She's got legs; she knows how to use them*

I recently received another e-mail complaining that my skirts were too short for my height and/or my age (I am 6 feet 2 and 65 years old).

I think the height complaint is a non-starter. Tall women have long and shapely legs --- who to better show off them off then by wearing short skirts?

Online, I found this about tall women and short skirts.

"Tall women of all ages look great in a short skirt. As you grow out of your college-partying days, you will probably want to veer away from the ultra-short, ultra-tight mini skirt, but there’s nothing wrong with a skirt that ends at your fingertips or mid-thigh. If that seems too edgy, try a skirt that ends equidistant between your knees and your fingertips. A skirt this length will help prevent embarrassing Brittany-esque moments, but will still show off enough leg to make people take notice."

I also found this.

Editor-at-Large from Glamour magazine Suze Yalof Schwartz appearing on Today said, "Her 'rule of thumb' (pun intended) is that a mini skirt's hem should not be any shorter than a wearer's thumb when the hands are at the side. I actually think, however, that you have to see the wearer and the garment and that rules like that don't always apply across the board. Plus, the thumb line can be pretty short.

"For example, the wearer's legs make a huge difference in whether a mini dress or skirt makes you look fabulous or half-naked. Take Real Housewife of New York City Kelly Bensimon, for instance... As a tan, statuesque (6' 0" - Ed.) former model, her style is synonymous with mini skirts. Are her skirts, shorts, and dresses a tad too short sometimes? Sure. But does she have great legs and all the business in the world rocking a style that shows off her inherent gam glory: Absolutely!"

Personally, I think that my legs are ok, but other people have convinced me that they are more so. My legs have always received good grades. My mother often said I had beautiful legs (and that "you should have been a girl with legs like yours"). My wife and other genetic women have admitted that I have nicer legs then they do. Friends and strangers have praised my legs. A friend's spouse even nicknamed me "Leggy."

Who am I to argue? The consensus is that I have great legs, so they meet the qualification to be shown and height is not a cause for disqualification. 

But does my age disqualify me?

For starters, I don't look (or act) my age. Even in boy mode, I look younger than my age. In girl mode, with makeup and a wig piled on, I look even younger. People often guess I am in my 40s. But what's age got to do with it?

From the Internet again:

"To use her as an example yet again, Kelly Bensimon is 40 years old and not slowing down when it comes to donning miniskirts. I don't think there should be any hard and fast rule about not wearing something after a certain age. The key is being honest with yourself about how you look in it."

I honestly think I look good in short skirts despite my age, real or apparent. Until I am convinced otherwise, you will see my knees and more.

* You all probably recognize that line from ZZ Top's hit recording "Legs." I wonder if you remember a brief T-moment in the video for that song. In that video, leggy girls, who are dressed over-the-top, are shopping in a boutique outfitting another girl who is more conservatively dressed. The T-moment occurs when one of the leggy girls grabs a dress from a guy who is holding the garment up to himself to see how it fits/looks in it.

(Caveat Emptor: This is a redo of a 3-year-old post.)

Wearing Fashion To Figure.

John Hansen (left) in the 1970 film The Christine Jorgensen Story

Happy Birthday, Jacqueline Kennedy

Today is Jacqueline Kennedy's birthday. She died young ― 64 years old (my current age ― yikes!)

All the girls and boys like me wanted to be Jackie when we grew up. She was my first female idol.

I remember that she caused a sensation wearing miniskirts. Before her, only teenagers and 20-somethings wore miniskirts; she was one of the first prominent mature women to wear mini's. That made it OK for all mature women to wear above-the-knee hemlines and I thank her for that!

Call for Cover Girls

Monica asked that I post this here, so here it is:

Hi All,

This is a call out for photos (a montage of photos to go on the cover of my new book ― Me! The gift of being Transgender). I want to cover the front of the book with photos of T's and TG allies. Unless you specifically ask for your name to be on there, it will all be anonymous. 

The idea of the book is that all people should be treated equally TGs and non-TGs. We do not need the kind of artificial division which has arisen. We are all people an entitled to our own journey. These photos need to be 300 dpi so that I can size them correctly. 

Please send to my e-mail: monica.mulholland @ gmail.com.

Erratic

You may have noticed that things have been a little erratic here lately.

I do not want to go into details... suffice to say that a family member is very ill and that has consumed a lot of our time lately ("our" as in family and I).

So if I am late publishing blog posts, publishing short blog posts, publishing rerun blog posts, publishing no blog posts, or slow and/or short when answering your e-mails, please understand.

Wearing 3.1 Phillip Lim top and Blaque Label culottes.

Rocker Pete Burns circa 2010

She's got legs; she knows how to use them*

I recently received another e-mail complaining that my skirts were too short for my height and/or my age (I am 6-2 and will be 62 next month).

I think the height complaint is a non-starter. Tall women have long and shapely legs --- who to better show off them off then by wearing short skirts?

Online, I found this about tall women and short skirts.

"Tall women of all ages look great in a short skirt. As you grow out of your college-partying days, you will probably want to veer away from the ultra-short, ultra-tight mini skirt, but there’s nothing wrong with a skirt that ends at your fingertips or mid-thigh. If that seems too edgy, try a skirt that ends equidistant between your knees and your fingertips. A skirt this length will help prevent embarrassing Brittany-esque moments, but will still show off enough leg to make people take notice."

I also found this.

Editor-at-Large from Glamour magazine Suze Yalof Schwartz appearing on Today said "Her 'rule of thumb' (pun intended) is that a mini skirt's hem should not be any shorter than a wearer's thumb when the hands are at the side. I actually think, however, that you have to see the wearer and the garment and that rules like that don't always apply across the board. Plus, the thumb line can be pretty short.

"For example, the wearer's legs make a huge difference in whether a mini dress or skirt makes you look fabulous or half-naked. Take Real Housewife of New York City Kelly Bensimon, for instance... As a tan, statuesque (6' 0" - Ed.) former model, her style is synonymous with mini skirts. Are her skirts, shorts, and dresses a tad too short sometimes? Sure. But does she have great legs and all the business in the world rocking a style that shows off her inherent gam glory: Absolutely!"

http://instantstylist.blogspot.com/2010/05/mini-skirts-age-limit-length-guideline.html

Personally, I think that my legs are ok, but other people have convinced me that they are more so. My legs have always received good grades. My mother often said I had beautiful legs (and that "you should have been a girl with legs like yours"). My wife and other genetic women have admitted that I have nicer legs then they do. Friends and strangers have praised my legs. A friend's spouse even nicknamed me "Leggy."

Who am I to argue? The consensus is that I have great legs, so they meet the qualification to be shown and height is not a cause for disqualification. 

But does my age disqualify me?

For starters, I don't look (or act) my age. Even in boy mode, I look younger than my age. In girl mode, with makeup and a wig piled on, I look even younger. People typically guess I am in my 40s. But what's age got to do with it?

From the Internet again:

"To use her as an example yet again, Kelly Bensimon is 40 years old and not slowing down when it comes to donning miniskirts. I don't think there should be any hard and fast rule about not wearing something after a certain age. The key is being honest with yourself about how you look in it."

I honestly think I look good in short skirts despite my age, real or apparent. Until I am convinced otherwise, you will see my knees and more.

* You all probably recognize that line from ZZ Top's hit recording "Legs." I wonder if you remember a brief T-moment in the video for that song. In that video, leggy girls, who are dressed over-the-top, are shopping in a boutique outfitting another girl who is more conservatively dressed. The T-moment occurs when one of the leggy girls grabs a dress from a guy who is holding the garment up to himself to see how it fits/looks  in it. in a boutique outfitting another girl who is more conservatively dressed. The T-moment occurs when one of the leggy girls grabs a dress from a guy who is holding the garment up to himself to see how it fits and/or looks on him.

one of my family's issues with my femulating

Click on the image to enlarge it.

August 1967

During the "Summer of Love," I was 16 years old and constantly experimenting with the wardrobes of my mother and sister whenever I was home alone. Always mindful that someone might come home at any minute, I dressed, painted my face, posed in the mirror, then reversed the process as quickly as possible.

I was confused as can be, but I knew what I liked and I liked dressing up and making up and becoming a young woman even for a few fleeting minutes. I cherished my girl-time alone, but I had no idea where it would all lead.

One day, I thought I found the answer in the August 11, 1967, issue of Life magazine.

In the news section of that issue was a short article titled "Now the Mini has a man in it." According to the article, "In a 'spontaneous' fashion happening miniskirts for men have begun showing up in Paris, Munich, London and Tokyo." The article included photos of miniskirted men (see above) in Europe and Japan

I was surprised, but I was also very happy because I naively assumed that the fad would catch on and it would not be long before boys in the USA would be wearing miniskirts, too. Then, I could go public wearing the skirts and dresses I loved.

It didn't happen. I waited patiently, but that fad never caught on. However, eventually, I did go public wearing the skirts and dresses I loved.

C'est la vie.

best outreach ever

Please Myself

Yesterday, I blogged about what I was going to wear last night in the frigid weather when I went out en femme to do outreach. I also blogged about what Erin wrote at A Dress A Day about Michelle O and dressing to please yourself.

Dressing yesterday, I tried on a four or five outfits while wearing my high boots and black pantyhose. I was not pleased with anything. So, I resigned myself to Plan A, i.e., "my black tunic sweater, leggings or tights, and booties."

I slipped on my tunic sweater while still wearing my high boots and black pantyhose and I was very pleased with the way I looked, so that is the outfit I wore forgoing the warmer leggings or tights (see the accompanying photo; click on it to get a better view).

I know the hemline was short, but I think I have the legs for it, and the tunic sweater is so warm and the boots so high that I figured I would not suffer too much.

Regarding my comfort, I was correct. Instead of the predicted 14°F, it was a "balmy" 27°F when I arrived at the university. I found a parking space less than 200 feet from the building where I was outreaching, so I did not have to walk far in the cold and it did not bother me at all.

I did receive one catty comment about the length of my skirt, but I just smiled at the commenter knowing that I was very pleased in the outfit I selected and I did not care about the opinion of the catty commenter. I dressed to please myself and not her.

My Best

Last night was my best outreach experience ever!

This Human Sexuality class at Southern Connecticut State University had ten students: nine females and one manle. My fellow outreachers were people I have outreached with in the past: a no-op male-to-female transsexual, her wife, and a post-op female-to-male transsexual.

We each spoke for about five minutes giving a brief biography of our trans lives. I presented my bio last. While the others gave theirs, I thought about what I would say.

I have presented my bio so many times in the past that I did not have much to think about, but I did make a few changes to my normal presentation. The big change as far as I was concerned was that I identified myself as a "trans-person" rather than a "plain vanilla crossdresser."

Anyway, I felt very good about myself last night. I felt good, I felt comfortable, and in my opinion, I looked good. Feeling that way, I gave the best bio I have ever given. I was very loose, not nervous at all, and my talk was smooth with a lot of expression and some humor. The students laughed at my humor and were all smiling by the time I ended.

Last night, mine was a little less boring and less clinical than the usual trans bio. When I was done, I felt even better about myself.

Next came the question and answer period.

Usually, we divide the class in half and half the class goes to another room with half the outreachers to conduct the Q&A. When half the class period is over, the outreachers switch rooms, so that the whole class has an opportunity to question all the outreachers.

Typically, I am teamed with one or more of the transsexual outreachers and the Q&A results in a few, some, or many questions that are transsexual-specific and have nothing to do with me. While the transsexual answer those questions, I sit politely, smile, and check out my manicure.

Last night was different. We divided the class into three groups and each of us did the Q&A solo. Actually, the female-to-male transsexual and I did Q&A solo, while the male-to-female transsexual and her wife did Q&A as a team.

I could not be happier with that arrangement!

In the past, I have encountered most of the questions (or variations thereof) the students asked last night. (See "my questions and answers.")

Each group wondered about my nails. ("If you only go out en femme once or twice a month, don't people notice your long French manicured nails when you are in male mode?") Pre-glued, stick-on nails was my answer.

Each group also wondered if I would live as a female full-time if I had the opportunity to do so. In the past, I would say, "definitely, yes," but lately, I have been reconsidering that answer. My answer was "maybe," but that there is something to be said about being out all day en femme, then being able to go home at the end of the day, remove all the trappings of femininity, and crash as a male. On the other hand, at Fantasia Fair, I crashed en femme at the end of each day and that was pretty good, too!

One group (all women) dwelled on subject of female fashion. They were impressed on how well I was put together, but one women commented that she never wears makeup and that she has only worn a dress once since her wedding. Another women said that she never wears dresses and does not own a pair of heels; one reason was because she found walking in heels very difficult. The thought crossed my mind that if these women represent the future of female fashion, I am going to lose interest in femulating!

I did mention my blog to the groups and how I try to post something everyday. One observant woman suggested that writing everyday about femulating provides an outlet for those times (which is most of the time) that I cannot femulate. She was so right.

I received some nice compliments last night, which just added to my enjoyment. One woman complimented my makeup, especially the was I did my eyes. Another woman said I had such beautiful feminine hands (more feminine than her own, she admitted). Still another woman complimented me on how well I walked in high heels. And finally one woman gushed that I looked absolutely fabulous and the other women in that group agreed!

I had a wonderful time last night and felt exhilarated at the end. "Good job," I though to myself.

Harper's Bazaar, July 2008

Gwyneth Paltrow... Wow! On newsstands now!

Paltrow receives Femulate Fashion Seal of Approval

Earlier today, I bestowed my coveted Femulate Fashion Seal of Approval on Gwyneth Paltrow, who has donned mini-skirts and kinky heels on "Iron Man" Tour.

fashion show update

I just found this poster online advertising the transgendered fundraiser fashion show in which I will be modeling.

The model shown in the poster looks dressed a little over the top, so I guess the micro-miniskirt and 4-3/4-inch platform pumps I planned to model will be fine.

The fashion show will be on September 14 at Tommy's Restaurant, just off Route 9 in Middletown, CT, which is as its name indicates, is in the middle of the state. If you are in the area, come see the show to cheer me on and help support the transgendered community.

Here is a link for more information: http://www.transadvocacy.com/

feminine skirts and dresses for men

[deleted] is a web site featuring skirts and dresses for men.

There are other web sites featuring skirts and dresses for men. Do a Google search and you will find a bunch.

Being a male-to-female crossdresser, the majority of men's skirts and dresses appearing on those web sites are too masculine for my taste. However, the skirts and dresses on the [deleted] web page are more to my liking. There I find styles that I would feel comfortable wearing in girl or boy mode.

Visit the [deleted] web site and see for yourself.

miniskirts in history

The cacina, a sacred dance, at the Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico

Report upon United States Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian, in charge of Capt. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, 1875-1889

Jean Shrimpton, British birds, and miniskirts

Surfing the net, I came across the name Jean Shrimpton. Do you remember her? I do.

In the 1960s, Jean Shrimpton was a supermodel long before they coined the term "supermodel." She was English, part of the swinging London scene, and I was infatuated with her. In fact, I was so infatuated with her that I wanted to be just like her, which was kind of difficult for An overweight 16-year-old guy with acne.

About that time, my cousin dressed up as Twiggy for Halloween. He was a perfect Twiggy because he and she both had freckles and stick-thin pubescent figures.

Another Halloween, I dressed, more or less, like Jean Shrimpton. I certainly was not stick-thin and in my opinion, nether was Jean... well, not as stick-thin as Twiggy. Also, in my opinion, Jean was prettier than Twiggy and I was prettier than my cousin, so dressing like Jean Shrimpton certainly made sense to me.

Another British bird, Jacqueline Bisset, became one of my crossdressing models. My fascination with British girls had something to do with the miniskirt.

The mini was invented in Britain by fashion designer Mary Quant and it became the defining fashion symbol of "swinging London" in the 1960s. All the British "birds" wore miniskirts, more so than American girls, and I wanted to wear miniskirts just like the girls in Britain did.

When I made my first Halloween outing en femme as Jean Shrimpton, the dress I wore was just not short enough, so I used safety pins to shorten the hem, thus, my knee length dress became a thigh high mini.

Anyway, my attraction to the British distaff side continues to this day with Elizabeth Hurley and Kate Beckinsale now at the top of my wish (I was she) list. And I still like to wear short skirts!