Wear a Bra!

Responding to my invitation to Ask Me Anything, Jenn wrote, "My question is about wearing a bra. My wife and many close female friends are known to comment about how they can’t wait to take off their bra. Of course, as a crossdresser I can’t wait to put one on! Knowing that you dress much more often (and longer) than I do, what do you think about your bra?"

Whereas fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg once proclaimed, "Feel like a woman. Wear a dress!" I say, "Feel like a woman, Wear a bra!"

Is there any garment that defines womanhood more than a bra? Fashion forward fellows may dress like women from head to toe, but they don't wear bras. Only women and femulators wear bras.

On occasion, I have femulated without wearing a bra because I did not have the correct style bra to go with a particular dress or top I was wearing and since I am already well-endowed for a guy, going bra-less was not a deal breaker. However, I prefer to wear a bra when I femulate.

Early on, I wore some ill-fitting bras. The band was too small and/or the shoulder straps too short and like Jenn's lady friends, I could not wait to take off my bra.

After too many misfits, I decided that the only way to get a bra that fits is to get a professional bra-fitting at an intimate apparel shop or in the lingerie department of a department store.

Your mileage may vary, but I have been fitted for bras in both girl mode and boy mode in both venues and have never been turned away. In fact, the women performing the fittings were very helpful and seemed pleased to have a male join their bra-wearing sorority.

If you are unsure about which bra-selling venue to seek out for a fitting, you can always call ahead and ask. Also, during the holiday season, guys shopping for intimate apparel gifts is common, so walking into a lingerie shop in boy mode is not that unusual this time of year.

My niece worked at Victoria's Secret for awhile and the saleswomen were used to fitting both men and women, so don't be shy – go for it, girl!

And if your bra is the correct fit, you won't even know you are wearing one!

By the way, when you were growing up, did your Mom call it a "bra" or a "brassiere?"

Wearing 3.1 Phillip Lim sweater, RTA skirt and Marni bag (Source: Intermix)

Nadia Russo

Breasts and Bras

Alison sent me a link to an article about breasts, the variety of their shape and the best and worst bras for each shape.

I was surprised by how many breast shapes there are. Turns out that mine are Full Bottom and accordingly, I should wear a shelf bra, which "is a type of either demi-cup or three-quarter-cup bra that lifts breasts in order to enhance their appearance, shape, and cleavage." 

I usually wear a push-up bra, so close enough.

If I wear something that would reveal cleavage, I insert a pair of enhancers in each bra cup to give my cleavage a little oomph. But most of the time, I go au naturel (or as close to au naturel I can get wearing a push-up bra).

Note that if you wear falsies and want to use the breast shape article for bra-shopping guidance, go by the shape of your falsies and not your God-given endowments.

And may the falsies be with you.

Wearing Stylewe.

A male-to-female crossplay.

Are You a Front-Clasper or Back-Clasper?

I admit it: I am a front-clasper.

When I put on my bra, I clasp it in front, then twist it around. But after reading "You Might Be Putting Your Bra On Wrong" on BuzzFeed Life, I will make the transition and strive to become a back-clasper.

Thank you, Diana, for recommending this article for Femulate.

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The mailman just delivered the new issue of Harper's Bazaar, the fall fashion issue. When I saw this tome in my mailbox, I thought it was a new Jameco electronics parts catalog; the page count of this tree-killer is 702 pages!

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My first trans-related book Fantasia Fair Diaries is almost ready to go. I just have to tweak a few more things, then I am done. The September 1st release date looks solid.

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I will be busy at Fantasia Fair this year. In addition to co-hosting the Fashion Show, I will be presenting ― time, date and specifics to be determined, so please standby for an update.

Actor Matthew Sim femulating in the 1988 British film Without A Clue.

The Science of Bras

My favorite Ohio blogger, Cyrsti (of Cyrsti's Condo fame), penned an enjoyable post titled "The Science of Bras." I recommend it to all you brassiere wearers out there.

Just a memory... my mother usually called it a "brassiere," seldom a "bra." And on those rare occasions when she did call it a bra, she said it as if it was a dirty word! That's my Mom ― go figure!

And my answer to Diane von Furstenberg's famous quote, "Feel like a woman. Wear a dress!" is, "Feel like a woman. Wear a bra!"

Wearing Ann Taylor.

Actor Vince Gatton (right) in the 2006 stage production of Dorothy and Candy.