A Meeting in the Mountains

By Norah Blucher

Many of us are guarded of our identities, even among other femulators, myself included. As I’ve attended outings of different varieties with other femulators however, I was right surprised to see how some knew each other as their males selves as well. Some even attending multi-day events as both, arriving en homme or going out during the day en homme and then attending evening events en femme. One of my femulating sisters, whom I have become rather close to, made me rethink this on my end as well.

We have attended events together, enjoyed some outings with just the two of us and are around the same age and have much in common, one of them being skiing. Now skiing is not something I thought practical to do en femme, but when I put forth the idea of skiing together as males, she agreed! From this point, we began to make plans.

Meet Me Again for the First Time

We had decided to go to ski in western Maine, in the little mountain town of Rangeley. They have a smashing ski hill and a quiet little town and I had arranged for us to stay at a rental cabin for the weekend. We also had ideas of going out en femme in the evening and were also to be joined by a civilian male mate of mine, whom I ski with often and who recently became aware of my femme half, meeting her once before even, and was very accepting. This was going to be interesting for sure!

I made the drive and arrived early, checked in, not nervous, but not knowing what to expect either, this being my first time reverse coming out to another femulating sister. My civilian mate was not arriving until the next day, so this would sort of give us a moment to see what this was all about as well.

When my sister arrived, I let her in and greeted her (her? him? Not sure how to say things in this regard. We do utilize our male names and pronouns en homme, but she will always be my sister to me) and we introduced each other as our male selves. We both knew from the day we met that we each had another side and here it was. So wild in many ways, but not a huge deal either. I helped her bring her things in and we settled in and ordered a pizza.

Aside from being dressed as more shabby males and me utilizing my male voice, it was actually not that different. We chatted half the evening away about this and that. Some about our femme lives and experiences and a bit about our everyday males lives as well. I will say though that finally meeting one of my sisters en homme did help “normalize” my whole life a bit more. Most of us here do not live femme lives full-time and some of us get out and meet other femulators at meetings, events, outings, etc., but meeting someone’s male half sort of cemented, at least for me, that we all live two sides of life and it’s okay.

The Mountain is Calling

We arose the next morning and began our day in no particular hurry. Arriving at the ski lodge, we readied out kits and also met up with my civilian mate. It turned out to be one of the most fabulous days of the season. Weather and conditions were good and we found ourselves to be of similar abilities – my sister on a snowboard and on skis myself. Though I’ve been there many times, we explored some trails I’d not yet been to and enjoyed some food and drink at some of the various pubs on the hill. 

Skiing is a rather egalitarian activity, so the fact that me and my sister were both en homme, and with a civilian male, seemed to not have much sway on anything really, though it was nice that my civilian mate knows Norah, too, and of my sister’s other life, so it was rather stress-free for us all as we did not necessarily have to hide anything either. Just a fun day out on the ski slope.

As the day began to wind down, my civilian mate, who had recently not been feeling well, decided he would eat at the ski lodge, before returning to the cabin for the evening. My sister and I were naturally tired as well, but decided we would return to the cabin to get en femme and enjoy an evening out. I mean really, did you think two femulators could go away for a weekend and not try to squeeze in an en femme outing! Lol.

Meet Me Again for the First Time Again!

My sister and I began our transformations and as you know, this can take some time especially after a day of cold weather exertion. During this time, my civilian mate returned and suddenly found himself confronted with a dilemma he had not quite prepared himself for. He was, in fact, sharing the cabin at this time with two girls!

Now he knew we would be doing this and that was fine, but exactly what this entailed was still a bit of an unknown. He does share his life with a wonderful lady, though she is very minimalist in many ways. She is every inch a woman, but does not fuss with hair and makeup like most and really does not need to either. My routine, if I put my mind to it, can take a bit under two hours, which is shorter than my own mother takes, so I think that’s not right bad. My wife took a bit sorter than that, but it still took some time.

The fallout of all this though was that my poor mate really had no idea of what to expect with regard to women fixing themselves up and suddenly found himself in a two loo cabin with a girl in each one!

In all honesty, I found this to be quite sweet of him. Though he’s known me as male most of our lives and met my sister as her male self first, he actually returned to our cabin with the mindset that he was sharing it with two girls that evening and did not quite know how to react when he was suddenly confronted with the reality of it. Long story short though, he finally said something – we both had a good laugh and I told him next time to just bloody say something if he needed to use the loo, lol.

Crisis averted and transformations complete, my sister and I emerged from our rooms ready to take on the night. My male mate took a minute to take this all in. Mind you, he’s known male me a long time and met Norah only once for dinner just a few weeks prior. In this case, he had spent a whole day with two males, who now suddenly stood before him as their femme selves and he admitted it took a minute to set in, especially having seen our other sides just two hours before.

I considered this to be a sincere complement to both of us. Even knowing us both en homme, what he saw before him was not two fellows in frocks, but two women and it took a minute for this to absorb. He also admired out resolve, as he acknowledged how much effort this took after a day of cold air exertion. He did wish he was feeling more up to going out as well as he would have had no problem going to eat with us, but after a brief discussion and some recommendations on where to eat, my sister and I took off!

Fitting In

Blending in with other women is usually our goal and though we were heading out into a small mountain town, populated on winter weekends with skiers and snowmobilers, the goal was the same. I opted for a wool snowflake sweater, skinny jeans and my furry snow boots. My sister was similar, though a bit more formal in a sold color sweater and some low heeled boots. Though the ski lodge was closed at this time and we had to go to one of the in-town restaurants, I thought we did a decent job at “ski bunny” femulation.

Our first choice had much too long of a wait, so we went over to a little tavern that appeared to have good food. I must admit that I did not feel I looked my best. I was quite knackered and spending all day with a freezing wind in your face does not exactly bring out one’s best side either. As I looked about the room at other women though, I came to realize we were all in the same boat. Some were dressed a bit nicer like us, some more casual and none of us looked like we were going to a modeling session or photoshoot, but we all looked just fine. I came to see I was just another girl getting a meal after a long cold day and was a bit more put together than most.

I’d actually no idea what to expect walking in, never having been to this particular place, but found we were treated just fine. Some appeared to be locals, others on holiday like us and everyone was fixated on their own group with nary a look at the two of us. The waitstaff was most kind and I even noticed the bar maid had a really cute wrap top on, so I waltzed over to the bar to compliment her and ask where she got it!

Having our fill, we made our way back to the cabin where my civilian mate was still up and eager to hear of our outing again expressing how he wished he had felt better and went with us as it sounded like a fabulous time to him.

Back Where We Started

So next morning, it was back to three blokes in the cabin. My civilian mate packed up early to get some ski runs in before heading home, while my sister and I took our time, loading our cars and chatting a bunch as girls do. We do not often see each other, so we tend to not be in any particular hurry when we do get together.

On my way home, I stopped at a small department store to browse a bit. (Did you really think you’d get through this story without any shopping, lol!) Anyway, I happened across something I had actually been thinking about, a new female coat. While I adore the black wool coat with the fur trim hood you’ve seen in some of my outing photos, I’ve thought of something a bit more utilitarian for when weather is bad. Going out and about in Rangeley also cemented this thought as I did think it looked a bit too fancy for that setting. 

On a sale rack I came across a black Columbia parka with a faux fur hood in my size. Perfect! It looked plenty nice enough to wear with my work attire if the weather was sloppy, but also fit much better in very casual settings like I had just been in. Though being a real ski bunny might not be in the picture, I could look the part a little better at least.

Heading over to the till, the lady there commented what a nice coat it was and also informed me she had included a gift receipt in case it did not fit, or “she” needed to return it. I just smiled and thanked her, but said that I thought “she” would be happy with it.

So loves, thus ended a fabulous weekend of firsts. Certainly a roller coater for sure, but still fun, and one of discovery for all involved. Questions or comments are welcome below or you can email me at nblucher at-sign proton dot me. Though I love sharing my adventures, it truly is the chit-chat it generates for all that I adore most.

Wearing Hutch

Professional femulator Francis Lee Alsop known as Minnie Meyers, circa 1947

Musk may use Social Security data to target trans

By Daniel Villarreal for LGBTQNation

“Musk recently accessed Social Security data to help the Trump administration weaponize it against trans people and their allies.

“Zinnia Jones, a transgender activist and researcher, told Rolling Stone that the SSA data could be used to “identify nearly all likely transgender people in the U.S. with 99% confidence.” Jones noted that a 2015 U.S. Census Bureau used the same SSA data that DOGE accessed to estimate the nation’s trans population.

“An anonymous former federal employee agreed with Jones’ assessment, adding that the information could be used to identify and remove trans employees from the government. An anonymous current SSA employee also told Rolling Stone that the information could be used to harass medical providers who offer services of which the current administration disapproves. Currently, these services include gender-affirming care, a type of care that the current administration has sought to defund and eradicate completely.”

Click here to read the whole article.

Stuff 64: Watch that First Step

It’s a Doozie

By J.J. Atwell

Remember the Chinese Philosopher Lao Tau who said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?” No, I don’t remember him either. But I’ve found that to be true in so many things in life. Think back to childhood when you first learned to walk. OK, so maybe we can’t remember that far back. How about learning to ride a bike? That was certainly a big step. Or maybe it was a big wheel. 

Your CD First Step

I’ll bet your first step as a fledgling CDer was a big one. Not that I think any of us went full on that first time. Perhaps it was just stepping into a pair of high heels to see if you could walk in them. Or maybe trying on a bra to see how it feels. And if that was your first step, then certainly the next step was to find something to stuff into the cups. So that was not just one step, it became two steps. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

You are on your way! So it progresses to yet another step. Perhaps something to wear over the bra? Maybe you first started with just one of your own t-shirts. You might have looked in the mirror and got a thrill seeing the outline of the bra underneath. And maybe you walked around the house in those heels while doing it. Getting a thrill while being scared at the same time. More steps. 

Does that Sound Familiar?

How far have you progressed on your journey? Maybe now you have your own pair of heels. Not only that but the soles of the heels have scuff marks from when you stepped outside? And you’ve acquired a lot of other girl things. Each of which was a step of its own.

I know I am not at the beginning of this journey, but I cannot yet see the end. I know it is a long journey and I continue my steps. I’m much further along than just the few early steps described above. I’ve progressed to going out in full female attire. That’s quite a few steps down the road. But I’m still not at the end of my journey.

I’ll Be Back

There will be more Stuff as my steps progress. As always, comments are welcome either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. JJ is always looking for more stuff so if there is something you would like to read about, please let me know!

Wearing Cynthia Rowley

Sylvester

Hemming and Hawing

Humor in a Jugular Vein

We don't need no stinkin’ trousers!

I seldom see civilian women in dresses or skirts. At the mall last week, I saw one woman in a skirt – all the others were in pants. However, there were still racks of dresses for sale in Macy’s. Don’t know who’s buying them because nobody was wearing them. Maybe they should move those racks to the men’s department because it seems that “men” like us are more likely to wear dresses than cisgender women.

Despite what civilian women are wearing or not wearing, I still dress up when I go out. In addition to the dress, I am fully coiffured and wear heels, hosiery, handbag, jewelry, bra, girdle, full makeup, etc. – just like when Mom used to go out. (She taught her “daughter” well.)

People notice. But what’s wrong with being noticed? Being noticed may result in compliments and what girl doesn’t like to receive unsolicited compliments.

I’ve received compliments from complete strangers while out and about. My favorite occurred one day while I was looking through the racks at JCPenney. 

A middle-aged woman (same age as me) approached and asked, “Can I ask you a question?”

I had no idea what she was going to ask (“What time is it?” “Where did you buy your shoes?” “Are you a transvestite?”). I girded my loins, smiled and agreed to answer her question.

“You're dressed fashionably, so I'd like your opinion about a pair of slacks I was thinking about buying.”

Wow! I did not see that coming!

I did not like the slacks that she had picked out and suggested something with a bolder pattern. She admitted that she really did not like her pick and liked my suggestion better.

I pointed out a skirt with a pattern similar to what I had in mind and her eyes lit up as she said, “I saw slacks with that pattern. Now I just have to find them again! Thank-you for your help.”

It does not get much better than that! But how ironic: a “man” wearing a dress helping a woman shop for slacks!

I admit I have a few bifurcated garments in milady’s wardrobe. But I seldom wear them. Maybe when I attend a very casual affair like a cook-out or a softball game. Otherwise, I’m in a dress. 

After all, they don’t call it “cross-trousering,” do they?

Wearing A.L.C.

Mariusz Ostrowski femulating Shazza on Polish television’s Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo.
Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.

Woman in Uniform

By Norah Blucher

At one time or another, be it in a movie, real life or wherever, we’ve noted women swooning over a man in uniform. I must admit a uniform can look right smart in many regards. It usually appears very formal and put together by nature, can often be a display of accomplishments as with military uniforms and also projects an air of competency and importance in whatever you are wearing it for.

But what about women in uniform? Do males have any type of affinity for a woman in a uniform? For myself, I’ve noted attraction to a well-dressed woman in a skirt or dress suit for many of the same reasons, but never noted anything particularly sexy about a woman in a uniform, but I’m not a run-of-the-mill male either, even en homme. I could also see where some men may feel a bit threatened by a woman in uniform as well, but why does every comedy with a stripper involve her showing up at a birthday party as a cop?

I do not wear any sort of uniform in my male or female life, so it is all a bit of a mystery to me. On a recent trip however, I found myself unexpectedly on the receiving end of this and found it a bit humorous and at Brenda’s urging, decided to share it with you all. (Sorry it took so long, love!)

Not Once, But Twice!

It was early in a particular week where I was able to spend a few partial days en femme. I’ve an affinity for a particular sweater dress of mine and though it looks nice enough on me, I adore it for its warmth and comfort. It is a little blue number from Madewell, in a wool blend with a turtleneck and some stripes on the sleeves. I think Madewell dubbed it “Nautical Pattern” or something like that. It is one of those looks that walks the line between put together housewife or business casual I often go with.

Anyway, heading out one day without a coat, I hopped on the lift and an older chap inside asked me about what floor something was on or something. I looked a bit puzzled and replied I had never stayed here before and had no idea. He then apologized and pointing at my arm, explained that he saw the stripes on my sleeve and thought I worked at the hotel.

I chuckled a bit and said I knew what he meant. This was a bit of a fancy place and I know at some of these places staff wear uniforms with stripes, braids and whatnot. Just a funny comment I thought and went on, not giving it a second thought.

It was a few days later, I found myself preparing to check out of a different hotel to head home. I’d not worn my sweater dress at this place and it was actually a weekend, so I opted again for the same dress not wanting to go with a more formal skirt or dress.

Again on a lift, now with my luggage, it stopped on another floor and a bloke came on. He smiled warmly and asked what airline I worked for. Forgetting the experience a few days before, I looked at him puzzled and said I did not work for an airline. He then looked embarrassed and apologized saying he saw my dress and the stacked luggage and said I looked like a flight attendant.

I looked at my luggage, which consists of a black rolling suitcase with a smaller matching black bag that holds my makeup and straps onto it. I laughed a bit and told him I saw what he meant and noted I did fly a lot and probably learned it from all the airline crews I encounter.

Thinking of it more later, I was near an airport and whoever sees a woman in a dress and heels, toting luggage at a hotel on Sunday anymore?  Perhaps this was why his mind was thinking of flight attendants? If one is wearing a dress these days, it must be for work, right?

So What’s With Uniforms?

I’ve still no idea, lol. My thought though is that whatever uniform one may wear, be it military, police, first responder, flight attendant or even your local market chain, uniforms are worn largely by those who serve in some capacity. I do believe in many ways that our litigious world today makes us think it safest to not comment on, compliment or approach women. As a female, women seem to freely compliment me or make conversation, males, rarely so. I get looked at, warm smiles or perhaps a hello, but unless it is a “uniformed” male serving me, very little interaction takes place.

As a “uniformed” woman, I wonder if it made me seem more approachable. A hotel worker for sure, but a flight attendant is also someone used to being talked to. It is much easier as a male to talk to a waitress, flight attendant, hotel worker, etc. Think of how many times you may have talked to them, but never say a word to the woman in front of you in a checkout line. I’m not right sure, but that is my thought.

A Smashing Compliment for Sure!

Whatever the case, that was twice that week, once as a hotel worker and once as a flight attendant, but I’ve been asked about being a flight attendant since then. Not with that particular dress, but I recall wearing a simple short sleeve dress and on another occasion, a basic black skirt and an elbow length sleeved top with the same luggage. I even have a black nylon tote bag that slings over the handle and yes, I guess I did look a bit like a flight attendant in all cases. Few airlines have the fancy uniforms they once had and flying girls today wear rather basic skirts, dresses, pants and tops in the color of their airline. 

I’ve actually come to regard this as quite a compliment! It warms my heart to know that these folks did not take me for a fellow in a frock or a bloke in a dress. Truly passing or just presenting well, I’ll leave that up to you, but at least I’m seen as someone who does this for real and truly lives this life. 

And indeed I do! I may not go to work en femme, but I do live a fair bit of it as female and am happy to know others do not see it as a costume, a gag or a lost bet. I’m not perceived as some bloody weirdo who gets their jollies from walking around in drag. It gives me confidence to know I’m taken seriously as a person and perhaps as a woman too, and even though I see male flight attendants, women still dominate the profession and I’ve been assumed to be part of them. Though I may not be a flight attendant, I’m regarded as the competent, professional woman that I present to be!

So loves, though we all hate being misidentified, I’ll take it all day long if I’m assumed to be a flight attendant and I guess on Halloween, I can just show up at a random party dressed for work. And if I do ever fly en femme, I can breeze through security or hop a flight to Paris, lol.

As always, questions and comments are welcome below, or email me at nblucher at-sign proton dot me. I always love hearing from people.

Wearing Cynthia Rowley

David Guapo femulates Rebeca on Tu Cara Me Suena, Spain’s version of Your Face Sounds Familiar.
Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.

Slacks

I enjoy film noir and Sunday morning I watched Gun Crazy on TCM. It is classic film noir and I can’t look away when it is on. 

The film was released in 1950 and I noticed this bit of 1950 dress coding that appeared in the middle of the film.

After a 20-something woman working in office hands over some paperwork to her supervisor, a 50-something woman, the supervisor remarks, “May I ask why you are wearing slacks?”

Young woman responds, “It’s all I had today. My dry cleaning hadn’t come back.”

Supervisor warns, “I’ll expect you tomorrow in a skirt.”

“Yes, Miss Sifert,” the young woman acquiesces.

...

Fast-forward 100 years to 2050...

Wearing Bebe

Robert Morse and Tony Roberts femulating on stage in Sugar (circa 1972).

Stuff 63: Sensations

What Do You Notice?

By J.J. Atwell

I’m wondering what sensations you, my dear readers, notice most when you are dressed. Is it the way the clothes move? How the breeze feels on areas that normal guy clothing covers? Perhaps the click of heels when you walk? 

I know that JJ is aware of those things plus a few others. Some examples: the sensation of having long hair and having to deal with it when eating; the effect of long hair somewhat restricting peripheral vision when I’m out; or if I’m wearing false eyelashes, I notice them when I first put them on, but after awhile that fades. 

The feel of the clothes around me is also something I’m aware of. If I wear leggings or stretchy jeans I notice the tug on my body as I move. I don’t typically wear snug tops so I’m less aware of that feeling on my upper torso. But I do notice things like the gentle hug of my bra and of course the boobs hanging there. That’s especially noticeable in the car with the shoulder harness crosses over them. 

How about having long, colorful nails? JJ almost always uses press-on nails when she is going out. The color and shape vary from outing to outing, but seeing them as I’m doing things is one of those sensations I notice. That and the inability to pick up items that my guy side wouldn’t have an issue grabbing. 

Do GGs Notice That, Too?

I asked my friend Gigi if she notices those same things. I had guessed that women don’t normally notice them because it is all just so normal for them. Gigi confirmed that it isn’t something she notices, but she had an interesting observation. When she is getting ready for a special outing, she spends a bit of time thinking about how she is going to look. That is, how the outfit works for her shape and the colors for her complexion. She also considers how all the accessories coordinate or accent the presentation.  

I thought that was a very good point. I know when I’m planning an outing I do think a bit about what to wear. But that thinking is more along the lines of dress/skirt vs. jeans. So far, I haven’t progressed to the point of thinking more about the whole look. I count myself lucky if I’ve managed to match the top with the bottom. Including the color and accessories in my planning is a bit beyond me. Those things usually occur to me once I’m mostly dressed and now have to find the right shoes, belt, bag and jewelry. 

I’ll Be Back

I’ll be thinking about how to improve my presentation with more advance planning. In the meantime I’ll be finding more Stuff to write about. I welcome comments and suggestions here on Stana’s page or by email at Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Sha Na Na band members femulating on television’s Sha Na Na.

Humor in a Jugular Vein

Humor in a Jugular Vein