When I Grow Up

Elaine Armen passed along this link to a recent article about Toronto's oldest drag queen, Michelle DuBarry. I have posted photos of Miss DuBarry here in the past, so it is nice to read some words about her, too. But it is also nice to see photos, so here is a link to some of her pictures.

I don't know about you, but I don't think Miss DuBarry is a "drag queen." I would call her a "female impersonator," "female illusionist" or "professional femulator," that is, a performer who attempts to emulate rather than caricaturize a female, as most drag queens do.

Drag is not my thing, but I am fascinated by the art of professional femulation. If I can do it over again, I want to be a professional femulator when I grow up.

Michelle DuBarry (left) with The Great Imposters

Wearing Opening Ceremony.

The Prancing Elites dance troupe

I'm Out

I am spending a day out en femme today.

It snowed here yesterday and it is literally freezing today, but Mother Nature is not keeping this girl under wraps any longer. I plan to go to Mohegan Sun and spend the day Christmas shopping and playing slots. (I hope the latter covers the cost of the former!)

As usual, I will reveal all the details about my day out  as soon as possible.

Wish me luck!

Professional femulators Issan Dorsey aka Tommy Dee (left) and
The Party of Four troupe of pro femulators, circa 1957.

Wearing Chetta B.

Inspirational

While waiting to wait on my wife, I sat down in front of the telly, smoothed out the skirts of my maid's uniform and turned on the set to see what I could see. I came upon Heartbreakers, a film about a mother and daughter team of gold diggers. It is an amusing film and features some delicious outfits worn by the gold diggers, Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. And Ms. Weaver's rendition of Back in the U.S.S.R. is worth the price of admission.

Sigourney Weaver has always been an inspiration to me because we have some things in common.

She is two years older and two inches shorter than me, and like me, she is not exactly waif-like. Her measurements and mine are exactly the same proportionally when I am girded properly. And although she is a senior citizen like me, she does not dress like a senior citizen, nor look like one.

I know I will never be mistaken for Sigourney Weaver, but she is someone worth femulating for big girls like me.

Professional femulator Michelle DuBarry (left) poses with The Gream Imposters,
one of Toronto's original professional femulator troupes (circa 1970).

 

Wearing Wow Couture.

Girls Make Passes At Boys Who Wear Dresses

 

"If you thought only hunky men with big biceps get the ladies, think again. These cross-dressing student performers from China are not only popular with audiences, they have legions of female fans," according to The Straits Times Stomp.

"The 'girls' of Alice Cross Dresser Group first made a name for themselves by filling in for female students at a cosplay performance, who had failed to turn up for the event."

"They now performing regularly for about $100 per performer and have large numbers of female fans, who find them 'prettier' than the average Chinese male."

The article includes 184 photos of the Alice Cross Dresser Group and "other high-profile cross-dressers."

Thank you Nikto X for this story.