Out of Here!

Yay! I am finally going out en femme on Thursday. Shopping, dining, etc., etc.

A full report and photos will follow.

Not So Fast

In my most recent posts here, I evidently gave some people the impression that I was transitioning real soon now.

I wish that were true, but it is not. I am ready to transition, have been for some time now, but my circumstances are such that I don't see it happening in the near future unless something changes.

I am sorry if I misled anyone.

My Circumstances

In response to yesterday's post, I received e-mails wondering about how my wife feels about being married to a feminine man.

I have always been feminine. I was a feminine boy, a feminine teenager, and a feminine adult (and I have the scars to prove it).

My wife fell in love with me, a feminine man. She never tried to change me while we were dating, nor during our 30 years of marriage.

Early in our relationship, she encouraged my dressing en femme. She bought me "pink" gifts and suggested I find and join a support group. I flourished as a woman because of my wife.

My wife has a debilitating disease. The disease inflicted her years before we met and I was aware of it going into our marriage.

Over the years, the disease has taken a toll on my wife. As her condition worsened, she became less supportive of my dressing en femme; as her health issues become more burdensome, she wanted to be free of the burden of my transgender issues.

Today, she accepts my need to express my transgenderness by dressing en femme, but she is not happy about it. As a result, I do not dress en femme as often as I would like. I do the best that I can under the circumstances.

I often wonder where I'd be today if her support and encouragement had continued.

On a related note concerning yesterday's post, my desire to "transition" is nothing new. I have felt that way for a few years now, that is, the desire to live 24/7 as a woman.

And my version of "transition" does not involve hormones or surgery; electrolysis would be the only intrusion I would allow to make my body more feminine.

My transition would simply be a matter of replacing my male wardrobe with a female wardrobe and living my life as the woman I was meant to be.

And so it goes. 

In the Meantime

I am ready. I want to transition and start living 24/7 as a woman tomorrow morning. But circumstances prevent this from happening... at least for now.

In the meantime, I will relish every opportunity that comes my way to be en femme.

But what do I do during the time I cannot be en femme? The answer: Be a feminine guy.

I am already feminine in many ways. I often say that I am the most feminine guy most people I know know. But I wondered how I could step it up, that is, be more feminine.

So I searched for an answer and Miss Google revealed a webpage that describes "How to Be a Feminine Guy."

I already follow most of its recommendations to one degree or another. And here are some things that I do that are not on the list:

- Speak softly and carry a big purse

- Wear jewelry: necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.

- Paint nails with a clear lacquer

- Wear feminine underwear, that is, panties and camis, or if need be, shapewear (girdles, bras, etc.)

- Use feminized mannerisms, specifically, carriage, posture, and hand and arm placement

- Wear female footwear; flats will do, but something with a little heel is even better

- Curl eyelashes and thin eyebrows

- Wear feminine hosiery; knee-highs, tights, and pantyhose (depending on how much leg will show)

So in the meantime, girls, be the most feminine male you can be!

Updates

Today, I updated the Womanless Archive and the New York City page of My Ephemera.

Transitioning Smart

Calie of Calie's Chronicles fame has an excellent post about using your head if and when you transition.

I highly recommend it and urge you to read her wise words.

Miss S

Affirmation is a wonderful thing!

Earlier today, I e-mailed a friend of mine. In the e-mail, I called her "Miss K."

In her responding e-mail, she called me "Miss S."

It was just a little gesture, but it made my day!

I've known this friend, a genetic female, for nearly ten years. For most of that time, she knew me only in male mode.

I came out to her about a year ago and she has been very supportive.

We have plans to go out to dinner soon (both of us en femme). Dinner is on me.

Booth Babe Wear

I am looking for one or two new outfits to wear when I am working the booth at the Dayton, Ohio, Hamvention next month.

I touched upon this last week, but was unable to resolve anything because I caught something and felt too ill to go out to shop en femme.

I am not sure if I had a cold, an allergy attack, or a combination of the two. Whatever it was, it is still with me; it's not as bad as last week, but still annoying and very tiring.

So I want to look professional for my presentation at the booth.

I don't look good in suits. In my opinion, I think I look frumpy when I wear suits.

On the other hand, I think dresses look good on me. So my search begins in the dress racks, sizes 14 and 16.

Wish me luck!

Pink Toenails

(updated below)

Currently, there is a brouhaha concerning a J. Crew advertisement that depicts a Mom painting her son's toenails pink (because it is his favorite color).

One hockey puck claims that the advertisement is "blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children."

The puck continues, "Propaganda pushing the celebration of gender-confused boys wanting to dress and act like girls is a growing trend, seeping into mainstream culture."

Another hockey puck warns, "Put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid—and maybe a little for others who’ll be affected by your 'innocent' pleasure."

I cheer the celebration of transgender children!

If there was a celebration of T-kids when I was young, maybe my generation of trangender brothers and sisters would not be so fouled up as some of us are (present company included). And maybe my T-generation would not have to fear for our lives whenever we attempt to live the genders we were born to be, not the genders we were forced to be.

I jeer the proposition that painting a boy's toenails pink will cause that boy to become transgender.

If a boy wants to wear pink nail polish because it is his favorite color, then that's one thing. End of story.

If a boy is a "boy," painting his nails, putting a ribbon in his hair, or putting him in a dress will not convince him to be a girl. He will just be one unhappy boy.

On the other hand, if a boy wants to wear pink nail polish because he feels it is a girlish thing to do, then there is a chance that he really is a girl. Painting his nails, putting a ribbon in his hair, or putting him in a dress will help make "her" complete. Denying "her" will result in one frustrated unhappy child.

UPDATE: My friend Patty e-mailed me about this matter; I asked her if I could post her e-mail and here it is.

Seriously?

Do we have nothing better to set our tails on fire with than an innocent advertisement for clothing!

Dr. Albow needs to spend some of the $$$ he's stolen -- oops I mean $$$ he's earned practicing as a licensed clinician, spewing his Dr. Phil unvalidated psycho-babble on well needed psychotherapy for HIMSELF -- can you say latent homo/transphobic???

I, as a women, as a consumer and as someone not only in the helping profession, but also as someone specializing in gender and sexual expressions, identity and orientation am outraged that we continue to allow these "professionals" to speak out to the public, let alone practice individual therapy!  Now that's propaganda. 

Sharp-Dressed Men

Spring is in the air and it seems that males everywhere are donning pretty frocks to participate in womanless events, according to the many stories coming in on the mojo wire this week.

For example, Aunty Marlena revealed womanless beauty pageants in North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and again in Texas.

Meanwhile, Miss Google mentioned womanless pageants in Connecticut, Tennessee, and yet another in Tennessee.

Clive pointed out a viral video from Thailand.

And Aunty Marlena came back with a ton of Ednas (of Hairpspray fame) popping up in Alberta, California, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Texas, Some Place, and Some Place Else.

So, put on your favorite sundress and enjoy the femulating festivities!

So Now I'm Her Secretary

My Weekend

My health was up and down all week long last week. Home Friday after work and whatever I had notched it up a lot and I felt terrible; flu-like symptoms, but not quite the flu.

I felt terrible all day Saturday.

I feel a lot better today; not 100%, but a big improvement over Friday and Saturday.

I was not online much during the past two days, so I have some catching up to do.

Standby for the forthcoming catch-up.

Womanless Pageant Next Door!

Is there anything as rare as a womanless pageant north of the Mason-Dixon Line?

That rare event will actually take place a mere 20 miles from home: at the Warner Theater in Torrington, CT on April 27.

Shannon clued me in about the event and I found this related article.

Dubbed the "Woah-Man Beauty Pageant," it is a fund-raiser for a local food bank with 43 local "girls" competing for the crown. A bridal shop will provide the dresses and gowns and hair salons will provide wigs and makeup.

I hope this is a trend and there will be more womanless pageants in this neck of the woods; maybe one that is so local that I will be able to participate.

High Heel Hangover

6 Steps to Getting Back on Your Feet Fast

By Neal M. Blitz, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., Chief of Foot Surgery and Associate Chairman of Orthopaedics, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York

"It is no secret that high heels are 'bad' for your feet and over time they can cause all sorts of foot problems, but it's the day after wearing high heels that women can have major foot pain or discomfort. This day-after foot pain from wearing high heels is the called the 'High Heel Hangover'."

Read the rest of the story here on The Huffington Post.

Wednesday Washout

I have been wrestling with a cold for a few days and when I awoke this morning, I felt worse.

After contemplating my situation for about an hour, I decided that I would not have much fun out en femme the way I was feeling, so I cancelled my plans and spent the day in boring boy mode.

Wednesday Wanderings

I'm out en femme all-day Wednesday.

I was not sure I'd be able to do it, but I managed to knock off all my hot projects at work and can get away for a weekday.

I plan to go shopping to buy a couple of new outfits for my 4-day excursion en femme in May. I will be working a booth at a convention for two of those days and want to look professional.

The woman who work the other booths at that convention are all over the spectrum in the fashion department. There are a few "booth babes" in revealing tops, short shorts or short skirts, and sky-high heels, but the majority of booth women dress more casually wearing slacks or skirts and tops.

I prefer to dress somewhere in between, that is, more professional than the casual majority, but not too professional as to make people wonder what my profession may be (if you know what I mean).

So I will visit the mall tomorrow.

In the past, I've bought some nice outfits at JCPenney, but my most recent shopping trips there have been disappointing. Hopefully, I will have better luck tomorrow.

After the mall, if it is not too late and I am not too tired, I may go to the casino for an hour or two, then back home before the sun sets.

Rubbeldiekatz

While searching the Internet for new photos of Matthias Schweighöfers in the film Rubbeldiekatz, I discovered (1) the photo accompanying today's blog post and (2) a description of the film's plot that differs slightly from the plot I read about back in January.

Previously dubbed a German version of the film Tootsie, I found this plot description on KillerMovies:

"Based on a screenplay by Anika Decker (Rabbit Without Ears), the comedy, previously known as Woman in Love, but now carrying the working title of Rubbeldiekatz, follows an unsuccessful actor whose life takes a dramatic turn when he is mistakenly cast as a woman in a big Hollywood pic."

That differs from the plot of Tootsie in which an unemployed actor dresses as a woman in order to find work and lands the part in a daytime television soap opera.

I know the plots are similar, but for an anal retentive purest like me, I think they differ enough to mention.

Monumental Monday

Height is the subject of this first day of the work week with five additions to my Famous Females of Height List.

5'8" – Abbie Cornish – actress – film A Good Year

5'8" – Amber Heard (photo right) – actress – television Playboy

5'9" – Madison Riley – actress – film Grown Ups

6'0" – Antonia Okonma – actress – television (UK)

6'0" – Beth Orton – singer

The last two are from Meg of Call Me Meg fame… thank you, Girlfriend.

The Color Purple

I love the color purple.

The dress I wore my first time out en femme was purple and I have owned many purple outfits over the years. I believe it is a good color for me; in my opinion, I look good in my photos when I wear purple.

Take it from this fashionista: When you find a color that suits you, don't mess with success. Instead, add it to your wardrobe and put together outfits around that color.

While I was looking for something else on my computer this morning, I found the accompanying photo. I don't remember posting it here before, so here it is in all my purple glory back in 2003.

YouTube Femulate Channel

I have nothing to do with it, but there is now a Femulate channel on YouTube. Ashley informed me about it and I checked it out briefly, but I did not watch the three videos that are online there. Maria Jose from Finland is responsible for the channel.