CQ

It snowed here Saturday. About 4 to 5 inches, but at one point , the forecast was as high as 12 inches. I do not travel in snow (or potential snow) if I can avoid it, so I did not drive to the Boston area to attend First Event.

One of my regular correspondents, Alison, WA1YKL, did attend. She is a ham radio operator like me. She wore a badge displaying her call sign while attending First Event to see if any other ham radio operators in attendance would take notice and make a connection with her.

Her strategy worked. Another ham noticed the badge and they had an “eyeball QSO” (translation: meeting another ham in person rather than via the radio). Alison also ran into another trans ham who she knew previously from Tri Ess.

I have been attending ham radio conventions and meetings as a woman since 2010 and I always wear a badge displaying my call sign, as do most of the hams attending such events. I blend in as a middle-aged female ham and other trans hams who no know better, don’t pay me much mind.

But hams who read this blog and attend the same ham events as I attend have made an effort to find me at those events for an eyeball QSO. In that scenario, I have had eyeball QSOs with about 20 other trans hams including a couple who attended as women.

And over the years, I have had encounters with perhaps another 20 trans hams. Two were local hams who I had known for years — we were in the same ham radio club — then one day, they each showed up en femme at my support group’s meeting!

So, I am curious: how many trans hams are there? If you are a trans ham radio operator, just leave a comment saying so (with or without your call sign) or do the same with an e-mail.

-.. .  .-- .- .---- .-.. --- ..-

Wearing Veronica Beard.

Alex Lutz and Bruno Sanches in French television's Catherine et Liliane.

Weekdays and weeknights, too!

Bendeac Anuta femulates Amy Winehouse on Romanian television's Te cunosc de undeva!

Getting Fabulous

Ginger Burr at Total Image Consultants publishes Nurturing Beauty Fashion Secrets Newsletter, a weekly missive that contains useful articles and tips on how to present a more fabulous you. For example, this week's lead article is "10 Ways to Mix Prints with Beauty, Style & Grace."

I have been a subscriber like forever and I think I am more fashionably fabulous today than before I began subscribing, so I have Ginger to thank for that.

If you don't already subscribe to Ginger's newsletter, fill out the subscription form at the bottom of the Total Image Consultants home page and you will receive Ginger's free e-book as well as a newsletter subscription!

If you already subscribe, be sure to let Ginger know whether you prefer her newsletter's current weekly schedule or her proposed biweekly schedule. (I need all the help I can get, so I voted to stick with the weekly schedule, but your mileage may vary, so vote accordingly.)

Wearing Suno.

Libor Landa (right), professional femulator

in the Dress

Actor Billy Kennedy portraying The Boy in the Dress
in a BBC made-for-television movie.

The Boy in the Dress

The Boy in the Dress is a children's book written by David Walliams, a British comedian best known around here for his femulations on television's Little Britain. Published in 2008, The Boy in the Dress presents the story of a crossdressing youth in a very positive light.

I was aware of the book, but did not pay much attention to it until recently, when I came across Internet images of young boys and their teachers going to school en femme to celebrate World Book Day. On that day, students and teachers attend school dressed as characters from a book.

Evidently, Dennis, the boy in The Boy in the Dress, was a very popular costume choice this past World Book Day, at least in the UK. I did not notice any Dennis costumes in the USA, but they might have slipped under my radar.

The Gurl in the Dress

I post images on Pinterest and I just created a Pinterest board titled "Stana Does Halloween." The board contains photos of all my Halloween femulations going back to 1976! Some of the photos have never been published anywhere before, so they are quite collectible, i.e., they have been collecting a lot of dust.

Enjoy!

Wearing Brahmin.

She wears the pants in this relationship.

Hair – Get Real!

By Amy

Looking back at my high school years, like most, I had long hair. It had a single stubborn wave from front to back, with a little curl in the nape area. It was very thick and healthy, but it did pretty much what it wanted to do!

After college, it went very short and corporate. Short was easy and surviving in business was more of a priority than maintaining any vanity. Besides, as I learned about good quality wigs, the transition was an easy one. Now I am quite a bit older and can do pretty much what I want with my hair. So my first visit to a salon explaining that I wanted to grow it into a feminine cut went much better than expected. Who knew? My stylist even suggested some extensions to get me where I wanted to go. I did try them, although that will be another story.

I expected my old wave to return, with the curls in back – and they did; maybe worse than I remembered them. So my stylist recommended I try a keratin straightener. This was totally new to me, but I was all in. I really had no idea how things would turn out but I started with these treatments with every trim about every two months as my hair grew. This gave me a manageable way to grow my hair out and allowed me to comb it boy-style to boot without the work of fighting my wave. What was truly amazing was the new texture of my hair. It became as soft and smooth as any young woman’s – really!

When the length was long enough for a cute pixie, a bit of gray (which few women would stand for), was showing and obvious. Of course my stylist pleaded with me over a few visits to color it and do highlights. This really scared me. I had seen men color their hair, and I always noticed the flat brown look. I sensed I would be no different, but I gave her the go ahead.

The result was awesome! I have now been coloring it with highlights for nearly two years, with no negative comments. The combination of keratin and color makes for wonderful feeling hair that styles beautifully! My hair now moves and shines. Although it is long, I can still comb it for a longish boy mode, but mostly it just looks great. I walked into a new salon last week for a quick blow out and style before meeting a friend, and I was dressed androgynously; jeans and button shirt. The girl who styled me said the minute I walked in she liked my hair and thought I must be transitioning. We had a great talk!

I will let your stylist explain all the details and procedure of straightening and color. But you can look forward to a real game-changer in how your hair looks, feels and how it can be styled. Give this a try!

Wearing Jason Wu (skirt), Narciso Rodriguez (jacket), Rag & Bone (top) and Maiyet (shoes).

Timur Rodriguez femulating on Russian television's Your Face Sounds Familiar in 2013.

Girls on YouTube

Sunday some friends and relatives stopped by for dinner (deep fried turkey with all the fixings) and to watch the NFL playoff games.

After the company left and we cleaned up, I collapsed on the couch and surfed the channels looking for something entertaining and/or trans-related. I ended up watching Boat Trip figuring it had some femulating potential. There was some drag in the film, but nothing to write home about.

With my laptop lap, I began surfing the Internet looking for any womanless pageants and male-to-female transformations that I have not seen.

There was one pageant and one transformation that were worth noting (this pageant and this transformation), but the highlight of my late night surfing was this video of a tween-aged boy being transformed into a tween-aged girl at the hands of his sister. The boy's enthusiasm is addictive and his reaction to his transformation is priceless.

I don't have a clue if he is trans. He has a couple of other transformation videos online and at the conclusion of this one, he thinks he looks pretty and "wants to stay like this."

So, you go, girl!

Wearing Dion Lee (dress), Alice & Olivia (coat) and Rachel Zoe (shoes).

Boys will be girls, girls will be boys.

A Big Deal?

Vesna Prague

How Lovely To Be A Femulator

When you're a skinny child of fourteen,
Wide with braces from ear to ear,
You doubt that you will ever be appealing.
Then Hallelujah! You are fifteen
And the braces disappear
And your skin is smooth and clear
And you have that happy grown-up female feeling.
How lovely to be a woman,
The wait was well worth while;
How lovely to wear mascara
And smile a woman's smile.
How lovely to have a figure,
That's round instead of flat;
Whenever you hear boys whistle,
You're what they're whistling at.
It's wonderful to feel
The way a woman feels;
It gives you such a glow just to know
You're wearing lipstick and heels!
How lovely to be a woman
And have one job to do;
To pick out a boy and train him
And then when you are through,
You've made him the man you want him to be!
Life's lovely when you're a woman like me!
How wonderful to know
The things a woman knows;
How marvelous to wait for a date
In simply beautiful clothes!
How lovely to be a woman
And change from boys to men,
To go to a fancy nightclub
And stay out after ten.
How lovely to be so grown-up and free!
Life's lovely when you're a woman like me!

(From the musical Bye, Bye Birdie, lyrics by Lee Adams, music by Charles Strouse)

Wearing Marchesa Notte.

Claire Jones & Lisa Johanna

Being Recognized

By Paula Gaikowski

Regular Femulate contributor, Paula G, proffers her first article of the year on a topic that is near and dear to all of us gurls.

Want to start an uproar on a transgender support site? Just mention the phrase “pass as a woman.” Some forum moderators will not even allow the topic! I personally never had an issue with the term, but realize that it can be and is hurtful to many of my sisters. There is also a lot of politics tied up in the term, for those reasons, I try not to use it.

However, the term constantly comes up, and is used in spite of all the criticism. Heck, younger transgender people use it without controversy. There is even a transpassing sub-reditt that asks for passing advice. I’ve reflected on this idea during my journey and wondered, what is it that I am striving for?

Just thinking about all the effort and time we put into our presentation. It starts with shopping for the right clothes, finding hip pads and forms that work. Then there is shaving and more shaving, along with laser or electrolysis. Then skin care, finding the right cosmetics, learning how to use them with hours of practice. Then our hair, searching for and learning how to style the wig that’s right for us. Lest we not forget the accessories, the perfect purse, jewelry, scarves and belts. Oh wait shoes! That’s a book in itself.

Then the night before, it all gets laid out for the morning. That’s when the magic happens and the Phoenix rises from the ashes. Out the door we go expecting what? Exactly what is it in our psyche, in our hierarchy of needs that we are trying to satisfy?

I am sure that I would get diverse answers from many of you and I would never be so presumptuous to think I have the singular and definitive raison d'être.

However, I believe I can identify a theme that is common for many of us. Something that runs deep in the DNA of transgender women and I’ll go one step further and venture to say it is, in fact, the same for every woman.

But first let me share with you how I came to this conclusion. I was watching a historical documentary that covered the life of Marie Curie. It was this particular phrase that was an epiphany. “Universally recognized as a woman who changed modern science.”

The words that echoed in my mind were “recognized as a woman.” She, in this instance, was being recognized as a woman who did something significant. Let’s take a look at the definition of recognize.

Recognize: acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of, accept, admit, realize, be aware of, be conscious of, perceive, discern, appreciate Synonym: officially approve, certify, accredit, endorse, sanction, validate 

I won’t go over this whole list of words, girlfriends, however, they all speak legions! When I walk into a store or office, your damn right I want to be “acknowledged” as a woman.

To hear the words “Thank you, Ma’am” ― isn’t that the “validation” we seek? How about being accepted, endorsed, or perceived as a woman?

This is exactly what I’m seeking when my heels tap the floor as I walk thru a hotel lobby. I want people to recognize that a woman is walking by. I want them to see a woman, to recognize me for what I am deep down inside: a woman.

Yes, Ma’am, that’s it!

Wearing Alexia Admor.

Rachel Sams

My Secrets

Paula wrote, "Love your style; please share your secrets with us!"

I had to think about my "secrets" because most of what I do style-wise comes naturally to me. I don't think about it, I just do it. And this is what I do.

Emphasize your assets.

My legs are my best assets, so I show them off by wearing short skirts and high heels. Heels make my legs even more shapely and short skirts reveal the results.

And there is some truth when I say, "My skirt's not too short – my legs are too long! " I have resigned myself to the fact that the styles I prefer are going to be on the short side due to my leg length.

Dress for your body's age, not your calendar age.

My arms are svelte enough for sleeveless sheaths and my legs are toned enough for short hemlines, so I show off what I've got (while I've still got it).

When in doubt, wear nude pumps.

Matched to my skin tone, they're a safe bet and they make my legs look even longer.

If it works, keep working with it.

When I find a style that looks good on me, I become a fan of that style and populate my wardrobe with more examples of that style. For example, I discovered that I look good in wrap dresses and as a result, I now own an assortment of wrap dresses.

On the other hand, keep an open mind. When you are shopping, try on styles that are not in your style book. You never know – it may look great on you. That's how I discovered that jumpsuits belong in my style book.

Never buy a boring coat.

"Outerwear should never be an afterthought," says Holmes & Yang co-designer Jeanne Yang. "So many people only see you in your coat—if you're not wearing something great underneath your trench, they'll never even know!"

With that thought in mind, fur coats are never boring. I own two full-length fur coats and a fur jacket. And I love animals, so all my furs are fake.

Own something in animal print.

Animal prints are timeless, racy enough, and always glamorous. I own a variety of animal print clothing and accessories.

Scarves are not for hiding.

Scarves are recommended for girls like us to hide our Adam's apple. I don't have much of an Adam's apple, so I never wore scarves... until about five years ago, when I came across my dear departed Mother's stash of scarves. One girls' night out, I wore one of her scarves in her honor; I liked the look and began collecting and wearing my own stash of scarves.

Bigger jewelry is better jewelry.

Most girls like us are proportionally larger than cisgender girls. As a result, some of the jewelry designed for cis-girls is proportionally too small for us. So when I shop for jewelry, I shop for jewelry that is bigger rather than smaller.

***

If you have any questions about my secrets or anything else, please ask (stana-stana at sbcglobal.net).

(Thanks to InStyle.com for helping me bring out my secrets.)

Caveat Emptor: This post is an edited rerun from two years ago

Michalina Manios, a Polish gurl