Will Men Over 50 Soon Be Wearing Bras?

In 2007, Mike deHavilland Parker wrote an article for UK Apologetics that I just discovered a few days ago.

Parker wrote, “the primary sex hormones are oestrogen and testosterone. Men and women have both of them. But the main masculine hormone is testosterone (called such because in men it is produced in the testicles); most younger men have it in abundance! But as men and women age, a strange thing happens. Women start to lose their dominant oestrogen hormone, but they also lose their testosterone and progesterone. So women start to lose all of these hormones. With men it is different, but nobody can explain why. As men age, they lose their more masculine testosterone, sometimes quite quickly, but their oestrogen levels start rising! So, it would not be entirely wrong to say that as men get older, they tend to become more feminine, or womanly, and this is because they start producing more oestrogen - which is the primary female sex hormone.”

The author explains that men are also under attack from xenoestrogens, natural and synthetic hormones that imitate oestrogen. Synthetic xenoestrogens include some industrial compounds, such as PCBs, BPA, and phthalates and can affect younger men as well as older men.

Parker suggests that the increase of female sex hormones in men may account for the increase in male-to-female transsexuality.

The author also wonders, “Will many men over about 50 be wearing a bra by 2107 (that is, a hundred years from now)? And will we eventually simply come to accept this as just another difference between younger and older men? Or will breast-removal surgery become highly common for older men? (Make no mistake that if normal rising oestrogen levels in middle aged/older men continue to be increasingly joined by xeno-oestrogens - which are almost everywhere - more and more men will certainly develop female-type breasts with advancing years).

And “Will society eventually have to accept such older men as ‘fe-men,’ or by some other descriptive name?”

Wearing Venus

Blogger Rhonda of Rhonda's Escape fame

Limbo

A lot of stories came over the mojo wire yesterday regarding a study that claims that hormonal imbalances do not cause transgenderism.

This story from Tech Times is representative:

Claims that gender dysphoria is the result of some sort of imbalance in sex hormone levels have long plagued transgender people looking for acceptance of who they are by suggesting that being transgender is an ailment that can be fixed, rather simply an intrinsic part of one's identity.

Scientific support for such claims has always been lacking, and now, a new study provides solid evidence that hormonal imbalances are not what the transgender experience is about. The study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, examined the sex hormone levels of 101 transyouth patients at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and found that they did not differ significantly from those typical for the gender they were assigned at birth.

But what if you do have a hormonal imbalance? What if your hormonal imbalance weighs so heavily on the female side that you have female physical and psychological characteristics? And as a result, you live as a woman because it is a better fit for who you are.

Are you not transgender, too? If not transgender, than what are you?

Wearing Ralph Lauren.

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon femulating for the 1959 film Some Like It Hot.

Look what I found

I wanted a white top to go with my white shorts. Perusing the DressBarn website, I saw a crochet lace top that I liked, so during my lunch hour, I visited the nearby DressBarn to check out the top in person.

They had a rack full of the tops including a few in white and in my size (so I thought). After examining the top, I was happy with my choice and went to the cash register to get rung up.

The sales rep complimented me on my choice and as she began ringing me up, she asked, "What is the phone number of the person you are buying this for?"

The sales rep was one I had not dealt with before and since I was in boy mode, I assume she thought that I was buying the top for a regular customer (and by giving her the customer's phone number, the customer would get credit for the sale and rack up points).

I replied, "The top is for me."

And then I added, "Maybe I should try it on to see if it fits."

It looked big enough, but I've been burnt by that assumption before, so I headed to the dressing room. Good thing I did because it was too tight around my boobs.

The sales rep found the next size up and it fit fine. I paid for my purchase and was on my way.

Getting back to my boobs. I think they are getting bigger!

During the past six months or so, I thought that my boobs looked bigger when I looked at myself in the mirror, but I assumed it was just wishful thinking.

However, now that the warm weather has finally settled in around here, I often wear just a T-shirt without a blouse over the tee. As a result, I noticed that my boobs are filling out my tees more than they ever had in the past.

I have always had boobs (due to a hormone imbalance and/or Gynecomastia), but not to this extent.

If this keeps up, I will have to start wearing bras in both boy and girl modes --- not because I want to, but because I need to (not that there is anything wrong with that).

 

 

 

Wearing Madeleine.

 

 

 

U2’s Adam Clayton femulates for the 1992 music video for “One.”

Mechanics Femulated

Beth sent me the photo above which she took while vacationing in Burlington, Vermont, last week. The sign was in the window of a bicycle shop.

It is a little difficult to read because of the reflection on the window, so here is the information of interest:

	WTF!
	Women - Trans – Femme
	Bike Repair Nights
	Open bike shop for non-male identified folks interested in bike mechanics...

By the way, Burlington is a very diverse city, rated one of the best places to live and Beth noticed a few transwomen during her stay in the area.

The subject of bicycle mechanics is a perfect lead-in to today's “Ask Me Anything” question, which is on the topic of femulation mechanics.

Allison asked, "What do you use for breast forms and hip and rear padding, if anything?"
I don't use anything.

Topside, I am naturally endowed. A combination of too many female hormones and/or a touch of gynecomastia has "blessed" me with a pair of breasts that nearly fill a B-cup. I usually wear a padded bra from Victoria's to fill out the rest of the cup.

Below, I use no padding. I cinch my waist with some kind of foundation garment and my narrowed cinched waist creates the appearance of having hips and a feminine figure.

Viewing my photos, I see instances that adding hip and rear padding would improve my appearance, but it is not a deal-breaker, so I have not done anything about it.

By the way, my boobs were the source of a lot of abuse growing up. Combined with my natural feminine mannerisms, my life was hell at times. Luckily, it all worked out in my favor as I grew older and realized I was a woman.

 

A young man femulating circa 1900.

 

Wearing a “Charlie Brown dress” from La Redoute.

Hair and HRT

When I volunteered, "Ask me anything," Stef, Karen and Emily asked different questions, but my answers are all related.

Stef asked, "I know you have no plans to transition; does that also mean you've ruled out ever trying HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)?"

Karen asked, "A number of times in the past you've mentioned your routine for shaving your face. I've always wondered why you don't look into something like electrolysis for your beard."

If I femulated full-time, I would definitely seek some form of permanent hair removal and I would seriously consider HRT. Since I do not femulate full-time, I consider both to be a luxury that I cannot honestly afford.

HRT is an interesting prospect. I have never had my hormone levels tested, but a therapist suspects my hormone levels may already be on the feminine side. (I will not bore you with all the evidence why this may be so; you can read about some of the evidence here if you are interested.)

If I already tip the scales on the estrogen side, would I need even more estrogen that HRT would provide? I have no idea.

I am hairy.

Besides facial hair, I have a generous amount of body hair, although after years of depilitating, the hair regrowth on my legs is noticeably thinner; the rest of my body, not so much. So, permanent hair removal would be at the top of my to-do list if I femulated full-time.

Which brings me to Emily's question:

Do you ever tire of femulating?

No, I never tire of femulating. However, sometimes I do not look forward to femulating because of the amount of body hair removal that is required.

I try to maintain a hairless body (at least the parts that are most likely to show when I femulate) and I do so by shaving those parts after I shave my face in the morning. For example, one morning I may touch up my arms, another morning my boobs, next morning my right leg, following morning my left leg, etc., etc.

But sometimes, I am not as conscientious as I should be about the maintenance and I face a major hair removal session before I can become the Amazon.

It is time-consuming, messy, and certainly no fun; I never look forward to those sessions.

 

Actor Brian Charles Rooney (left) femulating as Candy Darling in Pop!
a 2010 musical performed at the Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven.

 

Wearing Adrianna Papell.

why I am girly

My mother had a miscarriage before she had me.

Back then, physicians prescribed Diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriages in women who had had previous miscarriages.

Did my mother take DES? She is deceased, so I will never know. But, if she did take DES, then that may explain why I am the way I am.

DES can cause feminization of the male fetus and some studies suggest that otherwise-male children exposed to DES before birth may be more likely to be transsexual women than otherwise-male children who have not been exposed.

Although I will never know if my mother took DES, there are other indications that she did. For example, I have Gynecomastia and although the causes of common Gynecomastia remain uncertain, it has generally been attributed to an imbalance of sex hormones, that is, too much estrogen.

In addition to Gynecomastia, I am more womanly than the average guy in other ways. For example, my mannerisms and speech patterns have feminine traits and my emotions are more feminine than masculine.

A few years ago, I was doing outreach with three transsexuals at a local college and a student asked how the transsexuals' hormone regimen affected them. All three transsexuals admitted that they became more emotional after they began their hormone regimen, for example, one stated that she never cried at movies before taking hormones, but after taking hormones, she cried at movies all the time. I spoke up that I never took hormones and that I cry at movies all the time!

An overabundance of female hormones may be the cause of my proclivity for the feminine. And as I wrote here on Friday, my parents may have nurtured that proclivity.

Repeating what I wrote on Friday, "Dad was absent in my early life working two jobs to support his wife and kids. Mom cherished her firstborn child (me), coddled and pampered me, and instilled in me many traits that were considered 'feminine.' With Dad absent early-on, Mom was all I had to model myself after and that I did, which just compounded my feminization."

I had two strikes against me (too many female hormones and too little male role modeling) and when my third opportunity to swing came, I just stood there with the bat on my shoulder and was called out (of the male gender) on a called third strike.

I did not bother swinging because I liked myself. I was very satisfied with the results of the first two strikes. I liked the way things were turning out. I did not mind being a girly boy.

Except for some abuse from the macho boys and rejection by their female followers, being a girly boy was a pretty good deal. I could partake in whatever boy or girl pursuits interested me and not have to worry about tarnishing my image.

And when I took up the male pursuit of female impersonation, I found that I excelled at it because I already spoke and acted like a lady, I took to the art of cosmetics like a swan takes to water, and I could nearly fill a size 38B bra without any padding.

And so it goes.

(Wikipedia is the source for the medical information cited above.)

Dear Staci

What's your secret?

Dear Staci,

Your photos don't do you justice! In person, your skin is glowing and so feminine. What's your secret? Do you use hormones?

Hugs,

An Inquiring Girl

---

Hi Inquiring Girl,

Thank you for the very kind words.

I never used hormones. I also never smoked, seldom imbibe alcohol, try to eat healthily, watch my weight, and walk daily for exercise.

I began using skin care products about five years ago after shunning them for most of my life because I thought they were a waste of time and money. I changed my mind after trying a sample eye cream that did wonders to the fine line situation around my eyes.

After my positive experience with the eye cream, I began using other skin care products and they made a big difference, too. In addition to improving and feminizing the look and condition of my skin, I also discovered that when I used makeup, it "liked" my new skin; as a result, it went on easier and lasted longer.

The following summarizes the products I currently use.

Cleansing - Olay Foaming Face Wash – I use it in the morning and in the evening.

Exfoliating - Avon Sweet Finish Sugar Scrub Exfoliant – I do not use an exfoliant daily. Typically, I use it once or twice a week or whenever my face feels like it needs a deep cleansing. Avon discontinued this product, but luckily I stocked up on this product during a sale.

Morning Regimen – After cleansing my skin, I apply three products in the following order:

1. Avon Ageless Results Renewing Eye Cream – I apply this to my eye problem areas, i.e., below and the outer corners of my eyes, but you can also use this cream above your eyes.

2. Cosmedicine MegaDose Skin Fortifying Serum – I apply this to my nose, cheeks, chin, and around my mouth. This is an expensive product, but the good news is that a little goes a long way; 1 ounce lasts me over three months.

3. Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough Replenishing Cream – This is billed as a nighttime cream, but I use it as a daytime moisturizer. I apply it all over my face and neck.

Evening Regimen – I just cleanse my face and get a good night's sleep.

And that is all!

Best Wishes,

Staci

---

Do you need advice concerning femulation or other crossdressing-related matters, then e-mail me and I will happily give you my opinion on the matter. My e-mail address is staci-staci at sbcglobal.net.

hormones and me

"Are you on hormones or have you ever been on hormones?"

People ask me that question often. In fact, just yesterday, someone asked me that question.

My answer is "No." During my 58 years on the third rock from the Sun, I have never taken hormones.

However, I do take care of myself.

I never smoked.

I never did drugs.

I seldom consume alcoholic beverages and when I do, I never have more than one or two drinks.

I watch my weight. I have been within 5 pounds of the same weight for most of the past 35 years.

I have not had any illnesses or diseases worse than the flu or the common cold.

I walk one to two miles a day weather-permitting.

About five years ago, I began taking better care of my skin. I moisturize my face every day and I use the latest Avon product to make my eyes look better/younger/less wrinkled.

I am very adept at applying makeup. I have been practicing for nearly 45 years, so I should be getting the hang of it by now!

All that, but no hormones!