Halloween Anewed

By Cathy Peterson

Now that we’re into October I thought I’d share a very profound “a ha moment” I had in my counseling therapy session last Thursday. Dr. Jill and I were almost finished with our weekly 50 minutes when she made a quick reference to Halloween coming up later this month. She asked if I was going to do a costume for any parties or events. I said I didn't have anything planned as yet. Then she said something that really made me think.

"With so much acceptance of your being out all year long as Cathy and you being so comfortable in public, seems to me that Halloween is no longer that special one day of the year it used to be where you could feign your dressing up as a woman simply as a ‘costume’ for fun or to get a laugh. In fact, you don’t want to get any laughs, you want to be seen, treated and accepted as a woman all year long when you’re out, so you no longer need a costumed-Halloween to give you license to dress as a woman.”

Wow! She was so right. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, maybe even the early 2000s, Halloween was my big chance I waited for all year, where I could be out in public dressed entirely as a woman and be able to hide behind it as a costume for fun.

Like you Stana, I always took my costume waaaaaaaay beyond the typical guy-in-a-dress for laughs, as I would show up at Halloween parties or events in 100% female mode from my full lingerie to my perfectly coordinated outfit, matching jewelry, flats matching shoulder purse, expert tasteful make-up, my own hair in a very traditional “female” style, all finished off with pretty nails and perfume.

Just as Stana has told those wonderful stories of going to her office on Halloween in the same “full female mode” and sitting in her cubicle as people came by to see how amazing she looked, I also got “those looks” that what I was wearing and how I was presenting myself was not a costume; something much deeper was going on!

Think of how far our society has come with so many popular TG women celebs all the way through to TG staff at the hotel front desk, Macy's makeup counter, hostess seating us at the restaurant, receptionist at the day spa, sales clerk at Kohl’s, barista at coffee shop and even the cute reference librarian at LA Public Library.

I quickly agreed with Dr. Jill and she hit it right on point with, "Cathy, why not find a really great costume that any woman would be likely to wear for a Halloween party or event. Then you’re out and seen as a woman who’s having fun for Halloween. In fact, why not shop the thrift stores or costume shops as Cathy, a mid-60s woman out to find a great costume for her office party?”

So simple, but so profound as my “a ha moment.” This past Saturday, I went as Cathy to Adele’s of Hollywood and Sylvia’s (also in Hollywood), Happy Halloween and the Spirit Halloween shops on both Wilshire and La Brea. I was a woman out shopping for my costume. The sales gals who helped me look treated me every bit aa a woman and we looked at costumes “appropriate for a mid-60s woman.” 

My three favorites were: go as witch in black gossamer and lace with black stockings, hat and broom or a classic 1920s flapper in silky crepe dress, long satin gloves to my elbows, stockings, straw hat with flower, fluffy boa and faux cigarette holder à la Some Like It Hot or  medieval queen in gown with flowing headdress or Cleopatra in a flowing gold gown and crown with heavy eye make-up.

About 15 to 20 years ago, dressed up in my full female attire, looking like a typical business woman in an office, folks realized that was my costume, so they knew right away I was not a woman and was dressing up (but going waaaaaay too far with it all).

Now, I can show up at the Medieval Faire as a 16th Century European queen. Or I can be a witch while working the ticket entryway for the “live” haunted house. Or be a ’20s flapper taking bids at the Halloween silent auction fundraiser. Or be the queen of Egypt while doing kids’ face painting for the local elementary school community Halloween party. And I will volunteer myself as Cathy Peterson, mid-60s woman, happy to volunteer and help out and with a great “female” costume that any woman would probably wear, that is, not a costume of being a “female.”

I am so excited to see which opportunity I will do on the night of October 31!

(Editrix’s Note: Reminds me of my old Halloween routine… I would go to work and out among the civilians in office girl drag, but when I attended my support group’s Halloween party, my costume was a typical woman’s costume… schoolgirl, cheer leader, Playboy bunny, etc.)

Wearing Lilly Pulitzer

Michael Caine encounters a femulator in the 1966 film Funeral in Berlin.

Click here to view this scene on YouTube.

Passes, Glasses and Dresses

Wearing A.L.C.

Laverne Cummings, professional femulator extraordinaire

Stuff 13

By J.J. Atwell

Yet More About Boobs

In episode nine, I introduced the subject of boobs for CDs. I talked more about them in subsequent installments. After that blog post, I got a very nice email from a GG, whom I’ll refer to as GiGi, with some interesting comments.  

We’ve exchanged several emails and one thing GiGi mentioned was that some of us carry our boobs a bit too high on the torso. I know that’s true for JJ. Part of that is simply because we don’t let the bra straps out far enough. Either that or the bras we buy don’t have straps that are long enough for our torso. 

If your bras don’t have straps that are long enough and the bra has detachable straps, you can buy strap extenders for them. The goal is to have the boobs hang naturally.

Where should a CD’s breasts hang on her torso? Let's discreetly look at the GGs around us and observe how their breasts hang. Remember, this is research! Other than teenagers whose breasts have only recently developed, you likely see that the apex of the breast (where the nipple would be) tend to fall about mid-way or lower between your armpit and the crook of your elbow. And as a woman ages, they can be lower.  

If you’re looking to blend in, think a bit about your silhouette. It’s more than just the size of the breast, it’s where they sit, their shape and how they move. I’ll cover some of those things in a future blog. 

Of course, all this advice is just for those of us who use some type of breast form in our bras, not for those who have grown their own. So much stuff to consider and I thank GiGi for the fodder for today’s blog post.

I’ll be back

That’s it for today. I hope you spend a little time looking in a mirror critically the next time you get dressed. I also should mention that my comments here are mostly directed at CDs who are attempting to blend in with the other women out there. 

In the meantime, I’d welcome comments here on the blog or by email at Jenn6nov at sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Boston Proper

Timothy Bottoms femulating in the 1980 television movie Escape.
Zoe, thank you for the information about this film.

Sunken Ship

 

Wearing Venus

Sestre, a Slovenian femulating singing group

Man Enough

Wearing New York & Company

A Hairy Situation

Commenting on Sunday’s post, a reader asked, “Today is the first of the month, and one of the things I do is with a new razor and a special shaving cream after I have covered the area around my breasts I carefully shave off all hairs and hairs on the other parts of my chest. I repeat this again on the 15th. How often if you do at all, do you shave your breast area and chest and other unwanted hair? And your readers do they have a timeline if they shave their chest area?”

I do not follow a shaving schedule. Whenever body hair makes an appearance, I use an electric razor to shave that body part the next time I am naked. 

I use a Philips Norelco Bodygroom* electric razor, which is intended for shaving body parts and not your face. The enumerated body parts include the chest, abs, back shoulder, underarm, arm, leg, groin area. 

I have used the Bodygroom on all those body parts and it did an excellent job of removing the hair without causing a rash. (Not like my facial electric razor which always leaves a rash if I use it on my underarms and the sides of my breasts.)

* linked to Amazon.com

Wearing Badgley Mischka 

Ralph Kinkel femulating in German television’s The Drag and Us.

Thursday Toon

 

Wearing Paige

Melanie Morgan

No fear of flying

By Tami Knight

For some years, I would read in disbelief Kimberly Huddles stories of traveling. Her trips seemed to be too easy to be true!

I had long been comfortable going about and doing just about anything as Tami. The thought of security at the airport was a hurdle I never thought I could overcome. But like everything else in life, I had to try.

So I did and it was a breeze.

One never knows once you arrive at the airport if you will depart on time. I never check my bag and I am prepared if my connection leaves me stranded for hours. I dress to fit in – jeans with a stylish top and sweater or jacket; or a casual midi dress or skirt and jean jacket, depending on the weather. Comfy sneakers or loafers that allow for a long walk are a must.  Dressing nicely (I think) earns points when you sit in first class.

My best advice to all is that TSA has seen it all before. You hand them your ID, your picture pops up on their screen and they look you in the eye to compare. They really don’t care if you are trans. I once had the agent take my ID, ask another agent to compare the ID and me to be sure it was me! There is one TSA agent who I have seen multiple times and he is very friendly.

Of all the times through the TSA scanning machines, I have never set one off until just recently. On a flight to Arizona, the scanner showed something on my back side on the female screen image. So the screener asked me to stand aside. He called for a female agent to assist.  Everyone was busy. Another agent saw me waiting, “I will get you an agent, ma’am.” In a bit a nice woman came over, gave me the standard back side pat down and gave me the “All set, ma’am.”

As Kimberly has written, it is easier than you may think.  

I can’t count the many flights I have taken, but all have been stress-free. On one of my earliest flights as Tami, I took my seat in row 20, aisle. Just before takeoff, a stewardess came down the aisle looking for a male. She had an upgrade for me to first class. She came directly to my seat, looked at me and showed a very puzzled expression. She turned, walked back up front, turned and came back to me again. She asked if my last name was X (formerly Twitter) and I said yes. She offered me the upgrade and since the flight was so short, I suggested she give it to someone else as I was comfortable. (I get upgraded a lot, which I usually jump for.)

If your ambiguity is minimal like me, you will not miss a beat with TSA, stewards or passengers. Know that each airline agent has access on their phones to identify each passenger in every seat. Your status with them and likely lots of other data, is readily available. That being said, no one from ticket agents, to TSA, to passengers, to stewards
has ever been anything but helpful and kind on all my flights.

Wearing Altuzarra

Kimberly Huddle, who inspired me and so many others to travel pretty.

Tuesday Toon

Wearing IRO

Jaime Camil femulating on Mexican television’s Por Ella Soy Eva.