DES and Male Femininity

As best as I can recall, I started crossdressing 70 years ago and have spent 70 years trying to figure out why. I have read a few theories, but none of them were an exact fit for me except the DES theory, which I have written about here on a few occasions.

Exploring AI, I asked about the connection between DES and male femininity and it returned an excellent summary on the topic including some information that I was unaware of. I think you will find it interesting especially if you are a Baby Boomer, so I am posting AI’s thoughts about DES and us. 

1. What DES Is

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen first developed in 1938. From the 1940s to the early 1970s, it was prescribed to millions of pregnant women worldwide under the mistaken belief that it would prevent miscarriage and complications. It did not work — and, worse, it caused long-term health issues in those exposed in utero (before birth).

2. DES Sons and Feminization

When a pregnant woman took DES, the fetus — whether male or female — was exposed to very high levels of estrogen.

For males exposed prenatally, researchers later found a number of effects that could be considered feminizing or endocrine-disruptive:

Physical and anatomical effects: smaller genitalia, undescended testes, structural anomalies in the reproductive tract.

Hormonal and developmental effects: evidence suggests some experienced altered hormone sensitivity or differences in secondary sex characteristics.

Psychological and identity aspects: a number of adult “DES sons” have reported increased feelings of gender variance or feminine identity traits, though this is not universal. Some of these reports have been collected in support groups and academic surveys since the 1990s.

These outcomes align with what’s known about estrogen’s role in brain sexual differentiation — meaning that exposure during key fetal periods can influence later gender expression or identity.

3. Social and Psychological Dimensions

In the 1980s–2000s, some men who discovered they were “DES sons” began reflecting on their lifelong sense of being more sensitive, gentle, or even feminine compared to their peers. For a few, this led to cross-gender identification or crossdressing, which they sometimes connected to their prenatal exposure.

While direct causation is impossible to prove, many find comfort and meaning in the idea that their traits have a biological, estrogen-linked origin rather than being merely “psychological” or “cultural.”

4. The Broader Symbolism

Culturally, DES has become a kind of metaphor for:

Unintended feminization through modern science

The fragility of traditional masculinity under biological or social change

The ethics of hormonal interference — a theme echoed in current debates about endocrine disruptors and gender identity.

In feminist and speculative circles, DES exposure is sometimes seen as an early real-world instance of “male feminization by medicine” — not as a fantasy, but as a historical example of how fragile sexual dimorphism can be when hormones are altered.

5. Today’s Understanding

Modern research frames DES as a potent endocrine disruptor, and its history is a cautionary tale about medical hubris. It also intersects with studies of gender diversity, since it highlights how early hormonal environments can shape traits far beyond the visible anatomy.

I don't know if my mother was prescribed DES, but I do know that she had a miscarriage before she had me, so she was definitely a DES candidate. 

And so it goes.

Wearing Ramy Brook dress and Gucci bag.

Șerban Copoț and Cezar Ouatu femulating Alice & Ellen Kessler on Romanian television’s Te Cunosc De Undeva.
Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.

Stuff 95: The Writing Process

By J.J. Atwell

Probably Boring

This installment of Stuff may be boring to you. Today I’m going to give you some insight into why I write and what goes on behind the scenes to generate this Stuff. I’ll understand if you simply move on to other, more interesting things on the internet. Perhaps one of the blogs Stana lists on the side of this page may be of interest? 

Before going much further I’d like to remind you that despite having a wide-ranging audience for Stuff (thank you, Stana), I am not an expert on our condition. I only write about my perspective and observations as a crossdresser. 

As I mentioned in previous installments of Stuff, I have an opinion about everything and I’m not afraid to say it. I find that writing is actually therapeutic for me. I hope when you read it you’ll find it therapeutic as well.

Subjects

Some of you may be wondering how I come up with the subjects to write about. There are basically two sources of Stuff. One is the various emails and comments that readers of Stuff send me using the link below or via the comment section. Many of you have what I consider very interesting views. Some of those comments have opened up new vistas for me and I thank you. Have you made a suggestion that I didn’t follow up on? It could be a couple of reasons.  I either just haven’t gotten to it yet or I don’t know enough about the subject to write anything useful. 

The second source for Stuff is just random things that pop into my head from time to time. I do some of my most creative thinking while in the shower. Some people sing, I think. Take that as you may. 

So when a new thought comes up, I put it on a list of subjects for future Stuff. Sometimes I do more research before getting to the topic. Other times I rely on my own experiences. 

The Hook

Having decided what to write about for an installment of Stuff, I think it’s important to have a subject line (AKA the “hook”) that will get your attention and prompt you to read further. By nature, I prefer subject lines that are humorous. I’m also a fan of puns, so you may find quite a few punny subject lines. I make no apologies for my puns. 

The Body

I learned to write with basic grammatical style in the business world. My writing is not creative writing like you would find in a novel. It’s not great English literature. Instead I’m writing to convey information. That means structuring thoughts into concise paragraphs. Paragraphs that have a subject and supporting sentences. New subject = new paragraph. 

MEGO

I try to keep paragraphs short, although I often fail at that. I believe that a long, unbroken paragraph leads to MEGO. Have you heard of that acronym before? My Eyes Glaze Over? That’s the effect a person gets when faced with something long and potentially boring. By now many of you have developed MEGO reading my Stuff. Sorry. I’ve failed like that many a time. But a good failure is important from time to time as long as you learn from them. That’s something you should apply to your CDing life, too.

I’ll Be Back

There will be more Stuff, hopefully including some topics you suggested. As always comments are welcome either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. JJ is always looking for more stuff, so if there is something you would like to read about, please let me know!

Wearing Raquel Welch

Scott Thompson, Mark McKinney, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley femulating on Canadian television’s The Kids In The Hall.

The Fall

Life’s Short

Wearing Mac Duggal

Dieter Borsche femulating in the 1951 West German film Fanfaren der Liebe.

Click here to view this film on YouTube.

The Sound of Music... Again! (Part 2)

By Norah Blucher

The Dangers of Traveling Female

By and large, I have few issues in all my travels en femme. No one seems to pay me much attention and I just sort of blend in with any other woman out and about, but sometimes it can still get creepy. Whether through conscious thought or not, you start learning to bypass places that just do not look quite right. You pump your petrol before it gets dark if you can and you just begin to notice things you never did as male or perhaps they just did not happen as male.

I was on back roads most of this trip and I pulled into a petrol station to top off. It was an established chain and appeared very clean and I had no issues whatsoever as I went in to pay and a kind chap even stopped and waited for me to come to the door to hold it open for me to enter on his way out! I picked up a cold drink, paid and went back out to fill my car.

It was after filling up though and getting back in the car that I glanced to the side and noticed the chap who had held the door for me just sitting in his truck and staring at me. As I started my car to pull off, he started his truck and drove off in an unhurried fashion. I’ve no idea if he was trying to figure me out or liked what he saw and was waiting till the end of the show or what, but whatever the case may be, it just struck me as odd. Had it been late I night I would likely have been a bit more creeped-out for sure, but I just tell you all this so that you are aware of your surroundings. Being out and about as female can be a whole different ball of yarn indeed.

The Road to Berlin

As I got back into New Hampshire, I once again saw the breathtaking views of the high peaks of the Presidential Range and stopped to take a quick picture, but I had once again had enough of the heat and decided to do my weekly shopping at a Walmart and cool down again before continuing home in the coolness of the darker hours. In keeping with my Von Trapp-themed day, I pulled into Berlin, New Hampshire, in the northern reaches of the state.

I was not sure what to expect to be right honest. I’m regularly out and about in southern New Hampshire and it has always been a fab place all around. The northern part of the state is a bit more remote and I do not get up that way much let alone en femme, so I was not entirely sure what to expect out and about as Norah.

All in all though, I must say it was an altogether unexciting experience. I felt I stood out a bit more than I do in other places and I’m sure a bubbly girl in wedge heels with a British accent is not the most frequent sight in an area where wellies are the dominant footwear and one can ride their ATV to the corner market, but by and large, no one paid me much attention. No stares in an approving or disapproving manner and as far as anyone knew, I was likely nothing more than another summer tourist passing through.

I did spy a Marshall’s on my way into town, and had the same pleasant experience I usually expect anywhere else. Just pleasant hello’s or excuse me’s as I browsed the clothing racks among other women. I had long shopped for female clothing while out and about as a male, though I always felt a tinge of uneasiness whenever doing so. It has still not gotten old how free I feel out and about now as Norah and feeling no hesitation while browsing or trying things on even.

I did manage to find a full length-mirror though, so you can at least see what the travel skirt looked like.

Home At Last

I finally returned home after making the final leg in the relative coolness of darkness. It was probably not all that cool actually, but just felt so much better without the glaring heat of the sun. It was rather late and I was knackered as usual, but despite the heat, I had no real complaints.

So this one was for you Elise! I’ve met a Femulate reader or two out and about in my travels, but indeed the spirit of all my supporters is always with me when I’m out.

So loves, I hope you enjoyed all of this even if I did not find a dirndl and twirl around in the hills. Probably best I did not anyway as my singing would likely have caused the forest creatures to flee faster than they did from the fire in Bambi lol.

If you’ve any questions or comments, please write in the comments below or you can email me at nblucher at-sign proton dot me.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Dick Martin femulating on television’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.

The Sound of Music... Again!

By Norah Blucher

Okay so perhaps I’m not always the most creative with titles as I’ve used this one before, but in a slightly different context when I went to the symphony. It did however elicit quite a reaction from longtime Femulate reader Elise who has an adoration for the film by the same name and all things alpine complete with dirndls. I must admit I’ve since bought the movie, but have yet to watch it. However when I had the opportunity to have a real life Sound of Music experience I could not let Elise down and jumped at the chance! Sort of.

Some Like It Hot!

I’d long read how many femulators go into hibernation in the summer and even Stana did so in her early days. I started going out last fall and figured I would do the same, but as the seasons passed and summer approached I abandoned all intentions of the sort and resigned to just deal with it as stepping out as female had just become my default state in many ways.

And oh my did I get a lot of bloody practice for sure! My first summer out and about as a woman was one of the hottest I ever remember in New England and right at the start the air conditioner in my car decided it had sung its last song. And it was in this situation I found myself heading home from a sweltering trip to Vermont. It had been a fab trip for sure and I recently wrote about my dinner cruise on the same trip, but now it was time to head home.

It was on this trip I came to adore the travel skirt a staple which would serve me well throughout the sweltering summer. I’m not sure if travel skirt is the proper name, but it is what I came to call the cool simple flowy wrinkle-resistant skirts used by so many women while traveling or on holiday. You can roll them in a ball in your suitcase and they unpack with nary a wrinkle to speak of.

The largely water-resistant makeup routine I adopted while skiing also served me well, though this time the water was from me and not the weather lol. I also returned to my longer hair again as the wefted cap of that one was a right bit cooler especially when tied up off my neck with a clip.

And so hoping for the best I set out from Burlington hoping, I would make it home before the turkey popper popped and my goose was cooked.

The Hills Are Alive!

I drove in my oven toward Stowe where I planned to visit the Von Trapp House of The Sound of Music fame. If you recall, the Von Trapp family eventually fled the Nazis and settled in the rather alpine setting of the mountains of northern Vermont. And though I do think it is much newer than the original Von Trapp house, a brewery nearby also bears their name as well.

It was a very pretty drive for sure along back country roads through the verdant Vermont hills, but by the time I reached the Von Trapp brewery, I was afraid my makeup may have melted off and I was just ready to get out of the rolling oven I was calling a car. I checked my makeup and though it did not look the most smashing, it was still holding up better than I expected so I made my way inside.

To my dismay, I discovered they had all the doors open as the brewery had no air conditioning! Ugh! Many places in the northern tier of New England can still be found without air conditioning as it is not often needed, but today was certainly a day it was. Anyway, as the hostess seated me, I noticed many others were in my predicament, too.

Not that the brewery was terribly crowded midday during the week, but as I sipped a soda and awaited my schnitzel and spaetzle, I scanned the room and outside patio and saw every other woman was not exactly the picture of beauty when it is 95 degrees out and none of them were letting it bother them and neither was I! Though I was not looking exactly my best, no one seemed to take notice of me either.

The food was absolutely delicious and even though I was at a brewery I did not try any beer. It was much too hot for any alcohol and I’m more of a wine or gin girl anyway. I still had to drive as well, but not before taking a peek at the actual brewery!

I perused the gift shop before departing, but sadly dirndls were not to be had. So back into the oven it was for the short trip to the lodge.

Von Trapp Family Lodge

I’d been all over Vermont over a decade ago, but had not ventured to the Von Trapp Family Lodge and it was rather impressive. It truly looked like something out the Alps and I half expected Julie Andrews to come outside and start twirling around.

That was not to be however, but they did have a lot of hiking biking and other sorts of outdoor activities at the site and some crazy fools were even doing them in the blasted heat of the day. I decided upon something more my speed for a hot summer day and browsed the air-conditioned gift shop and even tried on a summer dress which I ended up not getting as it just did not look good on me.

Overall I found people most friendly and either I was passing or no one gave a hoot what I was.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Norah’s roadtrip in tomorrow’s post. In the meantime, if you’ve any questions or comments, please write in the comments below or you can email Norah at nblucher at-sign proton dot me.

Wearing Boston Proper

Lee Bennett femulating in the 1946 film Scared to Death. I started watching this film on TCM because it was a rare Bela Lugosi flick – rare in that it was in color (almost all of the other films Lugosi appeared in were in black and white). I had no idea that the film had a femulation, which occurred in the last few minutes of the film. When the film ended, I rewound the film to the femulation scene and took some shots with my iPhone. 

Are Younger Women More Open To Crossdressers?

Emma Davies commented on Sunday’s “The ‘Extra Hour of Sleep’ Post” as follows:

The last two funnies did make me wonder of the experiences of others. I have found that younger women are becoming more open to my dressing nowadays. Are others feeling that they are seeing similar ? Has (social) media coverage affected attitudes? Just a thought. 

Before I expressed my thoughts on the question, I asked AI, “Are younger women becoming more open to men who crossdress nowadays?”

Here is AI’s response:

Given the existing evidence, I think it’s plausible that younger women as a group are somewhat more open to men who cross-dress than older women, for the following reasons:

1. Because younger women tend to embrace less rigid gender norms, they may be more receptive to non-traditional gender expression in partners.
2. The increasing visibility of gender non-normative dress, plus cultural shifts around masculinity and femininity, likely lower the stigma surrounding men wearing “feminine” clothing or cross-gender style.
3. Anecdotal accounts (though not rigorous) suggest that women often express positive or curious responses to male cross-dressers.

However — and this is key — becoming more open does not mean broad acceptance across all younger women, or that dating/relationship dynamics automatically shift. Individual attitudes will vary a lot based on culture, region, background, personal values, religious or community norms, and the context (casual vs committed relationship).

I am no expert, but my experience being out en femme for several years confirms reason 3. In general, women my age (the Boomers) are usually not thrilled with my crossdressing, while younger women are usually “positive or curious.”

The Boomers

A long-time family friend ended our friendship when she found out that I crossdressed. (She never saw me crossdressed; she just heard about it.)

Another close friend, who is very LGBT+ friendly, is not a fan. (She only saw me dressed on a couple of Halloweens.)

An in-law thought I was mentally ill. (She never saw me dressed.)

Another in-law socialized with me en femme, but she was always very uncomfortable when she did.

And so it goes with most female Boomers.

The Youngsters

The 20-, 30- and 40-something women at work were very supportive. As one remarked to me, she always looked forward to see how I looked en femme and I “never disappointed.”

When shopping en femme, young saleswoman in general are friendlier than older saleswomen although admittedly they are in it for the money. 

The times I went out en femme with my daughter, I was her “aunt” unless we encountered one of her friends and then she introduced me as her father. After the shock wore off, her friends were always friendly with me and treated me as one of the girls. (Even her guy friends were OK with “Aunty.”)

So my personal anecdotal evidence agrees with AI’s reason number 3. How about you?

Wearing Boston Proper

Thomas Kuc and Benjamin Flores, Jr. femulating on television’s Game Shakers.

Stuff 94: Coming to Terms with Terms

By J.J. Atwell

Terms?

Terms can be helpful when describing ourselves or others. But terms can also turn into horrible traps. Some terms are benign. Like him or her. Others are loaded with mostly negative connotations. I’m actually going to avoid some of those terms in this installment, but I’m sure you can think of some on your own. 

Try not to be offensive. Your terms are your choice. It seems to me that there are many terms we adopt when referring to our femme self. Notice I said “we.” I’m sure that each of us has a preferred term that they use when describing what we do.

My Terms

I generally refer to myself as a CD, short for crossdresser. To me it accurately describes what I do. When I was first starting out, the commonly used term was transvestite (TV), which is basically the Latin term for the same thing. However, in my mind the term transvestite has mostly negative connotations. Perhaps not in your mind. 

I love the term that Stana has coined, femulate. It’s so descriptive!! We are doing our best to emulate females. Being new it hasn’t yet acquired the negative baggage that some terms have over the years so that’s also a plus. However, since it is new it’s not in general use when describing our community. 

How about TG (transgender) or TS (transsexual)? Two fairly technical/medical terms that get tossed around generally to designate those of us who actually seek to transition from male-to-female in real life. At least that’s how I look at it, but please continue reading below.

For those of you that follow my writing, I’m curious as to what term you would prefer? I just had a discussion about this with one of the other members of my local group and she said she prefers TG to describe her. No, she is not going to transition. She just believes that TG is a nicer term than CD. So, there is another point about how terms we use can be misunderstood by others. Whatever you do, please respect the other person’s preferred terms. 

Drag queen is another popular term to describe men dressing as women. To my mind, this describes someone who is an entertainer. They often dress “over the top” when performing to attract attention. Many drag queens do present as believable females, but it seems it’s always with a wink and a nod. If you’re a drag queen, go ahead and wear that badge proudly while you enjoy your presentation. If you’re a CD who likes to emulate the drag queens when you go out then by all means, go ahead and own it!

Is Your Name A Term?

Long time readers of Stuff will recall in Stuff 22, back on December 11, 2023, I talked about how we pick out our nom de femme. I attempted to make a point about how we sometimes use different names for the same thing. Like that old English poet wrote about the smell of roses. Sadly, it seems that today what we call things can be divisive. What is a rose to some people can be skunk cabbage to others. 

But can our femme name be considered a term? I suppose it can be. Especially a name like Sheila (in Australia, that name is used for any woman) or Cissy/Sissy which some women use to denote a family relationship. And Missy would be another instance where a name would also be considered a term. I’m sure you can think of others too.

So, why do we care? Well, actually I don’t. I’m happy to use whatever terms you prefer and hope you’ll do the same. Once again, I’m just trying to get you, dear reader, to think outside the box. It’s fun!!!

I’ll Be Back

Thank you for reading my term paper! I’ll be finding more Stuff to write about. I welcome comments and suggestions here on Stana’s page or by email at Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Shein

Alan Sues femulating on television’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.