Battle of the Bulge

Too often, I am surprised to see a photo of a lovely trans lady spoiled by an unsightly bulge below the waistline.

I am sure that sometimes a visible bulge is intentional, that is, for whatever reason, the "lady" wants viewers to know that she is really a he. On the other hand, most trans ladies prefer that the bulge be invisible.

If you wear a garment with a pleated or flouncy skirt, then hiding your boy parts is usually not a concern. Pleats and flounces hide the bulge, but nearly all other womenswear require attending to the bulge.

The ultimate solution is to have those parts surgically removed.

But if you are not ready for the ultimate solution, there are other ways and they involve tucking those parts out of sight and maintaining the tuck. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, so I point you to wikiHow's tucking instructions.

Personally, I have never used tape to maintain a tuck. For my preferred method of staying tucked, scroll down the wikiHow page to "Tucking Without Tape."

The tape-free method works as long as the garment you use to maintain the tuck is tight enough. Surprisingly, I found that a gaff performs a poor job. I bought a gaff in the last century and was unimpressed with its staying power. Maybe 21st Century gaffs are better ― I dunno.

On the other hand, I have had a lot of success staying tucked by wearing panty girdles and spandex bikini-style panties (not at the same time, and the tighter, the better).

And so it goes (and hopefully, doesn't show).

Wearing Belle De Jour.

Beautiful womanless beauty pageant participant.

Davina's Favorite Photo (of Davina!)

Hi Stana,

I had been wondering whether I should contribute a photo to your Femulate readers' favorite photo feature and I finally decided on what to send. 

This photo was taken during Esprit 2014, which is the transgender event held in Port Angeles, Washington, in mid-May every year. One of the things that visitors to Port Angeles can do is to take the ferry across to Victoria, British Columbia, for a day trip and it seems to have become a regular event among Esprit participants. 

This year, the plan was to visit the world-famous Butchart Gardens just outside the city. I joined the group (there were eight of us) in a slightly apprehensive frame of mind because this would be far and away the most committing trip en femme that I had ever done considering the fact that I would be crossing an international border. However, I needn't have worried. 

In both directions, the officials were courteous and welcoming. The weather that day was wonderful: blue skies and hot sunshine. We strolled around the gardens, mingling with the other visitors. We also indulged in the traditional high tea, where we were addressed very properly as "ladies" (we were all in our best summer frocks precisely for this occasion). At one point during the day, one of my companions managed to capture this smile on my face, which somehow sums up the day. 

Esprit has certain features in common with Fantasia Fair, but the scenic setting is much more spectacular. I can thoroughly recommend Port Angeles as a tourist destination!

Best wishes,

Davina

In response to my open invitation to send your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo, I received a lot of photos and stories that I am posting in the the order I received them. My invitation still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto!

Paris street style, Fall 2014.

Womanless beauty pageant contestant.

Alice's Favorite Photo (of Alice!)

Choosing a favorite photo of myself is actually quite difficult. I have a few photos that I quite like, but over the past few years, two fairly significant things have changed how I view my own photos.

First, in 2011, at age 42, I stopped wearing wigs after working out how to fudge my hairline. After that, I found that I just wasn't all that keen on older photos where I was wearing a wig.

Then in 2012, I decided to challenge myself to try to pull off the 1950s pinup style. There were several reasons, including that it adds a lot of hair styling options and high stiletto heels are a perfectly acceptable part of the look, even when wandering around a shopping center. ;-) Fairly soon, I found that I wasn't all that keen on older "plain" photos.

Ironically, in spite of having many, many photos where I was wearing high heels, my favorite photo at present is a seated selfie taken at the salon when I went for my fortnightly nail appointment. Yes, even in boy mode, I always have my nails long with acrylic overlays to protect them and painted usually bright red to go with my favorite pinup outfits

I like this photo so much that it's now the profile photo on my boy profile on Facebook!

In response to my open invitation to send your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo, I received a lot of photos and stories that I am posting in the the order I received them. My invitation still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto!

I'd wear that to work this spring!

If she came in third, imagine what the winner of this womanless beauty pageant looked like!

Remembering Tom Swift

This volume rests on my virtual bookshelf next to my Hardly Boys and Nancy-Boy Drew books.

 

 

 

Wearing Madeleine.

 

 

 

Concern surrounds this womanless beauty pageant contestant because she is bra-less.

Hannah’s Favorite Photo (of Hannah!)

Hi Stana,

I love this picture because I think it represents one of the high points in my life as a T-girl.

I started a group about a year ago called The MN T-Girls, a social and support group for crossdressers and transgirls in Minnesota. More information about the group can be found here.

The purpose of the group is to get out and be social and have fun. We go out for dinner, to museums and have coffee.

The highlight of our outings so far is when I organized an after-hours shopping event with ULTA. We had about 15 girls there who chatted with makeup artists, received makeovers and did some shopping. It was so fun. I was so proud of the girls, some of them had never been out of the house before. I blogged about the event here.

The picture was taken a little after midnight, I was exhausted. but never felt more beautiful or proud to be a T-girl!

Love, Hannah

http://hannahgotta.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahgotta/

 

 

 

Wearing Thakoon.

 

 

 

Womanless beauty pageant contestant and her proud mother.

You're Tall

One of my best femulating moments was when I was browsing the racks at the local Nordstrom and a saleswoman nearby spoke up, "You're tall. I'm tall, too. How tall are you?"

I said, "Six foot two."

She replied, "I'm six foot one."

And she engaged me in a discussion about being a tall female. She asked me how I liked being tall when I was a girl. ("I loved it.") She admitted that she had some difficulties during her school years because of her height, but as an adult, she was happy with her height.

After we exchanged a few more words, I excused myself and walked on air for the rest of my day at the mall.

I used to worry that I could never pass because of my height. That day at the mall convinced me otherwise.

I maintained a list of famous and infamous tall women (my Famous Females of Height list) to convince myself and my readers that being a tall female was not that unusual... that there were other tall women out there and that tall girls like us can fit right in!

I regularly updated the list as you and I discovered additional tall women to add to the list, but I have not updated the list in almost a year. Personally, I no longer needed the list, so there was no urgency to update it. However, I continued to collect additions to the list and decided that the 8th anniversary of this blog would be a good time to update it.

And so I did.

Here are the ladies I added to the list today:

5’8” – Gauahar Khan – Indian model and actress – Source: Peaches

5’8” – Katy Perry – singer – Source: Stana

5’9” – Malia Obama – daughter of U.S. President – Source: Meg Winters

5’9” – Aishwarya Sakhuja – Indian model and actress – Source: Peaches

5’9” – Olivia Williams – actress, film Rushmore – Source: Stana

5’10" – Brandi Glanville – model and actress, television The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – Source: GK

5'10" – Shraddha Musale – Indian model and actress – Source: Peaches

5'10" – Rachel Nichols – actress and model – Source: Peaches

5'10" – Robin Roberts – talking head, television Good Morning America – Source: Meg

5'10" – Beth Ostrosky Stern – American television personality, actress and the wife of 6'5" radio personality Howard Stern – Source: Peaches

5'10" – Analeigh Tipton – actress, television Manhattan Love Story – Source: GK

5'10" – Phoebe Tonkin – Australian model and actress – Source: Peaches

5’11” – Kavita Kaushik – Indian actress – Source: Peaches

5’11” – Alena Seredova – Czech model and actress – Source: Peaches

6’0" – Cristina Chiabotto – Italian TV personality – Source: Peaches

6’0” – Jordin Sparks – singer – Source: Meg Winters and Peaches

6’1” – Jodie Kidd – English television personality and fashion model – Source: Peaches

6’1” – Tara Moss – Canadian– Australian novelist, TV presenter, journalist – Source: Peaches

6’2” – Ireland Eliesse Baldwin – model – Source: Stana

6’2” – Natasha Stefanenko – Russian actress – Source: Peaches

6'4" – Lois De Fre – nightclub bouncer – married 3'7" Billy Curtis in 1938 – Source: Peaches

Wearing Badgley Mischka.

Actors Seth Tucker, Marty-Thomas, Alex Ringler, Curtis Wiley, Nic Cory

and Nick Cearley in the 2014 stage production of Pageant: The Musical.

We Are All Women

Eight years ago today, I launched Femulate with the following short post:

Welcome to my new blog!

I am a male, who occasionally goes out in the world emulating a female. This blog documents my adventures en femme.

Back then I was in denial about who I really was and referred to myself as a “plain vanilla crossdresser.” Being a crossdresser was “safe.” I could avoid facing the truth and complicating my life.

Things changed. 

Writing this blog on a daily basis changed me. I grew with the blog and faced ― or rather accepted and embraced the truth that I was a woman. 

I was not a woman trapped in a man's body; I was a woman dealing with society’s expectations of what a human being with my body parts was supposed to be.

Society viewed me as a feminine guy and likely gay, but I knew that I was neither. I was a woman plain and simple and I was determined to live my life as the best woman I could be despite the circumstances I found myself in and despite society's desire to straight jacket me. It has not been easy, but some people have it harder than I, so I feel blessed in many ways.

Whether you consider yourself a crossdresser, a transvestite, a transgender, a transsexual, or a whatever, I really believe we are all women.

And I hope this blog has helped you come to that realization and begin living your life as the women you are.

Wearing 4.Collection.

Close cover before striking!

Femulating Live from New York!

I have been binge-watching VH1 Classic's 19-day 24/7 marathon broadcast of Saturday Night Live episodes from 2015 to 1975. They started with episodes from 2015 and are working backwards in time to the very first show featuring the Not Ready For Prime-Time Players. Currently they are showing episodes from circa 2000 and coincidentally Monday night they had Tom Brady's hosting of SNL in 2005.

To tell you the truth, I have not watched SNL religiously over the years mainly because I need my beauty rest. As 11:30 PM approaches on Saturday nights, I have to decide between beautiful or amused. Beautiful often wins out and I go to bed.

To really tell you the truth, at my age it's not a choice between beautiful or amused, rather I am just tired and want to go to sleep!

Either way, a lot of the episodes that I binge-watched were new to me. And I was surprised by how many femulations I missed over the years. I was not even aware of many of them, for example, Ashton Kutcher as Julia Roberts or Justin Timberlake's appearances en femme.

I was most amused by MeHarmony, SNL's parody of the online dating service eHarmony. Here it is if you haven't seen it; I highly recommend it!

Wearing Alice + Olivia.

Comedian Will Forte on television's Saturday Night Live (the MeHarmony bit) in 2005.

Yvonne's Favorite Photos (of Yvonne!)

My favourite picture is attached. Taken in May 2013 on what I thought would be just a quick trip to the shops, have a look, maybe buy something (using the automated checkout at the department store), then a little drive around and home again.

I had prepared everything the night before, clothes decided, makeup ready. So I got up early and got ready as per my checklist (I didn't want to miss anything).

In the car and off I go. I'm not going to my local shopping mall, I'm going to one a few kilometres further on from my house, thought I might get recognised at my local. I want to get there about 9.30 so it should be quiet. Before leaving I went outside, set up the camera quickly and took a couple of photos, I don't know why I decided to go with my hair back in a ponytail as I normally go with my hair down. Yes, that is my own hair.

I get to the mall about 9.25, park the car and walk in, not looking at anyone, just scanning the scene, trying not to make eye contact. I turn a corner to go into one of the mall's departments stores and the store is closed. Closed for a stock take sale. I try to be nonchalant, so I walk up to the roller door to look at some of the items that will be on sale when they open at 10. I don't realise others are coming in and doing the same or waiting for the store to open.

Suddenly, there on my right is a woman alongside me and as I glance to the left a group of others have come up alongside and behind me. I'm trapped. It would hard to make a break for it without saying anything, excusing myself or pushing past someone to get away.

How could I have been so stupid? My heart rate is now going like the clappers. This is it; I'm going to be exposed, ridiculed, embarrassed beyond all measure; who knows what else. By now there is a small crowd hanging around and I'm now standing in close company with 5 "other" women.

By now a woman is standing right next to me and makes a comment (at me) asking if I'm here for the kitchenware specials. I try to remember the voice training and M2F stuff about the voice. I attempt to raise my pitch slightly and talk softer and slower. Here Goes. I make a non committal answer, "No. I'm just here to have a look."

Expecting her to start yelling and pointing me out as an imposter or a pervert or worse, but no she starts on about how she's here for the cookware which is great bargain and it worth the wait if she gets what she wants. (I later find out this girl name is Renée). Another women behind me agrees with her that the kitchenware is a real steal.

I'm in a state of shock nothing is happening; just a group of women interested in snaring a bargain. I'm not sure if I've passed muster or they don't care that I'm a CD. My presence/voice seemed to be okay; no raised eyebrows or strange looks or worse.

Before I know it, I'm part of a small group of six. Four women who know each other, Renée and myself and they/we are just having a conversation to keep occupied until they can get in and I'm part of it!!!! I was just another women inconvenienced by the store opening late.

The conversations it seemed went all over the place from the already stated bargain cookware and the price of groceries and TV chefs, the bitch principal at the local school, problems with family/kids/partners/ and medical issues. I had already had experience of this conversation as woman become supportive of other women in conversations where one is having family problems, so I just followed. I initially kept quiet and answered questions when asked and as time went on, even threw in my two bobs worth.

My voice held up. I didn't try anything fancy. I just talked in a softer tone and remembered to phrase things in a female syntax and use the Aussie habit, especially women, of the raising the inflection at the end of a sentence so any statement sounds like question. I even chuckled a few times, many times, with the girls; I couldn't risk a laugh or giggle as that might have extended my range. But it seemed I was accepted. I looked the part, the figure, face and clothes all fit the profile. I had the jewelry, both engagement and wedding rings on the right finger, smelled right (I hope).

After a few minutes I calmed down and soon relaxed, sort of, the brain going a mile a minute trying to remember all the female habits I should do. I'm trying to channel some of my female friends and act as they would and also tried to take it all in and enjoy it. I was a women, a middle-aged, middle class, housewife and mother. Well that is what I assumed the girls thought. I was one of them.

Strange... when asked my name I said my second name Fiona, a name I chose, rather than my CD name of Yvonne, the name my mother once told me I would have been called if I was girl. So I was Mrs Fiona Burton; I assumed that was how I presented.

It lasted about 20 minutes I think; it seemed to fly by. We said our "see you's, etc" and went in as the roller door went up. I walked in with Renée; she did all the talking. I just agreed or added a short comment. I was in seventh heaven

Looked around the store for a while especially in ladies' wear and then did the big one: I picked out a couple of tops went to the change rooms, asked the young shop girl which cubicle to use and went in I tried them on. I didn't even think of using my phone camera. I liked the red and black tops and bought them as they fit beautifully. Better than my usual getting something I think is my size, getting it home and realising its too small and putting in the bag for the Goodwill. Checked myself in the mirrors in the changing room. In the different light and situation I thought didn't look too shabby and my makeup looked good. I had the no makeup look down pat. (Sorry, I digress.)

My confidence was now through the roof. I went into other shops, looked around talked to shop assistants, used my credit card (which is in my male name), bought things. Strangely I remember avoiding a certain dress shop as I reckoned the women in there might twig. Don't know why I thought that, but I didn't go in there. Mores the pity as they had nice stuff at good prices, but I did go in a couple of others and they all had young girls as shop assistants.

Went in the supermarket and did some grocery shopping I was going to do the next day in male mode. Who should I run into but Renée again. We walked down a couple aisles and had a bit of a chat; thankfully she again did most of the talking. I can't even remember what she said I was that blasé by now.

I even stopped at the coffee shop by the mall entrance and had a coffee. Sat down with my shopping trolley nearby and enjoyed the experience. It's funny; it seemed that as a women the mall was totally open to me; I could go anywhere as it seems some shops were off limits if I had been a male, especially single male.

Well I'd walked around, bought stuff, interacted with others and no one said anything; almost the reverse; I presented as female and that what I was! Got back to the car and opened the boot (trunk). As I did a women with a young child passed and said hello. I replied and added to the little girl that she was a cutie. They smiled and went on their way (that would not have happened if I were a man).

I was now thinking I'm going to another shopping centre and maybe an op shop, what the hell. I wished I had a Helen Reddy CD on my iPod as I Am Woman would have been on high rotation.
Anyway, I put the groceries and shopping in the boot, opened the car, put my handbag on the passenger's seat, put the key in the ignition and promptly burst into tears.

I just sat there crying, not blubbering or sobbing. It had just hit me what I had accomplished almost by chance. I was happy. I don't know if they were tears of happiness; I had never had an experience like it. I had gone out expecting a quick smash and grab, but here I was two hours later having been accepted and regarded as a woman. I passed the tests. I walked, talked and been a women, what I had always wanted be. I was exhilarated, happier than I can remember in a long time, but here I am crying like baby.

I composed myself and admonished myself for being silly. Looked in the rear view mirror; my mascara was running and my eyes were red. I went home to unpack and take stock of the day. By the time I had done this, I reckoned the moment had passed and I decided that was it for the day. A day that I cherish and try to remember every detail of when I can or when I'm feeling a bit down.

Funny; I've seen Renée at the shops a couple of times when in male mode. I'd love to say hello and say who I am, but no, that's not going to happen.

In response to my open invitation to send your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo, I received a lot of photos and stories that I am posting in the the order I received them. My invitation still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto!

Wearing Madeleine.

Actor Chris Williams in television's Ugly Betty (2009).

Go Patriots Go

I have been a Patriots fan since they were the Boston Patriots and played in Fenway Park, so I go way back. During the past 55 years, there have been a lot of ups and downs, but the last few years have been sweet and Sunday's Super Bowl win was the sweetest win yet!

Out of the blue, my little sister became a football fan this year... a Patriots football fan no less. Over the season, I taught her the rules and strategies of the game and by the end of the season, she had a good handle on the game and was thrilled that the team she selected to follow won the Super Bowl.

She was happier than me about the win and I was happy for her because after a year of serious health issues, she deserved some joy in her life!

Wearing Velvet by Graham & Spencer.

Male model Marso Tima.