By Yamini Argo
Follow are my notes regarding some of the quirky things that happened on the Your Face Sounds Familiar television franchise.
The show has produced so many wonderful femulations over the last decade. The number of challenges the femulators have overcome is something all of us would have gone through. But the support they receive for the transformations is phenomenal. I like to look at the backstage makeup process and their physical and psychological aspects during the week of preparation.
Apart from bending the gender, many participants crossed racial boundaries. Few even successfully twerked and danced around muscular men. Not that everyone enjoys such performances; Romanian actor stated he felt violated when the male dancers touched him all over.
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| Carlos Marco femulating on Spain's version of Your Face Sounds Familiar. |
Almost all the contestants had to walk in high heels and almost none fell on their rears, thanks to the practice they have at the studio and also at home. A few girlfriends and wives have supported this endeavor by lending them shoes or simply encouraging them. One Spanish contestant was given the original dress worn by the singer to lend authenticity for the performance.
Makeup artists give them flawless appearance, which combined with their fine features can have unintentional outcomes. One such transformation found the Brazilian actor Victor Kley being mistaken for actress Meghan Fox. In the same show, another actor had to be censored by Instagram when he showed off his new assets.
The actors need not always wear the panties that go with their bras, but they don’t seem to mind. Few have flashed inadvertently, few intentionally. And they had to tuck their bits for the duration of the show. Some have showcased their bodies in revealing attires including bikinis.
Things get interesting when these men have personal relationships with the singers. These instances include when the son became his mother, brother became his sister and the times when boyfriends became their own ex-girlfriends. Fiancés have swapped roles and weirdly, brothers have danced as couples on two different shows.
Quite a few amusing things happened in the Bulgarian version this season. One contestant went on to kiss the judge deeply in the mode of the character he was in. Another actor had a mishap of his lifetime when the tube top slipped and revealed his fake breasts. He was described as a pornstar on national television.
The psychological aspect of this observation also questions how do they feel when they had become a sex symbol that they had wet dreams about in their teenage years. They learn dance moves to seduce the male dancers during the song and they also get voice training, which leaves them with sultry voices. These are potential tools they can use at any point in time with anyone. I'm not sure how many did venture outside the studio in full glam; at least once it was noted that Romanian singer Florin Ristei went home in between takes.
Overall, I'm glad this show exists and continues to provide some crossdressing entertainment for all of us.
P.S: I'd like to give a shout out to Vlad Nicola who has been amazing as a cosplayer and hostess. He’s got an appreciative girlfriend just like Zach Scuderi.
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| Wearing Ann Taylor |
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| Joel Grey femulating in the 1972 film Cabaret. |
