Breaking News: Kandi Interviews Stana

Today, Kandi’s interview of me appears in her blog, Kandi’s Land. 

And so it goes!

What’s going on?

I have been an interested observer of the gender revolution for over 50 years. And it seems to me that today, more males want to be females than ever before and they are doing something about it.

Today, males are crossdressing with great abandon. 

Wig sellers claim that males are their biggest customers after cisgender women who need wigs for medical reasons. Similarly, males are the biggest customers for breast forms following woman who need forms for medical reasons.

Foundation sellers claim that males are their biggest customers for girdles and corsets – womenswear that were almost history, but have been brought back to life by the demand of males who are getting into female shape. 

Although, the majority of middle-aged and senior crossdressing males are still closeted, there is a growing minority, who are out and about experiencing the world as “weekend women.” And there is a subset, who have abandoned the male life altogether and are living full-time as females. As a result, consultants teaching males how to be females is a booming business.

Meanwhile, our female peers are less likely to present themselves in a classic feminine manner. Slacks and trousers have replaced skirts and dresses. Shorter, simpler haircuts are popular and many mature women have abandoned cosmetics as a frivolity rather than a necessity. Do middle-aged and senior crossdressing males miss the “classic feminine” females and are trying to fill the gap themselves? 

Younger crossdressing males are less closeted than their older sisters. They grew up in an era when crossdressing was more mainstream and more acceptable. They are often encouraged (or at least, not discouraged) to crossdress by their female peers, just as their mothers encouraged them in womanless beauty pageants that seem to be an integral part of 21st Century school life.

As more and more females become the breadwinners and relegate their husbands to househusbandry, there are cases where the male embraces the wifely role by crossdressing either voluntarily or by force from their spouse. Male housewife crossdressing is a very small segment of the gender revolution, but it does exist and if we believe that the “future is female,” it is likely to occur more frequently in the coming days.

The transsexual population is growing, too. The old joke (Question: What is the difference between a crossdresser and a transsexual? Answer: Two years) is not a joke. Many males find that crossdressing is a stepping-stone to transsexuality and today, it is easier than ever to get the hormones and surgery for a sex change. (As compared to the “good old days” when you had to live full-time as a female for a year before the doc would write you a prescription for hormones and beyond.)

Every week, another celebrity comes out as transsexual, transgender, gender fluid, etc. Trans people are showing up in films, television shows, as well as in the commercials that pay for the television shows. We are more mainstream than ever. And now we have the support of the federal government, so we are not going to fade away despite the wishes of the so-called “Christian” evangelicals.

So that’s what’s going on. The next question is “Where’s it going?” In the future, will you ask a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up – a girl or a boy?”

Wearing Moda Operandi

Nancy Ng dining in a Benihana-style eatery

Future Dressing

What will life be like for us girls in 25 years? Here are my predictions for where we will be in the year 2043.

It will be completely acceptable for males to dress however they please. Just as it is acceptable for females to wear male clothing today, it will be acceptable for males to wear female clothing in 2043.

There will be different degrees of how males adopt womenswear. At one end of the spectrum are guys who may on occasion wear a macho skirt, a manly pair of high heels and a little foundation, while at the other end of the spectrum will be the "femmen" (you know who you are), who will dress in womenswear all of the time. And nobody will hassle anyone for what they wear except maybe scolding those fellows wearing white frocks after Labor Day.

There will no longer be women's and men's restrooms; there will just be restrooms.

Clothing stores will no longer segregate their wares between women and men or girls and boys. Instead, the stores will have adult, young adult, and children's clothing departments.

Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) will be very common in 25 years because folks will be able to get SRS on demand just like cosmetic surgery can be had on demand today. Folks with and without gender dysphoria will be able to change genders and the results will be more satisfactory because of advances in the surgical procedures.

All health insurance plans will cover gender-related procedures, either as basic coverage or as an option like some plans offer vision and dental coverage as an add-on expense today. For example, if you were contemplating SRS, you could opt for gender coverage and it would not be an expensive add-on because the procedure will be so common in 25 years.

By 2043, you will be able to live in whatever gender role you prefer. When someone asks a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" the anticipated answer will be "girl" or "boy" and not a career choice. Females can be as macho as they want to be and males can be as feminine as they want to be.

What a wonderful world it will be!

(Caveat Emptor: This is an update of a post I posted in the past.)

Wearing Joie (Source: Intermix)

Michael Baird (right) femulates in the St. Louis stage production of Devil Boys from Beyond.

Husbands, Wives and Breasts

In this day and age, it seems absurd that husbands still want wives with big breasts, but they do.

With that in mind, my parents started me on a regimen of hormone supplements as I approached puberty. The purpose of the hormones was to help me achieve a state of pulchritude that would make me more attractive to the opposite sex and eventually snag me a husband.

When I began taking the supplements, I had big expectations. My budding breasts seemed to outgrow my training bra overnight and I was soon sporting a new A-cup bra. However, as all my friends moved up the bra cup alphabet, my breasts refused to grow any larger. I was stuck at an A-cup even after the doctor increased the dosage of my hormones.

As I neared my sweet sixteen birthday with nary a date in sight, Mom offered me breast implants as a birthday gift. But I was adamant that no surgeon was going to take a scalpel to my surgically virgin body, so I refused.

Although I lacked bountiful breasts, I had other attractive features including a pair of long shapely to-die-for legs. To show them off, I always wore the shortest skirts and highest heels. On a few occasions, I was sent home from school because my skirts were so short that they revealed other assets.

Nevertheless, I built my wardrobe around mini-skirts and mini-dresses hoping to attract someone who preferred well-turned ankles over well-rounded breasts.

After graduating from high school, I became a receptionist at a high-tech engineering firm where I attracted a design engineer who was an unabashed leg aficionado. We dated for six months, then she asked for my hand in marriage.

We just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary and she still likes me to show off my legs. (She tells everyone, "He has the best legs in town.")

As her obedient and dutiful wife, I willingly comply and wear skirts or dresses and high heels throughout my day.

Wearing Chloe

Charles Demetri

Misfit

Alli Cummings was different than the others.

Other 12-year-olds were giddy about getting their first training bras, but not Alli, who was completely satisfied wearing a T-shirt.

Other pre-teens were experimenting with makeup and hairdos trying to look as pretty as possible, but not Alli, who had absolutely no interest in such feminine matters.

Instead of becoming a lady, Alli was becoming a misfit and Alli's parents were worried.

Alli's mom did not have time to deal with Alli. She worked all day and expected her better half to take care of any child-rearing issues.

One evening after dinner, Alli's mom demanded, "You have to do something about Alli!"

Alli's dad deferred, "Yes, dear. I know. I'll have a talk with Alli soon."

The next day, when Alli's dad heard Alli come home from school, he called out from the kitchen, "Alli, I want to speak with you."

"OK, Dad," Alli called back.

Alli shuffled to kitchen worried that something was wrong.

In the kitchen. Alli's dad was wearing his gauzy periwinkle apron and had his shoulder-length hair pulled back in a ponytail so as not to get in the way as he prepared dinner. When he saw Alli, his face brightened and he broke out in a big smile. "Hello, Sweetie."

"Hi, Daddy."

Alli was relieved by the big smile; maybe Alli was not in trouble after all.

"Sit down. We need to talk."

Now Alli was not so sure about being in trouble or not, and sat down on a chair at the kitchen table.

Alli's dad wiped his hands with a towel, then walked over to the table with his high heels clicking loudly on the tile floor. As he sat, he smoothed the skirt of his housedress under him, then crossed his legs at the ankles.

"So, Alli, what are your future plans?"

"What do you mean, Daddy."

"Well, what do you want to be when you grow up? A man or a wo-man?"

Alli was upset by the question. No one wanted to be a man and Alli was surprised that his dad would suggest that Alli would choose such a lowly status in life.

"I want to be a wo-man, of course," Alli replied.

"I'm glad to hear that," Alli's dad responded, "But actions speak louder than words and your actions tell me that you want to be a man, not a wo-man."

"Why do you say that, Daddy?"

"All the boys your age are getting into girly things, but you are still acting like a boy. I was talking with Mrs. Reardon the other day and he was bragging to me about how your best friend Timmi was becoming such a young wo-man. His dad said that Timmi has been wearing a training bra and corset for months and wears skirts and dresses now. And he had his first appointment at the beauty salon just last week."

"I know," Alli replied, "Timmi is so girly now just like Ralphi and Franni."

"Don't you want to be girly, too?"

"I do, but I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?"

"Ralphi said that when a girly boy turns 14, he has to have an operation and they cut off his privates."

"No, no. no. There is no operation. When you turn 14, you will go to the doctor and she shows you how to tuck your privates up between your legs. Then she will fit you with a femulator to keep your privates in place."

"But how will I pee if my privates are tucked up between my legs?"

"You'll have to sit on the toilet to pee and when you are done, you will have to wipe yourself dry with bathroom tissue.... just like a real woman. There's nothing to it!"

"So that's all... there's no operation?"

"No operation at all, Sweetie."

"That's great news, Daddy!"

"Any other questions, Alli? I have to get going and finish getting dinner ready before Mother comes home from work."

"Just one question, Daddy."

"What is it, Alli?"

"How soon can I start becoming a wo-man?"

Alli's dad was so happy to hear Alli's question that he wiped a tear from his eye as he answered, "We can start right after dinner. Mother bought you a training bra and a corset months ago in the hope that you were ready to go girly. I'll show you how to put on the bra and I will help you with your corset. Then I'll show you how to use makeup and if we have time, we can paint your nails and put your hair up in curlers. How does that sound?"

"I can't wait to go girly, Daddy."

"I can't wait for you to go girly, too, Alli."

Wearing Ann Taylor

Actors femulating in a 2014 Philadelphia stage production of As You Like It.

Like I Said

Blogger Peter Lappin of Male Pattern Boldness fame had a real life experience that affirmed some of what I wrote about in my Thursday Future Dressing post.

Here is the link to the Peter's pertinent post and I urge you to read it, but here are a couple of takeaways from the post which told about his visit to a Comme des Garcons store in the city to research his men's skirt sewing project

"Friends, I couldn't even tell which areas in the store were for men and which were for women..."

"The young male sales assistant who helped me was wearing the skirt posted up top, only with black leggings (not quite tights), colored socks and black shoes."

Admittedly, this occurred in New York City and you will not have the same experience in a clothing store in downtown Podunk (or the Podunk mall). But it's a start!

 

 

 

Student actor femulating in a 2013 stage play at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Mass.

 

 

 

Wearing Rag & Bone bag.

Future Dressing

A modern male and female.*

What will life be like for us girls in 25 years? Here are my predictions for where we will be in the year 2039.

It will be completely acceptable for males to dress however they please. Just as it is acceptable for females to wear male clothing today, it will be acceptable for males to wear female clothing in 2039.

There will be different degrees of how males adopt womenswear. At one end of the spectrum are guys who may on occasion wear a macho skirt, a manly pair of heels and a little foundation, while at the other end of the spectrum will be the "femmen" (you know who you are), who will dress in womenswear all of the time. And nobody will hassle anyone for what they wear except maybe scolding those fellows wearing white frocks after Labor Day.

There will no longer be women's and men's restrooms; there will just be restrooms.

Clothing stores will no longer segregate their wares between women and men or girls and boys. Instead, the stores will have adult, young adult, and children's departments.

Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) will be very common in 20 years because folks will be able to get SRS on demand just like cosmetic surgery can be had on demand today. Folks with and without gender dysphoria will be able to change genders and the results will be more satisfactory because of advances in the surgical procedures.

All health insurance plans will cover gender-related procedures, either as basic coverage or as an option like some plans offer vision and dental coverage as an add-on expense today. For example, if you were contemplating SRS, you could opt for gender coverage and it would not be an expensive add-on because the procedure will be so common in 20 years.

By 2039, you will be able to live in whatever gender role you prefer. When someone asks a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" the anticipated answer will be "girl" or "boy" and not a career choice. Females can be as macho as they want to be and males can be as feminine as they want to be.

What a wonderful world it will be!

*   I replaced the original photo that appeared at the top of the post after Glori discovered and commented that the photo depicted two transwomen.

 

 

 

Brigham Morris Young femulating as “Madam Pattirini” circa 1900.

 

 

 

Wearing Madeleine.

my horoscope

Usually, I don't read horoscopes. But last night, while reading the new issue of Harper's Bazaar, I noticed that their horoscope page featured the horoscope for Pisces (my sign), so I read it and here is how it read:

"The expectation in the air as you anticipate a change is making you nervous, and you find yourself torn between feeling trapped by others and wanting to pursue your own agenda. You also have to decide whether you have a right to break free or need to honor your obligations. Only searching your heart can help you with this."

Wow! That is so on the money that I could not believe it. When I read it, I felt like someone knew exactly what is going on in my head. It gave me pause.