I Just Want to Play Cross!

Matt Baume crossplaying Captain America

“Crossplay… is cosplay in which the person dresses up as a character of a different gender. Crossplay's origins lie in the anime convention circuit, though, like cosplay, it has not remained exclusive to the genre.” (Source: Wikipedia)

When I was a kid, crossplay and cosplay did not exist and anime was foreign to me. Halloween was the closest thing to cosplay/crossplay that we had. As a fan of comic books and science fiction, monster, and adventure films, I put together Halloween costumes that reflected those interests.

One year I was the Frankenstein monster, another time I was the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Alfred E. Neuman made an appearance one year and I was a pirate twice on Halloween. My mother often helped me assemble my costumes and when I dressed as a pirate, she insisted that I wear gold hoop earrings as part of the costume. So on October 31, 1960, I had my first experience with clip-ons!

As a kid, I never Halloweened as the opposite gender. In my heart, I certainly wanted to femulate on October 31 and I am sure that my mother would have made me into a very authentic female, but I did not have the guts to do it.

My best friend did it one year and I was very jealous. He even suggested that we both go out as girls the following Halloween, but I still could not muster the courage. (By the way, I am sure that my best friend was trans. He may have suspected I was too and his Halloween invitation was an attempt to reach out to me. I so regret not accepting his invitation – it would have been wonderful having a supportive sister while growing up.)

Five years later, I did have the courage and made my first of many Halloween appearances en femme, but that’s another story.

Getting back to crossplay – if crossplay existed when I was in my teens and twenties, I think I would have participated and I’d probably attempt femulating Wonder Woman or Vampirella. Since I was able to pull off an authentic Playboy bunny, I think my Wonder Woman or Vampirella femulations would be good, too.

Wikipedia also has this to say about crossplay, “Male to Female crossplay is typically divided quite definitively into these two groups: those engaging in genderplay, and those attempting to pass as female. The stark contrast between these two groups is due largely to the social context surrounding the subject of male crossdressing. For most males, dressing in women's clothing is not something to be taken lightly, and so most crossplayers choose either to take the approach of ironic humor (intentionally not passing), or that of the masquerade (attempting to pass).”

Crossplay and cosplay is a young person’s game and I am way past being a young person, but I can look on and appreciate the efforts the male-to-female crossplayers and cosplayers and think about what might have been.

Wearing Nino Balcutti

Zach Scuderi crossplaying Dark Elementalist Lux

Just for Fun

I femulate because I am a male woman. But there is a growing contingent of born-males who femulate just for fun (or so they say). I am referring to the male-to-female crossplayers (crossdressing cosplayers) and their sisters, the brolitas (boy lolitas).

"Cosplay, a contraction of the words costume play, is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character" from "manga and anime, comic books and cartoons, video games, and live-action films and television series." (source: Wikipedia)

Crossplay is crossdressing cosplay. Most crossplay is of the female-to-male variety, however, more and more guys are getting into the act: male-to-female crossplaying.

Meanwhile, "Lolita is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is based on Victorian and Edwardian clothing." (source: Wikipedia)

Brolitas are males, who dress like lolitas, that is, they crossdress wearing extremely feminine Victorian/Edwardian/Gothic clothing. Some brolitas are male-to-female crossplayers.

I don't know what to make of brolitas and male-to-female crossplayers. Some of their femulations look perfect. Having never met one in person, I don't know if their voices and mannerisms match what they are wearing, but I imagine some do and some don't.

I question if it is really just for fun?

My guess is that like the contestants in womanless beauty pageants and womanless fashion shows, there are a few participants who are not civilians. Rather, they are trans-something and crossplaying/brolitaing is a safe way to express their feminine side without outing themselves.

I wish I had that option when I was younger!

Male-to-Female Crossplayers of Note:

Brolitas Who Impress:

Wearing Metrostyle.

Dylan Jenkins (right) femulates on British television's Hollyoaks (2015).

Crossplay = Cosplay + Crossdress

Tuesday's Femulator photo depicted a male-to-female crossplayer. I received a few responses to that photo which indicated that some readers of Femulate are not familiar with crossplay.

Simply stated, crossplay is crossdressed cosplay.

It seems that there is more female-to-male crossplaying than male-to-female crossplaying, however, a lot of the guys who crossplay are top-notch femulators! (I should look so good!)

To see what I mean, visit Men of Crossplay and be amazed!

 

 

 

Wearing Bebe.

 

 

 

Male crossplayer femulating Kiryuin Satsuki (Kill la Kill).

I Want to Play Cross!

“Crossplay… is cosplay in which the person dresses up as a character of a different gender. Crossplay's origins lie in the anime convention circuit, though, like cosplay, it has not remained exclusive to the genre.” (Source: Wikipedia)

When I was a kid, crossplay and cosplay did not exist and anime was foreign to me. Halloween was the closest thing to cosplay/crossplay that we had. As a fan of comic books and science fiction, monster, and adventure films, I put together Halloween costumes that reflected those interests.

One year I was the Frankenstein monster, another time I was the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Alfred E. Neuman made an appearance one year and I was a pirate twice on Halloween. My mother often helped me assemble my costumes and when I dressed as a pirate, she insisted that I wear gold hoop earrings as part of the costume. So on October 31, 1960, I had my first experience with clip-ons!

As a kid, I never Halloweened as the opposite gender. In my heart, I certainly wanted to femulate on October 31 and I am sure that my mother would have made me into a very authentic female, but I did not have the guts to do it.

My best friend did it one year and I was very jealous. He even suggested that we both go out as girls the following Halloween, but I still could not muster the courage. (By the way, I am sure that my best friend was trans. He probably suspected I was too and his Halloween invitation was an attempt to reach out to me. I so regret not accepting his invitation --- it would have been wonderful having a supportive sister while growing up.)

Five years later, I did have the courage and made my first of many Halloween appearances en femme, but that’s another story.

Getting back to crossplay --- if crossplay existed when I was in my late teens and early twenties, I think I would have participated and I’d probably attempt femulating Wonder Woman or Vampirella. Since I was able to pull off an authentic Playboy bunny, I think my Wonder Woman or Vampirella femulations would be good, too.

Wikipedia also has this to say about crossplay, “Male to Female crossplay is typically divided quite definitively into these two groups: those engaging in genderplay, and those attempting to pass as female. The stark contrast between these two groups is due largely to the social context surrounding the subject of male crossdressing. For most males, dressing in women's clothing is not something to be taken lightly, and so most crossplayers choose either to take the approach of ironic humor (intentionally not passing), or that of the masquerade (attempting to pass).”

Crossplay and cosplay is a young person’s game and I am way past being a young person, but I can look on and appreciate the efforts the male-to-female crossplayers and cosplayers and think about what might have been.

 

Three crossplayers attending a recent convention. Guess which ones are femulating.

 

Wearing Pink Tartan.

Fall Fashion Finds

A recent preview of Avon products included two new dresses for the fall.

I bought one of each. They arrived Wednesday and when I tried them on, I was happy with the fit.

I am traveling on company business next week and will pack a couple of new dresses in case there is an opportunity after work to express myself.

 

Femulating model Andrej Pejic on the cover of GQ Australia, October/November 2013.

 

Model Suzy Parker, circa 1958.

It’s the law

“That’s the way it is and you will just have to get used to it,” she explained.

“But I prefer to wear girl’s clothes,” I pleaded.

“I know, sweetheart, but now it’s against the law for boys to dress like girls.”

“But I don’t know how to wear boy’s clothes,” I responded.

“Well, I’ll help you,” she said.

Most boys were already wearing boys’ clothes, but I was a stubborn little boy and would turn on the tears whenever she suggested I begin dressing like a boy. Until now, my tears had been successful, but they would not help me anymore because today the anti-female impersonation law went into effect, which ruled that boys had to dress like boys, not girls.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” she insisted.

Boys I knew who were already dressing like boys did get used to it after awhile, and many of them even liked it.

“Now take off your clothes and I will help you get dressed,” she said.

“And that's an order,” she added.

I quickly removed all my clothes and put them in a pile in the middle of the bedroom.

Next she handed me the first item of boy’s clothing to put on.

“Tell me if you need any help,” she proffered.

One-by-one, she handed me another item of boy’s clothing to put on and surprisingly, I needed very little help.

She insisted on showing me how to put on the pantyhose because, “You don’t want to run your very first pair.”

Other than that, I only asked for her assistance twice: to help me close the hooks on my bra and to zip up the back of my dress.

 

Contestants femulating in a recent Miss Relay for Life womanless beauty pageant.

 

Wearing Brahmin (purse).

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

I don't like lemonade, so when life gives me lemons, I go shopping!

I received a bushel of lemons yesterday and I am still upset about it today... so upset that I have not been able to concentrate on my work and have walked around the salt mine venting to anyone who will listen.

When I finally returned to my cubicle, I perused my e-mails and noticed one from Ultimate Outlet promoting a "40% Off Summer-Ready Skirts & Dresses" sale. To get my mind off my woes, I visited their website to see what they had.

A cute red and black, chevron print, sleeveless shift dress in my size caught my eye. It was marked down from $149 to $14.75! Factor in the 40% discount and the dress cost only $8.85!

How could I resist?

I ordered the dress as fast as my mouse would let me and enjoyed the short temporary relief that my shopping spree provided.

Coming Soon

crossplay

While digging the Internet yesterday, I viewed some photos of the costumed attendees at this past weekend's San Diego Comic Con. As an old comic book and science fiction fan, as well as a costume maker and wearer, I find the work that some of the attendees put into their costumes amazing.

Looking at the hundreds of photos online, my T-Dar kicked in and I believe I spotted a few males in female cosplay costume.

I have seen males in female cosplay costumes on a handful of occasions in the past, but it seemed to be more prevalent at the Comic-Con. This piqued my interest, so I decided to investigate and it did not take long to find out about the phenomena called "crossplay."

According to Wikipedia, "crossplay is cosplay in which the person dresses up as a character of the opposite gender." It is more popular with female cosplayers, but it is has picked up momentum among male cosplayers, too.

I poked around the Internet to find out more and a simple search of flickr on the word "crossplay" turned up 1200 photos like the one of Steve (above) dressed as a maid (note the convincing cleavage).

I also found a forum on Cosplay.com that reminds me of the forums I've seen on crossdressing Web sites covering such topics as how to tuck (for guys) and how to bind (for gals), how to add curves (for guys) and how to hide curves (for gals), and for guys and gals both, which bathroom to use?

Sometimes, it seems like I live in a cave and have to get out more. I knew nothing about crossplay until yesterday and now I am fascinated by the subject.

Although teenagers and young adults seem to represent the majority of cosplayers/crossplayers, older adults are participating, too. So, my age would not prevent me from crossplaying and the best part is that I would not have to dress my age!