Harvey Korman

Harvey Korman died.

Harvey was one of those people that I always suspected was trans because he appeared en femme a lot. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but when someone appears en femme over and over again, I start to suspect something more than a coincidence.

Reminds me of a certain individual (Staci), who shall go nameless (Staci), who always dresses in a female costume for Halloween. That nameless individual (Staci) dressed en femme for Halloween so frequently that some friends and relatives suspect that something else is going on (and they are correct).

I may be completely wrong about the actor, who played Hedy Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles, but I still have my suspicions.

Be that as it may, two of Harvey Korman's en femme appearances are stuck in my memory forever.

One occurred on The Carol Burnett Show, where Harvey was a regular. The guests included Betty Grable and Martha Raye, who were known for their shapely legs.

In one segment of that show, five sets of shapely crossed legs in sheer off-black hose and high heels appear from beyond a curtain and the viewers are supposed to guess which pair of legs belongs to which celebrity. When they raise the curtain to reveal the celebrities, two are male: Harvey Korman and Lyle Waggoner, who was another regular on the show.

The other memorable Harvey en femme appearance was in the film Americathon. In the film, Harvey plays a television actor named Monty Rushmore, who stars in a situation comedy called Both Mother and Father. In that television show within the film, Harvey as Monty must fulfill both the mother and father roles for his son in the absence of his wife (I can't remember if they are divorced or she is deceased).

Anyway, in the segment of the television show that appears in the film, Harvey and his son are getting ready to go out for the day. Harvey/Monty is getting dressed as a woman, while his son is in his bedroom getting dressed to go to school. While they are getting dressed, the boy complains that other boys are picking on him at school. Harvey/Monty tries to comfort his son, who soon exits his bedroom dressed as a little girl in a yellow dress and blonde wig. (A while ago, there was a clip of this scene on the Internet, probably on YouTube, but I can't find it now.)

Goodbye, Harvey Korman. Trans or not, I will miss you.

the results of fashionista on the hunt

Fashion Bug did not have the bag I wanted, but they had one I liked just as much (the black and white, not the brown). The store has a sale and I also had a 10% off coupon, so the $38 handbag cost me only $16.43.

I also perused all the racks looking for stretch jeans in my size. They had Capris in my size, but not regular length jeans, so all I bought was the handbag.

the feminization of men's fashions marches sashays on

One week ago, I had news about the "murse" (male purse). This week, I have news about the "mirdle" (man girdle).

What's next?

How about a "bro" (male bra) like the Manssiere Kramer tried to market on "The Doorman" episode of Seinfeld?

Maybe Brad Pitt will come out with a line of designer "mrocks" (male frocks) like the one he is wearing here. (By the way, Brad should be wearing a mirdle and an Manssiere to give his mrock a little shape.)

fashionista on the hunt

Fashion Bug sells this bag and I want it.

I plan to go to the local Bug store en homme this morning with a 10% off coupon that expires tomorrow to buy it. I hope they have one in stock.

Wish me luck.

more photos

I posted two additional photos on flickr from my May 4 photoshoot.

The one on the right is the more popular of the two. Actually, it is very popular. I think it is the high heels that are responsible.

shopping with vigor

Missy wrote, "Since you seem to me to be so very comfortable with who you are it would be great to read more about you. For instance, how do you maintain your confidence when you shop for clothes, shoes, ... I am always so intimidated I have ended up buying everything but pantyhose on-line and consequently not always getting what I want."

Shopping en femme is so much better than shopping online.

If an item doesn't fit, you put it back on the rack and try on another size. If an item doesn't look good on you, you put it back on the rack and try on something else. You don't have to deal with the time and expense that returning an online purchase entails.

Shopping en femme also is an affirmation of my feminine gender. Shopping among other women, I blend in and become another woman. Typically, the other women are concentrating on shopping and not on me. They may be aware of my physical presence, but will assume that I am just another girl hunting for a bargain.

While browsing through the racks, I always encounter other women doing the same. They may look up momentarily to see who the other bargain hunter is and when they don't recognize me, they return to the hunt. Sometimes they may offer a friendly smile or a pleasant "hello," too. Rarely am I the target of daggers aimed at a man in a dress.

My last shopping experience was typical. I spent about an hour in the Misses department of the local JCPenney's perusing the racks and going back and forth to the dressing room to try on my finds. During that hour, I encountered a lot of customers doing the same and I noticed none of the other bargain hunters paying any attention to me.

However, I did not go unnoticed. A few people who were not busy shopping noticed me. A woman, who had finished shopping and waiting to pay for her finds, checked me out while she was in line at the cashier. I also noticed two saleswomen checking me out.

Perhaps, they were just checking me out because they were impressed with the way I look. Or maybe they suspected I was en femme and were trying to confirm their suspicions.

But, who cares what they think? It is my life and I will live it the way I want to live it (as long as I do not harm anyone). I am presenting myself as a woman and I expect to be treated as a woman. If anyone has a problem with that, it is their problem, so let them deal with it, just don't thread on me.

And, by the way, although some salespeople noticed me, I have never had a salesperson give me a hard time. Their job is to make a sale, so if the customer looks like a duck, then treat the customer like a duck and everything will be ducky.

While on the subject of looking like a duck, while I am shopping en femme, I try to be as womanly as possible. I concentrate on carrying myself like a woman, speaking like a woman, acting like a woman. It is no time to fall back into my guy ways. And after making a concerted effort to pass, it begins to come naturally and I have to concentrate less and less on passing and just enjoy being a woman.

I approach each shopping expedition with all this in mind. And before every expedition, I worry. And I may sit in my car in the parking lot for a minute or two trying to build up my courage to go in the store. Once I gather up my courage, get out of the car, walk to the entrance of the store, hear the click of my heels on the pavement, and catch a glimpse of my feminine vision reflected in the store's window, my confidence builds and my worries go away.

making the body you have, look like the body you want

I get e-mails everyday from various clothiers informing me what they have on sale. Newport-News is a regular sender and today they are having a sale on their Shape fx Collection, which they bill as "designed to make the body you have, look like the body you want."

I have to agree. I have never been disappointed in anything I have bought from the Shape fx Collection. Whatever I purchased always makes me look slimmer and more shapely. I know it's just an illusion, but it works and that is all that counts.

So, if you are a size-challenged femulator like me, I highly recommend the Shape fx Collection especially when the Collection is on sale.

Fierce Man With Close Shave Wants No Labels

Philips got some props recently for its thoughtful ad for women's razors that starred a crossdressing dancer (man) named Karis. The spot was a break from the ad world's normal "Girlie men are funny ha ha" angle. Although you shouldn't expect to see any serious portrayals of transvestites in Budweiser Super Bowl ads any time soon. Boinkology went and interviewed Karis, and he wants the world to know that he doesn't put all these crazy labels on himself. His motivation? "Just being fierce."

Read all about it here.

gnome

Last night, I watched a memorable 15-minute film titled Gnome. It stars Lauren Graham (of Gilmore Girls fame) and three actors playing transwomen.

Lauren plays a New Jersey suburban housewife and receives an education in gender diversity by interacting with the three transwomen. It is a very good film. I think you will enjoy it.

It is available free from various Internet Web sites including YouTube.

Enjoy!

going home again

A hometown visit brings back the struggles of growing up black and transgender.

Read this excellent opinion piece by Dannielle King, which appeared in today's Washington Blade.

Namoli Brennet

I just added Namoli Brennet's home page to my Cultural Links list. I should have done this before, but I neglected to do so.

I ate lunch with Ms. Brennet at the True Colors Conference in March 2007. As I wrote here back then, Ms. Brennet performed at the conference and is "a Tucson-based trans/genderqueer songwriter, who has been touring the country since 2002 when she released her first CD, Boy in a Dress. It was the first time I ever rubbed elbows with a rock star."

I remember discussing that she was from Tucson and my tenuous connections with that city. Well, I just learned today from my friend Diana's blog that Ms. Brennet was born in Waterbury, CT, which is where I was born.

Small world!

Dress Up!

In this vintage advertisement, the George Frost Company recommends "Retain the spirit and enthusiasm of youth — quicken your interest in the affairs of everyday life — enjoy the rejuvenated interest of new things — DRESS UP!"

I couldn't agree more.

legs

Rachel wrote to me about legs.

Noting the recent appearance of actress Gwyneth Paltrow without hosiery, Rachel asked, "When is the naked leg look appropriate and which women thrive on this look?"

Gwyneth looks fabulous without hosiery. In my opinion, if someone has the legs for it, going without hosiery is a fashion option especially during warmer weather.

Most young women like Ms. Paltrow, have the legs for it, but older women, may not.

I think I have shapely legs, but I would never go out without hosiery because my bare legs are not a pretty sight. New varicose veins, scars from surgically removed old varicose veins, and skin discoloration ruin the appearance of my legs and some kind of cover-up is necessary. Other women my age may have similar problems.

Rachel also sent along a a fashion tip to make your legs look longer: wear clear shoes. And to give the leg a final definition, paint your toes.

suggestion box

I try to write something here everyday and I am usually successful. However, some days, like today, I have nothing to say regarding the topic of this blog, i.e., femulation.

I am always open to suggestion. If you have any femulation-related topics that you would like me to write about here, please e-mail me and I will save save your e-mail in the suggestion folder on my hard disk. Then next time, I come up empty for something to write about, I will dig into the suggestion folder and address one of your suggestions.

Christopher Morley Redux

In response to my recent post here about actor and female impersonator Christopher Morley, I received the following e-mail:

"I have been curious for some time about what has become of Christopher Morley... she was such a wonderful and successful performer and seems to have disappeared in the last fifteen years. Any idea where she has gone... is she still performing?"

I researched the matter and can not find anything recent about Christopher Morley. Morley's last known appearance was on an episode of the TV series Boy Meets World in October 1998 Roseanne in December 1995. If anyone has more current information about Morley, please let me know and I will pass it on here.

past lives

Do you believe in past lives and reincarnation?

I always thought that if there was something to reincarnation, then it might help explain why trans-people are trans.

For example, if you were a woman in your previous life and came back as a man in this life, perhaps you might bring along carry womanly traits from your previous life. Furthermore, if you were a woman in consecutive previous lives and then came back as a man, you might be trans in this life because old habits are hard to break.

Who knows?

If anyone asks about my past lives, I tell them that in my previous life I was a female singer in a USO troupe touring with Glenn Miller's band during World War II and that I died on December 15, 1944 when Miller's plane was accidentally bombed by the RAF over the English Channel.

Being female in my previous life explains my trans-ness in this life and being a singer during that era explains my affinity for the music of that time period.

My death aboard a bombed airplane explains the horrific nightmares I had as a young child. In these nightmares, I was in an enclosed place that started exploding and before long, I was exploding, too. Then, I'd wake up screaming.

I had that same nightmare numerous times and cannot attribute it to anything I experienced in this life. If reincarnation is fact, then maybe the roots of my nightmares are from my previous life.

Like I wrote before, who knows?

Man! I Feel Like a Free Woman!

Shania Twain and husband-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange are splitting up after 14 years of marriage. Read all about it!

(In the world of femulation, Shania's hit Man! I Feel Like A Woman! has been lip-synced to death. I will admit to helping hammer a nail into the coffin of that song when I lip-synced a medley of Que Sera, Sera and Man! I Feel Like A Woman! at my support group's annual banquet follies back in 2004.)

15 Best Purses for Boys

This article at Refinery29 describes the 15 best male purses or "murses."

This article at EtherHouse describes (with tongue in cheek) how to carry a murse without looking gay (not that there is anything wrong with that.)

Finally, this article at wikiHow describes what to carry in your murse.

drag competition to be aired

According to The Hollywood Reporter, MTV Networks' Logo, which targets lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewers, has greenlighted a reality competition series starring RuPaul.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" will feature contestants competing to become "America's next superstar drag queen," with RuPaul serving as host, mentor and judge. Online voters will help pick one of the contestants at RuPaulsDragRace.com.

no go

As Robert Burns wrote, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

Work got in the way today and I won't be able to go out en femme tonight.

As Margaret Mitchell wrote, "Tomorrow is another day."

out again

I plan to go out en femme Thursday evening. First, I will dine at a local restaurant with my good friend Diana L. Then, I will attend the monthly cocktail party at Real Art Ways in Hartford.

Lana Hunter

Back in August, I wrote here about how I was thinking about changing my name to "Lana Hunter."

Yesterday, out of the blue, I received the following comment concerning that blog posting:

Hi,
My real name is Lana Hunter, and I have always loved it. I was checking the internet to see if it was listed and I came up with your blog.

And so it goes!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers as well as all fathers who femulate.

Christopher Morley

One thing leads to another. My blog entry on Friday resulted in a series of comments initiated by Kathryn Cleve about actor Christopher Morley, who femulated in films, television shows, and even the pages of Playboy during the last half of the last century.

Morley passed and definitely was not a guy in a dress like some of the femulators you see in films and on television. He was thin, pretty, and had one of the best femulated voices I have ever heard.

You can view an illustrated list of his film and television appearances on Jaye Kaye's Transgender Movie Guide. That page includes video clips so you can see for yourself how well he femulated.

(The photo on the right is from the May 1975 issue of Playboy. In that issue, Morley appeared in a series of photos in which he exchanged clothing with a woman. The photo here depicts the results of the clothing exchange.)

film femulation alerts

I discovered femulation in two films that I viewed recently.

Watched the 2006 film Gray Matters. It is the story of a woman (played by Heather Graham) who comes to the realization that she is a lesbian. Near the end of the film, her gay friend (played by Alan Cumming) takes her to her first lesbian bar. When they won't let him in because he's male, he goes home and gets into drag so he can still accompany her.

By the way, I checked out Alan Cumming on the Web and Gray Matters is not the first time he has femulated. He also appears occasionally in real life wearing kilts other skirt-like or dress-like garments. Google his image or check out his Web site to see for yourself.

I also watched the 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian. Actually, I missed the beginning of the film and began watching it when the main character (played by Anthony Hopkins) is accompanied by a trans-woman (played by Chris Williams). I don't know what their relationship is because I missed the beginning of the film and she never appears in the film again, but I now have the DVD of the film and will investigate further.

10 Time-Hallowed, Recession-Proof Tips For Beautification

This article contains great beauty tips for women and femulators alike.

uniform

This is a follow-up to yesterday's blog, specifically the second photo captioned, "Here, I was going for a late 1960's airline stewardess look with this cute vintage minidress that I won on eBay."

In case you are too young to remember, here are two photos of stewardess uniforms circa 1970.



A white minidress was part of the ensemble for stewardesses at Philippine Airlines.



Southwest Airlines stewardesses wore boots and hot pants.

By the way, for a superb Web site on topic, check out Cliff Muskiet's Stewardess/Flight Attendant Uniform Collection.

photoshoot, part 5

Yet another pair of photos from my Sunday photoshoot.



The dress is from Metrostyle and the shoes from Newport-News.



This black sequins swimsuit is from Newport-News.

photoshoot, part 4

Here are two more photos from my Sunday photoshoot.



This is an outfit I quickly threw together during the photoshoot: a stretch cami from Torrid, a short half-pleated skirt from Marshalls, and patent high heel pumps from Sexy Shoes.



Here, I was going for a late 1960's airline stewardess look with this cute vintage minidress that I won on eBay.

photoshoot, part 3

Here are more photos from my Sunday photoshoot. In these, I am modeling my "Father of the Bride" ensemble.

photoshoot, part 2

Here is another photo from my Sunday photoshoot. I am wearing the same outfit as in the previous blog posting, but I am wearing a longer wig.

Which do you like better?

photoshoot

I love digital cameras! You don't have to deal with film, so you can take photos until the cows come home. And after you milk the cows, you can take photos of the cows, too!

Today, I took 160 photos of moi en femme. Here is one in the new skirt and blouse I bought at JCPenney's on Tuesday.

film femulation (1951)

Fanfaren der Liebe (Fanfares of Love) is a 1951 German film in which "two out of work musicians put on drag to get work in an all girl band. Inevitable comical romantic complications ensue."

It sounds like Some Like It Hot, the 1959 American film in which two musicians, after witnessing a mob hit, "flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in."

(Both plot summaries come from imdb.com.)

crossdressing circa 1930

Some folks believe that crossdressing and gender identity issues are a modern phenomena. The photographic evidence alone indicates that this is not so. For example, today's photo shows a young man femulating circa 1930.

guys

I was thinking about this specific Q&A exchange at outreach on Wednesday:

…very pretty student sitting next to me said, "How do you react when guys are attracted to you?"

My answer was simple, i.e., that I never noticed any guys being attracted to me.

The student was incredulous and said, "You make such a pretty woman, so guys must be attracted to you."

I said that she might be right, but I never noticed probably because I did not want to attract guys, so I paid little attention to them.

After thinking about it, I did recall some instances when guys have been attracted to me. In each instance, the guy and I have been in vehicles; he in a car or truck and me in my car.

This makes sense because while I am in my car, it is unlikely that an observer can gauge my height. All they see is a woman's face, hairdo, and maybe hands with long painted nails grasping the steering wheel. They don't see a woman, who is 6'2" tall, so my height does not give away my birth gender while I am in my car.

On the other hand, I may look like a woman walking out and about, but my size will clue in many observers that I may not be what I seem.

Guys see me in a car and assume I am a woman, so they check me out at traffic lights or when they pass me by on the highways. On more than one occasion, I have noticed a guy in a vehicle ahead of me checking me out in his rear view mirror, and a few times, after initially spotting me in his rear view, the guy drives very slowly… to do what? Check me out some more, see if I will react, see if I will wave him over so we can get to know each other better… I dunno.

One time, I was the first car at a traffic light around 10 PM on a Saturday night. A guy solo in a vehicle approached from the crossroad on my right and made a left hand turn onto the street I was on. As his car crossed in front of me, our eyes met and he must have thought it was love at first sight because he immediately made a U-turn and pulled up next to me in the empty lane on my driver's side.

I could see him out of the corner of my eye waiting for me to respond, but I ignored him and prayed he did not follow me when the light turned green. He did not and I breathed a sign of relief.

the "Big T"

June 7, five weeks from this Saturday, the first New England Transgender Pride March and Rally will be held in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Northampton is an hour plus drive from Femulate Central and I plan to spend June 7 there rallying with my T-sisters and brothers from the six New England states and beyond. This T-only pride event will be a first for New England, perhaps the whole East Coast, and I don't want to miss it.

Perhaps, the event should be nicknamed the "Big T" just like the annual Eastern States Exposition held 17 miles downstream from Northampton is nicknamed the "Big E." Just a thought.