Monday, October 26, 2015

Nurse Paula

By Paula Gaikowski

It was the 1960’s, a hospital in Brooklyn, New York, the corridors were cacophony of sounds, smells and people. If American is a melting pot, then Brooklyn is the place where it gets stirred. The hallways were crowded with families, police, and medical staff. Here was a place that almost everyone was destined to pass through. My mother held my hand as my father seemed to clear a path that I was pulled through.

My grandmother, who ironically I was named after, laid ill down the hall. My parents had rushed in from New Jersey and brought me with them.

I was left with the nurses as my parents went to my grandmother’s side. I was calmed and comforted by them and followed them like a puppy. They were loving, gentle and sweet. Watching them tend to so many fascinated me. I followed them as they went on their rounds.

You see, I was 8-years-old and I had already started praying each night for God to turn me into a girl. My father was a mechanic and my uncle a plumber. My friend’s Dad drove a truck. The idea of doing any of these things for a lifetime was even out of place then. I hated the garage where Dad worked; it was wet, dirty and noisy.

A nurse, yes, this is where I belonged, this is where I fit in! Helping people… I wanted to help people and be like these ladies. I identified with them.

Driving back home thru the New Jersey Mmeadowlands, I volunteered, “When I grow up I want to be a nurse.”

My Mom and Dad said something to each other in Polish as they often did when they didn’t want us to hear.

While lighting a cigarette my Mom yelped back, “Boys can’t be nurses, only girls are nurses.”
My Dad added something about being a doctor or lawyer.

It was the 1960’s and boys couldn’t be nurses and for that matter boys couldn’t be girls either.
Now it’s 2015 and times have changed. Today boys can be nurses and girls can be doctors and lawyers.

What’s more, boys, who want to, can also be girls, and today, for a short time I made right a wrong turn so many years ago. I was both!

Happy Halloween!


Source: Ann Taylor
Wearing Ann Taylor.


Son and mother in their daughter and father Halloween costumes.
Son and mother in their daughter and father Halloween costumes.



Saturday, October 24, 2015

Shops for Plus-Sized Gurls


I am a lucky gurl! 

The local mall has both a Torrid store and a Fashion to Figure store and they are right next door to each other. I shop at both stores because they are geared toward younger plus-sized gurls, whereas stores like Lane Bryant and Catherines cater to more mature plus-sized gurls.

Lately, I have purchased more at Fashion to Figure than Torrid because Fashion to Figure's prices are easier on my pocketbook than Torrid's.

And by the way, all the aforementioned stores are very accomodating to gurls... even in boy mode!


Source: Popsugar
Make your legs look longer.
Tuck sheer tights into suede knee-high boots and finish with a mini-skirt. The broken up look will give off the illusion of legs for days. (Source: Popsugar)



Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton's Madonna costume, Halloween 2014.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Femulating on the Tube

High School Girls


Anna Maria and Paula alerted me to a Shiseido cosmetics advertisement featuring what is purported to be a class of Japanese high school girls, who are actually femulated boys. The ad is amazing not only because the femulations are perfect, but because of the time and effort put into producing the ad.

You can see the ad here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n3Db6pMQ-8

And you can see how the ad was produced here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM_uPPvXUXs

I'll Switch


Poking around the Internet, I discovered The Switch, a television show from Chile, which features femulators competing in song. The program is sort of a combination of The Voice and Ru Paul's Drag Race.

The contestants are drag queens female impersonators, that is "men who live a regular life throughout the day... but in the evening they transform themselves into great (pop) stars." but in In my opinion, their transformations are less drag and more ladylike, that is, they look more like professional female singers rather than drag queens.

There are a bunch of videos on YouTube from The Switch. Here are two samples:


By the way, The Switch is also the name of a new Canadian television program, which "features Julie Vu, a transgender woman and YouTube sensation, in the lead role of an upwardly mobile IT manager who loses her job and Vancouver apartment after coming out of the closet.

"But rather than being a downer, the Canadian single-camera comedy follows Vu's character as she rebuilds her life in Vancouver's queer underground with the help of friends, including five transgender characters, each played by a transgender actor." (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)


Source: Boston Proper
Wearing Boston Proper.


Christopher Hewett
Actor Christopher Hewett plays the femulating Roger De Bris
in the original 1967 version of the film The Producers.
Gary Beach
Actor Gary Beach plays the femulating Roger De Bris
in the 2005 remake of The Producers.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Tips for Halloween Working Girls

Ready for work, Halloween 2013
Since I am fast-approaching my sixth trip going to work as a woman for Halloween, I am passing along some things I have learned over the years.

As some wisewoman once opined, "Time is of the essence." Since most of us do not normally dress female for work, it is a good idea to plan ahead so that our high heels are not late when they make their first click on the company premises.
  
So, on the night before:

  • Pick out your outfit and have all its parts (including undies, hosiery, jewelry, shoes, outerwear, etc.) out and ready to wear.

  • Comb and style your wig so it is ready to crown your head with minimum fuss.

  • Set up your makeup mirror and lay out the makeup you plan to use so you won't have to go looking for something missing in the morning.

  • Remove all body hair that your outfit will expose.

  • Transfer your "papers" from your boy wallet to your girl wallet and pack your handbag including an extra pair of hosiery and extra fake fingernails just in case.

  • Set your alarm clock to go off earlier than usual so you will have adequate time to prepare to be a woman (I usually set mine an hour earlier than usual).

On the big day:

  • If your outfit includes high heels, take a pair of flats with you, too. They will come in handy (or should I say "footy") if your feet tire from wearing heels all day. Also, if you are not used to driving in heels, wear the flats during your commute.

  • Bring a bag of candy to share during your workplace trick or treat.

  • If the other girls don't invite you to lunch, go out during your lunch hour and do something outside the workplace as a woman. Go grocery shopping. Go to a sandwich shop. Go to the mall and try on some dresses. 

And don't worry about passing ― it's Halloween!



Source: HauteLook
Wearing Alexia Admor.


Bryan Boy
Bryan Boy's 2014 Anna Wintour Halloween costume

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Another Working Girl Femulation

I love this trend! 

Jennifer Michelle Jordan is another girl, who went to work en femme on Halloween. I know I did not start this trend, but by example, I have been an evangelist of going to work as just another working girl on Halloween

Anyway, here is Jennifer's story followed by her photo.

I have been following your blog for years and really enjoy every post. You spend so much time giving us so much information about yourself and your travels plus all kinds of great style ideas. Please keep up the great work and let us girls enjoy you blog always.

I have been crossdressing as long as I can remember, I really enjoy the classic office look, skirt suit, pretty blouse and heels. Last year I got my courage up to go the the office dressed for Halloween. I was extremely nervous as no one knew of my hobby.

I got to the office and no one recognized me, at first thinking I was a visitor. When all the light bulbs went off for my fellow co-workers heads, they were in awe. The women loved how much trouble I had gone to come to the office this way. Most men just could not believe it was me.

After the initial fear of being in the office, it was a super day. Several of the ladies talked to me at end on breaks and lunch. They wanted me to go with them for a couple of drinks after work, but alas I had to go home and Cinderella was back to her pumpkin.

Thank you so much for letting me tell you my story,

Hugs,

Jennifer Michelle Jordan




Source: Jennifer Michelle Jordan's working girl Halloween costume
Jennifer Michelle Jordan's working girl Halloween costume


Source: Brahmin
Wearing Brahmin.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Throwback Tuesday: At Work En Femme

It is hard to believe that the first time I went to work en femme on Halloween was 15 years ago! Wow! Anyway, here is my story of that ground-breaking day.

Halloween is "National Crossdresser's Day," so they say. I guess there is some truth in that because my first public crossdressed outing was on Halloween and I know many other crossdressers also poked their bewigged heads out of the closet for the first time on October 31. And over the years, I have continued to crossdress on Halloween to attend parties given by friends and my support group. But, this year was different.

One week before Halloween, my company announced that they were sponsoring a day of Halloween events including a costume contest. In all my years of being gainfully employed, no employer of mine had ever sanctioned wearing costumes to work on Halloween. I know some of you have gone to work en femme on Halloween and I often considered it, but I never had the nerve to do it. However, this year, I could go to work en femme with the blessing of the boss! T'was a crossdresser's dream-come-true.

There was no doubt that my costume would be en femme, but how en femme was the question. I considered my options and decided to dress appropriately for my workplace, which is an office. My costume would be "office girl drag."

I had a plenty of outfits that qualified as office girl drag, so I went through my stash to decide what to wear. I narrowed my choices down to three outfits. To make the final decision, I slipped into my unmentionables and modeled each outfit. My wife and I agreed that the black print, short-sleeved, knee-length sheath looked best. To round out the ensemble, I chose tan pantyhose and a pair of black patent pumps with 3-1/2-inch spike heels.

The night before Halloween, I prepared for the next day. I depilated, combed out my wig, and laid everything out so I could get ready as quickly as possible Halloween morning. I turned in early because I had set the alarm clock for 4:45 AM to give me enough time to depart for work at 7:15 fully made-up and dressed. However, turning in early did no good because I was so excited I had a hard time falling asleep. It was after 2 AM before I finally nodded off and I woke up 15 minutes before the alarm clock was set.

I got up, shaved, showered, and applied my makeup. For a change, I had no makeup disasters and was finished by 6:15. I put on my undies, dress, shoes, and wig, then I checked myself out in a full-length mirror. Was that Nicole Kidman's reflection in the mirror? Not quite, but when I squinted real hard, I thought I saw Nicole Kidman's mother.

Last thing to do was my nails. I glued press-on nails to my pinky and ring fingers, then I had an incredibly hard time gluing the nails to my middle fingers. None of the press-ons fit quite right and the glue could not make up the difference. Time was running out, so I decided to forgo the nails. After removing the press-ons from my pinky and ring fingers, I grabbed my purse and hit the pavement.

The commute was uneventful and I arrived at work 15 minutes early. I exited my car and walked to the main entrance enjoying the feminine beat of my heels clicking on the sidewalk.

Inside, the first people I encountered were our receptionist and a woman from Human Resources. At first, neither of them recognized me. Then, they both recognized me and started gushing over my costume. So far, so good.

I went upstairs to my cubicle. Since I was early, there was no one around to see me, so I went to the cubicle of one of my best friends at work (she is one of the few people who gets to work earlier than I}. I stuck my head around the corner of her cubicle and said, "Trick or treat." She was floored!

After she regained her composure, she began calling me "Stella" and insisted on escorting me to the cubicles where other early birds were already at work. Our first stop was her boss, who had been with the company about six months. I don't work directly with him, but he is only three cubicles away from me and we cross each other's paths each day. My friend pushed me into his cubicle and he had no clue. At first, he thought I was a new female employee, but my friend blew my cover, "Don't you recognize him?" He didn't until I explained that I was the guy three cubicles away.

And that was the way it went all day long. A tall woman in a Halloween costume environment is a dead giveaway. As a result, the majority read me as a man in drag, but did not know which man until I showed them my mug shot on my security card. On the other hand, a minority did not read me at all including some folks that I work with on a regular basis.

By mid-morning, the word was out that there was a guy in drag upstairs and a procession of onlookers began marching up to my cubicle to check me out. (No other guys appeared in drag. In fact, only a handful of guys wore costumes at all. On the other hand, the woman had a lot more Halloween spirit and approximately 1 out of 4 women appeared in costume.)

In general, women loved my costume. Some were amazed that I shaved my legs and my arms. Others complimented me on my makeup and some asked, "Did your wife do your makeup?"

"No, I did it myself," I responded, which caused further amazement.

A few remarked that I should quit my job and become a professional female impersonator! One woman said, "You made my day," and she returned to my cubicle three times with two or three new onlookers in tow each time. A pretty administrator remarked, "You look better than most women I know."

I don't think I fooled everyone. A few women gave me knowing looks, like they knew I looked too good to have only done this once. But, I didn't mind.

On the male side, the majority appreciated my costume, but there were two or three who seemed to be phobic about it, typical macho twaddle, I guess.

Shortly after getting to work, my pantyhose began running like crazy! I don't know if they were defective or I was careless, but by 10 AM, I had three runs that were getting bigger by the minute. I wanted to look my best, so I left the building for a few minutes and drove to a nearby CVS to buy a new pair.

Now, this is the scary part because CVS was not having a Halloween costume contest. I parked the car and walked into CVS passing a handful of people who paid me no mind. I entered the store and to avoid causing a commotion, I went to the first salesgirl I saw and explained that I ran the pantyhose of my Halloween costume and needed a new pair.

"Hosiery is in aisle eight, Ma'am," she replied, unfazed by my Halloween costume hint.

I guess I was not going to cause a commotion, so I went to aisle eight, picked out a pair, then I went to the register where the same salesgirl rang me up without a clue.

Now, here is the amazing part. I never used a femme voice. I spoke in my normal male voice, which is admittedly soft-spoken, but definitely male. I guess the salesgirl's eyes convinced her that I was a woman no matter what clues her ears might be picking up. (I had read about this phenomenon, but did not believe it until I actually experienced it.)

I returned to my office and waited for the results of the costume contest. A lot of people said they would vote for me and I guess they did because I won. I thought there were three or four costumes that were better than mine, but I guess having the guts to wear the costume I wore was that little extra that pushed me over the top.

I feel a little guilty about that because it did not take any guts to do what I did. This was something I wanted to do for a very long time. I also felt like I cheated a little because this wasn't a costume I put together overnight. I've had practice dressing like this for years.

I'll admit that I did have some qualms about possibly losing the respect of some of my colleagues. But when I thought about it, if somebody lost respect for me because I crossdressed on Halloween, then I don't want their respect. So, qualms be damned! Tighten that corset as tight as you can. Today you are a woman!

I made one fashion blunder: my choice of footwear. I had not worn that particular pair of high heels in such a long time that I had forgotten why I stopped wearing them. Because they hurt a lot in a very short time! I have other pumps with the same heel height and even higher that don't hurt like that pair did. The only saving grace is that I did not have to get up and walk around too much. I could just sit at my desk and pose for my admirers whenever they showed up.

However, I regret that I did not wear more comfortable shoes because I wanted to go to the mall, have lunch at the food court, and do some window-shopping. But by noon, my feet were so hobbled that walking around the mall would have been very ugly.

I also had a fashion revelation. Wearing a tight corset all day was quite painless. The corset did inhibit movement, but it did not cause any aches or pains (like my shoes and clip-on earrings), while improving my figure immeasurably.

I had the time of my life. I wished the day would never end, but it did and now I have a lot of wonderful memories about my first day at work en femme.


Source: Joie.
Wearing Joie.


Nancy Ng
Nancy Ng's cigarette girl Halloween costume


Monday, October 19, 2015

Snow!

Sunday, I was moping around the house feeling sorry for myself because I was not going to Provincetown for Fantasia Fair.

l checked the time and it was high noon. If I had left for P-Town at 9 AM as I had for past Fantasia Fair trips, I figured that by now I would be off the Interstates and on the Cape working my way up Route 6 for the final hour of travel to Provincetown.

With visions of Commercial Street dancing in my head, I glanced out the window and noticed that it was snowing! I have never seen it snow this early in the fall before and it made me shiver thinking about walking around Provincetown in a skirt.

Last year, it rained almost every day during Fantasia Fair, but at least, it was not cold. The forecast for the next few days is for unseasonably cold weather. The temperature got down to 32 Saturday night and Sunday night is supposed to be colder. It will not be much different on the Cape, but it is expected to be more seasonable later this week.

The weather almost makes me glad I did not go to Fantasia Fair! Notice I wrote “almost.”



Source: MyHabit
Wearing Love...ady.


Lauralee
Lauralee's Halloween costume
We attended a play at a little theatre and my wife wore my work shirt, pants and company logo cap. Despite my height 6' 4" without heels, some people were unsure if I was man or woman. One older lady after sitting next to me for a bit blurted out "You're a man!" This outfit is a little over the top, but it's Halloween. Could have done a better job with the makeup, but didn't want the patrons wondering if I did this on a regular basis.

Friday, October 16, 2015

TGIF... not!

April Ashley
Ever notice how "TGIF" loses its luster when you are on vacation?

∞ ∞ ∞

Here is something from Media Matters to file away for future use when the next yahoo gets up on his or her soapbox about the bathroom issue: Texas experts debunk the transgender "Bathroom Predator" myth Ahead Of HERO Referendum.

Have gender identity/transgender public accommodations protections resulted in increased sexual assault or rape in women's restrooms? The answer is a resounding "No."

Read all about here.

∞ ∞ ∞

One of my first transgender heroines was April Ashley. Her first 15 minutes of fame occurred about the time I was trying to sort things out. Her story taught me that I was not gay, but rather that I was probably transsexual (a fact that I denied most of my life).

Anyway, on her recent 80th birthday, Ms. Ashley was given the Icon Award for her services to the LBGT community. A Liverpool Echo article about the award also mentions that Ms. Ashley had previously received an MBE from Prince Charles... something I did not know (yes, you do learn something new every day!)






Source: Ann Taylor
Wearing Ann Taylor.


Source: Rihanna
Rihanna's Liza Minelli 2013 Halloween costume

Two years ago, I was Liza. That was really fun. I deliver meals on wheels and we were encouraged to wear costumes, so I did. I had delivered to a particular older gent before, and he hadn't always made too much sense. He came to the door, looked at me, and said, "Well, you must be John Wayne!" I said in my best lady voice, "Yes, yes I am." He took his meal, I wished him a good day, and left.

I had scheduled things a little tight that day, with a doctor appointment in the early afternoon, so off I went. I can't describe how much fun I had with his nurses and office staff. It made my day, even a little better than winning the costume contest at the party that night.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Throwback Thursday: No More Closets

I originally posted this on October 10, 2011. It was an important post for me and I am repeating it because there are readers here today who were not reading the blog four years ago and I thought that maybe they would enjoy reading it.  

October 2011
I was in the closet for a very long time.

Although my interests in feminine things go back to my earliest memories, I did not take up crossdressing until I was 12-years-old. But once I began, I crossdressed at every opportunity, typically whenever I found myself alone at home.

When I was 19, I reached my tipping point and had to let Stana out of the closet. So I dressed en femme on Halloween despite the fact that I had nowhere to go.

Unlike today, where there is a Halloween event everywhere you turn, back in the late-1970s, there was not much Halloween-wise for a young adult. I had not been invited to any Halloween parties (I didn't even know of any Halloween parties) and I was too young to go to any bar that might be celebrating Halloween. So, Mom let her "daughter" borrow the car and I visited some friends and relatives to "trick 'n' treat." (How desperate is that?)

Post-Halloween, I was back in the closet honing my femulating skills while waiting for next year's Halloween party invitations. I never went out en femme to trick 'n' treat again, but I did get a few party invitations over the years.

I always attended the parties dressed as a woman, not as a woman wearing a woman's costume. Invariably, some party-goer would wonder why I wasn't wearing a costume and I would explain to their astonishment that I was in costume. Post-Halloween, I would be back in the closet again, but at least I realized that all the practice in the closet was not for naught.

Online (via Compuserve's Genderline), I discovered and joined a local support group in the early 1980s. Now, I was able to get out of the house en femme on days besides the last day of months beginning with the letter O. I attended meetings once or twice per month, always dressing at home and driving to the meeting place 25 miles away.

On occasion, the support group sponsored outings --- usually dinners at local restaurants, which sheltered us in a private room so we would not to mix with their "normal" clientele. I always attended, but being a rebel, I made a point of using the public ladies' restroom instead of the private restroom that had been assigned to us.

I wanted more and began attending trans conventions, which gave me the opportunity to have the run of a whole hotel for a long weekend en femme.

But I realized that I was still in the closet. I just had more closet-space: in my home, in my support group's meeting places, and in trans convention hotels.

I still wanted more, so I became a little more adventurous. On my way to support group meetings, I would stop off to buy a refreshment at a convenience store or fast food joint. Amazingly, no one seemed to notice or care that I was en femme. I was passing or at least, I was accepted and that emboldened me to do more.

It took 55 years, but I finally summoned up enough courage to go out in public en femme. I decided to make that leap by going to the mall. I dressed en femme, drove to the mall, arrived just as it opened, and sat in my car for a half-hour trying to muster the courage to exit the car and walk across the parking lot to the mall entrance.

I finally pushed myself and did it and I spent the better part of day at the mall having the time of my life. Some people read me, but it was not the end of the world, and once I got a taste of the world en femme, I wanted more.

Subsequently, I picked my days and spent them en femme, shopping, dining, being entertained, enjoying the arts, etc., etc., and I loved it, doing what other women did when they were out.

It all felt so natural to me. I was always feminine. As I have written here before, I was not a female trapped in a male body, rather I was me trapped by society's expectations of what a male was supposed to be. The "problem" was that I preferred to fulfill society's expectations of what a woman was supposed to be.

Finally, I realized I was a woman, who happened to have a male body, but I was not going to let that little handicap hinder me from being the best woman I could be.



Source: ShopBop
Wearing EDUN.


Julie Shaw
Julie Shaw's all-time fave Halloween costume

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Guy in Dress Vs. Femme Fatale

How many femulators does it take to change a lightbulb?

Three: one to climb the ladder to change the lightbulb, one to hold the ladder and one to take photos of the event.

In addition to our handbags, scarves, hats, belts, jewelry, etc., our cameras are another accessory that many of us would not leave home without.

As a woman, I take photos at the drop of a hat, as well as when I pick up the hat and when I put the hat back on my head. I am a little embarrassed to say that I have over 6,700 digital photos of myself and probably another 500 film and Polaroid photos.

When I ask someone to take my photo, my excuse is that I need photos to "feed my blog," but that is only partly true. The primary reason that I take photos is to see how I look as a woman. Does my ensemble work today or did I make a fashion faux pas? Do I look like a guy in a dress today or do I look like a femme fatale?

There are ways to look more like the latter and less like the former. Two articles just came over the  mojo wire that are right on topic.

Makeup Mistakes You’re Making in Photos—and How to Fix Them (from Daily Makeover)

The Worst Poses to Strike in Photos (And How to Make Them Better) (from Who What Wear)

So watch the birdie and smile pretty!



Source: Who What Wear
Wearing Sandro.


Patty O'
Patty O's 2011 assistant principal Halloween costume