Like it’s 1968

If you have been following along here for awhile, you know that I express myself with graphics as well as with words.

I can create a cartoon or fumetti relatively quickly once I come up with the words or punch-line for a joke. On the other hand, Photoshopped artwork can take hours, but I enjoy doing it, so the time flies by when I do it.

With that introduction, I present a new piece of Photoshop artwork. Titled Stanley Getting Dressed, Circa 1968, it represents the undergarments I was femulating with back in the late 1960s. (The image started out as a vintage bra and/or girdle advertisement that I found on the Internet.)

I hope you like it!

Femulators Party in Japan

Kasumi alerted me about Propaganda Party, a monthly event in Tokyo for femulators from the whole trans spectrum (and others who like them). The party is held in the Kabukicho district of Tokyo on the last Saturday of every month.

Kasumi wrote, “I don't live in Tokyo and so have not had an opportunity to visit in person, but it looks like fun. From the description on the website (all in Japanese, unfortunately), it seems to be designed for fun and socializing---that is, it's for adults only, but there's no nudity or sex or anything like that.”

Their website has a huge collection of photos (the photo gallery link is the blue box at the top center of the screen). The pictures are not sexual in nature---just people having a good time at the party.

Kasumi concluded, “I'm sure you'll agree that the quality of the femulating is extremely high. I'm certainly envious!”

Transphobic Tampon Ad

“A tampon maker has been branded 'outrageously transphobic' over its new advert.

“Critics say the television spot for Libra [brand tampons] implies transgender people 'are not real women because they do not menstruate,’” according to today’s online edition of the Daily Mail, which you can read here.

2011 Blog Statistics

I keep copious statistics concerning this blog. Here they are for the past year:

Hits: 1,872,279 (5,130 per day average)

Unique Visitors: 1,165,521 (3,193 per day average)

First-Time Visitors: 846,120 (2,318 per day average)

Repeat Visitors: 319,399 (875 per day average)

February 24 was the busiest day of the year with 7,168 hits.

August 13 was the slowest day with 3,841 hits.

And so it goes.

Putting Your Closet on a Diet

Do you have items in your wardrobe that you are “saving” because they have sentimental value, are “too pretty to wear,” are timeless, or cost a lot of money? 

I don't know about you, but that pretty much describes moi to a T. As a result, my closets are overflowing and I can use help.

To the rescue, Ginger Burr wrote an excellent post on her blog that proffers three reasons to stop saving your clothes. You can read it here.

Happy New Year!

2011 was a very good year for this femulator; I hope 2012 will be even better.

And I hope that the new year will be even better for you all, too!

Best Wishes,

Stana

My Slip Is Showing

After reading your comments regarding Thursday's A Womanless Cornucopia, I realized that something was amiss.

For example, Tina wrote, "I know some folks that went to the Rocky Mount NC event last summer. They told me that I would have been horrified by the misogyny and transphobia that was on display, all in the name of good humor."

Joan B followed up with "As they are Tina's fears, they are mine. The hair and wig cap on the back of my always stands up when ever I see this kind of jest/humor/mockery? All in good fun and for the benefit of others makes these kinds of events a good thing. Unfortunately some of the guys have to make up for putting on a dress by acting out their perceptions of women, and it is ugly..."

Deborah added, "I did not find these understanding or respectful for transgendered persons. And the males looked awful! No real care was taken in their looks... unlike other womanless pageants down South."

Diane Loring wrote, "...guys in beards, really camping it up for laughs, is degrading and insensitive. It's kind of surprising that a southern Baptist church would sponsor it, unless it's just to make fun of transgendered people. I don't think they recognize gender identity issues. It's really making fun of us who have to deal with our crossdressing or gender identity. All in all, I don't think they help us..."

I took your comments to heart and deleted the links to the noxious ones.

I should have known better.

Unshaven and/or bearded womanless participants is a bad sign.

Womanless participants shaking their rears at the audience is another bad sign.

Participants fondling and squeezing their breasts or another participant's breasts is a very bad sign.

I do know better, but...

On vacation this week, I have been busier than if I had gone to work. As a result, my blogging time suffered.

Thursday night, I was under the gun to post something, so I grabbed a bunch of recently received womanless links and posted them leaving you readers to separate the wheat from the chaffe.

I will not do that again and I apologize to anyone who was offended by the post.

From now on, I will  be very selective regarding womanless posts.

Classy events like the Miss Eng'g pageant will get a pass, but events like a "Dude Looks Like A Lady" pageant at the local (you fill in the blank with a men's social club) will get a very discriminating look.

And so it goes!

A Womanless Cornucopia

Updated Below

Thanks to Aunty Marlena, I present you with a cache of womanless events.

Miss Eng'g 1

Miss Eng'g 2

Womanless Beauty Pageant (unknown location)

UPDATE: I have taken your comments to heart and deleted the links to the noxious ones.

Remembering edrag.com

Considering Work It brought to mind a 1999 episode of another ABC situation comedy, Dharma & Greg.

The title of the episode was "Dharma Drags Edward Out of Retirement" and it involves edrag.com, a company that merchandizes women's fashions for men.

In my humble opinion, this episode of Dharma & Greg handled crossdressing far more respectfully than Work It. It was humorous without throwing transwomen under the bus.

You can view the episode for yourself on YouTube, where it is in divided into three parts (1, 2, and 3).

Gifts

Whether she knew it or not, my daughter gave me some "transgender" Christmas gifts.

She gave me some hoodies and sweaters that are androgynous, if not downright girlie. Also, she gave me a DVD of a film I had on my want list: Song of the South.

I saw that film at age 5 when Disney re-released it in 1956. I never saw it again until last night, but the following scenes of Song of the South left a lasting impression on me for all my life.

Near the middle of the film, the lead character, Johnny, a boy about 8 years in age, must wear an outfit made by his grandmother, who will be visiting later that day. The outfit includes a black (velvet?) jacket with a wide white lace collar, black knickers, white stockings, and black shoes that resemble Mary-Janes, but without the strap.

After reluctantly dressing in the outfit, Johnny goes outdoors to play and encounters the local bullies, brothers named Joe and Jake.

Jake confronts Johnny, "Where'd ya git them funny-lookin' clothes?"

Joe chimes in, "Yeah."

Jake comments, "Lookit that lace collar. Look, Joe."

Joe adds, "What's your name… …li'l girl?"

Jake piles on, "Lookit the little girlie..."

Jake and Joe in unison, "…wearing a lace collar!"

Johnny runs off to escape the wrath of Joe and Jake.

That is the gist of what I remembered from that film for 55 years.

There is something trans-related in that memory, or rather "my memory," but I am not sure what it is.

Maybe it is just one of those little memories in life that only transgenders remember. Or maybe there is more to it.

Go figure.

How'd I Do?

First of the year, I posted my To Do list for 2011. As the year is winding down quickly, it is time to review the list and see how I did.

• Dress en femme more often than not --- This year, I was en femme more than ever before, but not "more often then not."

• Kiss a girl --- No kisses, but lots of hugs.

• Lose ten pounds --- I lost 12 pounds during 2011 (and even better, have kept it off). I think it shows and I am very happy about accomplishing this To Do. 

• Write a book --- I started to write a book, but did not finish it.

• Get rid of my back fat --- Losing 12 pounds and using shapewear that hides back fat has essentially eliminated my back fat.

• Have more nights out with the girls --- I had nights out with the girls in 2011, but probably no "more" than in 2010.

• Get rid of my varicose veins --- Didn't happen; maybe next year.

• Improve my blog --- The blog is a work-in-progress, so I am always tweaking it trying to improve it.

• Find a new hair style --- I bought a new wig in January, which became my go-to coiffure in 2011.

• Attend a transgender conference --- I attended a transgender conference in April.

• Sell Avon en femme --- I made a few Avon sales en femme in 2011 and I attended an Avon sales conference in September.

Overall, I believe that 2011 was a good year for me.

Scarce

With Christmas on the cusp, I will likely be scarce around here for the next few days. Then again, you never know; there may be a break in the festivities and I will do some blogging.

Either way, I would like to wish all my loyal readers a very Merry Christmas; may all your femulations be successful ones.

And be sure to visit Google today and click on ALL the blinking buttons.

Got Womanless Pageants

Two womanless pageants from the Sunshine State grace today's edition of Femulate.

Aunty Marlena sent along this pageant, "Dude Looks Like A Lady: All Male Revue 2011" from Milton High School in Milton, FL, which took place in March (photo right).

Google Alerts found this pageant, the "6th Annual Womanless Beauty Pageant," which was held for charity in St. Augustine, FL, last month.  Additonal photos may be found here.

The former had some good femulations, the latter, not so much, in my humble opinion.

Enjoy!

Holiday Dressing When You're Not Out

If you are not completely out of the closet, dressing for the holidays can be a drag.

Sure you can dress to the nines in your new cocktail dress to attend parties hosted by your fellow transpeople, but attending holiday gatherings hosted by civilians, that is, non-trans family and friends, usually means dressing in boring boy mode.

But dressing like a boy does not have to be humdrum if you are willing to push the envelope. You can feminize your boy look just enough to please your inner girl, while maintaining enough boyishness so that civilians won't question your gender.

Dressing like the fellow pictured to the right would allow you to do just that.

His hairdo is decidedly male, but was highlighted by his hairdresser to femme up his crowning glory. He wears minimum makeup --- just foundation, tinted lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow, which allows him to look pretty, but still maintain a boyish appearance.

His black crepe romper with the silk satin bow tie hints at his feminine side, but still maintains a semblance of masculinity --- after all, he is wearing pants, not a dress. Jumpers and rompers often have no pockets, so he has a perfect excuse for carrying a man-clutch (he has to store his money, keys, hankies and makeup somewhere).

Mantyhose were optional, but depilation was not; no boy would be caught dead with hairy legs in an outfit like this, so a close shave of his manly gams was in order. To complete the look, flats would be a bust --- a pair of sexy man-heels were a must.

Finally, our fashionable fellow added the colorful necklace to make a feminine statement in case anyone missed the other feminine clues.

This ensemble might be too edgy for some of us. Uncle Billy and Ma Bailey might faint dead away at the sight of a male relative showing up for Christmas Eve dinner in this outfit, but on the other hand, it may be acceptable in more diverse family settings. Your mileage will vary.

If this outfit is too over the top for you, you can push the envelope without breaking it like I did today.

It is the last day of work here before the long weekend shutdown. Many of my co-workers are already taking time off. I estimate that we are about half staffed today, so it is a good day to push the envelope a bit; with fewer co-workers in the building, there are fewer chances for confrontations (not that I expect any, but you never know).

With that in mind, I feminized my look when I dressed for work today.

My underwear consists of black panties, waist cincher, black camisole, and black tights.

Over that, I am wearing my long red tunic sweater that falls to the top of my thighs, black slacks with a side zipper and no pockets, and black patent flats with a silver buckle.

I even wore a little makeup: a light coating of mascara along with my standard pink tinted lip balm.

I considered wearing a bra instead of the camisole, but I thought that C-cups would be too noticeable under the sweater. I also considered wearing a purse, but I had to carry my computer bag, so I was able to store everything I needed in the bag.

I made the rounds through the building twice already and no one has mentioned my outfit, but I feel so womanly that I am glowing.

“Work It” Doesn’t Work

“On January 3, 2012, ABC is set to premiere Work It, a sitcom about two men who dress as women to secure employment.  At a time when the transgender community routinely finds itself in the cultural crosshairs, a show like this could put the transgender community in an even more dangerous position.”

Today, “GLAAD [Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation] and HRC [Human Rights Campaign], two national LGBT advocacy organizations, placed a full-page ad [above] in media industry publication Daily Variety as part of a campaign to educate the media industry and the general public around the show. The organizations also confirmed a meeting with ABC executives will take place to discuss the sitcom.”

“ABC should not air this show – plain and simple.  At the very least, Work It is offensive and insulting.  At worst, the show is downright dangerous and sends a message that transgender people are to be laughed at, or are somehow less-than. This show would be a setback for transgender Americans, and for everyone who believes that all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.”

***

Those are excerpts from the GLAAD Work It webpage. To view the entire webpage, please follow this link.

Also, there is an excellent new posting concerning Work It on the front page of The Huffington Post this morning written by Joe Solmonese and Mike Thompson, the president of the HRC and acting president of GLAAD, respectively. To read that post, please follow this link.

Still Stopping “Work It”

Last Thursday, I wrote here about complaining to the ABC television network that their new sitcom Work It, "belittles and mocks those who do not adhere to society's gender norms," and as a result, should not see the light of day.

My concerns were only based on the short snippets of the show that appeared in the ads ABC has been airing. But from what little I had seen, I thought that it did not bode well transgenders, so I signed the Human Rights Campaign's petition to stop the show.

After reading this on The Huffington Post today, I believe that my concerns were justified. The Huffington Post article was written by Cathy Renna, who saw a complete episode of the show. After reading her article, all I can say is that the show is worse than I imagined and I urge you to sign the petition.

Self-Presenting

The chances are zero to none that Stana will receive a Christmas present, so Stana has to buy her own Christmas present.

I love clothing made with jacquard fabric and I have been keeping an eye on a black "Tailored Jacquard Sheath Dress with Patent Bow Belt" that Spiegel has been showing this fall. It is pricey ($159), so I did not purchase it, but I kept my fingers crossed that it would go on sale or end up in clearance sooner or later.

I am on Spiegel's daily mailing list and yesterday's missive from Spiegel announced a one-day dress sale, 75% off list price!

Oh My God!

I navigated to the Spiegel website as fast as my mouse could mouse over there to see if "my" jacquard dress was available.

It was available and I ordered it for $39.75.

So, "Merry Christmas" to me!

Breaking Beauty Rules

Some rules were made to be broken, especially when it comes to beauty. From washing your hair every day to matching your manicure to your pedicure, there’s tons of old sayings that just don’t make sense anymore.

Daily Makeover pulled together the top 12 rules and the celebrities who break ‘em best, so you can learn how to do it yourself!

Find out which rules to break here.

By the way, one rule that I have been breaking forever is "You can't wear a smoky eye and a bold lip" just like Taylor Swift (right).

Christmas in Women’s Underwear

Driving to my aunts' for Christmas Eve dinner about ten years ago, I heard the beginning of a familiar Christmas song playing on the radio, but when the vocal began, I realized that the words were different and the song was a parody of Winter Wonderland with a crossdressing theme.

The parody was Bob Rivers' Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear. It is available from Amazon.com on a Bob Rivers' CD titled I Am Santa Claus. It is also available on YouTube in various flavors.

When I heard Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear the first time, I was inspired to write my own Christmas song parody. Mine is called Miss Stana's Song and it is sung to the tune The Christmas Song, that is, Nat King Cole's big Christmas hit ("Chestnuts roasting in an open fire... yadda yadda yadda").

Here are my lyrics:

Miss Stana's Song
(Sung to the tune of The Christmas Song)

Breast forms resting in my Wonderbra,
Corset nipping at my waist,
Lacy garters attached to sheer hose,
My knee-high leather boots are laced.

Everybody knows a mini-skirt and low-cut blouse,
Help to make my look complete,
Tiny teats taped together so close
Make cleavage possible for me.

They know that Stana's on her way,
She's loaded lots of thick beard cover on today,
And ev'ry mother's child is gonna look
To see if Stana really knows how to tuck.

And so, I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Altho' it's been said many times, many ways,
"I'm a tranny, what's it to you!"

Tripping the Light Fantastic in Lancaster, PA

Sally Stone

By Sally Stone,
Femulate Guest Blogger

Nothing makes me more giddy than to have a reason to wear a pretty gown and show off my feminine finery. It's even better when I can contribute to a worthy cause at the same time.

Last month, that's exactly what happened when I attended the third annual Fall Achievement Benefit. The FAB as it's called, is a key source of funding for the LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania . The event also recognizes individuals in the community that have contributed greatly to the LGBT cause. It's a wonderful event and this year, like years past, those of us that make up the “T” in LGBT were well represented. There were approximately 500 guests in attendance and there were nearly 40 of us girls.

This year's event was held in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, and while the event itself was the centerpiece of the weekend, the hotel, its location, and some wonderful friends made for an extraordinary two-day adventure as a girl.

Friday evening, 12 of us went out to dinner at a local restaurant and afterward we came back to the hotel for a drink before heading out to a local club for some dancing; at least that's what we thought we were going to do.

When we got back to the hotel lounge, it was packed with people and in the course of getting served and finding places to sit, we soon found ourselves in the middle of some pretty heavy conversation. Most of it centered around the way we were dressed and why we were presenting ourselves as girls. In essence we were conducting impromptu outreach.

It always amazes and thrills me when people want to know why I dress the way I do. The ensuing conversations were rich and rewarding and soon our little circle was so absorbed we forgot all about dancing. We closed the lounge and I didn't get to bed until after 2 AM.

On Saturday morning, some of the girls went shopping. Some of us stayed close to the hotel and did a little local sightseeing instead. After lunch, I spent the remainder of the afternoon getting myself ready for the evening formal. The preparation is almost as much fun as going out.

Our group had agreed earlier that we would rendezvous in the lounge for a before-the-formal drink. When I arrived around 5 PM dressed to the nines, many of my girlfriends had already arrived. They all looked so lovely in their sexy dresses, gorgeous gowns, and killer shoes. We really did make for a lovely group of girls if I do say so myself.

The lounge crowd wasn't too large at 5 PM, but like the night before we quickly found ourselves the center of attention. For some reason, T girls really do draw a crowd. We had to literally drag ourselves away from our new found friends to ensure we wouldn't miss the evening's big event. As we made our way to the ballroom, I had a confident feeling that I'd find my way back to the lounge later in the evening.

The reception was wonderful and provided a great opportunity to catch up with acquaintances from years past. The girls were beautiful and the guys looked so dapper in their tuxes and tails.

I took the time to pose with a few friends for a professional portrait photographer and then I did some more socializing before we were seated for dinner. Dinner was excellent and after the presentations were finished, we just couldn't wait to get up out of our seats to dance.

The DJ served up a non-stop menu of great dance tunes and soon the dance floor was packed with an undulating mass of boys and girls. Usually I'm not much of a dancer, but there's something about a dress and high heels that make the urge to boogie overwhelming. I found myself happily swaying with rest of the crowd. I had the opportunity to dance with girls, with boys, and with boys who were dressed like girls.

It was all great fun and as I moved from dance partner to dance partner I was suddenly surprised to find that my newest dance partner was a girl I had met earlier in the lounge. She, her two girlfriends and their boyfriends had sneaked in to the party to join us. I danced until my feet were screaming for me to stop.

The music was winding down by then anyway, so a group of us made our way back downstairs to the hotel lounge. I just knew it would call me back!

Like the night before, the lounge was absolutely packed. We met more new friends, engaged in more impromptu outreach, and simply had a wonderfully fulfilling experience interacting with a friendly and very accepting crowd. Like accomplished party animals, we closed the lounge for second night in a row. As tired as I was, it was too sad and too soon to be saying goodnight. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

This year's FAB didn't disappoint. I got to be a glamorous girl for two full days. I danced, made friends, and generated memories that will last a lifetime. The event also raised quite a bit of money for LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania and that isn't a bad thing either.

I can't wait until next year!