Dear Stana: Where’d You Get the Bunny Costume?

Dear Stana,

I like your site and check it often. On your site's picture gallery, there are many pics of you, but I wanted to ask about one toward the bottom where you are dressed in what looks like a black waitress outfit from a Playboy Club. You look absolutely fabulous. It must feel wonderful. I was wondering about it though; where you got it; if it is from a Playboy club?

Regards,

Fred

Hi Fred,

Thank you for the kind words!

Like every boy, I wanted to be a Playboy bunny when I grew up. Didn't happen, but the next best thing was to be a Playboy bunny on Halloween.

Halloween 2004 was my target for joining the girls in Hef's bunny hutch, so I began searching the Internet for bunny costumes.

Occasionally, authentic Playboy bunny costumes turn up on eBay, but they are prohibitively expensive, not to mention that they are never available in Size 16 Tall.

There were a few bunny costumes available on the Halloween costume web sites. All resembled the real Playboy costume in one way or another, but none were authentic enough for me and again, size was an issue.

I am a do-it-yourself kind of girl. In the past, I assembled many Halloween costumes from scratch, so I decided that if I wanted to achieve authenticity, I would have to build my own Playboy bunny costume.

With summer winding down, there were clearance sales galore on swimwear and I found the perfect item for my costume at the Newport-News web site: a black sequins maillot-style swimsuit. I don't recall the size or the price, but when it arrived, it was a perfect fit and I was well on my way building the costume.

I already had shoes that matched the bodice: a pair of black patent high heel pumps.

The bunny ears, tail, tuxedo cuffs and collar with bow tie were relatively easy and inexpensive to acquire. Various Halloween costumers sold kits that paired the ears with the tail and the cuffs with the collar. They were so inexpensive that I bought two kits each just in case I had a costume malfunction.

The hardest items to find were the fishnets and rosette name badge.

I owned fishnets, but none that had a fishnet pattern all the way up to the waistband, which is what I needed to cover my legs from toe to hip. One more time, size was an issue, but I finally managed to find a pair online that fit my very long gams.

After visiting a number of craft and party stores, I found a rosette name badge at a local party store. All I had to do was add my own name to the badge, which I did using a font on my computer that approximated the original bunny rosette name badge font.

I had a collection of foundation garments to experiment with in order to achieve a bunny-like figure while attempting to keep the foundation garments hidden. After considerable experimentation, I went with a corset-style waist cincher to achieve the narrowest waistline and a legless panty girdle to flatten my tummy.

I went bra-less since the swimsuit had a built-in bra. I inserted my largest homemade birdseed falsies in the cups of the swimsuit and used surgical tape to bring my "girls" together to add some cleavage.

Voila! I was a now a Playboy bunny and my costume was a hit at my support group's Halloween party that year.

I am very proud of that costume and I hope I will have the opportunity to wear it again someday real soon now.

Best Wishes,

Stana

Need advice concerning femulation or other crossdressing-related matters, then e-mail me and I will happily give you my opinion on the matter. My e-mail address is stana-stana at sbcglobal.net.

Womanless Beauty Pageant

Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, FL, held a womanless beauty pageant last night.

It is the best womanless event I’ve seen in awhile. There were a lot of pretty contestants wearing beautiful outfits. In fact, the contestants were so pretty that I was not sure it was really a “womanless” contest when I viewed the first photo (above).

The pageant results appear here and a gallery of photos here.

Dear Stana: Your Gorgeous Wig

Dear Stana,

What is the make and model of your wig. It makes you look wonderfully womanlike.

Thanks,

Patio

Hi Patio,

Thank you for the compliment!

I favor the monofilament wigs from Noriko, specifically the models that are available in gradient dark rooted colors."

Since I began wearing the Noriko brand, I have been told countless times that my wigs look like real hair. Some people were actually shocked when I told them I was wearing a wig.

Besides the excellent quality of Noriko wigs, I believe that the dark roots sell the wig as being authentic hair.

I own a variety of Noriko wigs including their "Stacie" model, which appears in the accompanying photo.

Best Wishes,

Stana

Need advice concerning femulation or other crossdressing-related matters, then e-mail me and I will happily give you my opinion on the matter. My e-mail address is stana-stana at sbcglobal.net.

High Heels Giving You Pain?

High heels are my favorite shoe. I love wearing them (I seldom wear anything else) and I love seeing other women wearing them.

I admit that they may be painful to wear.  (“No pain, no gain,” as they say.)

Some heels are worse than others, but after 8 hours, even the most comfortable pair of heels will take their toll. So I was pleased to find an article by Brooke Siler on The Huffington Post today that describes leg exercises to try if your high heels are giving you pain.

Read all about it here.

Saturday Night Trans

Last night, Paul Rudd hosted Saturday Night Live bra-less. Paul McCartney was the musical guest and performed a Beatles' transgender number, Get Back.

Evolution

Click on the image to make it larger!

More Trans on 30 Rock

Jenna's female impersonator boyfriend Paul (played by Will Forte) appeared on 30 Rock again in last night’s episode. Mid-show, he was in roller skating waitress drag working with other roller skating "waitresses" and later he appeared as a black swan à la Natalie Portman (see photo with Jenna, played by Janet Krakowski, as Lynn Swann).

You can watch the whole episode here until January 7, 2011.

Also, on the 30 Rock web site is a short video titled Mrs. Lutz on Lutz, in which Mrs. Lutz shares all of her son's embarrassing secrets. Her son, J.D. Lutz, is one of the writers on the fictional Saturday Night Live-like television show that 30 Rock documents. Mrs. Lutz is played in drag by the actor, John Lutz, who plays J.D. Lutz (see photo).

Don't Leave Home Without It!

2010: The Year of the Transsexual?

According to this article in today’s New York Times,  “2010 will be remembered as the year of the transsexual.”

“Not since the glam era of the 1970s has gender-bending so saturated the news media. The difference now is that mystery has been replaced with empowerment, even pride.”

Read the rest of the story here.

(Thank you, Sondra, for tipping me off about this article.)

Not to Mention His Candy Kisses

While the Cat's Away

Christmas Shopping

I have been Christmas shopping this past week and I am almost done except for a trip to the packie to buy some wine and liquor.

The thing about Christmas shopping is that I buy almost as much for myself as I do for the people on my shopping list.

Last week, my Woman Within Christmas shopping experience included a top, a bra, and six pairs of tights for myself.

My Sephora shopping order on Friday included mascara, eyeshadow, and powder for myself.

My trip to Fashion Bug yesterday included a six strand silver necklace for myself.

Today, my online visit to Victoria's Secret included two sweater dresses (see photos) for myself.

My excuse is that no one buys Christmas gifts for Stana, so Stana has to take matters into her own hands!

Boys' Dreams

What boy tottering on the edge of the gender chasm could resist this outfit advertised in Macy's Sunday newspaper advertisement?

I know if I saw such an outfit when I was a teenager, I would be ready to get on board the Good Ship Lollipop and sail away to Ladyland.

I didn't do it because I was afraid what other people might think.

I was the first child of my generation and my family had high expectations for me. Back then, I believed that I would be a big disappointment if I ran away to The City, fulfilled my dream, lived full-time as a woman, and became a female impersonator? So I hung back, followed a traditional career path and made everyone proud of me except me.

It took a long time to realize that what other people think about me is not important. My dreams were important and now I so regret not following mine.

Mommy's home watching the Jets' game

Trans Woman Attacked at Kohls in TN

Trans Woman Attacked at Kohls in TN (Warning: Triggery)

Online, the censors are scoring big wins

Online, the censors are scoring big wins

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Paul's Transvestite Tips

Updated Below

My favorite television show, 30 Rock, is becoming my favorite TV show (if you know what I mean). In last night's episode, Jenna's female impersonator boyfriend Paul (played by Will Forte) made a return appearance and I was amused.

I visited the 30 Rock web site today to look for photos of last night's episode. I found plenty of those.

I also discovered a slideshow of "Paul's Transvestite Tips," which I also found amusing.

My favorite tip is "Feather boas should bring out one's eyes."

UPDATE: You can watch the whole episode here until January 7, 2011.

"Tuesday, I spent the day en femme" again.

Just some additional thoughts on what I wrote here yesterday about my Tuesday out en femme.

All the comments and e-mails I received (so far) on the matter were of the opinion that my outfit looked fine and I had nothing to worry about. Therefore, short hemlines will continue to play an important role in my wardrobe.

At outreach, someone in each class asked me about my sexual orientation. Some students were taken aback (others, not so much) when I indicated that my preference was women and if you accept my how I identify gender-wise, that makes me a lesbian.

Someone in each class also asked me if I presented as a women because I was just interested in all the trappings of being female or was it something more than that, something internal. I explained that it was more than just the trappings of being female. I never felt that I was a female trapped in a male body. Instead, I was "me" trapped in the expectations of what being a "male" was all about.

Although I embraced many things considered "male," I also rejected many "male" things, while embracing many "female" things. As a result, friends and enemies (especially enemies) considered me to be effeminate.

I never tried to be effeminate just as I never tried to be macho, but society branded me "effeminate" nonetheless. I never understood why because I was just being "me."

Yes, I love all the female trappings; I love presenting as a woman, but that's only the tip of the iceberg called "me." 

On a lighter note... My wig continues to impress. A student asked me about my hair and I revealed that it was a wig, which surprised many of the students. I explained that the dark roots of my wig "sells" it and the students agreed with my assessment.

Tuesday, I spent the day en femme.

Tuesday, I spent the day en femme.

I wore my argyle tunic, black ribbed tights, and black mid-calf boots. After I looked in the mirror, I wondered if I was showing too much leg.

"L" and "N" at work wore similar outfits on Monday. "L" wore leggings instead of tights, but they were form-fitting and could be mistaken for tights. So I figured that my tights could be mistaken for leggings, unless the viewer got real close.

Who was I trying to kid?

You had to be myopic not to see that I was wearing tights. The ribbing gave them away. If the tights were a solid color, then mistaking them for form-fitting leggings was in the realm of possibility, but the ribbing was very apparent and to my knowledge, there is no such thing as ribbed leggings.

So why did I go out showing so much leg? Because after I looked in the mirror, I liked the way that I looked!

I was out the door at 9:30 AM.

First, I wanted to see the man with all the toys, so I drove to the mall. I entered through JCPenney and spent about 20 minutes browsing through items in the woman's clothing department.I saw a few items of interest and tried on a couple of jackets, but I discarded each one for different reasons.

While I was in JCPenney, I was very self-conscious about my leggy outfit and I kept looking to see if I was attracting any attention. I noticed none, so I felt more comfortable with my appearance, and walked out into the mall.

At the center of the mall, I found Santa; he was ready for action and I was his first customer. I gave him a break and instead of sitting on his lap, I sat next to him.

While his elves snapped a couple of photos, I told Santa what I wanted for Christmas and he said that if I had been a good girl this year, he would see what he could do.

I chose which photo I thought was the best and the elves printed two copies of my pick (see below) to take home with me.

I exited the mall and drove to a strip of strip malls about ten minutes from the university where I would be doing outreach after noon. I intended to visit Dress Barn, Payless Shoes, Marshalls, and Kohls, but by the time I finished visiting Dress Barn, it was time to drive to the university.

By the way, I tried on five dresses at "the Barn," but bought none. Three were too small and the two that fit looked too big on me.

I arrived at the university and pulled up to the guard house that guarded the parking lot. After I explained why I was visiting the university, the guard said, "Park anywhere that is not reserved, Ma'am."

"Thank you, sir."

I parked the car, walked to class, and on the way, a group of guys ogled me as I walked by.

"Thank you, guys."

At the classroom, I met up with three other transgenders and the spouse of one. I had done outreach with all of them on many other occasions.

The two Human Sexuality classes had approximately 30 students each with females outnumbering males by about a 4-to-1.

The routine is that each of us spends about three to five minutes each telling our life stories in a nutshell. Then the students ask questions.

We hear many of the questions (like "How did you choose your female name?") over and over again at each outreach, but there are always a few unique questions that require some thought to answer.

Yesterday, the students were very enthusiastic, had a lot good questions; so many so that we ran out of time before they had a chance to ask them all.

After the class, we read the students' reactions to our presentations. Yesterday, I lost count of the number of reactions that admitted that before our presentations, the students thought that all transgenders were gay and now they learned that that legend is not true. Another common thread was that some of the students were apprehensive about our appearance, but afterwords, they felt very comfortable with us.

After the classes, I called it a day. I had not slept well the night before and I was exhausted, so I drove home and went to bed early. But before I fell asleep, I reflected on another fun and productive day out en femme and began looking forward to the next opportunity to be me.