I'm Hurting

I fell to my knees when I stepped into a pothole back in April. One knee was bloodied, bruised, and hurt climbing stairs for weeks afterwords, but it has finally mended and no longer pains me.

I also stubbed the fourth toe on my left foot during the fall. It did not bother me much until I spent a weekend in June standing on a ladder while hanging gutters at my house. It hurt like heck after standing on the ladder and it has been bothering me off and on ever since.

I can go days without it bothering me, which tricked me into thinking that it was mending. Then I do something that sets it off and I am back to square one.

The "something" that seems to set it off is driving my car, which has a standard transmission. Frequent clutching brings on the pain.

It flared up again Saturday after driving around town running errands half the day, so I finally decided to seek medical advice and will make an appointment today with a doctor.

My toe problem has put the kabosh on wearing high heels and even flats. I have been going barefoot whenever I can and if I have to resort to footwear, I have been wearing sneakers.

And so it goes!

Fa’afafine of Samoa

Earlier this month, I referenced two articles regarding fa’afafine transgenders in Samoa.

Another interesting article on the subject just popped up, this time from EDGE Boston, and I am happy to refer it to you, too.

The EDGE article reiterates some of the points of the previous articles, but also includes a revealing interview with Alex K Su’a, the president of the Samoa Fa’afafine Association.

“Work It” May Not Work

Work It  is a new sitcom from ABC that will appear a "mid-season 2012." Here is the description from ABC:

"This high-concept comedy centers on two unrepentant guy's guys who, unable to find work, dress as women to get jobs as pharmaceutical reps. Not only do they pull it off, but they might just learn to be better men in the process.

"With unemployment an ongoing issue and women now outnumbering men in the workforce, the new comedy series 'Work It' follows two alpha males who realize the only way to beat the current 'mancession' and land a job in pharmaceutical sales is to pass themselves off as women. Combining all the best elements of the workplace comedy, the buddy comedy and the family comedy, Work It centers on Lee Standish (Ben Koldyke) -- a quick-witted and likable family man who used to be a top car salesman until he got laid off -- and Angel Ortiz (Amaury Nolasco) -- a single, hot-headed ladies' man with no filter -- who quickly learn there are fundamental differences in the worlds of men and women that go beyond teetering in high heels and tightening up with Spanx. Lee and Angel are determined to keep their ruse going for as long as they can -- and keep their newly found jobs — in this smart, funny and relevant look at male and female relationships at work, at home and socially. Being a better man sometimes means having to be a better woman."

I dunno.

Looks like another inane sitcom that normally I would never watch, but I will probably watch an episode or two because of the femulation angle.

There are a couple of comments from trans-folks on the ABC Work It website that are highly critical of the show claiming that it is disrespectful to transgenders.

The show has not aired yet, so those comments may be presumptive. but maybe not. We'll see. 

Not So Easy

A New Yorker cartoon parody.

There is a lot of truth in today’s cartoon. It’s not easy being a woman, as explained in this blog post at FashAddix.com.

On the other hand…

“We never said we don’t enjoy being one. In the words of Marilyn Monroe, ‘I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.’  Easier said than done sister!  But we concur.”

Hiding It

The Wall

This is Max.

See how Max is knocking down the "wall dividing male and female fashions" at The New Male Fashion for the Alternative Man.

Chasing Dwight

Last night, I watched The Guru, a 2002 comedy about a young Indian, "Ramu Gupta," who comes to the US to become a singer and actor. I had never heard of the film before, but it starred some actors that I like (Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei, Michael McKean, Christina Baranski), so I gave it a chance. It exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it.

Naturally, the first acting job that Ramu gets is in a porn film. While "Peaches," the makeup girl prepares Ramu for his first take, there was a little something in Peaches' voice that caused my trans-radar kick in.

Turns out that Peaches was a trans character. How trans was never clear. She seemed to be full-time. although one of her co-workers revealed to another character that she was a "guy."

Peaches emulation was excellent; the photos accompanying this post do not do her femulation justice. Her looks, mannerisms, and voice were spot-on.

I looked her up on IMDB and found that Dwight Ewell portrayed Peaches.

Now where had I heard that name before? IMDB reminded me that Ewell appeared in one of my favorite Kevin Smith films, Chasing Amy, where he played a comic book artist who, in a memorable monologue, skewers the Star Wars trilogy as being racist.

Ewell also appeared in Stonewall, playing "Helen Wheels." I've never seen that film, so I cannot write about his femulation in that one, but I highly recommend The Guru, where his femulation is top-notch in a film that is entertaining to boot.

Bonding

"gender identity"

This morning, the director of Human Resources IM'd me. She has never IM'd me before, so I was very surprised when her IM popped up on my computer desktop.

She informed me that she had received authorization to add "gender identity" to the company's HR policies, specifically with regards to their discrimination in hiring and anti-harassment policies.

She thanked me for bringing up the matter and I thanked her for doing something about it so soon since Connecticut's gender identity anti-discrimination law does not go into effect until October 1.

Peers' Appearance

Kathryn Bigelow: A Peer

What do celebrities Kirstie Alley, Jane Seymour, Kathryn Bigelow, Lynda Carter, Angelica Huston, Cheryl Ladd, Debra Jo Rupp, Pam Dawber, Karen Allen, Patricia Wettig, Patricia Robinson, and Didi Conn have in common?

They were all born in 1951, so they will all be 60 years old by the end of this year, just like me.

***

Cool cats occasionally scold me that I dress too young. My hair is too long, my skirts too short, my heels too high and my makeup too too for a 60-year-old woman. They whine that I should "dress my age!"

OK --- so how do I dress my age?

I know how my grandmothers dressed when they were in their 60s (back in the 1960s coincidentally), but no one of any age dresses like that today.

Looking around to see how my peers dress does not work because I am bad at guessing peoples' ages, so I am never sure who are my peers age-wise.

So I resorted to the Internet.

I searched "women born 1951" and Google came back with IMDB's list of the "Most Popular People Born in 1951." After checking to see if I made the list (I did not), I checked to see who did.

I culled the females from the top 50 in the list and searched the Internet for any of their photos taken during the past 12 months and I found recent photos of the 12 females mentioned above. (By the way, four of the twelve also appear on my Famous Females of Height List: 5'8" Kirstie Alley, 5'9" Lynda Carter, 5'10" Angelica Huston and 6' Kathryn Bigelow.)

First I looked at the hair. None of the 12 had hairdos shorter than mine. Two wore pageboys similar in length to my wig du jour and ten wore shoulder-length or longer hairdos. Therefore, based on my 12 peers, my hair is too short for a 60-year-old woman!

Next I looked at the shoes. All 12 wore heels of various heights. Hard to be exact, but I estimate that the average heel height was in the 3 to 4 inch range. (Hands down, the tallest female, Kathryn Bigelow, wore the highest heels.) So I conclude that my choice in footwear, that is, heels in the 2 to 5 inch range fit right in with my peers.

To determine how much makeup a person wears, you need a photo of that person without makeup to compare it with a photo of that person with makeup. I had no photos without makeup, so determining how much makeup my peers wear was difficult.

Nearly all of them wear eye makeup, probably no more or less than I do. Nearly all also wear lip color, but here is where I need to make an adjustment. No dark reds if I want my lip coloring to match my peers. A more natural lip color should be my goal.

I knew going in that skirt length might be my downfall and I was correct. Most of the hemlines were in the neighborhood of the knee, either at the knee or slightly above or below the knee. None of the 12 wore a thigh-high hemline like I often find myself wearing.

In conclusion, all I have to do is wear a natural lip color and lower my hemlines, then I will be dressing my age. On the other hand, life is too short, so maybe I will wear whatever I damn well please!

Fall Femulations/Androgynations

This just in from the The New Male Fashion for the Alternative Man blog, Andrej Pejic modeling Apropos womenswear for the fall.

For more, go here.

Through Tallying the Tall

It was a wee bit too warm to walk the full distance during lunch today, so I had some time to finish updating, revising, and annotating the Famous Females of Height List.

If I missed anything, especially regarding the annotations, please let me know.

How Short?

"Here's a fashion hint: if you have to tug your skirt down all the time, it is too short." – Trina Robbins

– A Femulate Summer Rerun –

My Dream Theme

Last night, I dreamed that actress Kate Beckinsale uploaded a video to YouTube. The purpose of her video was to invite me to be her date attending the premiere of her new film.

Before I could respond to her invitation, I woke up.

***

I have not talked about my dreams in awhile. If you recall, I seldom remembered my dreams, but the ones I did remember were always trans-related.

That has changed.

I read how-to articles about improving one’s ability to remember dreams. As a result, most mornings I now know what I dreamed about the night before.

What is interesting is that I no longer have dreams in which I crossdress, rather my dream themes are random everyday occurrences that anyone may encounter. The only difference is that I am now a woman full-time in my dreams experiencing those random everyday occurrences.

How I became a woman is never given a thought; I am fully accepted as a woman in my dream world.

Sigh.

Worship En Femme Poll Results

I ran a poll last week that asked, "Did you ever attend a service of your religion en femme?"

There were 313 votes; 91 Yes votes and 222 No votes (29% and 70%, respectively).

I was surprised at the results; I expected fewer Yes votes. Less than one-third of the respondents said they attended a religious service en femme, but I expected maybe 10% because the trans crowds I hang out with don't talk much about the subject. There are a few exceptions, but the vast majority are mum on the topic and that silent majority was the cause of my low expectations.

The Bride Wore A White Gaff

 

A New Yorker cartoon parody

A Happy Homemaker

How To Develop Your Own Style

"I believe that when it comes to being successful at anything, experimentation is the key. It's essential to try new things so that you know what works & what doesn't! It just makes sense: the more information you have on a subject, the more capable you are of making first-class choices. When it comes to what's hanging in your closet, there are plenty of things you can do to start constructing a more substantial vision of your personal aesthetic."

So begins Gala Darling's great article from The Huffington Post. I highly recommend this article to all of you who are serious about femulating, especially if you are taking your femulations out to the streets.

Being a fashionista for a number of decades (that I prefer not to count), I found that I already follow some of Ms. Darling's suggestions. For example, I always take photos of my outfits, as she recommends, "Then take a series of pictures: front, back & side are most helpful when it comes to assessing how you look. (So few of us know what we look like from the back! This can be a total revelation, if a bit horrifying the first couple of times!)"

I do take photos, but I never thought to take photos from the "back & side," which makes perfect sense. After all, other people are just as likely to see me (and you) from the side or back as they are from the front.

Again, I highly recommend reading Ms. Darling's article, which is posted here.

Or My Chiffon Cocktail Dress

A New Yorker cartoon parody

Reaching New Heights

I am still annotating the Famous Females of Height List. I completed all but the 5'10 and 5'11" sub-lists.

The majority of the annotations are like those below, that is, name, profession, and name of film or television show if they're an actress. Some of the annotations are longer and those usually refer to the famous female's connection with femulation. (If I missed any, please let me know.)

In the meantime, I have some additions to the list including a pair of tennis players, a trio of actresses, and a bevy of fashion models from the past.

I don't know how I missed the models; I was infatuated with Suzy Parker and one of my school roommates was infatuated with Cheryl Tiegs. So infatuated that we both obtained autographed photos of our infatuations; my roommate, by sending a fan mail to Ms. Tiegs and I, by purchasing an autographed photo of Ms. Parker online.

Here are the additions from the shortest to the tallest of the tall:

5'8" – Marisa Berenson – model

5'8" – Chelsea Noble – actress – television, Seinfeld ("The English Patient")

5'9" – Rosamund Pike – actress – film, Barney's Version

5'10" – Suzy Parker – (photo above) model, actress – film, Kiss Them for Me, television, Twilight Zone ("Number 12 Looks Just Like You"); Parker was the first "supermodel" according to various pundits.

5'10" – Jean Shrimpton – model

5'10" – Cheryl Tiegs – model

5'10" – Wilhelmina – model

5'11 – Victoria Azarenka – tennis player from Belarus

5'11 – Petra Kvitova – tennis player from Czech Republic

6'1" – Veruschka – model

One more thing: I believe one of you e-mailed me about the two tennis players listed above, but I cannot find that e-mail now, so I don't know who to thank as their source. Thank you nevertheless.