Katy’s Roommate

During a recent Googling, I learned about a new television series, Katy Keene, premiering tonight on The CW television network.

When I was a youngster, one of my favorite comic book characters was Katy Keene. She was a long-legged fashion queen with jet black hair and I was fascinated by her glamorous image. And I loved cutting out the Katy Keene paper dolls and outfits that appeared in the pages of her comic books.

No one ever discouraged my interest in Katy Keene. In fact, Mom abetted it by helping me cut out the more difficult outfits. (Sometimes I think Mom wanted me to be a girl or maybe she knew I was a girl at heart. Anyway, she always encouraged me in all of my interests including those on the feminine side of the street.)

I don't recall any crossdressing in the pages of Katy Keene, but the new Katy Keene television series has a crossdressing character, Katy’s roommate, named Jorge/Ginger. Jonny Beauchamp plays the character and it is not his first acting stint in a dress – he played transwoman Angelique in the 2014-15 television series Penny Dreadful (you can view a clip from that series here.)

Lucy Hale, the actress playing Katy Keene, is not a long-legged fashion queen. She is only 5 foot 2, but  I will give the new series a chance and tune in tonight.

Wearing Madeleine

Jonny Beauchamp (far right) femulates in television’s Katy Keene.
View a clip from the show here.

Someday Funnies

In January, I wrote about how I grew up with comic books.

I outgrew comic books circa 1970 and except for Zap and it's ilk, I seldom bought any. But I was interested in the history of comic books and comic strips and began buying books related to that history.

Over the years, I amassed a collection of such histories. A few nights ago, I was reading a recent acquisition and was reminded of Madam Fatal, a 1940's superhero who dressed up as an elderly woman to fight crime.

Richard Stanton, a retired actor whose daughter was kidnapped, used his acting skills to disguise himself as an elderly woman and in that persona was able to effect his daughter’s rescue and her kidnappers’ capture. Seeing the need for justice to be meted out, he continued to use his female identity to battle criminals as the first crossdressing superhero as Madam Fatal. (Source: An International Catalogue of Superheroes)

Madam Fatal was not popular and only ran for 22 issues. (You can see her in action here: Spotlight Comics #9.)

I started thinking about a Madam Fatal revival. Bring her back as a 21st Century superhero, but as a 30-something fashionista rather than an elderly woman... a cross between Katy Keene and Lizz Worthington-Grove.

I researched the idea on the Internet and discovered that Madam Fatal appeared as "Miss Sharp" (above) in a 1944 flashback in Shade #4. But she has never been seen in a contemporary setting.

Wearing Bebe (Source: Bebe)

My skirt's not too short – my legs are too long!

He's "a perfect size 12"

I am trying to track down a comic book that contained a story with a crossdressing theme. I have mentioned this here in the past, but it has been a few years since the last mention, so I am mentioning it again in case any newer readers might be able to help.

The story was a parody loosely based on the James Bond 007 films. The spy in this parody was gay and named Jamie. In the story, Jamie goes to a hair salon unaware that the salon is run by the enemy.

While under the hair dryer, the hair stylist hypnotizes him and reveals his sub-conscious feelings that he really wants to be a woman. After undergoing hypnosis, Jamie admits to being "a perfect size 12."

He then undergoes a makeover and soon appears seated in the hair salon chair dressed as a pretty leggy blonde in a short dress and high heels exclaiming that he feels "fabulous!" (I know that feeling) while the other hair stylists gush over "her."

When Jamie returns to spy headquarters en femme, his superior is aghast, but he has a cure, i.e., a sexual encounter with a female. The plan works and the now heterosexual Jamie seeks out whoever was responsible for feminizing him. Turns out his mother, who heads up the enemy, was behind his feminization.

As you can imagine, I read that comic book over and over again and wished I could be so lucky as to walk into the enemy's hair salon.

This story appeared in a one-shot comic book in the mid- to late-1960s. I lost the book in a purge a long time ago. I have no idea who published it or what was the name of the comic book, but I do recall that the book contained two stories.

Unlike most comic books in which one story follows another consecutively, this book had two stories printed throughout the book concurrently with one story printed on the top half of the page and the second story printed on the bottom half of the page (the story I am interested in was the story on the top half of the page.)

This comic book included sex and nudity, so it was not likely found on the newsstand next to Archie, Superman and Little Audrey. I assume it was sold in "adult" shops.

If anyone can provide any other information about this comic book I would greatly appreciate it, so that I can track down a copy to add to my collection.)

Sound familiar? Let me know.

By the way, the image at the top of this post is Superman's "pal" and occasional "gal," Jimmy Olsen being fabulous in a 1973 issue of his comic book.

Wearing Emerson Thorpe dress, Rag & Bone coat, Aquazzura pumps and Dannijo earrings.

Mart Sander femulating on the Estonian version of television's Your Face Sounds Familiar.

Beyond Katy Keene

When I was a youngster, one of my first favorite comic book characters was Katy Keene, the long-legged fashion queen with jet black hair. I was fascinated by her glamorous image and I loved cutting out the Katy Keene paper dolls and outfits that appeared in the pages of her comic books.

No one ever discouraged Little Stana's interest in Katy Keene. In fact, Mom abetted it by helping me cut out the more difficult outfits. (Sometimes I think Mom wanted me to be a girl. She always encouraged me in all of my interests including those on the feminine side of the street.)

I don't recall any crossdressing in the pages of Katy Keene, but I did wish I could wear some of the outfits that Katy wore.

As I grew older, I started to worry about my image, so I stopped reading Katy Keene to avoid being branded a "sissy." Superman, Batman, Dick Tracy, and Mad magazine replaced Katy and soon I encountered crossdressing in their four-colored pages.

I remember a female impersonating gangster appearing in a Batman story. I also recall stories in which Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen, went undercover en femme. Dick Tracy had so many encounters with gangsters in drag that I still wonder about the Chester Gould's feminine side. Over the years, Mad had numerous encounters with crossdressing.

Meanwhile, Japanese comic books (manga) and cartoons (anime) have lots of crossdressing. Over 10 years ago, Jana built a web site dedicated to trans content in Japanese comic books and cartoons. But one thing led to another and Jana expanded the web site to include television, films, literature and history, as well as Japanese comic books and cartoons.

Jana's TG Lists, subtitled "transgender in media," which is accessible here, is an amazing collection of trans-media. I highly recommend it!

Wearing Bebe.

Long-time Femulate reader Sheila attending the Southern Comfort Conference.