Who Likes Shorts Shorts?

Aunty flickrs Womanless

Regular Femulate contributor Aunty has posted a slew of womanless images on flickr. Check it out if you like that sort of thing (and who doesn't?).

True Colors Conference

I will attend and present (“Crossdressing Successfully in the Real World”) at the True Colors Conference next Friday (March 21) at the University of Connecticut.

"True Colors is a non-profit organization that works with other social service agencies, schools, organizations, and within communities to ensure that the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are both recognized and competently met."

Harry Benjamin’s The Transsexual Phenomenon

I was looking for a copy of Harry Benjamin’s classic work The Transsexual Phenomenon. It has been out-of-print for awhile. Amazon had a used copy for $300 (hardcover) and $50 (paperback). However, I found a copy for free here.

Replying to Comments

If you are wondering why I have not replied to your Comments for awhile, the reason is that something in some software somewhere was preventing me from doing so. Each time I tried to reply to a Comment, my reply would vanish when I tried to post it.

I was determined to figure out what was going on. First, I thought that it might be a blog setting that was causing the problem, but no matter how I optioned the settings, the problem persisted.

Then I tried using a different browser and the problem went away. Using Safari, I had no problem replying to Comments (and I replied to over a week's worth). Going back to Chrome and the problem returned. Don’t know why, but I do know the workaround: use Safari.

 

 

 

Actor femulating in boy’s prep school production of Hairspray in 2013.

 

 

 

Wearing Rag & Bone.

I’m Transitioning

I’m transitioning pierced earrings to clip-on earrings using the converters that Avon sells. After some trial and error, I have the transitioning procedure down pat.

Step 1. Bend the post of the pierced earring 90°. To avoid snapping the post off the earring, use a small pair of needle nose pliers to grasp the post at its base and slowly bend the rest of the post 90° with your thumb.
Step 2. Using a glue that will bond metal, apply a dab of glue to the bent post with a toothpick.
Step 3. Insert the post into the tube of the converter.
Step 4. Position the earring at a 90° angle with relation to the converter. Let the glue dry thoroughly.

You can skip using the glue, but soon the post will loosen inside the tube of the converter. Then the earring will flop around and fall out of the tube. The glue stabilizes the post inside the tube and I recommend using the glue.

UPDATE: It is early, but I have already received comments and e-mails suggesting that getting my ears pierced is preferable to using clip-ons. My reply is that if I was living as a woman full-time (or nearly full-time), I would consider getting my ears pierced. But since I am part-time and have a big investment in a large collection of clip-ons, I will stick with the clips.

 

 

 

The femulating French Lolita.

 

 

 

She is reputed to be a femulator, but I don’t know for sure.
Nevertheless, I love what she is wearing.

Tea for Two Times Three

After I went shopping at the mall Friday morning, I attended an afternoon tea with five of my friends at Tea Rose's Tea Room in Downtown Cromwell.

My friends included four girls like me and the spouse of one of the girls. I have known these women like forever. (Talk about small worlds... one of the girls is the cousin of one of my best friends from grammar school.)

For over two hours, I enjoyed drinking tea, eating tea sandwiches and mini-desserts and chatting with my friends in a beautifully-appointed tea room. We were referred to as "ladies" and treated as ladies by our hostess. It was all very nice.

My only complaint was that I drank too much tea and had acid indigestion later in the afternoon. A woman's got to know her limitations, so next time I will drink less tea.

 

 

 

Holly Woodlawn femulating in the 1971 film Women in Revolt.

 

 

 

Wearing Daily Look.

Morning at the Mall

Thank you for all the birthday greetings. You helped ease the transition from 62 to 63!

My birthday was Saturday and I spent it with my family, but Friday was a birthday gift to myself: a day out en femme: a morning shopping and an afternoon tea.

Originally, I planned to dress to blend in at the mall wearing leggings and a tunic top, but I reconsidered and dressed up for the tea. I wore my new polka dot dress from Avon, black tights, black bag, and pearl jewelry. I also wore two pairs of shoes: black flats at the mall and black heels at the tea.

The temperature was supposed to be near 40°F, so I wore my black sweater coat, which would be adequate outdoors, but too warm in the mall. My goal at the mall was to shop for a lightweight coat.

I saw a houndstooth coat on the Torrid website that I wanted to check out, so when I arrived at the Meriden Westfield Mall at 10 AM, Torrid was the first store I visited.

At 10 AM, the mall is not busy. Workers are scurrying to their stores to begin the day and senior citizens are shopping or walking for exercise. As I was making my way through the mall to Torrid, a young woman walking faster than I, caught up with me and passed me by. As she passed, she turned back and said, “I love your jacket!”

“Thank-you,” I replied. “Good way to start the day,” I thought.

Entering Torrid, a saleswoman welcomed me and asked if I needed any assistance. When I told her about the houndstooth coat, she gave me a blank look and said that they did not have any houndstooth coats. She showed me a handful of jackets they had for sale, but they did not interest me, so I thanked her and departed.

There was a new store next door called Fashion to Figure that I noticed before I entered Torrid. The clothes on display in their storefront looked attractive and plus-sized, so after leaving Torrid, I entered Fashion to Figure. Turns out Fashion to Figure is in direct competition with Torrid focusing exclusively on clothing and related accessories for women and teenagers sized 12 to 26.

Two saleswomen greeted me as I entered the store and asked if I needed any help. I told them I was looking for a coat and one saleswoman showed me a rack of blue trench coats. I liked the color and style, tried on two sizes, found one that fit and loved how the coat looked on me.

The houndstooth coat on the Torrid website was on sale for $108, so I held my breath when I looked for the price tag of the Fashion to Figure trench coat. I was astonished when I saw that the coat only cost $32.50! Wow! I told the saleswoman that I would take it and would like to wear it out of the store.

Before she would let me go, she insisted that I try on a body shaper that they sold: a Squeem Miracle Vest. I had never heard of that brand before. It turned out to be unlike any body shaper I had ever worn. Read the description for the low-down about the shaper.

It was amazing!It gave me a new figure that was curvier than ever before and I was sold. I don't know why I didn't wear it out of the store like the trench coat, but for some reason, it did not occur to me to do so.

As I was getting ready to pay, I mentioned that it was my birthday and the saleswoman said I qualified for 25% discount during the month of my birthday if I joined their e-mail list. So I joined their list and as I opened my bag to fetch my wallet to pay for the coat and shaper, I noticed a beautiful black and coral peplum mesh dress on display that I had to try on.

I took two sizes to the dressing room and the first one I tried on fit like a glove and looked great. So I added another item to my shopping bag, paid for my purchases, and moved on. By the way, I loved the selection and prices at Fashion to Figure and plan to shop there often.

I had a 25% birthday discount coupon for Payless shoes and there was a store right across the way from Fashion to Figure, so that was my next stop.

I was so happy with the wedges that I bought last spring at Payless that I was looking for another pair. I perused the women's size 11-12-13 racks and found a half-dozen wedges to try on.

Only one pair fit: a mid-heel black pair, which was perfect because I was looking for something dressier than the casual wedges I already own. I paid for my purchase and wore them out of the store.

I walked around the mall, looking here and there, but I did not find anything else to buy. No one paid me much mind except for saleswomen who smiled and greeted me in various stores and a pair of 30- or 40-something guys, who were walking the mall for exercise. The two guys made no attempt to hide the fact that they were checking me out. I appreciated what they were doing, but feigned ignorance about what they were doing.

Next stop, the tea room.

 

 

 

Femulator.

 

 

 

Wearing Madeliene.

Yesterday

Photo from yesterday. Words about yesterday coming tomorrow (or the day after tomorrow).

Is she or isn’t she?

My trans radar has been on the fritz lately. Every woman I see looks like a femulator!

For example, referring to the Femulator image that appeared here on Monday, Shukun commented that "After some extensive searching I came across a cast listing from that femulator's play. She's actually a genetic girl."

Who knew! The image came from a stage play at an all-male school. Other images from that school showed males en femme who were obviously males en femme. So I thought that Monday's Femulator was also a male en femme who had cranked it up a notch or two. 

There are so many images on the Internet of purported femulators who turn out not to be femulators that I am always hesitant to proclaim someone a "femulator" when the proof is sketchy.

For example, the image above came from the DragFEST website of North Carolina State University. The person in the photo is named "Claire McKnight" and when I first saw her photo, I thought she was a cisgender female who participated in the DragFEST by emulating a drag queen (a "dragulator").

But other photos on the website that indicate that Claire is using duct tape to create her impressive bust. I have achieved similar results, so I know that it can be done, but is that evidence enough to declare that Claire is a femulator?

Hard to say.

It is a tough job, but someone has to do it. And if I am wrong on occasion, sobeit; I will just try to do better next time.

 

 

 

German femulators, before the Nazis and after the Commies.

 

 

 

Wearing BCBCMAXAZRIA.

Six Three

This weekend, my age finally exceeds my height. And to celebrate that unenviable accomplishment, I am going to a tea room with the girls on the eve of my birthday.
I am not a big tea drinker. I only resort to tea if I have a cold, but going to a tea is something so feminine that it is irresistible to this femulator.

As I wrote here two years ago after attending my first (and only) tea, "It was a very feminine adventure. All of the customers and all of the staff were female and the room was beautifully appointed in a most feminine manner."

You don't wear jeans and a T-shirt to a tea. I have plenty of tea-worthy outfits, but the weather is a big consideration. The weather girl says it will be "mostly sunny" with a "high" temperature of 38°F and that makes me shiver when I think about some of the outfits I'd consider wearing to a tea!

 

 

 

Femulators attending a pet cotillion in Atlanta in 2013.

 

 

 

Wearing Madeleine.

Oscars

I am such a girl. I watch most of the awards shows and never miss the Oscars. I don't care much about who wins what; I watch for the glam to see what the girls and boys are wearing.

This year, I really liked the blue tuxedos that a couple of the guys were wearing (Jason Sudeikis, for example). If I were a guy going to the Oscars, that's what I would wear. As for the girls, I'd wear what Kate Hudson and Charlize Theron wore.

And when are we going to see femulators on the red carpet? You got to believe that some of the guys on the red carpet would prefer to wear evening gowns. I assure you, next time I go to the Oscars, I will attend fully femulated.

Jared Leto won an Oscar for portraying a transwoman in Dallas Buyers Club and some people are up in arms about it because they feel that a transwoman should have played the role.

So when Hollywood gets around to making Femulate: The Movie, I want them to hire me to play myself. Not really; I’m a lousy actress. Actually, I’d prefer they hire Kate Beckinsale to portray me!

 

 

 

The beautiful Miss Britney Smith.

 

 

 

Bedeviled by a Blue Dress

Modern Family is one television show I never miss. It is smart comedy and I much prefer smart comedy to dumb comedy that depends on a laugh-track for laughs.

Anyway, the accompanying image shows beautiful actress Sofia Vergara appearing in the latest episode of the program. I could not take my eyes off the television screen during her brief appearance. I fell in love with the outfit she was wearing. The wrap dress was gorgeous and looked great with her black tights and heels.

Wrap dresses are very flattering on me and I wanted Sofia's wrap dress for myself. But what were the chances of finding it and even if I succeeded, it would probably be a designer dress with a three or four figure price tag.

"Dream on, girl," I though to myself.

I prowled the Internet for awhile trying to find the dress without any success until I image-Googled "sofia vergara blue print wrap dress flutter."

The second image that Google displayed was Sofia modeling that very dress! Turns out that the dress is from the Sofia by Sofia Vergara line of women's clothing and it was for sale in my size. I was so happy with my find that I even sprang for the four-figure price tag ($20.24) and I can expect the dress to arrive from Kmart real soon now.

By the way, after I found the dress online, I found two websites that would have simplified my search: Shop Your TV and Worn On TV. Both websites knew where to find Sofia's dress.

Have fun!

 

 

 

This image seems to depict a variation of a womanless wedding. Usually, males play all the parts including the bride, mother of the bride, bridesmaids, flower girl, and female guests. In this variation, the males only play the female parts and females play the male parts. So this would be more appropriately called a “crossdressing wedding” rather than a womanless wedding. My guess is that it occurred in the mid-1950s, but the location is unknown. The initials “VHHC” painted high on the wall in the background offer the only clue.

 

 

 

Wearing Guess.

Like I Said

Blogger Peter Lappin of Male Pattern Boldness fame had a real life experience that affirmed some of what I wrote about in my Thursday Future Dressing post.

Here is the link to the Peter's pertinent post and I urge you to read it, but here are a couple of takeaways from the post which told about his visit to a Comme des Garcons store in the city to research his men's skirt sewing project

"Friends, I couldn't even tell which areas in the store were for men and which were for women..."

"The young male sales assistant who helped me was wearing the skirt posted up top, only with black leggings (not quite tights), colored socks and black shoes."

Admittedly, this occurred in New York City and you will not have the same experience in a clothing store in downtown Podunk (or the Podunk mall). But it's a start!

 

 

 

Student actor femulating in a 2013 stage play at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Mass.

 

 

 

Wearing Rag & Bone bag.

Suits Him

Pantyhose Runs in Their Family