first anniversary

Today is the first anniversary of this blog. (Hurrah!)

I am very amazed by the growth of this blog's popularity during its first year (see the chart below).

These days, the blog averages 467 hits a day, which includes an average of 73 repeat visitors each day. Thank you for your support and for coming back!

Alice in Fashionland

Being a fashionista, I found this article about a first foray into New York Fashion Week by Cintra Wilson, interesting and amusing.

Von Furstenberg Fall 2008 collection

Since Diane von Furstenberg is the our favorite fashion designer du jour, I thought you might like to see her Fall 2008 collection, which she showed last night in NYC. Fashion Wire Daily has the story and the photos.

View the slideshow and note the hair styles on most of the models. They remind me of the styling of my long brunette wig!

wig poll

Don't forget to vote in the Wig Poll.

We are about half way through with about 3-1/4 days to go, so if you haven't voted yet, there is still time to indicate if you like me in the short blonde wig or the long brunette wig.

In the meantime, you can read what Laura wrote about the poll:

"I voted for the brown wig. Then saw the poll that said more people chose the blonde and was asked if I wanted to change my vote. It's my opinion that the two are both very nice, but more important and to the issue is the fact that you look passable in either -- not swishy-fem in a sissy sort of way, but in a respectable classic beauty way. I think you'd look good in a babushka.

"The two looks are two very different looks. While the blond wig makes you look more like the women of your age, many women do prefer longer, prettier hair. (Frankly, I've never met a man who preferred short hair on a women he liked.)

"I like the brown, longer hair look because it gives you a more elegant look -- much more of a Diane von Furstenberg elegance. It's my opinion that if you want to blend into the background and be less noticed, wear the blonde wig. However, I think you'll feel more like a women with longer hair. As Diane said, 'Want to fell like a women? Wear a dress.' I think it is so with the hair too. 'want to feel like a women, wear longer, prettier hair.'"

vintage crossdressing (circa 1952)

let's make-up

I received an e-mail from a femulator, who is having problems with her makeup regime. She has bought books on the subject and visited Web sites to hone her makeup skills, but she complains that the "experts" are often in disagreement about how to apply makeup. She asked me for help.

I made two suggestions.

Experiment.

If the experts disagree, try doing it each way that they recommend. Then see what works best for you and incorporate that into your makeup routine. (I have been at it seriously for over 20 years and I still experiment with my routine. If I find something new that may work for me, I try it. If it works, great; if not, I chalk it up to experience.)

Get made over.

You can read books, visit Web sites, and watch videos on makeup application, but nothing beats getting a makeover. When you get a makeover, the cosmetician will do her magic on you (and not some model in a book or video), so whatever she does will be specific to you. And you can ask questions to your heart's content.

Getting a makeover may be easier said, than done. I live in a very open-minded part of the USA and I have never been turned down when I sought a makeover, whether it was in a small local salon or a big franchise store in the mall.

Your mileage may vary depending on where you live. If you live in the country, head for the city, specifically a mall near a city. In my experience, M•A•C and Sephora are franchise makeup stores located in many malls that will makeover femulators without hesitation. (For what it's worth, my best makeover experience was at Sephora in the West Farms Mall in West Hartford, CT.)

wig poll

I am torn between two wigs. Some people prefer me in my short blonde wig; others prefer my long brunette wig.

What do you think? Vote in my Wig Poll and help me decide.

orange

I received an e-mail asking why I recommend orange beard cover and not some other color.

Because...

Blue is the color you are trying to hide when you use beard cover. To hide blue, you use blue's complementary color, which is orange. (Blue and orange are opposite each other on the color wheel.)

If you use another color of beard cover, it may look like it is doing the job when you look in your mirror, but have your picture taken and you will still see blue in your photos. Only orange beard cover gets rid of the blues in both your mirror and your photos.

my kind of pageant

Pageant is a new documentary about contestants competing in the Miss Gay America beauty pageant. It is "my kind of pageant" because the "contest is about the art of illusion, so hormones and surgical body enhancements are forbidden."

(I can do that!)

According to the film's Web site, "The movie follows 5 of the most talented and beautiful female impersonators as they prepare to dominate in this underground competition. Hear from the men as well as from those in their entourage: husbands, mothers, sons, and little brothers.

I watched the movie's trailer on the Web site and I would love to see this film, but I doubt it will be playing at the local movie house any time soon. Hopefully, it will be available on DVD eventually and then I will be able to see it.

planning ahead

My support group (Connecticut Outreach Society) has their annual awards dinner on March 29.

This is probably the biggest T-event in the state and typically draws 50 to 70 T-people each year. The event includes a cocktail hour, sit-down dinner, awards presentation, Moonhawk River Stone as an after-dinner speaker, follies, and dancing with a DJ spinning the CDs (both kinds) until midnight.

I have not missed this event in years. I actually was chairlady for this event for three years. It was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding.

I already have my outfit for the event (a dress "to die for" from Victoria's Secret) and as in the past, I will lip-sync a song in the annual follies. I am not sure what song I am going to do yet.

I always have a great time at the banquet and look forward to it again this year.

I am thinking about going to the Chicago Be-All in May. Lately, the Be-All has gotten a reputation as being one of the best, if not the best T-event in the USA and I would sure like to see it for myself.

It is a long day's drive to Chicago, but I am used to driving long distances and prefer to drive if I can because then I can bring everything I need for the better part of a week en femme. I don't know how I would manage to pack if I flew!

50,000 customers served

Just 8 days short of this blog's first anniversary, the hit counter hit 50,000 this afternoon!

Screen Actors Guild awards show

Due to the writers' strike, there has been a dearth of awards shows this winter, but last night, TNT and TBS broadcasted the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards.

I watch awards show because I am a fashionista and a film and television fan. For a change, many of my favorite shows won prizes including "The Sopranos," Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), Mrs. Tony Soprano (Edie Falco), "The Office", Tina Fey, and Alec Baldwin. (Lately, my favorite television shows are "30 Rock", "The Office," and "The Sopranos." Fey and Baldwin appear on "30 Rock").

On the fashionista front, there were some knockout gowns to die for. Marion Cotillard, Angelina Jolie, and Rebecca Romijn were my favorites.

Also, there were a few T-moments during the show:

James Spader and William Shatner appeared in drag in a clip from "Boston Legal".

The absolutely gorgeous Rebecca Romijn mentioned that she plays a "transgender" on "Ugly Betty." This occurred at the beginning of the show when random SAG members seated briefly describe what parts they play and/or played and conclude by saying "I'm so-and-so and I'm an actor."

My favorite T-moment occurred earlier in this segment when "30 Rock" star, Jane Krakowski, explained that the best part about being an actor is that it allows you to completely transform yourself into another person. She concluded with, "I'm Johnny Depp, and I'm an actor."

vintage crossdressing (circa 1959)

vintage crossdressing (circa 1955)

I don't have much to say today, so I will share an old photo from my collection: a trio of partying crossdressers back in 1955.

beard cover

In my Top 30 Things Every Crossdressing Man Needs In His Wardrobe To Emulate A Woman, I recommended using beard cover.

I received e-mail asking what beard cover I recommend.

I use and recommend RCMA (Research Council of Make-up Artists, Inc.) BC-2. I bought it online two years ago for about $8. I checked here today and the price is now $22.

found

While looking for something else, I found a photo that was among the missing: Helen Boyd and I at the 2006 installment of the my support group's annual banquet. I was chairperson of the banquet that year and Helen was our guest speaker.

The Whitest Kids U'Know

I noticed ads for a new television show on IFC called The Whitest Kids U'Know. The ads reminded me of Monty Python Flying Circus and Kids in the Hall, i.e., a show featuring an all-male comedy team doing short comedy skits. And like Monty Python and Kid in the Hall, the female roles are often performed by males in drag.

I checked the TV schedule last night and noted an airing of The Whitest Kids U'Know at 8 PM. The listing indicated that one of the skits would be a parody of The Dating Game. I figured there was the potential for some drag in that skit, so I tuned in at 8 PM.

Sure enough, The Dating Game parody had a male in drag interviewing three potential dates. The drag was so good that initially, I thought it was a woman playing the role, not a man in drag. Nice outfit, excellent makeup, and even "her" voice was convincing, but her blonde wig was too shiny and when she frowned, she looked like a guy.

I won't go into details, but The Dating Game parody was not my cup of comedy. It was more outrageous, than funny, but the drag was worth the watch. I watched other skits on the show and in my opinion, there were some hits and misses.

I will continue to tune when I can to check out the technical aspects of the female impersonation on the show and maybe have a laugh, too.

my workshop

Yesterday, I learned that the True Colors Conference committee accepted my proposal to present a workshop at the True Color Conference in March. The conference is for school-aged GLBT youth and their adult supporters and/or facilitators (parents, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, etc.).

The topic of my workshop is "Body Image and Male-to-Female Crossdressing."

Here is my description of my workshop:

"Body image is how we think our body looks. In some cases, our body image can be dramatically different to how our body actually appears to others. Crossdressing is the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender, for example, a male dressing like a female. The potential disparity between body image and reality is very high when you add crossdressing to the mix. This workshop addresses this potential disparity and describes how to work with it."

One of the stated goals of my workshop is "To evangelize the normality of crossdressing."

I attended the conference last year for one day manning the booth that my support group sponsored. It was such a rewarding experience interacting with the kids and adults that I wanted to do more, so this year I will do more.

This year, for the first time, the conference is at the University of Connecticut, my alma mater. Last time I was in Storrs, I wore a graduation cap and gown. Who would have guessed that my next visit to Storrs, I'd be wearing a dress again!

20 years!

While reading Huffington yesterday, I noticed this headline, "Oprah Talks Masturbation," but I did not read the article that accompanied the headline.

When I arrived home after work, Oprah was on the television. I was not paying much attention to the show until there was a spot with Ben Affleck in which he admitted that he did it for 20 years!

I was quite surprised that a major film celebrity would admit that on national television, but as I stayed tuned, I realized that the topic of the show was smoking and not that other thing!

joining Hillary's team

Women are taking over.

My editor is a woman. My manager is a woman. Soon my President will be a woman.

In the not-too-distant past, men filled those positions. Now women are filling those roles and obsolescencing the men.

And it is happening everywhere in both the private and public sectors. Women are breaking through the glass ceiling and erecting new ceilings to keep men in a newfound place, i.e., reporting to women.

The women's team is on a roll and is winning big time in the war between the sexes. If you don't want to face the future as a second-class citizen, join the other team before it's too late.

Crossdressing is one way to switch teams and begin fitting into the new woman's world order. And you don't have to go full femme glam from the get go. Instead, you can ease yourself into playing for the other team.

Start with a little makeup (lip gloss and mascara) and have your hair permed and highlighted.

Replace your T-shirt and boxers with a sports bra and some figure-shaping panties.

Buy a couple of pants suits and maybe a pearl set. (While you are at the mall shopping for your new wardrobe, get your ears pierced, too.)

Knee-highs will do for now, but you must buy a pair of killer power pumps to show that you really mean business. Three-inch heels or higher will show the women that you are serious about playing on their team.

If you don't have a man bag already, buy a designer pocketbook to carry your wallet, keys. cell phone, compact, makeup, etc. because women's pants usually have no pockets, in case you didn't know. (There are a lot more things you will learn playing on the women's team.)

To show solidarity with your teammates, consider a name change. At a minimum, drop your "maiden name" and depending on whether you are married or single, use your wife or mother's surname in its place. Also, again depending on whether you are married or single, start using "Mrs." or "Ms." as your courtesy title instead of "Mr." You might even subtly womanize your first name, for example, change Danny to Danni, Stanley to Stanli, Chris to Chrissi, etc.

Nothing will get you kicked off the team faster than bad bathroom etiquette, so be sure to put the toilet seat down after you use the lady's room. Even better, get used to urinating in the seated position and give your feet a rest from wearing those killer pumps all day.

Those are the minimum requirements for playing successfully on women's team. But be alert. If you see your old golfing buddy down the street going to work in a dress, then it is time to step it up, shave your legs, and visit Lane Bryant for some additional wardrobe adjustments.