Down and Up

Internet was down this morning. I got our IT guy on the case and he discovered that there was an outage at our Internet provider. He is working on a temporary workaround.

So no email, no website access and no blogging! (I am writing this while the Internet is down with high hopes that it will be back up real soon now.)

After I spent the better part of Sunday doing income taxes, I crashed in front of the television for an hour or two before going to bed. No, I did not watch Cait, but I thought I saw her or a reasonable facsimile of her on a commercial for Andrew Dice Clay's new cable tv show Dice.

A brief scene in the commercial has Dice sitting in a office while a business woman berates him and threatens to pull out her large penis and put it on her desk to embarrass Dice with its size!

At first, I thought the actress playing the business woman was either Caitlyn Jenner or Lorraine Bracco of The Sopranos fame. I looked up the show on IMDB and neither was listed as a cast member and I could not determine from the cast list who was playing the business woman.

The Internet is now working and a little Googling revealed that Lorraine Bracco will indeed appear in two episodes of Dice. Lorraine does resemble Caitlyn Jenner (or vice versa), but her voice is distinctly her own and it was her voice that made me think it was her.

That's a Bingo!

Wearing JustFab.

Stanley Baxter

Accessorizing

On Thursday, Susan of Transitioning into Tomorrow fame published a poster on her blog that suggests how to accessorize depending on the neckline of the dress or top you are wearing. I thought that the poster was very useful, so I copied and pasted it into my archive of fashion files for future reference.

That archive contains a lot of information that I find halpful as I present as a woman. For example, whenever I buy new clothing, I visit the website of the store where I bought the new item and grab images of the item I purchased.

That is a simple matter if I purchased the item online, however, if I purchased the item off the rack at a brick and mortar store, it might take a little searching to find an image on the website of the store or designer. (Often, searching on the item's SKU is a simple way to locate an image.)

I use these images to help me accessorize the item when I wear it. What kind of jewelry goes with the dress I just bought at ModCloth? What color shoes go with that dress? Should I wear nude or color stockings or tights?

I am not religious about it and I often accessorize with a scarf, which is an accessory that seldom if ever appears in these images. However, the source of these images are pros, who know what looks best with the item they are trying to sell than, so I often follow their suggestions.

By the way, I also save images of any wigs that I purchase to remind me what my new do is supposed to look like on my head. And I do not save images of undies that I purchase ― I do not compare favorably with lingerie models!

Wearing Tory Burch.

Dave Castiblanco

Natural Brained Woman

I have written about the "nature or nurture question" here before, that is, whether we are born transgender (the nature argument) or our upbringing and environment causes us to be transgender (the nurture argument).

I am not a doctor, although I play a nurse on occasion, so I have no professional credentials to support my opinion. But I subscribe to the nature argument because that's how I see my life playing out so far.

From the get-go, I was a feminine being. The fact that I had a male body did not dissuade me from being feminine, often to my detriment. Male peers derided and bullied me, while I socialized better with females ― not because they considered me dating material, but because I was just like one of the girls.

With regards to the Wachowski sisters news, an interesting article popped up on the Internet, "There May Be a Biological Reason the Wachowski Siblings Are Both Transgendered," that supports the nature argument. One point that the article mentions is that the brains of transwomen resemble the brains of cisgender women, while the brains of transmen resemble the brains of cisgender men.

My mother was my role model, so that seems to support the nurture argument, However, was my mother my role model because my father was an absentee parent or because it was normal for a feminine soul to follow in the footsteps of her female parent? (A side note: My sister was viewing some photos she took a few days ago and remarked how very much I resembled my mother in the photos. I was in boy mode in the photos.)

We'll probably never know for sure what made us trans. Perhaps it is a combination of nature and nurture.

Wearing Boston Proper.

Ioane Arabuli as Mariah Carey on Italian television's Tale e Quale Show.

Do I confuse you?

True Colors Conference, 2009

I apologize for the confusion.

In Wednesday's post, I wrote, "today is my birthday." Problem is that I wrote that post on Tuesday (my birthday), but published it early Wednesday.

Unless I get distracted by something more important, I usually write blog posts one day before they are published, which is typically just after midnight local time.

You may ask, "What can be more important than writing a blog post?"

I don't know, but stuff happens. Or sometimes stuff doesn't happen and I don't know what to write about. Or sometimes the stuff that happens goes by the name of  "writer's block."

How about the news that Lana Wachowski's sister (former brother) Lilly came out as transgender, too!

It still is winter, isn't it? You'd never know it as records are being broken in this neck of the woods with the temperature climbing past the 81F/27C degree mark.

This is not normal. I recall last year, it snowed the night before the True Colors Conference. But in light of this winter's weather, snow is not much of a concern as the True Colors Conference approaches (on March 18-19).

I am looking forward to the conference where I will be presenting "Makeup Basics for Trans Females," which is described thusly, "Putting on your face can be a cosmetic calamity if you don't have a roadmap. This workshop provides guidance and tips for the transgender female on how to successfully navigate the world of cosmetics so that she can start looking like the female she really is."

In addition to presenting, I will help staff the booth that the local transgenders will have at the conference. So, it will be a full day as a woman.

Wearing Jessica London.

 

Adolf Dymsza in the 1937 Polish film Niedorajda.

Introvertively Yours

Believe it or not, I am an introvert. Talk about double whammies ― a closeted transwoman, who is also an introvert.

It's no wonder that it took the better part of my life to get out of the closet and the better part of my time outside the closet trying to make the great leap to living full-time as the woman I truly am.

I mention this because today is my birthday (this was written yesterday) and I want to begin celebrating, so I am going to keep this short and redirect you to a spot-on article that I read earlier today, "22 Things Only Introverts Understand." If you are an introvert like me, you will shake your head yes as you read the 22 things. If  you are not an introvert, maybe the article will provide some insight into what we introverts are all about.

Meanwhile, on the latest episode of the soap opera I call Life, my manager du jour informed me that next week, I will begin reporting to a fellow located in our California facility.

And so it goes.

Wearing Louisa Spagnoli.

Alexander Bekker

Accelerate Gender Parity

March 8 is International Women's Day.

Celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. Yet let's also be aware progress has slowed in many places across the world, so urgent action is needed to accelerate gender parity. Leaders across the world are pledging to take action as champions of gender parity.

Globally, with individuals pledging to move from talk to purposeful action - and with men and women joining forces - we can collectively help women advance equal to their numbers and realize the limitless potential they offer economies the world over. We have urgent work to do. Are you ready to accelerate gender parity?

Click here to Make A Pledge Now!

Wearing Komarov.

Zackary Drucker at the 2016 Amazon Studios Golden Globe Awards Party.

Muddy Water

My status at work changes on a weekly basis.

If you have been following my soap opera,you know my boss was let go two weeks ago. She was a great manager and supported whatever I wanted to do about being transgender.

My new boss was my old boss's boss. We have a great working relationship and she also supported me. She once told me that I could dress any way I wanted to at work.

I planned to sit down with her this week and discuss my plans to begin presenting as a woman at work. Problem is that she may no longer be my boss and I will be reporting to a guy on the West Coast who I never met!

I hope that by the end of the day, the situation will be clearer, but I am not holding my breath.

Wearing Veronica Beard.

Brendan Jordan on the runway for Marco Marco

Your Presentation Sounds Feminine

Singer Michał Kwiatkowski femulates Madonna on Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo in this video from YouTube. This is one of the most convincing femulations in the Your Face Sounds Familiar franchise that I have seen so far. I had to do some research before I was convinced that Michał was indeed male.

By the way, Michał Kwiatkowski, the Polish singer is not Michał Kwiatkowski, the Polish bicycle racer.

Wearing Intermix.

Audrius Janonis femulates Viktorija Mauručaitė on Lithuanian television's Muzikinė Kaukė.

The Sisterhood of the Panty Girdle

Back when I started femulating in the early 1960s, most women wore girdles.

"Girdles were considered essential garments by many women from approximately 1910 to the late 1960s. They created a rigid, controlled figure that was seen as eminently respectable and modest. They were also crucial to the couturier Christian Dior's 1947 New Look, which featured a voluminous skirt and a narrow, nipped-in waistline, also known as a wasp waist.

"Later in the 1960s, the girdle was generally supplanted by pantyhose. Pantyhose replaced girdles for many women who had used the girdle essentially as a means of holding up sheer nylon stockings. Those who want more control purchase "control top" pantyhose. Many women forgo wearing girdles, stockings, and pantyhose entirely." (source Wikipedia)

I know for a fact that all the females in my household wore girdles when I began femulating and I wore a girdle, too (usually my mother's). It held up my stockings, held in my belly, and helped give me a feminine figure. 

When panythose replaced stockings, I continued to wear a girdle and still wear one today, although today, they call it "shapewear." In addition to shaping my body, it provided another function that became very important when my femulation took me out of the house: a girdle provided an effective way of hiding my private parts. It was more effective and more comfortable than wearing a gaff.

Today, few women wear girdles. I know for a fact that none of the females in my household wear girdles or shapewear, but I still do. My guess is that a lot of other "girls" who started femulating back when I started still include a girdle or two in their wardrobe.

Long live the Sisterhood of the Panty Girdle!

Wearing Luisa Spagnoli.

Marek Kaliszuk, Katarzyna Skrzynecka and Stefano Terrazzin femulate Lady Marmalade on
Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo. Note that Kaliszuk (left) and Terrazzin
(right) are femulators, while Skrzynecka  (center) is cisgender female.

Femulating a Femulator

One thing led to another while searching for something or other on the Internet and I got caught up searching YouTube for femulations on the Your Face Sounds Familiar television show in all of its international versions. I was surprised how many femulations I found.

Since the femulators are being made-up, coiffed and dressed by professionals, most of the femulators look very good. But when they open their mouths, it is usually incongruous because most of them choose to sing in their male voice.

On the other hand, a few attempt to sing in a female voice and those who have pulled it off have been appearing in the Femulator slot below this week.

One of the more unique femulations I have found features a femulation of  a femulator femulating Mae West!

Back in 1937, Polish film Piętro Wyżej (On the Floor Above) featured actor Eugeniusz Bodo femulating Mae West. Almost 80 years later, Polish singer Bartek Kasprzykowski recreated Bodo's femulation of Mae West on the Polish version of Your Face Sound Familiar, Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo. YouTube has both and you can view them below.

If you don't understand Polish, you might want to fast-forward to the 58:50 mark of the film to catch Bodo's femulation.

Enjoy!

Wearing Diane von Furstenberg.

Eugeniusz Bodo femulates Mae West in the 1937 film Piętro Wyżej (On the Floor Above).

Bartek Kasprzykowski femulates Eugeniusz Bodo femulating Mae West
on Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo.

Thank you

I want to thank everyone who has commented and e-mailed me about the elephant in my room. Your input and support is greatly appreciated.

It's hard enough trying to make a decision that will effect the rest of my life without distractions and yet, my job has been a big distraction the past few days.

My company bought yet another company and the inevitable consolidation is now underway. Among the co-workers let go was my boss. She was a top-notch manager and very supportive of my diversity (she suspected I was transgender before I came out to her).

My new manager was her old manager. She is also very supportive of the woman I am. But reorganization follows quickly on the heels of consolidation, so I don't know if this working arrangement has much of a lifespan.

And so it goes.

Wearing Beyond the Rack.

Artur Chamski femulates Helena Vondrackova on Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo.