Getting Fit

In the past, I have complained here that after losing weight, many of my shoes are loose. 

Elegantly walking in heels is difficult if your stilettos are loose. I have tried various inserts to pad out my loose shoes, but they do not help much. They work if your shoes are slightly loose, but if your shoes are a size too big, then they are useless. The only fix is to purchase new shoes in a smaller size. 

Brick and mortar Payless is long gone and there are no stores around here that carry shoes in sizes that my feet require, so online shopping is the only option. But I have been leery about that option because I am not sure what size I need. I assume size 11-1/2 or 11 would fit, but who knows!

Online Christmas shopping last week, I decided to do some shopping for myself and at the top of my wish list were heels that fit. I searched Amazon and found a pair of patent leather stiletto pointed toe 2.5-inch mid-heel pumps by a company called Odernee.

I decided what they heck and ordered the heels in the nude patent color size 11 and they arrived two days later. I tried them on and was happy with the fit. They are comfortably tight and will not fall off my feet. 

And I was so happy with my purchase that I ordered another pair in black patent. (By the way, the shoes come in a huge variety of colors.)

Wearing Ann Taylor

A German professional femulator, circa 1910.

Why do you wear high heels?

I receive email advertisements regularly from Abby at Vivian Lou. (I am a very satisfied customer of their weight-shifting insoles for high heels.) The following email ad showed up in my inbox recently and I thought I would share it with you since many of the readers here are high heel fans.

Women wear heels for a variety of reasons.

Dolly Parton has said she wears heels to lift her spirits.

Shoe designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal wears heels to feel taller, sexier, more confident, powerful, and glamorous.

French fashion icon Carine Roitfeld wears heels to move, sit and speak differently.

Fashion designer Monique Lhuillier wears heels to feel empowered. 

Rocker Lita Ford wears heels for attitude.

The former editor-in-chief of British Vogue Alexandra Shulman said, “Wearing a heel gives you a completely different feel about your body. In my case, it makes me feel in control.”

Whatever your reason for wearing high heels, it is our mission to help women like you - and the ones listed above - wear high heels 4x longer without pain so we can focus more on our dreams and less on our feet.

Here's to high heels without the hurt!

Cheers!

Abby

So, why do you wear high heels?

.

Wearing Venus

Tam Williams femulating on British television’s A Touch of Frost.
You can view this episode of A Touch of Frost on YouTube.

Office Girl Review

I have been retired for five years. I don’t miss work much, but I do miss going to work as an office girl on Halloween. 

I did it seven times. The first two times (2000 and 2003), the company sponsored a costume contest. (I won both times.) The last five times (2012 to 2016), there was no contest – I just used the holiday as an excuse to crossdress in public (among the civilians).

With only six weeks left to do your Halloween shopping, I decided to review my seven appearances at work as my real self. As a bonus, I also included my office girl appearances at the company Christmas parties in 2017 and 2018 (I was retired by then, but was invited back for the parties).

Halloween at work in 2000, 2003 and 2012

Halloween at work in 2013, 2014 and 2015

Halloween at work in 2016. Christmas party in 2017 and 2018.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Thiago Fragoso femulating on Brazil television’s Sexo Fragil

Got Balance?

In light of my ever advancing age, my love of four-inch stilettos and my recent tumble down the stairs in heels, I am rerunning this story about the benefits of wearing high heels.

According to a story in the Daily Mail, “When it comes to high heels, surprisingly, experts believe that wearing them into our 70s may actually help protect us from falls, by maintaining our sense of balance.

“‘Most high heels have a very small surface area to walk on, so you need a good sense of balance and proprioception [a sense of how various parts of the body move relative to each other] to be able to walk in them,’ explains Christopher Walker, a consultant in trauma and orthopaedic surgery at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

“‘This means that because of wearing high heels, women have a very good sense of balance.’

“Balance involves the brain processing vast amounts of information from different areas, including the eyes, muscles and balance mechanisms in the ear.

“Heels challenge your sense of balance which, over years, hones these mechanisms.

“If women stop wearing heels, their sense of balance can actually deteriorate, adds Mr Walker, who also works at the Bone and Joint Centre, Spire Liverpool Hospital.”

Read the rest the Daily Mail story here.

Wearing ROCOCO SAND

Femulating men at work, circa 1955

Superficially Yours

In her post on Friday, Hannah McKnight wrote, “I would love to hear something you love about yourself, something that you love about who you are. I want to hear your shallowest, most superficial thoughts.”

Naturally, I could not resist such an invitation and I submitted the following as a comment to Hannah’s post.

I love carrying a designer handbag. Any thoughts about me being a guy are swept away by a bag hanging from my limp wrist.

Don’t know if I have Gynecomastia or not, but I do know that I have breasts that are large enough to fill a size 42B bra without inserts, pads or any other assistance. And when I slip on my bra, I love finding those two perky mounds on my chest (it never gets old).

Mom had shapely legs. When she worked in an office before she married, her nickname was “Legs.” Like mother, like daughter, I inherited my mother legs and a transman once dubbed me “Leggy.” I love being my mother’s daughter.

Of course, “Legs” loved high heels, always wore them when she went out and she owned a closet full. Again like mother, like daughter, I love high heels, always wear them when I go out and I own a closet full (over 100 pairs).

I love being a feminine man. When I am en homme, it can be a hindrance, but it works so well for me when I am en femme that I would not have it any other way.

Making up my face is something I always look forward to. I love the process, the tricks, the shortcuts and especially the results. After I do my makeup, slip on my wig and look in the mirror, it is always an aha moment! (Yes, I am a woman.)

Wearing Rene Ruiz

The always lovely Hannah McKnight

Catch Up

I took a 10-day break from blog writing, although I did keep the blog rolling with daily Someday Funnies. The break was health-related. Diagnosed with osteoarthritis, I was (and still am) exhausted from dealing with its symptoms.

During the break, I received some emails that have gone unanswered, but I promise to catch up and answer them this week.

On Thursday, I was evaluated for physical therapy and will begin sessions twice a week starting tomorrow. 

During the evaluation, I asked the therapist if I will be able to wear high heels again and she laughed at my “joke.”

When I indicated that my question was serious, she was noncommittal replying that it depends on how well my therapy goes. Then she asked if I really wear high heels?

I opened my iPhone and showed her a photo of me in heels. She was amazed and said that I will have to visit the office in heels after my therapy is over. 

Wearing Khaite

Actor Randy Thompson

Yes, that's me!

When I saw this image on Pinterest, I thought that there was a lot of truth to it.

When I am not presenting as a woman and I see another woman who has her act together, I admire her, but I am jealous, too --- jealous that I am not dressed like she is.

High heels always does it for me. In my opinion, if a woman is wearing heels, it is likely that her overall appearance is pulled together.

So whenever I hear the clicking sound of high heels, I look to see where the sound is coming from and I am usually rewarded with the vision of a well-dressed woman. Then I become envious and wish I was in her shoes literally.

I also get crabby when I am in boy mode, but when I present as a woman, I am relaxed, comfortable and generally happy.

So I will admit it: I am a girl!

Wearing Boston Proper

Cyrsti is a 70+ year old retired transgender veteran living with her partner of ten years in the southwestern Ohio. For the past seven years or so, she has authored Cyrsti's Transgender Condo Blog, which is updated nearly daily with trans opinion, news and personal insight. Cyrsti’s favorite photo comes from one of her favorite evenings, an anniversary Creole dinner with her partner Liz, who was so instrumental in helping her to come out and live full time as a transgender woman.

Making Michelle’s Year!

Michelle thanked me for posting her photo in the Femulator slot on Thursday, then added the following note.

I had a seminar to attend at an Atlantic City casino in October. I thought I was safe because they had express check-in that I signed up for online. But when I arrived, the kiosks were not working and I was dressed similar to my Femulator photo. I had to decide if I go up to the front desk as Michelle or go back to the car and change. I decided to go as Michelle (your inspiration).

I knew I would have to provide ID (my male driver’s license). Well, to my surprise, the lady at the desk asked for the ID and a credit card (I have one in Michelle’s name). She looked at the license, then me with somewhat of an odd look. She went to a back office without the license and then returned, finished the check-in and said to me, “Welcome, Michelle, and I hope you have a nice stay.”

And she added, “I didn’t know you were crossdresser at first, but you look very pretty.” 

Talk about making my year, but then seeing my picture on your website, Wow o Wow. I’m smiling all the way to New Year’s Eve!

Xmas Xdress

Found this image on reddit.

The accompanying text reads, “Found a photo of my grandfather doing drag at a company christmas [sic] party. Some time in the 1960s.” In the Soviet Union no less!

I thought attending company Christmas parties en femme was a recent development in the femulating community. I guess not!

Wearing Rue La La

Femulate reader, Mary Peters

A Fix

Writing about my recent day out, I mentioned that after losing 25 pounds, my feet are now smaller (by a half size or more). During my day out, my feet were swimming in shoes that used to fit fine and after awhile, they hurt badly.

I fixed the problem temporarily by stuffing facial tissues into the toes of my shoes so that they fit tighter, but I needed to do something permanent to fix the problem since I have about 100 pairs of shoes that were now too big.

Searching Amazon, I found two products that proffered help: Adjustable Toe Filler Inserts and Half Insole Shoe Fillers. I ordered both and tried them out as soon as they arrived at Femulate Headquarters.

The Adjustable Toe Filler Inserts approximated what I did with the facial tissues stuffed into the toes of my shoes. However, these were adjustable by removing a strip of foam in the center of the Toe Filler Inserts. Also, you can adjust them further by trimming the inserts with scissors. For very oversized shoes, you use these inserts as is. For shoes that were oversized, but not by a lot, you remove the foam strip. For shoes just slightly oversized, you trim the inserts as needed.

The Half Insole Shoe Fillers fit under the toes and ball of the foot and basically lift that part of your foot upwards to fill the empty space the shoes.

Both products require no adhesives and are washable and reusable.

I experimented with a pair of slingback 4-inch high heel pumps and a pair of 3.5-inch high heel pumps (the pair I wore out and about that day). The slingbacks required the most tightening and I used the Toe Filler Inserts as is along with the Half Insole Shoe Fillers. The 3.5-inch heels required less tightening, so I removed the foam strip from the Toe Filler Inserts and did not use the Half Insole Shoe Fillers. In both cases, the shoes were tighter and fit like Goddess intended.

I imagine that these two products individually or in combination will fix all the oversized shoe problems in my wardrobe.

Wearing Elisabetta Franchi

Femulate reader Connie ready for a night out with a friend.

Get the Pointe

In Monday’s post, I wrote, “...wore my Nine West 4-inch high heel slingback pumps both days and they were comfortable from beginning to end, so I believe the foot stretching exercises that I do every morning are having an effect.”

In the comments, ikaras asked, “What foot exercises are working for you?”

To make a short story long...

In recent years, I noticed that my ability to wear high heels has diminished – I cannot wear heels for very long without pain in my foot. I was aware of various foot exercises that were supposed to help the problem, but I  never tried them.

Two summers ago, I had lower back pain and my doctor sent me for physical therapy. The therapist gave me a handful of exercises to do and I have been doing them every morning ever since. 

One of the exercises is the single leg knee-to-chest stretch. As in the photo above, with my hand behind my left knee, I pull my knee in to my chest until a comfortable stretch is felt in my lower back and buttocks. I hold that position for 30 seconds while keeping my back relaxed. Then I repeat the stretch with my right leg. Then I repeat the left and right stretches two more times.

One day, while counting down the 30 seconds, I thought about my high heels issue and wondered if I could stretch my foot while I was stretching my leg. After all, my foot was just hanging out in mid-air doing nothing! 

So I began stretching my foot during the knee-to-chest stretch. I simply swing my foot at the ankle in a tapping motion while stretching my toes like a ballet dancer performing the pointe technique, then swing my foot back to a natural standing (in mid-air) position. I repeat the foot stretch 30 times per set and use 30 foot stretches for counting down the 30 seconds of the knee-to-chest stretch set.

I have been doing my foot stretch exercise for about a year, but have not been able to see if they were doing any good because I have not worn high heels for an extended amount of time during the pandemic... until Saturday, when I wore high heels for eight hours.

My feet felt fine – no fatigue and no pain, so I assume my foot stretching had something to do with the big improvement in foot wear.

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television (I prefer to play a nurse), so I am in no position to recommend that you do what I do, your mileage may vary, but it seems to have worked for me.

Wearing Elisabetta Franchi

U.S. Army infantryman Tony Starr femulates a burlesque queen for American troops in Korea, January 1946.