Sonia’s Favorite Photos (of Sonia!)

Dear Stana,

Your blog is such an amazing resource and I've been a follower for a long long time.

Your open invitation to send in a favorite photo with its story was much too tempting to pass up. I've been a crossdresser for as long as I can remember, but given my circumstances, I'd also have been in the closet for an equally long time. Neither did I have the makeup skills nor the opportunity to venture out into the world and test the waters. Perhaps I also wasn't ready and fully accepting of myself to muster up the courage to say, "This is me and I'm proud of it".

That changed in 2013. I'd come out to a friend many years ago, yet neither he nor I had ever discussed the topic. He is a makeup artist and also happens to be gay, although we all know that doesn't necessarily equal acceptance.

Come end-August 2013, we were chatting and in passing he mentioned in passing that he was going to a gay party. Taking a chance, I asked if I could tag along and not stopping there I asked if I could come dressed. We discussed it for a while and agreed that it would a terrific idea. Then began the excitement, of course, of putting together an outfit, accessories, and colors, all of which was immensely satisfying.

When the day arrived, I was very nervous and also very excited. Venturing into the unknown is what this was and something about that was thrilling. Needless to say the party was great and no one cared two hoots and I even got Ma'am'd a couple of times. Given that it was at night, I had the advantage of dim lighting to give me added comfort.

That was the day Sonia was truly born, one that I will never forget. Sadly, the only picture I have (the photo on top) isn't the clearest, but the smile on my face says it all, I think.

Sonia also celebrated her birthday a couple of weeks later, for the first time en femme (the photo below). Both events hold so much significance to me that I couldn't pick just one.

Hugs,

Sonia

My open invitation to post your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto. ― Stana

 

 

 

Wearing Nina Ricci.

 

 

 

Cecil Beaton

Eve’s Favorite Photos (of Eve!)

Stana!

Here are three photos of me at First Event in January in Boston. I wore the blue gown in the fashion show, definitely a "non-civilian" affair! The other pix are me in other outfits for different evenings at First Event.

I think the blue gown picture will always remind me of how happy, relaxed and confident I felt that night on the runway. Everyone there had a wonderful experience and were so supportive. It was my second time modeling and I can't wait to do it again. Roll away your insecurities and WORK IT, Girls! You can do it!

My open invitation to post your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto. ― Stana

 

 

 

Wearing Lulu.

 

 

 

Womanless beauty pageant contestant.

The Amazing Androgyn Beauty

I have been following the fascinating blog of Androgyn Beauty for years.

…because of my passion for the fashion and visual arts, I made this blog as a legitimate struggle against the fashion stereotypes and, implicitly, against the mandatory regime regarding the gender division of people: “that is masculine, the other is feminine, you cannot mix them.”

So, mainly I’m here to show you that, when it comes to fashion, nothing is strongly set as masculine or as feminine. The men and the women have the right to adopt any look they want to, and there is no ‘reasonable motif’ to censor (or to mock) their wishes. The choice should not interfere with any of the moral or legal laws, in the real life.

Androgyn is a Spanish beauty who is living his life according to his philosophy and not according to a pigeon hole created by society. I admire him for that, but I also admire him for his fashion sense (if I were 20-something, I would be femulating Androgyn).

I’m adopting an androgyny look simply because I like it, not because I want to send a sexual orientation message (I’m straight, by the way, with the normal dose of homosexuality that resides in everyone’s sexuality), or because I try to step in front of everyone. For me, wearing formally female made clothes is completely normal, they are just pieces of tissues that were cut and sewed in some forms that have no relativity with the sexual gender of the wearer. To wear make-up is similar to wearing a tattoo.

Remember, there are no rules for judging your appearance, there are only closed (small) minds, too afraid of everything that breaks down the formalism, the conservatory views, in any aspects. The future looks forward, not backward. Be part of the future.

Androgyn’s androgynous style is decidedly feminine according to today’s pigeon hole and is certainly worth femulating (especially of you have the legs to carry it off). With that in mind, I proffer Androgyn as the first male to be a “Femulate Her Him” model.

 

 

 

Androgyn Beauty

 

 

 

Actors Brandon Alexander III and Dudley Beene in the 2013 film First Period.
(Thank you, Zoe)

Bad News

"Major broadcast and cable news networks are failing in their coverage of the transgender community, prioritizing sensational depictions of transgender people while ignoring important transgender stories..."

Media Matters tracked transgender coverage on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, Telemundo and Univision during January and February 2015 and the results are disturbing. Instead of concentrating on substantive transgender issues, the networks preferred to concentrate on Bruce Jenner rumors, Chelsea Manning's hormone therapy and the like.

It's no wonder that we have such a poor public image and are being locked out of bathrooms throughout the USA! (By the way, it's no surprise that the big networks practically ignored the bathroom legislation issue.)

And transpeople were seldom invited to be part of the discussion to speak for themselves. "As GLAAD has noted, 'transgender people are the experts to talk about transgender people.' The absence of trans individuals makes it easier for networks to create negative, misleading, or dehumanizing depictions of transpeople with impunity.

In those rare cases that transpeople were able to speak "about their experiences and community, the impact they had on the tone and content of media coverage was nothing short of transformative."

Enough from me; read it for yourself here.

 

 

 

Wearing M. Missoni.

 

 

 

Actor Sven Schelker in the 2014 Swiss film Der Kreis (The Circle).

Cursed

Back on March 27, Monica wrote here, “I am trying to write a blog/essay on how being transgender is a gift and not a curse… what do you see as the gift(s) of being transgender? What unique perspective and irreplaceable view of life do we have?”

At the time, I had nothing to say, so Monica asked me directly, “I would love to hear your take on what the gifts of being trans-gendered are (and the curse).”

Personally, I think I can summarize it this way.

Being transgender is a curse living part-time male and part-time female, as I do.

Being transgender would be a gift if I lived full-time as a female.

Living part-time involves living a lie in many ways and for me, living a lie is very stressful and a heavy burden on my psyche.

Living full-time would relieve me of those "part-time burdens." However, living full-time would weigh me down with new burdens, that is, the burdens of living as a woman in society today... burdens that I would gladly embrace because that is the way it's supposed to be.

Wearing Brahmin.

Actor Ben Porter in the 2004 British film School of Seduction.

Kaitlynn’s Favorite Photos (of Kaitlynn!)

Dear Stana,

I've been following your blog for a little while (after accidentally stumbling across it a few months ago) and have been enjoying your posts so far. I figured if you find them acceptable, that I would try my hand at sending in my submission for your favorite photo series.

The first is me from a couple of years ago, back in 2013, while the second one was just taken last month. 

Looking back on them, the first used to be my favorite because I think at the time I believed everything had finally come together enough for me to be comfortable with and feel truly myself, the hair, the makeup, everything.

Have you ever had a brief period of time that you've later looked back on and realized just how much things ― and yourself have changed? Oh, how things have changed... mostly me, over the past two years. I've since shed the wig, gotten better at makeup, become more confident and grown like every other girl out there and I like to think I'm now able to call myself a young woman. 

Long story short, those two are my favorites because for me they symbolize where I've come from and where I am now as I look into the future.

Thanks!

Regards,

Kaitlynn

My open invitation to post your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto. ― Stana

 

 

 

Wearing Anthropologie.

 

 

 

Not your father’s Easter outfit.

Christina Marie’s Favorite Photos (of Christina Marie!)

Hi Stana,

A while back I found your blog through a friend. I am so glad that she did, too. It has become such a great way to relax and I so enjoy reading about your adventures, especially when you post things about tall women.

Since you asked us to share one of our favorite photos with your audience, I couldn’t resist, but send one. But which one? Just like everyone else, it was a chore. One from when I was young or something more recent. That sure is a lot with 25+ years femulating. It didn’t take long.

Most of the time, I went out dressed by myself. My wife and kids knew I dressed, but were afraid of the consequences if I was caught femulating while I was serving in the military. Soon as I retired, I was femulating almost 24/7.

I had decided to go to the park and then get something to eat at a restaurant one Sunday afternoon. My wife and kids loved the sound of it and wanted to go. I asked if they wanted me to change, but they were ok with me femulating during the day with them. Our first stop was at a nice little park. It was a wonderful day in May and you couldn’t have asked for a better one. After a nice walk around the park, we all took pictures together and then I took some solo ones.

We were so hungry and worn out we headed off to the restaurant to eat. I have eaten there a lot, so they knew who I was. Lunch was good as was the company. Did I mention there were more pictures? Like that wouldn’t have happened.

It was a hard tossup between the day out with my wife and kids or hanging out with my parents and siblings as the woman I love to be. Not to worry though because we have a family reunion coming up and they can’t wait for their sister to show up!

Take care everyone and happy Femulating!!!!

Christina Marie

My open invitation to post your favorite photo along with the story behind it and the reason it is your favorite photo still stands, so don't be shy, send me your fave foto. ― Stana

 

 

 

Wearing Brahmin.

 

 

 

Sira Soda, professional Madonna femulator.

Thirteen

Jan regularly sends e-mails with links to recent T things appearing on the Internet. One was a link to a website that analyzes your photo to determine how masculine and feminine you look and how old you are.

I've seen similar web sites in the past, but this was a new one for me, so I decided to check it out.

First, I uploaded the photo that is at the top right left corner of this blog (glasses and all) and I was pleased with the results: 5% masculine, 95% feminine and 53 years old!

Next, I uploaded the photo I used in the recent past for my blogger profile and I was even more pleased with the results, which you can see for yourself above: 1% masculine, 91% feminine and 31 years old!!

Finally, I uploaded the photo I use currently for my blogger profile (the photo under "Your Hostess" in the right column of this blog). The results were more manly on the masculine/feminine scale (9% masculine, 91% feminine), but fabulous on the age estimate: 13-years-old!!!!   

Now I can shop at Forever 21 and H&M without feeling out of place!

 

 

 

Wearing Kate Spade.

 

 

 

Proud mother and “daughter,” a womanless beauty pageant winner.

Indiana

The so-called religious freedom law is more onerous to transgender folks than LGB folks because civilians are more likely to clock transgender folks than LGB folks (and then proceed to exercise their religious beliefs against us).

Put a transwoman, transman, gay man, lesbian woman, and bisexual bisexual in a line-up and who is your average civilian most likely to pick as belonging to the LGBT crowd? The transwoman and transman, of course.

More so than the folks in the LGB crowd, a lot of folks in the trans crowd will get clocked by civilians who are scrutinizing people to determine whether or not we are discrimination-worthy. Size is often our giveaway (big transwomen and small transmen) and there is not much we can do about that.

And stop calling it a "religious freedom" law. It's a freedom to discriminate law, that is, you are free to discriminate according to your prejudices and then use religion as an excuse. How twisted is that?

Tell me, Mr. Christian, if a transwoman needed some carpentry work done, what would Jesus do?

 

 

 

Wearing Kate Spade.

 

 

 

Actor John Lithgow in the 1992 film Raising Cain.

Out Sick Not Out

I’ve been sick. Stomach virus/flu wiped me out… so much so that I had no post here yesterday.

I’m feeling better today, but I’m a little down because I used a day off from work to play nurse rather than be a woman.

On the positive side, I did lose 4 pounds and I found the following image in Harper’s Bazaar that I just couldn’t let be. It is April 1st, after all!

 

 

 

 

Julianne Moore

 

 

 

Actor Ofer Shechter in the 2013 Israeli film Cupcakes (courtesy of Zoe).