01-18T13:41:00.001-05:00

The January 2, 1939 issue of Life contained an article about Boy Scout Troop No. 1 of the Grace Episcopal Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The troop performed in a womanless burlesque version of Romeo and Juliet by Episcopal minister, Father William Elwell, who rewrote Shakespeare’s prose using modern slang.

The play "began with a chorus dancing the Big Apple. From then on, taking all the female parts themselves, the boys interrupted the tragic drama at every possible point to dance the can-can or the Lambeth Walk, or croon the newest song hits."

The all-male cast (aged between 9 and 17) raised money for local charities.

As was typical in a Life story, there were a lot of photos including the following.

Boy Scout "Romeo" embraces and kisses Boy Scout "Juliet."

High-kicking Boy Scout can-can dancers flaunt their petticoats to the delight of the audience.

Zooey & Co.

2012-01-18T10:16:00.001-05:00

One reason I watched the Golden Globes awards show Sunday night was to see the ladies dressed to the nines.

By far, my favorite dressed-to-the-nines lady was Zooey Deschanel. I also liked (in alphabetical order) Angelina Jolie, Stacy Keibler, Maria Menounos, Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon and Evan Rachel Wood, but I thought Zooey was to die for.

On the other hand, there also were ladies on the red carpet who lacked fashion sense, for example, Lee Michele, Emily Watson, Kyle Richards, and Julianna Margulies. But hands down, the worst of the lot was Kelly Osbourne, who looked like she was carrying a 1959 Cadillac on her back.

By the way, The Huffington Post has a slideshow of 97 dressed-to-the-nines ladies from the Golden Globes.

In Bed En Femme

2012-01-17T10:50:00.001-05:00

No, I did not wear my baby doll nightgown to bed last night. But maybe I should have because it was one of those rare nights when I remembered my dreams and in one dream after another, I was a woman.

Crossdressing was not a component of any dream last night. Instead, I was a woman from the beginning to end of each dream. This is in contrast to dreams of old, where getting dressed or trying to get dressed en femme was a component, if not the primary plot of the dream.

In the last dream of last night's set, I was dressed for work. The outfit was similar to one I own, but the hairdo was something completely different for me: very loose, medium brown spiral curls that flowed to the shoulder.

I had been thinking about getting a new hairdo that was shoulder-length or longer, but I was not considering loose spiral curls. Maybe my dream was trying to tell me something.

Brian Dresses for Work

2012-01-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

Poking around the Internet, I discovered a large collection of photos on flickr belonging to a male-to-female crossdresser named Brian McCloskey. I was very impressed with Brian's huge female wardrobe and fashion sense, but my curiosity piqued when I noticed that there were many photos showing Brian in what looked like a work environment (a library was my guess) with what looked like a variety of co-workers.

Was Brian going to work en femme?

I had to know, so I e-mailed Brian and asked. A few hours later, Brian wrote back and confirmed that he did indeed dress en femme at work:

I *do* dress to work. It was something I always wanted to do - and my coworkers always encouraged me - but I didn't have the nerve until quite recently. In September of last year I took part in a Living Library event at the library where I worked - I was a "book" that people could "check out" for a short conversation about being a transvestite - and that gave me the courage to dress on a more regular basis. I had thought I might mix it up between boy and girl modes, but....after a couple of weeks I moved all my shirts and ties to the back of the closet and it's been frocks only since then!

Brian has a supportive fiancee and circle of friends who don't care how he dresses.

I very much care how Brian dresses and applaud him for doing so.

Brian can be found online on flickr, Facebook, and Blogger (Brian's current blog and Brian's old blog).

ABC Had It with Work It!

2012-01-14T18:17:00.004-05:00

ABC has cancelled the controversial cross-dressing comedy Work It after two episodes.

Read the rest of the story here.

Forced Feminization at the Olympics

2012-01-14T15:59:00.002-05:00

This story is so outrageous in this day and age that I cannot believe it! Please sign the petition to stop this nonsense.

Can't Get Enough of Miss Eng'g

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Miss Eng'g (Engineering) womanless beauty pageant at the College of Engineering, University of Philippines-Diliman is one of the best, if not the best womanless pageant conducted at an educational institute or anywhere else for that matter. Femulate readers agree with that assessment because whenever I post something about Miss Eng'g here, you readers voice your approval.

Oak, a Femulate reader and Miss Eng'g fan, combed the Internet looking for more on Miss Eng'g and was very successful. I have a four-page list of links compiled by Oak that go back as far as 2001 that document the Miss Eng'g pageant in photos. The quality of some of the photos is not the best, but the quality of the femulations depicted in those photos is excellent.

Without further adieu, here is a link to photos from the 2001 installment of the pageant.

BBC TV TS

2012-01-13T08:21:00.001-05:00

British film and television actor Sean Bean plays a transsexual in the BBC television court room drama Accused, which will air later this year.

Specifically, Bean “plays an English teacher called Simon and his alter ego, Tracie, whose quest for love leads to the courtroom,” according to Daily Mail.

Read all about it here.

One Liners (More or Less)

2012-01-12T08:56:00.001-05:00

Remember that 75% off dress sale that Spiegel had one day last month; the sale in which I bought this $159 dress for $39?

The dress arrived, but it is too small or my bust is too big (or actually both).

I returned it for a refund (and not an exchange because I had ordered the largest size available.)

Although it won't help much fitting into that dress, I urge you to buy mass quantities of Girl Scout cookies because of this.

Olympic track and field star Bruce Jenner has been outed as a crossdresser.

I received an e-mail inviting me to a reunion of my law school graduating class in June and I plan to attend en femme (like her).

And so it goes.

Both Sides Now

2012-01-11T13:45:00.001-05:00

People can't understand that someone can have both sides of themselves and switch back and forth. And a lot of transsexual people have gotten really mad at me and said, "You're really misrepresenting us as a community because you're not sticking with the 'girl look.'" I'm representing myself. I never claimed to be the spokesperson for anything other than myself. I just so happen to be gay or trans or gay and trans or whatever. I don't know. I'm just content with myself and I think that makes people discontented.

I thought the whole point of being transgender was being what you feel on the inside. For me, I wonder why do you have to just feel like a woman trapped in a man's body? Or vice versa? Why can't you identify with both genders and tap into those without being accused of dressing up as a girl for attention? I'm fulfilling whatever vibe I want to go with at that time. I try to block out people's voices in my head and just go with how I feel.

---from the Chris Crocker interview on The Huffington Post, which in my humble opinion, is must reading. Here is the link.

Transgender Business Woman Runs for Office

2012-01-11T08:26:00.001-05:00

Gina Duncan is running for commissioner in District 5 in Orange County, Florida. If Duncan won she would be the first transgender commissioner in Orange County history.

You can read about here – the comments following the article are disheartening (so far).

Teaching an old bra wearer new tricks

2012-01-11T08:13:00.001-05:00

I have worn bras for nearly 50 years, yet I still learned something new from this short slide show by Daily Makeover.

Maybe you will learn something new, too.

Femulating at Queer Music Heritage

2012-01-10T10:31:00.001-05:00

JD Doyle collects recordings and other stuff related to LGBT music. He has a radio show that features queer music and he has a website where his collection is on display.

His collection is vast (1700 webpages) and it gets vaster every day.

While searching for female impersonation information a few years ago, his website came up in the search engine results and I have been visiting his site regularly ever since.

Being a collector of various stuff, I am in awe of his collecting prowess, particularly in the realm of female impersonation. He has collected a lot of stuff from the professional femulation world and I highly recommend that you visit his site and see it all for yourself; you will be amazed.

Queer Music Heritage is JD Doyle's website and his “Drag Artists & Female Impersonators” collection begins here.

Seven Feet of Courage

2012-01-09T11:22:00.001-05:00

If you think it is tough being a 6-foot-tall transwoman, try 7 feet!

The Huffington Post tells the gutsy story of Lindsey Walker (photo right), a 7-footer, who came out as a transsexual despite her height.

Her story is an inspiration for all of us who are afraid to come out and/or go out just because we are tall.

Thank you Reva for alerting me to this Lindsey’s story. Her story also appears in other venues.

He's Everywhere! He's Everywhere!

2012-01-09T09:33:00.001-05:00

"He" being femulators. "Everywhere" being back-to-back television shows on Showtime.

I was away from the computer most of the weekend and was trying to catch up with my e-mails last night with the laptop in my lap sitting in front of the telly with the channel selector stuck on Showtime.

Shameless came on at 9. I had never seen the program before, but I like the star of the show, Bill Macy, so I left it on.

A sub-plot involves one of Macy's sons who works in a convenience store owned by a couple from the Middle East. The husband is gay and sneaks his lovers out of the store disguised as Middle Eastern women in long black dresses and head scarves.

Near the end of the episode, the husband disguises himself in the same manner to runaway from his wife and I assume, to live with his gay lover.

House of Lies came on at 10. It is a new show starring Don Cheadle, who I always enjoy watching, so I left it on even though it was past my bedtime.

A sub-plot of the show involves Cheadle's school-aged son who wants to try out for his school's production of Grease.

The big deal is that he wants to try out for the role of Sandy, the role Olivia Newton-John made famous in the film version of the musical. He succeeds in getting the role.

When the school suggests that his son step down and let a female handle the role, Cheadle defends his son's gender choice. Cheadle also agrees to his son's desire to go shoe shopping over the weekend.

I lasted about 20 minutes into the show and went to bed, so I don't know if anything else transpired trans-wise. I will try to watch the rest of the show when it is replayed later this week.

Happy Monday to you all!

He Throws Like a Girl

2012-01-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

Trisha van Cleef: A Heroine of Femulation

2012-01-06T09:37:00.001-05:00

Paul Whitehead is a painter and graphic artist known for his surrealistic album covers for artists on the Charisma Records label in the 1970s, such as Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. (source: Wikipedia)

His alter ego is Trisha van Cleef, who is also a painter with a few CD covers in her portfolio.

Paul is very public about Trisha and as such, is one of my heroes/heroines.

Trisha has a webpage on Paul’s website and Zagria wrote her up on her A Gender Variance Who’s Who website. Read all about her; she is very interesting.

Like it’s 1968

2012-01-05T13:50:00.001-05:00

If you have been following along here for awhile, you know that I express myself with graphics as well as with words.

I can create a cartoon or fumetti relatively quickly once I come up with the words or punch-line for a joke. On the other hand, Photoshopped artwork can take hours, but I enjoy doing it, so the time flies by when I do it.

With that introduction, I present a new piece of Photoshop artwork. Titled Stanley Getting Dressed, Circa 1968, it represents the undergarments I was femulating with back in the late 1960s. (The image started out as a vintage bra and/or girdle advertisement that I found on the Internet.)

I hope you like it!

Femulators Party in Japan

2012-01-04T08:16:00.001-05:00

Kasumi alerted me about Propaganda Party, a monthly event in Tokyo for femulators from the whole trans spectrum (and others who like them). The party is held in the Kabukicho district of Tokyo on the last Saturday of every month.

Kasumi wrote, “I don't live in Tokyo and so have not had an opportunity to visit in person, but it looks like fun. From the description on the website (all in Japanese, unfortunately), it seems to be designed for fun and socializing---that is, it's for adults only, but there's no nudity or sex or anything like that.”

Their website has a huge collection of photos (the photo gallery link is the blue box at the top center of the screen). The pictures are not sexual in nature---just people having a good time at the party.

Kasumi concluded, “I'm sure you'll agree that the quality of the femulating is extremely high. I'm certainly envious!”

Transphobic Tampon Ad

2012-01-03T10:02:00.001-05:00

“A tampon maker has been branded 'outrageously transphobic' over its new advert.

“Critics say the television spot for Libra [brand tampons] implies transgender people 'are not real women because they do not menstruate,’” according to today’s online edition of the Daily Mail, which you can read here.

2011 Blog Statistics

2012-01-03T09:25:00.001-05:00

I keep copious statistics concerning this blog. Here they are for the past year:

Hits: 1,872,279 (5,130 per day average)

Unique Visitors: 1,165,521 (3,193 per day average)

First-Time Visitors: 846,120 (2,318 per day average)

Repeat Visitors: 319,399 (875 per day average)

February 24 was the busiest day of the year with 7,168 hits.

August 13 was the slowest day with 3,841 hits.

And so it goes.

Putting Your Closet on a Diet

2012-01-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

Do you have items in your wardrobe that you are “saving” because they have sentimental value, are “too pretty to wear,” are timeless, or cost a lot of money?

I don't know about you, but that pretty much describes moi to a T. As a result, my closets are overflowing and I can use help.

To the rescue, Ginger Burr wrote an excellent post on her blog that proffers three reasons to stop saving your clothes. You can read it here.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:57:00.000-05:00

2011 was a very good year for this femulator; I hope 2012 will be even better.

And I hope that the new year will be even better for you all, too!

Best Wishes,

Stana

My Slip Is Showing

2011-12-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

After reading your comments regarding Thursday's A Womanless Cornucopia, I realized that something was amiss.

For example, Tina wrote, "I know some folks that went to the Rocky Mount NC event last summer. They told me that I would have been horrified by the misogyny and transphobia that was on display, all in the name of good humor."

Joan B followed up with "As they are Tina's fears, they are mine. The hair and wig cap on the back of my always stands up when ever I see this kind of jest/humor/mockery? All in good fun and for the benefit of others makes these kinds of events a good thing. Unfortunately some of the guys have to make up for putting on a dress by acting out their perceptions of women, and it is ugly..."

Deborah added, "I did not find these understanding or respectful for transgendered persons. And the males looked awful! No real care was taken in their looks... unlike other womanless pageants down South."

Diane Loring wrote, "...guys in beards, really camping it up for laughs, is degrading and insensitive. It's kind of surprising that a southern Baptist church would sponsor it, unless it's just to make fun of transgendered people. I don't think they recognize gender identity issues. It's really making fun of us who have to deal with our crossdressing or gender identity. All in all, I don't think they help us..."

I took your comments to heart and deleted the links to the noxious ones.

I should have known better.

Unshaven and/or bearded womanless participants is a bad sign.

Womanless participants shaking their rears at the audience is another bad sign.

Participants fondling and squeezing their breasts or another participant's breasts is a very bad sign.

I do know better, but...

On vacation this week, I have been busier than if I had gone to work. As a result, my blogging time suffered.

Thursday night, I was under the gun to post something, so I grabbed a bunch of recently received womanless links and posted them leaving you readers to separate the wheat from the chaffe.

I will not do that again and I apologize to anyone who was offended by the post.

From now on, I will be very selective regarding womanless posts.

Classy events like the Miss Eng'g pageant will get a pass, but events like a "Dude Looks Like A Lady" pageant at the local (you fill in the blank with a men's social club) will get a very discriminating look.

And so it goes!

A Womanless Cornucopia

2011-12-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Updated Below

Thanks to Aunty Marlena, I present you with a cache of womanless events.

Miss Eng'g 1

Miss Eng'g 2

Womanless Beauty Pageant (unknown location)

UPDATE: I have taken your comments to heart and deleted the links to the noxious ones.

Remembering edrag.com

2011-12-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

Considering Work It brought to mind a 1999 episode of another ABC situation comedy, Dharma & Greg.

The title of the episode was "Dharma Drags Edward Out of Retirement" and it involves edrag.com, a company that merchandizes women's fashions for men.

In my humble opinion, this episode of Dharma & Greg handled crossdressing far more respectfully than Work It. It was humorous without throwing transwomen under the bus.

You can view the episode for yourself on YouTube, where it is in divided into three parts (1, 2, and 3).

Gifts

2011-12-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Whether she knew it or not, my daughter gave me some "transgender" Christmas gifts.

She gave me some hoodies and sweaters that are androgynous, if not downright girlie.Also, she gave me a DVD of a film I had on my want list: Song of the South.

I saw that film at age 5 when Disney re-released it in 1956. I never saw it again until last night, but the following scenes of Song of the South left a lasting impression on me for all my life.

Near the middle of the film, the lead character, Johnny, a boy about 8 years in age, must wear an outfit made by his grandmother, who will be visiting later that day.The outfit includes a black (velvet?) jacket with a wide white lace collar, black knickers, white stockings, and black shoes that resemble Mary-Janes, but without the strap.

After reluctantly dressing in the outfit, Johnny goes outdoors to play and encounters the local bullies, brothers named Joe and Jake.

Jake confronts Johnny, "Where'd ya git them funny-lookin' clothes?"

Joe chimes in, "Yeah."

Jake comments, "Lookit that lace collar. Look, Joe."

Joe adds, "What's your name… …li'l girl?"

Jake piles on, "Lookit the little girlie..."

Jake and Joe in unison, "…wearing a lace collar!"

Johnny runs off to escape the wrath of Joe and Jake.

That is the gist of what I remembered from that film for 55 years.

There is something trans-related in that memory, or rather "my memory," but I am not sure what it is.

Maybe it is just one of those little memories in life that only transgenders remember.Or maybe there is more to it.

Go figure.

How'd I Do?

2011-12-26T15:39:00.001-05:00

First of the year, I posted my To Do list for 2011.As the year is winding down quickly, it is time to review the list and see how I did.

• Dress en femme more often than not --- This year, I was en femme more than ever before, but not "more often then not."

• Kiss a girl --- No kisses, but lots of hugs.

• Lose ten pounds --- I lost 12 pounds during 2011 (and even better, have kept it off). I think it shows and I am very happy about accomplishing this To Do.

• Write a book --- I started to write a book, but did not finish it.

• Get rid of my back fat --- Losing 12 pounds and using shapewear that hides back fat has essentially eliminated my back fat.

• Have more nights out with the girls --- I had nights out with the girls in 2011, but probably no "more" than in 2010.

• Get rid of my varicose veins --- Didn't happen; maybe next year.

• Improve my blog --- The blog is a work-in-progress, so I am always tweaking it trying to improve it.

• Find a new hair style --- I bought a new wig in January, which became my go-to coiffure in 2011.

• Attend a transgender conference --- I attended a transgender conference in April.

• Sell Avon en femme --- I made a few Avon sales en femme in 2011 and I attended an Avon sales conference in September.

Overall, I believe that 2011 was a good year for me.

Scarce

2011-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

With Christmas on the cusp, I will likely be scarce around here for the next few days. Then again, you never know; there may be a break in the festivities and I will do some blogging.

Either way, I would like to wish all my loyal readers a very Merry Christmas; may all your femulations be successful ones.

And be sure to visit Google today and click on ALL the blinking buttons.

Got Womanless Pageants

2011-12-23T16:06:00.000-05:00

Two womanless pageants from the Sunshine State grace today's edition of Femulate.

Aunty Marlena sent along this pageant, "Dude Looks Like A Lady: All Male Revue 2011" from Milton High School in Milton, FL, which took place in March (photo right).

Google Alerts found this pageant, the "6th Annual Womanless Beauty Pageant," which was held for charity in St. Augustine, FL, last month. Additonal photos may be found here.

The former had some good femulations, the latter, not so much, in my humble opinion.

Enjoy!

Holiday Dressing When You're Not Out

2011-12-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

If you are not completely out of the closet, dressing for the holidays can be a drag.

Sure you can dress to the nines in your new cocktail dress to attend parties hosted by your fellow transpeople, but attending holiday gatherings hosted by civilians, that is, non-trans family and friends, usually means dressing in boring boy mode.

But dressing like a boy does not have to be humdrum if you are willing to push the envelope. You can feminize your boy look just enough to please your inner girl, while maintaining enough boyishness so that civilians won't question your gender.

Dressing like the fellow pictured to the right would allow you to do just that.

His hairdo is decidedly male, but was highlighted by his hairdresser to femme up his crowning glory. He wears minimum makeup --- just foundation, tinted lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow, which allows him to look pretty, but still maintain a boyish appearance.

His black crepe romper with the silk satin bow tie hints at his feminine side, but still maintains a semblance of masculinity --- after all, he is wearing pants, not a dress. Jumpers and rompers often have no pockets, so he has a perfect excuse for carrying a man-clutch (he has to store his money, keys, hankies and makeup somewhere).

Mantyhose were optional, but depilation was not; no boy would be caught dead with hairy legs in an outfit like this, so a close shave of his manly gams was in order. To complete the look, flats would be a bust --- a pair of sexy man-heels were a must.

Finally, our fashionable fellow added the colorful necklace to make a feminine statement in case anyone missed the other feminine clues.

This ensemble might be too edgy for some of us. Uncle Billy and Ma Bailey might faint dead away at the sight of a male relative showing up for Christmas Eve dinner in this outfit, but on the other hand, it may be acceptable in more diverse family settings. Your mileage will vary.

If this outfit is too over the top for you, you can push the envelope without breaking it like I did today.

It is the last day of work here before the long weekend shutdown. Many of my co-workers are already taking time off. I estimate that we are about half staffed today, so it is a good day to push the envelope a bit; with fewer co-workers in the building, there are fewer chances for confrontations (not that I expect any, but you never know).

With that in mind, I feminized my look when I dressed for work today.

My underwear consists of black panties, waist cincher, black camisole, and black tights.

Over that, I am wearing my long red tunic sweater that falls to the top of my thighs, black slacks with a side zipper and no pockets, and black patent flats with a silver buckle.

I even wore a little makeup: a light coating of mascara along with my standard pink tinted lip balm.

I considered wearing a bra instead of the camisole, but I thought that C-cups would be too noticeable under the sweater. I also considered wearing a purse, but I had to carry my computer bag, so I was able to store everything I needed in the bag.

I made the rounds through the building twice already and no one has mentioned my outfit, but I feel so womanly that I am glowing.

“Work It” Doesn’t Work

2011-12-21T08:35:00.001-05:00

“On January 3, 2012, ABC is set to premiere Work It, a sitcom about two men who dress as women to secure employment. At a time when the transgender community routinely finds itself in the cultural crosshairs, a show like this could put the transgender community in an even more dangerous position.”

Today, “GLAAD [Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation] and HRC [Human Rights Campaign], two national LGBT advocacy organizations, placed a full-page ad [above] in media industry publication Daily Variety as part of a campaign to educate the media industry and the general public around the show. The organizations also confirmed a meeting with ABC executives will take place to discuss the sitcom.”

“ABC should not air this show – plain and simple. At the very least, Work It is offensive and insulting. At worst, the show is downright dangerous and sends a message that transgender people are to be laughed at, or are somehow less-than. This show would be a setback for transgender Americans, and for everyone who believes that all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.”

***

Those are excerpts from the GLAAD Work It webpage. To view the entire webpage, please follow this link.

Also, there is an excellent new posting concerning Work It on the front page of The Huffington Post this morning written by Joe Solmonese and Mike Thompson, the president of the HRC and acting president of GLAAD, respectively. To read that post, please follow this link.

Still Stopping “Work It”

2011-12-20T13:26:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday, I wrote here about complaining to the ABC television network that their new sitcom Work It, "belittles and mocks those who do not adhere to society's gender norms," and as a result, should not see the light of day.

My concerns were only based on the short snippets of the show that appeared in the ads ABC has been airing. But from what little I had seen, I thought that it did not bode well transgenders, so I signed the Human Rights Campaign's petition to stop the show.

After reading this on The Huffington Post today, I believe that my concerns were justified. The Huffington Post article was written by Cathy Renna, who saw a complete episode of the show. After reading her article, all I can say is that the show is worse than I imagined and I urge you to sign the petition.

Self-Presenting

2011-12-20T11:27:00.001-05:00

The chances are zero to none that Stana will receive a Christmas present, so Stana has to buy her own Christmas present.

I love clothing made with jacquard fabric and I have been keeping an eye on a black "Tailored Jacquard Sheath Dress with Patent Bow Belt" that Spiegel has been showing this fall. It is pricey ($159), so I did not purchase it, but I kept my fingers crossed that it would go on sale or end up in clearance sooner or later.

I am on Spiegel's daily mailing list and yesterday's missive from Spiegel announced a one-day dress sale, 75% off list price!

Oh My God!

I navigated to the Spiegel website as fast as my mouse could mouse over there to see if "my" jacquard dress was available.

It was available and I ordered it for $39.75.

So, "Merry Christmas" to me!

Breaking Beauty Rules

2011-12-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

Some rules were made to be broken, especially when it comes to beauty. From washing your hair every day to matching your manicure to your pedicure, there’s tons of old sayings that just don’t make sense anymore.

Daily Makeover pulled together the top 12 rules and the celebrities who break ‘em best, so you can learn how to do it yourself!

Find out which rules to break here.

By the way, one rule that I have been breaking forever is "You can't wear a smoky eye and a bold lip" just like Taylor Swift (right).

Christmas in Women’s Underwear

2011-12-19T08:27:00.001-05:00

Driving to my aunts' for Christmas Eve dinner about ten years ago, I heard the beginning of a familiar Christmas song playing on the radio, but when the vocal began, I realized that the words were different and the song was a parody of Winter Wonderland with a crossdressing theme.

The parody was Bob Rivers' Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear. It is available from Amazon.com on a Bob Rivers' CD titled I Am Santa Claus. It is also available on YouTube in various flavors.

When I heard Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear the first time, I was inspired to write my own Christmas song parody. Mine is called Miss Stana's Song and it is sung to the tune The Christmas Song, that is, Nat King Cole's big Christmas hit ("Chestnuts roasting in an open fire... yadda yadda yadda").

Here are my lyrics:

Miss Stana's Song
(Sung to the tune of The Christmas Song)

Breast forms resting in my Wonderbra,
Corset nipping at my waist,
Lacy garters attached to sheer hose,
My knee-high leather boots are laced.

Everybody knows a mini-skirt and low-cut blouse,
Help to make my look complete,
Tiny teats taped together so close
Make cleavage possible for me.

They know that Stana's on her way,
She's loaded lots of thick beard cover on today,
And ev'ry mother's child is gonna look
To see if Stana really knows how to tuck.

And so, I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Altho' it's been said many times, many ways,
"I'm a tranny, what's it to you!"

Tripping the Light Fantastic in Lancaster, PA

2011-12-18T11:14:00.000-05:00

Sally Stone

By Sally Stone,
Femulate Guest Blogger

Nothing makes me more giddy than to have a reason to wear a pretty gown and show off my feminine finery. It's even better when I can contribute to a worthy cause at the same time.

Last month, that's exactly what happened when I attended the third annual Fall Achievement Benefit. The FAB as it's called, is a key source of funding for the LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania . The event also recognizes individuals in the community that have contributed greatly to the LGBT cause. It's a wonderful event and this year, like years past, those of us that make up the “T” in LGBT were well represented. There were approximately 500 guests in attendance and there were nearly 40 of us girls.

This year's event was held in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, and while the event itself was the centerpiece of the weekend, the hotel, its location, and some wonderful friends made for an extraordinary two-day adventure as a girl.

Friday evening, 12 of us went out to dinner at a local restaurant and afterward we came back to the hotel for a drink before heading out to a local club for some dancing; at least that's what we thought we were going to do.

When we got back to the hotel lounge, it was packed with people and in the course of getting served and finding places to sit, we soon found ourselves in the middle of some pretty heavy conversation. Most of it centered around the way we were dressed and why we were presenting ourselves as girls. In essence we were conducting impromptu outreach.

It always amazes and thrills me when people want to know why I dress the way I do. The ensuing conversations were rich and rewarding and soon our little circle was so absorbed we forgot all about dancing. We closed the lounge and I didn't get to bed until after 2 AM.

On Saturday morning, some of the girls went shopping. Some of us stayed close to the hotel and did a little local sightseeing instead. After lunch, I spent the remainder of the afternoon getting myself ready for the evening formal. The preparation is almost as much fun as going out.

Our group had agreed earlier that we would rendezvous in the lounge for a before-the-formal drink. When I arrived around 5 PM dressed to the nines, many of my girlfriends had already arrived. They all looked so lovely in their sexy dresses, gorgeous gowns, and killer shoes. We really did make for a lovely group of girls if I do say so myself.

The lounge crowd wasn't too large at 5 PM, but like the night before we quickly found ourselves the center of attention. For some reason, T girls really do draw a crowd. We had to literally drag ourselves away from our new found friends to ensure we wouldn't miss the evening's big event. As we made our way to the ballroom, I had a confident feeling that I'd find my way back to the lounge later in the evening.

The reception was wonderful and provided a great opportunity to catch up with acquaintances from years past. The girls were beautiful and the guys looked so dapper in their tuxes and tails.

I took the time to pose with a few friends for a professional portrait photographer and then I did some more socializing before we were seated for dinner. Dinner was excellent and after the presentations were finished, we just couldn't wait to get up out of our seats to dance.

The DJ served up a non-stop menu of great dance tunes and soon the dance floor was packed with an undulating mass of boys and girls. Usually I'm not much of a dancer, but there's something about a dress and high heels that make the urge to boogie overwhelming. I found myself happily swaying with rest of the crowd. I had the opportunity to dance with girls, with boys, and with boys who were dressed like girls.

It was all great fun and as I moved from dance partner to dance partner I was suddenly surprised to find that my newest dance partner was a girl I had met earlier in the lounge. She, her two girlfriends and their boyfriends had sneaked in to the party to join us. I danced until my feet were screaming for me to stop.

The music was winding down by then anyway, so a group of us made our way back downstairs to the hotel lounge. I just knew it would call me back!

Like the night before, the lounge was absolutely packed. We met more new friends, engaged in more impromptu outreach, and simply had a wonderfully fulfilling experience interacting with a friendly and very accepting crowd. Like accomplished party animals, we closed the lounge for second night in a row. As tired as I was, it was too sad and too soon to be saying goodnight. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

This year's FAB didn't disappoint. I got to be a glamorous girl for two full days. I danced, made friends, and generated memories that will last a lifetime. The event also raised quite a bit of money for LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania and that isn't a bad thing either.

I can't wait until next year!

Transgender Styling

2011-12-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

Cyrsti of Transdesance.. Cyrsti's Condo fame, mentions yours truly in her Nuture Your Transgender Style! post yesterday. It is a good read (which is typical of her blog postings), so check it out.

Still More: No Eyeglasses, But Shoes You Can See

2011-12-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

And There's More

2011-12-15T20:08:00.001-05:00

My Wednesday en femme did not end at the copying machine in my alma mater's law library.

As I exited the law school, I asked the security guard, who had been very personable so far, if she would take my photo. She was happy to do so and was even willing to go outdoors to take it.

It was a beautiful December day, so we decided to do the photoshoot outdoors. The photo accompanying this post is from that shoot and is a rare photo of me with eyeglasses on.

I thanked her for her hospitality and left the school.

It was 10:45 AM and I was all dressed up, but had nowhere to go!
Actually I had two plans in mind. I considered visiting the beautiful mall in Holyoke, which was just 20 minutes from the law school. But I was not in the mood to spend the rest of the day shopping.

Plan B was to visit Mohegan Sun to check out the new Sephora store there and to play some slots. It was an hour drive, but it was a beautiful day for driving and I was in the mood.

The casino was very quiet. I know that the casino has been hurting, but I have never seen it so deserted. The casino used to be vibrant and exciting (to me). Yesterday, it was kind of sad. I played a few slots, but I just went through the motions for about an hour and lost more than I won.

Since I was not having much fun playing slots, I decided to find the new Sephora store and have fun with makeup. Shortly after entering the store, a saleswoman approached me, said she "loved" my shoes, and offered assistance.

I asked about advances in foundations and she said that the one I was using (Laura Mercier powder foundation) was still the best. Then I asked her to give me her opinion of my visage. She immediately mentioned the sun damage on the sides of my neck.

All of the foundations I have tried only cover the damage temporarily and sooner or later (usually sooner), the red skin shows through. She suggested I try using a color correcting foundation primer from Smashbox. It is green and it goes on where needed before the foundation. She sold me on it and that is what I carried home in my little Sephora bag.

As I exited the store, both of my feet cried "Uncle!"

By that time, I had worn my new to-die-for patent red and black Nine West Mary-Janes for over six hours without a problem. I had walked all over the law school and casino and had driven over two hours in a standard transmission vehicle wearing them without a complaint. I had even remarked to myself how comfortable they were. Now, suddenly, my feet were screaming.

I had brought along my backup comfy mid-heel Mary-Janes, but they were in my Subaru parked at the other end of the casino (and Mohegan Sun happens to be the second largest casino in the USA).

I considered walking barefoot, but I didn't, so I walked very slowly and sat down a couple of times along the way. As soon as I got to my car, I put on my comfy Mary-Janes and they felt like bedroom slippers in comparison to my Nine West Mary-Janes.

I love my Nine West Mary-Janes and will not hesitate to wear them again, but only for shorter stints --- not all day long like yesterday.

I drove home and my day en femme was over.

All the people (male and female) who I encountered yesterday were polite, often friendly, and always helpful when I needed their assistance. I don't know if I passed or not and whether passing had anything to do with their reaction to me.

I have reached a stage in my life in which passing is not a deal breaker.

When I prepare to go out, I do my best to be passable. I try to be impeccable in my dress and makeup and make sure that there is not a hair out of place, but once I am out the door, I stop being concerned about passing.

I used to be very shy when I was en femme fearing that everyone I encountered would read me. If they seemed ok with me, then I would open up and be more like myself, but if they were not ok with me, I would get out of Dodge as quickly as possible

Now, I am personable to everyone I encounter. I don't wait to see how they react to me.

I believe that by being personable and outgoing, it surprises people and they react positively whether they read me or not.

And I don't even think about it. That's the way I am in boy mode and now that I am free of the shackles of passing, I can also be myself in girl mode.

Stop “Work It”

2011-12-15T14:54:00.001-05:00

Please go here to tell ABC that their programming (for example, “Work It”) should not mock transgender people! Let them know we can't support programming that belittles and mocks those who do not adhere to society's gender norms.

My Quest

2011-12-14T21:14:00.000-05:00

In 1983, I purged everything related to femulating.

Not only did I discard replaceable items like clothing, wigs, makeup, etc., I also discarded irreplaceable items, primarily my collection of self-taken photographs. As a result, I no longer own a single photo of myself en femme prior to age 32.

Starla has been scouring the Internet searching online high school yearbooks for photos of high school femulations. She has sent me her findings and I have posted some of them here in the past.

Last week, it occurred to me that there were yearbook photos of me en femme (at the ripe old age of 25) attending my law school's Halloween party. I lost the yearbook (it went out with everything else in the great purge of 1983), but I wondered if Starla could find it online.

I asked her, but after searching her resources, she responded that she could not find it. She explained that the majority of online yearbooks are of the high school variety; only a few college and graduate school yearbooks are online. She suggested contacting my law school.

I phoned the law school library and asked if they had the yearbook in their stacks. They checked and as it turned out, they had it! They welcomed me to visit the library to view it and photocopy anything I wanted.

Wednesday, I dressed en femme. I wore the black dress with the sequins pattern at the neckline that I bought from Ideeli, nude pantyhose, my new Nine West patent red and black Mary Janes, a new matching red bag from ShoeDazzle, earrings, bracelet, and watch. I topped everything off with my white fake fur coat and was off to Springfield to visit my alma mater.

(I might mention here that although I graduated from law school, I never practiced in the profession --- not for one second. My first love was writing and while I waited for the results of the bar exam, I got a job as a writer and never looked back.)

An hour later, I arrived at the law school, parked the Subaru, and walked to the school entrance.

There was a security guard station at the entrance. The library is not open to the general public; only students, alumni, faculty, and attorneys can gain admittance. I explained to the guard that I was an alumnus and she asked me for a photo ID. As I extracted my driver's license from my purse, I told the guard that I was trans and that I looked a little different than the photo on the ID.

She said, "You're not the first."

After she logged me in, I walked down the hall to the library. It was deserted. Final exams were underway and I assume most of the students were in the classrooms filling up blue books. (Do they still use blue books?)

The library staff had set the yearbook aside for me, so they did not have to search the stacks again. I just had to fill out a simple form to borrow the book.

I found a comfy chair in the library lounge to cuddle up with the book and recall the past. I was sure that there were two candid photos of me attending that Halloween party 35 years ago en femme and I was a correct.

I wish I had my computer scanner to copy the photos, but all I had access to was a copying machine. I did my best adjusting the darkness to capture the best image and the results accompany this post.

By the way, you find me in the photos wearing my first wig (purchased at a local Frederick's of Hollywood store), my mother's skirt, my own boy mode sweater, a blouse of unknown origin, and my first pair of Mary Janes.

And I was so young --- so young that it brings tears to my eyes!

Roadtrip

2011-12-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

I am on the road en femme today.

If my trip is successful, I will have a surprise for you on Thursday.

If it is not successful, I will still have a roadtrip report for you to read.

Keep your fingers crossed that I am successful.

4,491,213

2011-12-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

I was checking the blog statistics this evening and something did not add up literally.

The hit counter was in error and has been that way for a very long time. Instead of 2.6 million hits, the actual count is more like 4.5 million hits.

I fixed the hit counter accordingly.

Andrej Pejic Models Push-Up Bras

2011-12-13T12:35:00.001-05:00

I’m speechless (or rather wordless)!!!

According to The Huffington Post today, “Andrej Pejic, a man with no breasts at all, is the star of a lingerie ad campaign promoting push-up bras. Modeling for Dutch company Hema, Pejic wears the brand's Mega Push-Up Bra (just 20 euros!) underneath two different v-neck dresses.”

Read the rest of the story here (while I gather my thoughts).

Miss Eng’g Again

2011-12-13T08:26:00.001-05:00

In February, I wrote here about the Miss Eng'g (Engineering) womanless beauty pageant at the College of Engineering, University of Philippines-Diliman.

In my opinion, it was "one of the best, if not the best womanless pageant conducted at an educational institute, whether it be grammar school, middle school, high school, or college."

Yamini just informed me that the 2011 installment of the pageant has its Facebook page up and running.

This year's contestants are as amazing as past year contestants. It is hard to believe that the "girls" are really boys; all the femulations are excellent.

But that is just my opinion. See for yourself by visiting the Miss Eng'g Facebook page and feast your eyes on the images displayed at the following links:

• Evening gown portraits

• Swimsuit portraits

• Character portraits

• Boy mode portraits

Truly amazing!

Transgender News

2011-12-13T06:00:00.004-05:00

Don't know if you get over to The Huffington Post website much. (I do everyday.)

A few weeks ago, I noticed that HuffPost now has a (Transgender News page) that centralizes the transgender news articles that used to be scattered all over HuffPost.

The Transgender News page also includes blog postings from various transgender-oriented bloggers.

It is worth bookmarking; I added it to my Tool Links list on the right sidebar of this blog.

Seven Tall Ladies

2011-12-12T13:50:00.001-05:00

Our collection of Famous Females of Height adds seven new entries this time around.

5'8" – Bryce Dallas Howard – actress – film Spiderman 3

5'9" – Greta Cavazzoni (photo right) – actress – television 30 Rock ("Jack Meets Dennis")

5'10" – Stephanie March – actress – television 30 Rock ("Blind Date")

5'11" – Constance Jablonski – fashion model

5'11" – Hilary Rhoda – fashion model

5'11" – Masha Tyelna – fashion model

6'0" – Christine Lagarde – politician (France) – International Monetary Fund managing director – sources: Elaine Armen & Zoe (“Thank-you”)

Mommy's Home Watching the Giants' Game

2011-12-11T16:57:00.001-05:00

Caveat Emptor: This is a genuine Femulate rerun.

Saturday Night Date

2011-12-10T10:09:00.000-05:00

Honey, I’m Home!

2011-12-09T08:43:00.001-05:00

Two Thousand and Counting

2011-12-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

This is my 2,000th posting here.

Who would have thought that when I started this blog 1,767 days ago on February 5, 2007, that it would still be going strong 2,000 posts later.

But you folks keep coming back, so I keep blogging (or is it vice versa?).

Some statistics: 702 of you have signed up as "Members," formerly known as "Followers," while over 5,200 of you visit this blog each day (averaged over the past 30 days). Meanwhile, the all-time hit counter just passed the 2-2/3 million mark. (Those numbers amaze me!)

All I have to say is "Thank you for your patronage.”

***

If you have been following along, you may recall that Tuesday night was my Avon representatives Christmas party. Well, I missed it.

A number of anticipated and unanticipated events lined up to block my way and I could not leave work early enough to get en femme and attend the party, which began at 6 PM.

The way things were going, I had a feeling for the last few days previous to the party that I was going to miss it and I have been very unhappy as a result.

But I have no one to blame but myself; better planning on my part would have permitted me to go.

On the other hand, I received some good news in the way of a package that USPS delivered on Tuesday. The red and black patent Mary Janes that I returned to Nine West because they were too small finally showed up one size larger. The larger size is a very comfortable fit, so that made up a little for missing the Christmas party.

On the other hand, the shoes arrived in time so that I could have worn them to the party. Darn it!

I’ll Have a Drag Christmas Without You

2011-12-07T08:43:00.001-05:00

Cheryl sent me a link to an excellent YouTube video titled "A Drag Christmas."

Snooping around YouTube, I found two additional videos from the same show: "All I Want for Christmas" and "Turkey Lurkey Time."

You tell me who are the girls and who are the femulators in these videos. I am fairly certain that the singer in "All I Want for Christmas" is a femulator because her voice gives her away and I think all the leggy dancers in "A Drag Christmas" are femulators because they all seem a little too flat-chested and small-bottomed, but I could be wrong.

In any case, enjoy the videos!

Knowing Provincetown

2011-12-06T10:43:00.001-05:00

Yankee magazine's website has a beautifully photographed article titled “Getting to Know Provincetown,” which is the site of Fantasia Fair, the annual weeklong trans get-together on Cape Cod.

The article, written by Mel Allen and photographed by Annie Graves, does not make a peep about Fantasia Fair or trans people, in general, but it does cover many of the venues that are so familiar to Fantasia Fair veterans.

It also includes a recipe for Portuguese Kale Soup from Napi's Restaurant in P-Town, where I have dined happily many times.

Enjoy!

What does it mean?

2011-12-06T08:42:00.001-05:00

My Favorite Things

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001-05:00

(This is first of a series of posts that describe my favorite things. It will appear here whenever I am so moved.)

I appreciate information that is well-researched.

I also appreciate finding new information in my fields of interest.

If that new information has been well-researched, then I am in nirvana!

I assume that is due to my love of history, especially accurate history, as well as my history major.

So it is always a pleasure when Zagria posts something new at A Gender Variance Who's Who.

Zagria started her blog about a month after I started Femulate. And she posts something new about twice a week every week during the ensuing 247 weeks --- usually about a trans person, who I never knew existed.

Her trans biographies are well-researched. It amazes me where she finds this information.

If you have not already visited Zagria's website, I urge you to do so at least once. You will probably get hooked like I did and visit her site regularly thereafter.

More Miss Andrej

2011-12-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

Today is simply a referral to Juan's wonderful spread at New Male Fashion featuring photos of the beautiful Miss Andrej that appeared in the latest issue of Candy.

Enjoy!

Transdom (trans random) Items

2011-12-03T07:46:00.001-05:00

Brazilian transsexual model Lea T appears on the December cover of the her native country's edition of Elle.

Did I miss something? Is Pippa Middleton trans? I do not understand the media's fascination with this plain looking woman. I figure that there must be a catch; maybe she is a transwoman, which would explain all the attention she gets, as well as her mustache. (Sorry about that --- I was just expressing my catty side.)

Congressman Barney Frank announced that he is not running for re-election and that has generated conflicting blogs in the trans community. Rebecca Juro thanks the congressman, while Valerie Keefe puts him down.

I noticed this past week that ABC began advertising its new situation comedy, Work It, which debuts in January. The show is about "two unrepentant guy's guys who, unable to find work, dress as women to get jobs." The snippets of the show that appear in the ads are as bad as you can imagine.

On a related note, Katina Solomon at Zencollegelife.com informed me about an article on their website, 10 Worst Movies Involving Men Dressed As Women.

Finally, Meg of Call Me Meg fame, was the first person to mention that she noticed the revised blog header (above). Actually, Meg's virtual kick to my dupa moved me to make the revision. Thanks, Girlfriend!

Got DES?

2011-12-02T09:58:00.001-05:00

Mom had a miscarriage in 1950.

From about 1940 to 1970, Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was given to pregnant women in the mistaken belief it would reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and losses. - from Wikipedia

I was born in 1951.

Recent research on DES sons [males who were prenatally exposed to DES] has explored the hypothesis that the range of effects of prenatal exposure to DES in males might include behavioral or neurological change, and also intersexuality.

Dr. Scott Kerlin of the DES Sons International Research Network has documented for the past 15 years "the high prevalence of individuals with confirmed or strongly suspected prenatal DES exposure who self-identify as male-to-female transsexual, transgender, and intersexed, and many individuals who have reported experiencing difficulties with gender dysphoria.

Various neurological changes occur after prenatal exposure of embryonic males to DES and other estrogenic endocrine disrupters. Animals that exhibited these structural neurological changes were also shown to demonstrate various gender-related behavioral changes (so called "feminisation of males").

Several published studies in the medical literature on psycho-neuro-endocrinology have examined the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to estrogens (including DES) may cause significant developmental impact on sexual differentiation of the brain, and on subsequent behavioral and gender identity development in exposed males and females.There is significant evidence linking prenatal hormonal influences on gender identity and transsexual development. - from Wikipedia

I don't know if Mom ever took DES. My parents and Mom's doctor are deceased, so I can't ask them.

For your consideration:

Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in Males and Gender-Related Disorders: Results from a 5-Year Study

Any Questions?

2011-12-01T08:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I wrote about my Wednesday morning out en femme. Today, I pick up where I left off, that is, going to Southern Connecticut State University to participate in Q&A in two Human Sexuality classes.

Each class had approximately 35 students with a 10-to-1 female-to-male ratio. In addition to myself, three transsexuals, two male-to-female and one female-to-male, joined me in the Q&A. In the second class, a female-to-male transsexual, who is a student at the University, joined us.

At the beginning of each class, we each presented a short (5-minute or so) biography.

After the bios, Professor Schildroth usually sends half the class to another classroom and divides us speakers in a logical way so that half the class concentrates on, for example, the transitioned/transitioning transsexuals, while the other half concentrates on the non-transitioning transsexuals. Half way through the period, the speakers switch classrooms so that all the students get a chance to quiz all the speakers.

Yesterday, a second classroom was not available, so all the students quizzed all the speakers simultaneously.

Most of the questions were oriented at the transitioned/transitioning transsexuals, that is, all the other speakers except me. I was a little bored, but I did get asked one question that I was never asked before, that is, what is my nationality?

My answer was "Polish." After the class, I asked the woman who asked that question why she asked. Her reason was that she was curious about my accent. I realized then that my "Polish" answer was not very helpful because I was born and raised 20 miles from New Haven, not 20 kilometers from Warsaw.

During the first class, we were asked about aging and I mentioned that I was 60 years old. That revelation was met with gasps from a number of students, who I guess thought I was younger or older than 60. After the class, about a half dozen students came up to me and gushed over the way I looked. One comment that stuck in my mind was "stunning."

Professor Schildroth informed us that the second class was shyer than the first class and that we were likely to get fewer questions in the second class. Her prediction came true and I received even fewer questions in the second class than the first class.

By the way, I think Professor Schildroth sympathized with my lack of questioning because in each class, she specifically asked me a question during lulls in the Q&A. Thanks, Anna!

After class, we went to a nearby diner. It was nearly empty --- two other tables had customers. I guess diners don't get a lot of traffic at 4 PM on Tuesdays. I ordered breakfast food (an omelette, toast, home fries, and coffee) because I like diner breakfast food, but seldom eat at a diner for breakfast.

Most of the conversation revolved around the classes and the students' written comments, which are always revealing.

We broke up after 5 PM and I had a miserable drive home. Rain began early in the afternoon and it was pouring the proverbial cats and dogs most of my way home.

Despite the weather and the dearth of questions, it was a very good day because (1) I had an opportunity to go out en femme and (2) I had an opportunity to participate in the education of some civilians about us trans-folks. However, in retrospect, I need to change my biography.

When I started doing outreach nearly six years ago, I billed myself as a "plain vanilla crossdresser." I stopped using that term over two years ago and changed my biography to better reflect myself as a "woman who found herself in a male body."

But not all the students get it. Reading their comments, many still classify me as a a "plain vanilla crossdresser."

Why?

When they compare me with the other presenters like the ones I presented with on Tuesday, all who take hormones and two out of three who had surgery, maybe they figure I am not in their league because I don't desire hormones or surgery. Or because I don't live 24/7 as a women --- although I always mention that I would if I could.

Anyways, I'm working on it.

Two Outfits

I tried on two outfits (photo above) Wednesday morning before going out: (1) the one-third houndstooth two-thirds black dress with black patent open-toe slingback heels and (2) the all houndstooth dress with off-white quilted high heel pumps.

I had a difficult time deciding which outfit to wear.

I chose the first outfit mainly because of the longer hemline.

Viewing the photos now, maybe I should have selected the dress with the shorter hemline.

My Expensive Watch Batteries

2011-11-30T11:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I planned to dress en femme, meet my friend Diana (of Little Corner in the Nutmeg State fame) at the Meriden (CT) mall, carpool to Southern Connecticut State University (it was my turn to drive), participate in Q&A in two Human Sexuality classes, and optionally, dine after class.

I wore my new houndstooth dress, nude pantyhose, black patent open toe slingbacks, black bag, and black sweater coat. A watch, ring and earrings were my only jewelry. It was so warm yesterday that I didn't need the sweater coat until the evening.

On my way to the mall, I passed a tractor trailer on the Interstate and the driver beeped (I assume) in appreciation of my leg show. Seated in the Subaru, my knee-length hem had migrated to mid-thigh. That was a first for me and I waved in appreciation after I passed.

I arrived at the mall about an hour before I was supposed to meet Diana. She planed to get a new battery for her watch and since I had two watches with the same needs, I brought them along and visited the watch kiosk after entering the mall. The young man in the watch kiosk said to come back for the watches in 20 to 30 minutes, so I window-shopped in the meantime.

First stop was Payless. I have bought a lot of shoes lately and really did not need another pair, but Payless had just sent me a 30% off coupon, so I just had to visit their store.

They had a nice selection in my size, but the only pair that demanded my attention were a pair of khaki peep toe "bootines." I had my doubts that they would fit because they looked too small, but when I tried them on, they fit perfectly and were very comfortable to boot. (The online reviews claim that the bootines are very comfortable and all-day-wearable.)

I bought the bootines and with my coupon, the $39.99 pair cost me $27.99.

I liked them so much that I wanted to wear them out of the store, but the saleswoman and I agreed that although they were very cute, the color did not go with my outfit. (In retrospect, I should have bought a pair in black, too.)

Directly across the mall from Payless is Torrid. I seldom visit their store because they gear their clothing toward an age group that no longer accepts me as a member. But occasionally I find something there that I can wear at my advanced age, so I went in.

I did not find anything until I toured the clearance rack, where a pretty ivory floral taffeta party dress with an empire waist and bubble hem was calling my name. I tried it on and it was a perfect fit.

Since the dress is a clearance item, it is no longer on the Torrid website. The only image I have to illustrate it is this out-of-focus photo I took in the dressing room, but I think it is adequate to show you how darling the dress is and why I could not resist buying it.

The saleswoman mentioned that I could save 15% off the $49.99 clearance price if I signed up for a credit card. I am always willing to save 15%, so I agreed and she entered my Social Security number into the system to process my credit card application.

During the process, she double-checked my personal data and when she got to my name, she said, "Stanley?" with a big question mark.

I said, "Yes, but I am not 'Stanley' today."

She smiled and continued with the transaction, handed me a temporary credit card, and I was out the door.

The watch batteries were starting to get very expensive, so I decided to head back to the watch kiosk and retrieve my timepieces. The watches were ready and the man rang me up.

I assumed it was about time for Diana to show up for her watch battery replacement, so I found a seat near the kiosk and hung back waiting for Diana.

Ten minutes or so passed and no Diana. With about ten minutes left before our scheduled rendezvous, I decided to wait in my car because either I had missed Diana in the mall or she was running late.

I waited in the car for ten minutes, then I cruised the parking lots in case there was any misinterpretation of our rendezvous point, but no Diana nor Diana's Prius.

I now regretted leaving the cell phone at home.

Time was running out, so I gave up on Diana and drove to New Haven.

Diana showed up at the University about 15 minutes after I arrived. Turns out that she had taken a nap, overslept, and awoke just about the time we were supposed to meet.

That was yesterday morning; my next post describes yesterday afternoon.

Making Sense

2011-11-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

I am out en femme today living my life in the way that is most comfortable for me.

Don't get me wrong. I am not uncomfortable living my life en homme. I am a very easy-going and adaptable person and manage to get along in just about every situation in which I find myself.

But my natural inclinations are on the "feminine" side. No doubt about that. The boys did not call me a "sissy" for nothing. Mom did not suggest that I should have been a girl for no reason.

Consider what little boys are made of?

Frogs and snails and puppy-dogs' tails.

Then consider what little girls are made of?

Sugar and spice and everything nice.

I definitely fit the latter profile rather than the former.

And I am so feminine that I never tried to "man up" and shake the "pansy" appellation. Fitting into society's expectations of what a man should be was unattractive and completely foreign to me. So I followed my own life path. The fact that that path was considered feminine made little difference to me.

The dress, wig, makeup and heels is just drag to provide a better fit for the person I am.

Once upon a time, I thought it was all about emulating a woman or as I called it "femulating." I adored trying to look and act like a woman, but I assumed it was just another diversion that I enjoyed.

But the more I femulated, even living days at a time as a woman, I realized that it was more than the act of femulation; it was more than an enjoyable diversion. It was just too comfortable a fit to be a diversion.

I finally realized that what I feared was actually my reality. I was not the "plain vanilla crossdresser" that I purported to be for so many years. Instead, I really am trans; I really am a woman who happens to have the body of a male.

And it turned out that that was OK by me; being trans was nothing to fear.

Instead, I embraced the fact that I am trans because now it all makes sense to me.

Like New Shoes

2011-11-28T06:08:00.002-05:00

Way back in August 2010, I wrote here about buying this gorgeous pair of $65 shoes for $19.99 online from Spiegel.

I never mentioned the shoes again because when I received them, they did not fit.

They almost fit. I could slip my feet into the shoes, but I could not close the zippers on the back of the heels.

The shoes were so gorgeous and so inexpensive that I did not return them. Instead, I put them in shoe stretchers for a few weeks, but to no avail.

They still did not fit, so I relegated them to the back of the closet and forgot about them.

Saturday, during my outfit tryouts, I rediscovered the shoes and tried them on again.

I was very surprised when I was able to close the zippers with little effort.

The shoes surely did not get bigger sitting in the dark in the back of the closet, so I assume that the 12 pounds I lost this year shrank my feet just enough to make a difference.

Nice!

Wearing Out

2011-11-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

I had some free time Saturday afternoon, so I decided to try on the outfits I planned to wear when I go out en femme the next two Tuesdays.

During the tryouts, I discovered that the shoes I planned to wear with both outfits did not look as good in reality as they did in my mind and that other shoes were a better match.

I discovered that a different pair of shoes matched up with a different outfit and looked better than both of the original outfits I had planned to wear.

My wardrobe discoveries continued like this for about an hour, when I finally decided to quit after completely confusing myself about what I will wear.

Nuts!

Occupying DC's Police Department

2011-11-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

"Occupy Wall Street has exposed discontent with global economic inequalities and inspired conversations about oppression across the country and around the world. Hundreds of U.S cities now house occupations in public parks and plazas. Occupy the Hood has taken the conversation into neighborhoods and highlighted issues of racial minorities. People are now calling for an occupation of the classroom and university campuses to highlight inequalities in education. Perhaps in Washington, D.C., residents need to occupy the Metro Police Department (MPD) to publicize the department's bigoted policing policies toward the city's transgender residents."

Read the rest of Emily Brooks' and Heather Kangas' article "Occupying DC's Metropolitan Police Department" on The Huffington Post.

Coming Up

2011-11-26T10:49:00.000-05:00

The next two Tuesdays have me doing outreach at a university in New Haven on the 29th and attending the Avon representative Christmas party on December 6th.

I have my Christmas party outfit picked out, but I am not sure what I am going to wear to outreach. It depends on the weather.

Despite the Halloween weekend blizzard, the weather in November has been unseasonably warm around here. We may break a record today with temperatures predicted to be in the mid-60s.

And the warm weather is supposed to stick around through Tuesday, so I may wear something that is more suitable for early autumn, rather than late autumn.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the two days out en femme.

New Male Fashion 1666

2011-11-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

"A man of fashion at the time of Charles II wearing the costume introduced by the King in 1666 of a long vest or sleeved waistcoat after the Persian or Turkish coat."

I found this interesting image while surfing the net last night. Prints are available from Amazon and other print peddlars.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:46:00.002-05:00

Transgender Thanksgiving Trivia

Did you know that Provincetown Harbor is where the Pilgrims initially anchored the Mayflower in 1620 after their ocean voyage from England? (Provincetown is the site of Fantasia Fair, the longest-running transgender event of its kind in the New World.)

Caveat Emptor: This is a Femulate rerun from last year.

A Fitting Wednesday

2011-11-23T19:17:00.000-05:00

On Thanksgiving Eve, USPS and UPS delivered.

USPS delivered the houndstooth dress I ordered from Ideeli. The dress fit like a glove! I will probably wear it to the Avon representatives Christmas party next month.

UPS delivered a new pair of shoes from ShoeDazzle. This pair replaces the pair I returned a few weeks ago (they were too small). The new shoes fit like a sock!

This is not a pair of shoes I will wear everyday; they are special occasion shoes. I will probably wear them with the black, white, and sequins colorblock tunic sweater I bought at Macy's.

ShoeDazzle describes the shoe thusly:

Sexy satin d’Orsay peep-toe platform pump with ankle strap and rhinestone-dotted platform and heel,

1" platform*

4" heel*

* measurements are approximate and may vary by size.

I'll say! In my size (11), the heel is 6 inches!!!!!!

To Be Gorgeous

2011-11-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

Miss Mexico

But besides the feeling of sisterhood it provides the women with, and the mentoring she is able to give to many of the contestants, Samala also believes that for many competing in the pageant, there is great appeal in being able to live out a commonly shared childhood dream. "I think in early development in life, even when they are young boys, looking at the beauty pageants, [thinking] 'I wish I could be like that, I want to look that pretty.' It's always transgenders [wanting] to be the best they can be and to look the best, to be gorgeous. Our lives are built on getting ourselves beautiful. Because that's the image that women give us and the beauty pageant is a really good platform for us."

From "Queen of the Universe 2011" by Brody Brown in today's edition of The Huffington Post

Read the entire article here.

Vacation in Name Only

2011-11-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

I am on "vacation" this week.

Saturday was dedicated to bringing my sister home from the rehab center, where she had been recovering from her Halloween hip-replacement operation.

Sunday at 4 AM, the phone rang. My mother-in-law had a stroke and dealing with that took up most of the day. It looks like she will recover fully, but who knew that at 4 AM.

Monday was catch-up day, that is, doing the stuff that normally gets done on Saturday and/or Sunday. Primarily, it involved grocery shopping and since we are hosting Thanksgiving Day dinner at our home this year, it required a little extra effort.

I also spent some time Tuesday fixing a hole where the oil gets out of the oil pan of my daughter's wheels.

Today is another catch-up day, i.e., dealing with 7,978,432 leaves now resting on my lawn. Since rain is in the forecast to start at 3 PM, I am going to attack the leaves as soon as I finish writing this post and drinking my second cup of coffee.

Needless to say, the blog has taken a back seat the last few days, but stick around; I will be back on track as soon as life gets out of my way.

Sing Along

2011-11-20T17:58:00.001-05:00

Sunday night, here I am catching up on e-mails and working on the blog, while iTunes is playing my "1960's Girl Groups" playlist in the background.

I can hear my wife in the next room singing along.

I know the lyrics to most of the songs.

Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious singing along to girl group songs.

("I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still, Da do ron-ron-ron, da do run-ron")

But, most times, I do not.

("Do lang, do lang, do lang, he'e so fine.")

Transgender Day or Remembrance

2011-11-19T07:56:00.000-05:00

Transgender Day or Remembrance is Sunday. The Day memorializes our trans brothers and sisters who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

There are events all over the world commemorating the day; a list of worldwide events appears here.

Attend a nearby event to:

Raise public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform.

Publicly mourn and honor the lives of transgenders who might otherwise be forgotten.

Express your love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred.

Remind non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers.

Give our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

Femulator on the Out Cover

2011-11-18T09:34:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite femulators, Andrej Pejic, is Out magazine’s “stylemaker of the year.”

Congratulations!

Thank-you and You’re Welcome

2011-11-18T08:42:00.001-05:00

Before Halloween, I posted photos of Femulate readers' past Halloween costumes in The Femulated spot.

After Halloween, I posted photos of readers' 2011 Halloween costumes in that spot.

On Wednesday, Femulate reader Angelina's photo appeared in The Femulated spot.

Do you detect a trend?

It is one I would like to continue, so I welcome all Femulate readers to submit your best femulation photo for a future appearance in The Femulated spot.

This is my way of thanking and recognizing the more than 3500 people who visit Femulate daily.

One rule: This is a family-oriented blog --- there is no gatekeeper preventing anyone from viewing it, so I ask that any photos you submit be family-oriented, too. I reserve the right to reject any that I deem not to be.

How manly of him to become a woman

2011-11-17T14:46:00.001-05:00

“Try to see your former son as a person trying to know his own soul. In looking into his soul, he saw the face of a woman staring back. What a shock it must have been! Kudos to him for undertaking this act of becoming. What a courageous act. How manly of him to become a woman.”

In Salon’s “Since You Asked,” Cary Tennis responds to a mother’s concern about her trans-child.

Read the whole article here.

Thursday Revisits Tuesday and Wednesday

2011-11-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

Aniコレ 5 Battle

Kasumi e-mailed me about the Japanese television show, Aniコレ 5 Battle, that I wrote about here on Wednesday. According to Kasumi…

Aniコレ is an abbreviation of two words put together. "Ani" is short for "aniki," which literally means "big brother," but in this case is used as a playful counterpoint to "onee," or "big sister," which is a slang for femulators (it is, in turn, short for "oneesan," which is the conventional term for elder sister). In Japanese, kinship terms like big brother and big sister are commonly used to refer to young men and women in general. It's clear from the context whether one is referring to one's own relatives or (with "onee") to a femulator or a female.

コレ, or "kore," is short for "korekushon," i.e., the English word "collection." This is because the females in the "battles" were part of a group called Tokyo Girls Collection. The 5 is, I think, because there were five contestants on each side. Writing the Japanese "ani" in Romanization and the English "collection" in Japanese is the kind of linguistic fun and games one often sees in Japanese--there's no particular deep significance.

The show in which this segment appeared was organized around the theme of "What if..." What if you had to eat a bunch of really hot peppers? What if you were a comedian forced to pair with someone other than your regular partner? What if you had to wear women's clothes and engage in a beauty battle with a female celebrity?

Thank you, Kasumi, for that information. It ties up a lot of loose ends regarding the television show.

Dreamwear

A reader took me to task about Tuesday's "Dreamwear' post, thusly:

Your post said you dreamed of wearing a 'panty girdle and longline bra' but the photo is of a woman in a full, long girdle (panty girdles are only panty length on the bottom) and a regular bra.

My excuse for the photo is that I could not find an image in my vast collection of a woman (or a man) wearing a panty girdle and a longline bra. The handful of longline bra images I have were all combined with open bottom girdles.

Since I could not find a panty girdle - longline bra combo, I used a panty girdle - non-longline bra image that I liked. (Today I proffer a longline bra image that I like.)

With reference to the reader's contention that the girdle image I used on Tuesday was a "full, long girdle" and not a panty girdle, "panty girdles are only panty length on the bottom," well, allow me to retort.

There are two basic kinds of girdles: open-bottom girdles and panty girdles. Any girdle that has a crotch is a "panty girdle" no matter how long or short the legs may be. You can look it up.

Open-Bottom

I have not worn an open-bottom girdle in a very long time. I never owned an open-bottom girdle, so the only ones I ever wore were my Mother’s and that was 40 years ago.

Wearing an open-bottom girdle is a different experience.

If the hem of the girdle is long enough, it comfortably hides your private parts while providing a very smooth crotch area, which is perfect for wearing a tight skirt.

You must wear stockings with an open-bottom girdle and attach them to girdle’s garters. This prevents the hem of the girdle from riding up your torso, as well as keeping the stockings from slipping down your legs.

What fun!

I’m getting a hankering for an open-bottom girdle, longline bra, and nylon stockings combination for the next time I wear a retro outfit.

Battle of the Femulators

2011-11-16T10:22:00.001-05:00

Three years ago, I wrote about "Josou Paradise," a segment of a Japanese television show called Gakkou e Ikou! MAX.

During the "Josou Paradise" segment, a group of people stand on stage in front of an alcove whose contents is hidden by a curtain. When the curtain rises, it reveals a seated pretty young woman and the audience oohs and aahs at her.

The young women who appear in the alcove are actually young men dressed en femme. The oohing and aahing is justified because they look great.

Angelina, whose photo graces The Femulated: spot today, asked me about another Japanese television show in which males appear en femme. The show is called Ａｎｉコレ５ＢＡＴＴＬＥ. After viewing some online videos of the program as well as reading some poorly translated Japanese text, I believe I have figured out the premise of the program.

It is a competition like Dancing With the Stars or American Idol, except that on Ａｎｉコレ５ＢＡＴＴＬＥ, the competition is based on the contestants’ ability to femulate.

Five young male contestants are pitted against five young female contestants. Each male chooses the female he wants to compete against in a head-to-head competition.

The contestants get all dolled up and then each contestant struts her stuff on a runway.

After the runway competition, the audience votes on which contestant was the better femulator. In the segments I watched, the females usually beat male femulators, but not always.

The femulations are outstanding. In most of the head-to-head competitions, I was not sure if the contestant was a femulator or a real female until they spoke.

Also, I found it interesting that the two male hosts of the program appeared en femme.

Google Ａｎｉコレ５ＢＡＴＴＬＥ and you will find videos and images from the show. Here is one example: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTU2MzA5ODg=.html

All I can say is that I wish there was a version of this show on this side of the Pacific.

Caveat Emptor: There is very little information about this program written in English, so I am making some educated guesses about the premise of the program.

I have not figured out yet the English translation of Ａｎｉコレ in the title of the show (one suggestion was "anime").

Also, I don't know if the "5" in the title indicates that this is the fifth season of the show or what?

If anyone has more definitive information, I will gladly stand corrected and if anyone can add anything to what I already wrote, I would be grateful.

Dreamwear

2011-11-15T08:58:00.001-05:00

When I woke up from a dream I had last night, the details of the dream were escaping me quickly, but I do remember one detail. Throughout the dream, I was dressed only in a white 1950s/1960s style panty girdle and longline bra. Nothing else.

Considering how I was dressed, wouldn't the details of that dream be interesting?

Hankering for Houndstooth

2011-11-14T13:43:00.001-05:00

I don't think I mentioned it before, but I love clothing with a houndstooth pattern.

I already own a couple of items with that pattern, but in my opinion, a girl can never own enough houndstooth, so when I see it for sale, I often consider buying it.

Today, while perusing the virtual racks at Ideeli, I found a houndstooth dress that called my name (see photo). Its $39.99 sales price exactly matched the $39.99 credit I had at Ideeli.

So I added it to my shopping cart, coughed up $9.95 for shipping and handling, and now I wait for its arrival.

Rubbeldiekatz Coming Soon

2011-11-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Reva alerted me that Rubbeldiekatz, which has been dubbed "the German Tootsie," will be in German theaters on December 15.

Actor Matthias Schweighöfer's femulation (above) in the film is fabulous, so I hope the film will appear in American theaters, too.

Rubbeldiekatz has a Facebook page, which includes a bunch of new photos and trailers, so go take a peek.

Veterans Day Food for Thought

2011-11-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

Did my Dad join the Marine Corps, fight the enemy on three Pacific islands during World War II, and get wounded twice so that someday his son would be free to live his life as a woman?

I know that was not on his mind when he joined the Corps. I wasn’t even a blip on his radar back then.

Dad did catch me getting into my sister’s clothes on a couple of occasions and he saw me dressed to the nines en femme for a Halloween party one time, but the only thing he ever said about it was to be careful that some guy didn’t try to pick me up at that Halloween party.

I think he had an inkling that something was up and if he and Mom ever compared notes, then I am sure the two of them realized something was amiss (or should I say someone was a Miss).

But he was always proud of me no matter what I wore and I am sure he never regretted fighting in The War so that I could be free to be me.

Gay Male Femininity

2011-11-10T14:07:00.001-05:00

Maya (right) wrote on flickr, “I get a few e-mails from people who ask if I want to go full-time and be a woman. As you can tell from the thoughts I've shared, I act and feel mostly like a crossdresser. I'm comfortable being a reasonably feminine gay man who likes to dress up (pretty irregularly) and I enjoy being around people who respect my subtle ‘gay femininity.’

“I realized that there is a difference between who I am and a transsexual. Although I've contemplated transitioning in the past, it's just not my path. I, accordingly remain, a humble life long crossdresser, exploring why I dress up and satisfying my girlish fantasies.”

Beautiful Maya has a slew of photos on flickr; you can view them here.

Internalized Transphobia

2011-11-09T09:31:00.001-05:00

“…we have been exploring, among other things, how internalized homophobia and transphobia develops from us internalizing the voices of our bullies and then turning those voices onto ourselves and each other. Our internalized bullies police behavior, appearance and actions, judging each other as harshly as we've learned to judge ourselves. A really good example of this occurred over a year ago, when a trans woman commenting on a piece I had written said that she wished I would stop calling myself a transgender woman. She said that I will never pass as a woman and that she wished I would just go away. When we police each other's abilities to pass, we are expressing our own internalized sense of shame about who we are. This is just one of many ways our internalized transphobia effects the way we treat each other.”

So wrote Laverne Cox in an excellent article, Hung Up on Bullies: Internalized Transphobia, that you can read here on The Huffington Post.

I really don’t care

2011-11-09T08:25:00.001-05:00

After dieting my feet for three weeks, I concluded that my feet are never going to fit comfortably into the red and black patent Mary Janes that I bought at Nine West last month.

(Why I thought that they fit ok when I tried them on in the store is a mystery.)

So, during my lunch hour Tuesday, I dashed to the Nine West store in boy mode to exchange the shoes for the next size up.

The saleswoman who sold me the shoes when I was en femme was not in the store; another young saleswoman was holding down the fort.

Now in the not-too-distant past, I would have formulated an elaborate excuse about the shoes.

"My wife asked me to return these and get a larger size."

"I bought these to wear for Halloween, but they were too small, so I'd like to exchange them for a larger size for next Halloween."

"My dog ate my homework."

Instead, I walked up to the saleswoman and told her, "I bought these shoes. They are too small for me and I'd like to exchange them for a pair in size 12."

Without batting an eye, the saleswoman broke the bad news to me: the store only stocks shoes up to size 11, but she could order a pair in size 12 and have them shipped to my home.

In the past, I might have suggested a Plan B, for instance, could I have them delivered to the store and pick them up when they come in? Anything to avoid giving my name and address to a stranger, who might later ring up the troops from Transphobia and send them to my house to decorate my trees with pink toilet paper.

Instead, I handed her my driver's license to copy my name and address to complete the transaction; my shoes should show up at the house in 5 to 7 days.

I really don't care anymore who knows about me.

That doesn't mean I go looking for trouble and tell every Tom, Dick, and Harriet that I wish I was a girl. But if someone I knew came up to me and confronted me about it, I would admit that I am really a woman, who happens to have the body of a man.

I don't blend and I don't care

2011-11-08T08:45:00.001-05:00

Many wise transwomen recommend blending if you are trying to pass.

The theory says that if you dress like the other women in the environment you plan to be in, that is, if you blend in with the other women, you will lessen the chances of bringing attention to yourself, thus increasing the chances of successfully passing yourself off as a woman.

For example, if you are going grocery shopping, then jeans and a top would be your choice of apparel for blending in most places.

I have tried blending and it seems to work, but blending is boring. When I dress en femme, I want to dress EN FEMME, if you know what I mean. I dress to be noticed not to be ignored. If I wanted to be ignored, I'd dress en homme.

As Lucille Sorella wrote recently in her Feminization Secrets blog, "As a genetic woman, the last thing I want to do is blend in! I wear makeup, style my hair, and dress fashionably because I want to stand out in a crowd. I believe it’s a natural feminine desire to want to be noticed."

As a transwoman, I feel the same way.

And perchance I have to go to Stop & Shop to buy a few items while I am en femme, I just think of myself as another working girl dressed appropriately for the office, but overdressed for grocery shopping during her lunch hour or on her way home from the office.

Works for me.

Telltale Signs

2011-11-06T17:34:00.001-05:00

Springhill High School, Louisiana, 1964

Starla has been searching the Internet for months looking for photos of student femulations in old school yearbooks. She has sent me a treasure trove of photos; some I have posted here, here and here in the past and I promise to post more in the future.

Anyway, Starla has become something of an expert in this field and as an expert, she wrote the following analysis.

We've speculated about how many high school femulators may be actually trans versus those doing it just as a fun lark. I think my recent search activities have qualified me to make some speculative distinctions:

-- Comes to school crossdressed on “Opposite Sex Day” = probably not trans
-- Comes to school crossdressed on “generic" Halloween dress-up day = possibly trans
-- Comes to school crossdressed on Arbor Day, the 4th of July, or Millard Fillmore’s birthday = definitley trans

-- Wears Mom's ratty old wig = probably not trans
-- Puts own longish hair in simple pigtails = possibly trans
-- Drops $185 on a cut, color, and body wave = definitely trans

-- Other students react: "HA HA HA HA!! Look at Joe!!" = probably not trans
-- Other students react: "Gee, Joe doesn't look half-bad as a girl" = possibly trans
-- Other students react: "Where's Joe? And who's the new girl?" = definitely trans

-- Undergarments from Fruit of the Loom = probably not trans
-- Undergarments from Mom's lingerie drawer = possibly trans
-- Undergarments from Victoria's Secret "Members Only" sales catalog = definitely trans

-- Pageant talent: Comic striptease down to 1890's swimsuit = probably not trans
-- Pageant talent: Sensitive guitar and voice ballad = possibly trans
-- Pageant talent: Intricate dance number in 5" heels = definitely trans

-- Stubby, chewed nails with little sister's "Barbie Make-up Kit" polish = probably not trans
-- Lee's Press-on Nails = possibly trans
-- Acrylics with "Rose Garden" nail art motif = definitely trans

-- Shaves mustache = probably not trans
-- Shaves legs = possibly trans
-- Gets Brazilian bikini wax = definitely trans

-- No make-up = probably not trans
-- Make-up by mother/sister/girlfriend = possibly trans
-- MAC makeover = definitely trans

-- Celebrates pageant win by pumping fist and shouting "Woot! Woot! Woot!" = probably not trans
-- Celebrates pageant win with tears and a hug for the runner-up = possibly trans
-- Celebrates pageant win with tears and a hug for the male emcee = definitely trans

a complete pass

2011-11-04T23:07:00.000-04:00

Another Tall Thursday

2011-11-03T11:43:00.001-04:00

There has not been much new on the Famous Females of Height front lately. My last update was in mid-August.

It is not for a lack of trying, but every new lady whose height I checked out lately has come up short except for one: 5'11" Whitney Cummings, the comedian who stars on the new NBC television series Whitney.

Beware! Rant starts now!

I don't get it. People rave about Whitney and her television show.

Personally, I found the show to be unfunny.

Also, the show claims to be filmed in front of a live audience, but it sure sounds like canned laughs are used (maybe because the live audience finds the show unfunny, too).

End of rant!

Since there is only one addition this time around, I will reiterate the mission statement of the list:

I am over six feet tall, so when I femulate, I am a tall woman.

About the time I started femulating in my early teens, I became interested in tall women because they affirmed my existence as a tall woman, i.e., I was not the only tall woman out and about in society. Few were as tall as me, but maybe there were enough out there so that I could blend in more easily as just another tall woman.

In the past, tall women tried to blend in with their shorter sisters, so they dressed down (pun intended); instead of celebrating their height, they tried to hide it (to appear less intimidating to men).

Also, tall women did not have a lot to choose from clothes-wise. Few clothiers catered to tall women, so tall women had to make do with what was available, which typically did not celebrate tall women's height.

Today, tall women are out and proud and celebrate their height. They have more clothing to choose from now that more clothiers recognize their potential as customers. They no longer dress down to hide their height. They wear high heels and leg baring skirts and dresses. They don't care if they are intimidating. They've come a long way!

It is a great time to be a tall woman, or a tall femulator.