Like Father, Like Son/Daughter

What I Thought

I found this quote by feminist Susan Brownmiller, “Women are all female impersonators to some degree. “

That quote is dangerous because it got me thinking. After thinking, I wondered if it mean what I think it means…

That females have to consciously act femme in order to fit into the gender role that society specifies. And so it goes that males have to consciously act butch in order to fit into the "male" gender role.

Admittedly, over time, females and males become so acclimated to acting femme or butch that they do so automatically without a conscious effort. Nevertheless, if they chose not to consciously act femme or butch, would they end up somewhere in-between femme and butch? And is that in-between state actually their natural gender?

Meanwhile, some people are naturally inclined to be feminine and some masculine.

Everything is hunky dory if a female-bodied person is naturally feminine and a male-bodied person is naturally masculine.

The "problem" occurs when a female-bodied person is naturally masculine or when a male-bodied person is naturally feminine (like me). To meet society’s specifications for female-bodied and male-bodied persons, the problem people must become male or female impersonators to one degree or another.

If they reject society's specifications and embrace their natural gender, they will likely have a difficult time in society. To fix their gender incongruity, they may live their lives as female-bodied men or male-bodied women or they may change their bodies to match their natural gender.

Anyway, that's what I thought.

It’s Not Her Bag

All for Naught... Maybe

Last week, I found three dresses for sale online that I liked, but I could not decide which looked best on me even after Photoshopping my head onto each garment. So I asked you all for your opinion (thank you again for your comments) and I got my answer.

With my answer in hand, I was ready to order. So, I warmed up my credit card, got online, and got on the website selling the dresses only to discover that the dresses were no longer for sale!

I had found the dresses on ideeli, which sells a variety of items including designer apparel at close-out prices. The catch is that their sales occur over a limited amount of time and the sale for the dresses I wanted had already ended by the time I was ready to order!

On weekends, ideeli often reruns items that did not sell in previous sales. So there is a chance that the dresses I want will show up there and if they do, I will pounce on the ones I want.

You Picked The Best Dress

Thank you for all your comments regarding which dress looks best.

Dress #2 is the clear winner with about twice the votes that dresses #1 and #3 each received; dresses #1 and #3 are in a virtual tie.

After reading all your comments, I am considering the purchase of either dress #2 or #3 or both.

The Best Dress

Click on the image to enlarge it.

I like three dresses for sale online, but I cannot decide which one to buy. Since I cannot try them on before purchasing, I used Photoshop to try them on virtually, but I still cannot make up my mind. So girls, I'd love your opinion on this matter; which dress looks best on me? (Please leave a comment below or e-mail me your choice.)

And here is the description of each dress to help you decide:

1. Charcoal Tulip Hem Front Ribbed Dress --- Sweater dress, long sleeves with banded rib cuffs, oversized rib turtleneck, ribbed panel along center front bodice, curved front tulip style hem with ribbing, pullover style, sleeve length 25", shoulder to hem 40.5"

2. Stripe A-Line Ribbed Dress --- A-line ribbed sweater dress, scoop neckline and three-quarter sleeves, striped detail on bell cuffs and lower bodice, flared skirting with pleats, pullover style, sleeve length 20", shoulder to hem 43"

3. Ponte Sequins Trim Dress --- Ponte knit dress, half sleeves and round neck, sequined trim around neckline, hidden back zipper closure, sleeve length 11", shoulder to hem 37"

menswomenswear

Have you noticed this trend: feminine male models (above left) and masculine female models (above right) modeling womenswear alongside the typical feminine female models.

To whom are fashion designers trying to sell? Of course, they are trying to sell womenswear to women, but are they also trying to sell womenswear to men?

Are they using feminine male models to convince pretty boys that it is ok to wear womenswear? And are they using masculine female models to convince manly boys that it is ok to wear womanswear, too?

Is this just wishful thinking on my part?

Well, according to this article, the Mademe clothing brand has taken "a big leap with new womenswear for men."

Visit their online store and you will find that it "is genderless, with no department captioned for women or men."

Is this the beginning of the end of gendered clothing sales? Someday, you may walk into Macy's and discover that the "women's" and "men's" departments have been merged into an "adult" department where racks of trousers hang next to racks of dresses for both her and his shopping pleasure. 

By the way, it comes as no surprise that feminine male model, Andrej Pejic, is the face of Mademe's line of men's womenswear (or "menswomenswear").

Mad Femulation: Mission: Ridiculous

I am relieved today. My mystery toe problem is no longer a mystery and hopefully will be returning to normal soon and my daughter received a clean bill of health regarding a potential problem we were concerned about. So I am celebrating my good news with another femulation from Mad magazine.

Since actress Barbara Bain just joined my Famous Females of Height List, it is apropos that today's Mad Femulation is from the magazine's parody of the television show she starred in, Mission: Impossible. Titled "Mission: Ridiculous," it comes from the April 1968 issue (#118) of Mad (artist: Mort Drucker, writer: Dick De Bartolo).

Just to clarify the references in this clipping, "Synonym" refers to "Cinnamon," the TV show's lead female character, who was portrayed by Barbara Bain and "Billy" refers to "Willy," who was played by Peter Lupus.

Back in Heels Soon

X-rays showed no fractures in my ailing toe, so my doctor referred me to a podiatrist.

I saw the podiatrist this morning and his diagnosis was that I had a neuroma, a swollen nerve between my third and fourth toes. He said we caught it early enough so that one or two shots of cortisone should fix the problem.

He gave me a shot and I go back in two weeks to see if I need another.

My toe already feels better and I am looking forward to wearing high heels real soon now.

My Overnight Dream

The memory of a dream I had overnight is fading fast.

I was dressed en femme for an event that some of my co-workers were attending. I encountered a male friend from work and he was not comfortable with my presentation. He remarked to someone about how nice I looked, but he could not look at me and seemed very uncomfortable.

Then I woke up.

(FYI, I seldom remember my dreams. The few that I do remember are usually femulation-related.)

Life as We Know It

Katherine Heigl in Life as We Know It

I watched Life as We Know It on HBO over the weekend. It starred Katherine Heigl and she looked fabulous in the film. What she wore and how she wore it made this little femulator wish she was in Miss Heigl's high heel shoes.

The film was amusing, but is not a great comedy (like His Girl Friday, which I watched last night). I will never watch Life as We Know again except maybe to catch another glimpse of Miss Heigl.

Warning: Life as We Know is a chick flick. I like chick flicks, but I know some people do not, so you have been forewarned.

Warning: Life as We Know contains a reference to "tranny hookers." If you are offended by such references, you have been forewarned.

I See Tall People

Barbara Bain

Trying to get back in the groove again, Jackson, after a 10-day vacation. So I will start off with a bevy of beauties that are new additions to the Famous Females of Height List.

5'8" – Cindy Ambuehl – actress – television, Seinfeld ("The Burning"); JAG

5'9" – Mo Collins – actress – television, Parks & Recreation, film, The 40 Year Old Virgin, in which Collins plays a butch, but attractive young lady who is making a change from her previously lesbian sexual orientation. She explains to Andy (played by Steve Carell) that he has feminine features, and if he would just "tuck his sack back" it would make the transition back into heterosexuality, an easy one.

5'9" – Barbara Bain – actress – television, Mission: Impossible; Space 1999

5'9" – Allison Smith – actress – television, The West Wing

5'11" – Keli Goff – political commentator, The Huffington Post - source: Elaine Armen

6'5" – Heather Green – celebrity – source: Lotsa Green

6'7" – Asley Adair – celebrity – source: Lotsa Green

United We Succeed, Divided We Fail

Author Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote an op-ed in The New York Times Thursday that IMHO is must-reading for girls like us.

Here is the link; thank you, Alicia, for sending it to me.

By the way, make sure to read the comments, too.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Yesterday, I went to the doctor. She thinks I broke my toe back in April and it did not heal correctly.

Today, I went to the out-patient lab of the local hospital to get X-rays of my toe. I also had bloodwork done, in case something else more dastardly is causing my toe problem.

If the doctor's prognosis is correct, I will go to a podiatrist, who may have to break my toe to fix it right.

Ouch!

Vacation

I am on vacation this week, so I have fallen behind updating this blog and answering my e-mails.

I promise to catch up as soon as I return to the planet Earth.

Dear Stana: Differentiate "femulate" and "crossdress"

Dear Stana,

I'm very curious at the the distinction between "femulate" and "crossdress" or any other permutation of gender dysphoria.

Miss Gina

Hi Gina,

When I started my blog back in February 2007, I needed a name for it and created the word "femulate" out of thin air. I defined "femulate" as "to imitate, copy, or try to be like a female."

"Femulate" fine tunes the term "crossdress." Whereas "crossdress" refers to anyone who dons clothing not normally associated with their birth gender, "femulate" refers to those of us who go out in public and make a great effort to look, move, speak, and act as a female, with the ultimate goal of passing or at least being tolerated because we are trying our best to emulate females, not be female characatures.

Best Wishes,

Stana

Need advice concerning femulation, 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.

Femulate on the Net Today

New Femulate-related items on the Internet this morning:

A first person account, "Goodbye Husband, Hello Wife," in the Boston Globe, written by a woman whose marriage survived her husband's transition.

Experience Project recounts, "I want to femulate you or be femulated" stories.

The trailer for the new German "Tootsie" film, Rubbeldiekatz, submitted by Anonymous (screen capture above).

Dancing Femulators

This video features three femulators from the Fusion Dance Company performing Single Ladies at the Northwestern University Drag Show in 2009. IMHO, they are excellent.

Sky Full of Holes

Just downloaded Fountains of Wayne's new album Sky Full of Holes from eMusic and I'm groovin' to the tunes, man!

Mad Femulation

I began reading Mad in 1960; issue number 55 to be exact. I quickly became a "Mad Addict" and received an education from "The Usual Gang of Idiots" that produced the magazine.

Once in a great while, Mad contained a transgender reference (their earliest transgender references actually predated the invention of the word "transgender" --- Hoo-Hah!).

As a budding boy/girl back then, I noticed every trans reference that appeared in my favorite magazine and filed each one away in the back of my mind.

For your amusement, I will dredge up these instances from my memory and present them here on occasion. This is the first occasion.

This week, "Spy Vs. Spy" by Antonio Prohias celebrated its 50th anniversary appearing in Mad magazine, so it is appropriate that our Mad Femulation is an early "Spy Vs. Spy" from April 1961, Mad issue #62 ("Spy Vs. Spy" debuted in issue #60).

(Click on the image for a bigger laugh!)