Saturday, May 9, 2020

Someday Funnies



Happy Mother’s Day

(I have told this story here on past Mother's Days, so you may have read it before and I apologize for the rerun. But just like some of the reruns on television, some are worth repeating.)

Mom was the most influential person in my life and influenced my penchant for crossdressing in a number of ways.

She was beautiful and did not need makeup. Lipstick, powder, and rouge were all she ever used. I know because I enjoyed watching her put on her minimal makeup.

She always dressed like a fashionable lady and that was difficult to accomplish because money was tight when I was a kid. As a result, Mom sewed her own clothes, as well as clothes for my sister. 

I guess I was jealous of my sister and wished that Mom would sew something for me, but there were few sewing patterns for boys' clothing. However, I would have been perfectly happy if she sewed a pretty dress for me like she did for my sister.

My Dad was a great guy, but he was not around much when I was growing up. He worked all the overtime he could get to make ends meet. For a few years, he also had a second job. 

I can remember way back to my earliest memories when I actually thought that my father was a visitor because his appearances at home during my waking hours were so rare. So, during my formative years, Dad was at work, while my Mom was at home raising my sister and me.

Since I was raised in an environment where the father figure was absent most of the time, it is no wonder that I tended to follow in the footsteps of the only parental figure available to me, my Mom. As a result, I admired her and wanted to do the things she did. I did not know it at the time, but she was my role model.

I was a creative kid and Mom encouraged my creative side. I loved sports, especially baseball, but I was not very good at it (I could hit the ball a mile, but I threw "like a girl"). So early on, I knew what my strengths were. 

I spent a lot of time writing and drawing and my mother supported and encouraged me. Eventually, I became a successful professional writer with a lot of thanks going to Mom.

I looked like my Mom's side of the family and inherited many of her features like her long legs and her facial features. When I do my makeup just so, I look a lot like her; people would mistake us for mother and daughter, i.e., if she were alive and I dressed en femme in her presence.

Besides influencing my creative side, she also influenced my penchant for being feminine.

Mom often commented that because I had such nice legs, I should have been a girl. If she had made that comment once, I probably would have forgotten about it, but it seemed to me that she made that comment whenever she saw my legs bare. Don't you think that may have influenced me?

She also made comments about the way I walked. She said I "tippy-toed," i.e., I walked on my toes. I assumed from her comments that tippy-toeing was not the correct way for a male to walk, but I did not know how to walk any other way. She never showed me how I was supposed to walk, so I just kept on tippy-toeing.

I don't tippy-toe any longer. As I grew older, I must have figured out how to walk like a male. However, all my early years tippy-toeing may have facilitated my walking in high heels because ever since I slipped on my first pair of pumps, I never had a problem walking in heels.

I did not think that Mom knew about my crossdressing, because she never broached the subject despite the fact that I often got into her stuff and even ruined some items that I found out the hard way, were too small for me. I was very much in the closet then and I was just as happy that she did not know. But, she knew.

As newlyweds, my wife and I crossdressed for a Halloween party and when I mentioned our party plans to Mom over the phone, she asked if I had taken my box of "stuff" with me when I moved out.

I don't recall my response, but at that moment, I knew she knew. She never mentioned it again and neither did I.

However, once in awhile right up to her death, she would ask me, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

I always thought she was referring to my crossdressing when she asked and I always said, "No."

In retrospect, I wish I had confided in Mom about me becoming a woman. She was so loving and so supportive that I think she would have helped me. (She was a great seamstress by the way and I can only dream about the outfits she might have sewn for her male daughter.) But, I did not confide in her and I regret it now.

But, if there is a heaven, I am sure Mom smiles down on me when she sees her firstborn dressed en femme enjoying her time as a woman.

So, Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Your Loving Daughter,

Stana




Source: Venus
Wearing Venus




Wearing LTD tunic, Hue tights and Payless Janine pointy toe pumps
Wearing LTD tunic, Hue tights and Payless Janine pointy toe pumps for my May 6th photoshoot

Friday, May 8, 2020

On My Feet

Tanit commented on my photo in the Femulate Illustrated post, “Very nice - show us the shoes!”

Her wish is my command, so here are photos of my new shoes.

Nine West Bliss pointy toe pumps in a metallic paint snake print (these are “killer” heels and they will require some breaking in before I will feel comfortable wearing them out):



JustFab Sophie peep toe pumps in natural (these 3.5-inch heels are very comfortable and very cute – love the tiny gold padlock):



And I just ordered these from Nine West, their Beck ankle-strap pumps in ivory:






Source: Venus
Wearing Venus




D is for Davis (Louisiana) High School in 1968
D is for Davis (Louisiana) High School in 1968, where we find today’s “Not a Civilian?” Runner up is a Downey, California miss, who has appeared in this blog in the past.




Wearing JustFab tweed high-waisted shorts and crop jacket and JustFab Sophie peep toe pumps
Wearing JustFab tweed high-waisted shorts and crop jacket and JustFab Sophie peep toe pumps for my May 6th photoshoot

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Nailing It


I am not full-time, although I wish I was, so I can’t wear my fingernails in a female fashion 24/7. Instead, I wear pre-glued, press-on nails when I femulate. They go on fast, stay on forever and they look good – so good that I have received many compliments on my nails.

My go-to pre-glued, press-on nails were the Kiss brand. I bought and used Kiss nails for years, but Kiss kissed off the product and they are no longer available except for sellers of old stock (and those are drying up, too).

When I learned that Kiss pre-glued, press-on nails were going away, I stocked up, but my stockpile is dwindling and I have been searching for a replacement.

StyleCaster posted an article by Nikki Brown, Best Press On Nails 2020: Stunning Picks for When You Want an Express Mani, that features 10 brands of press-on nails. They are very attractive and I decided to take a flyer on one of the less expensive brands (H&M). I will review them here when I have an opportunity to wear them

Caveat Emptor: Obviously, the fake nails are sized for women. If you have wide nails, the fake nails may not be large enough to cover your natural nails. I am lucky to have feminine fingers and all the fake nails I have ever tried cover my natural nails, but your mileage may vary.




Source: Intermix
Wearing Zimmermann




C is for crossdressing, civilians and Coppell, Texas, where in 1996, Matt Garber’s prom appearance at is hands-down one of the most outstanding Not a Civilian? presentations of all time! By the way, if Matt was “the only male to wear make-up to the junior-senior prom,” it begs the question: Did other male students attend the prom en femme, but without makeup?




Wearing JustFab button front sweater dress and JustFab Sofie peep toe pumps
Wearing JustFab button front sweater dress and JustFab Sofie peep toe pumps for my May 6th photoshoot

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Femulate Illustrated


Source: Rue La La
Wearing Lela Rose




Wade Barnes
Moving up the alphabet to the letter B, today’s lovely “Not a Civilian?” laddy hails from Bryant (Arkansas) High School. He (or she) is Wade Barnes, who was the winner of the high school’s 1972 “Miss America” pageant.



Wearing Boston Proper and Nine West
Wearing Boston Proper vegan leather dress and Nine West “Bliss” pointy toe pumps.

Wednesday morning, I had to decide whether to move three yards of loam outdoors or photograph myself wearing pretty new outfits indoors. It was a difficult choice and you can see the results of that decision above.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Non-Civilians in Womanless World


Jasmine Bond commented on my previous post:
“Womanless events was something I never heard of until I've been reading your blog. This concept is somewhat interesting but perplexing and I would like to learn more about them. Without having done the research, it seems like these events were not necessarily pro-trans but a way to exclude women and treat them like second class citizens, an unfortunate dynamic that has been too long a part of our culture. Just as unfortunate, this still exists today with women earning less for the exact same jobs as their male counterparts. While there is a certain appeal for the woman in me in that these events occurred, I also can't help feel that they were a way to suppress women. It's too bad that we don't have events like these that promote trans women and are supported by cis women who would provide education, a loving environment and support to trans women like us. I'd be interested in hearing your take, Stana, on my thoughts.”
I have never attended or participated in a civilian womanless event. However, I have seen countless videos and thousands of photos documenting womanless beauty pageants, weddings, fashion shows, etc.

I am of two minds regarding womanless events.

The Bad

I hate the way some of the participants parody women. Shaking their asses, flaunting their boobs and in general, acting like boobs is disrespectful of women. Is that how they think their wives, mothers and sisters act?

I find it difficult to believe that any wife or mother would be OK with their husband or son acting that way. The audiences seem to be very amused by the antics of some of the participants, which doesn’t say much for how the audience respects women, too.

By the way, the younger the womanless participant, the more respectful they seem to be. Grammar school “girls” are well-behaved ladies compared to their middle and high school sisters.

The Good

Womanless events give non-civilians an opportunity to express their feminine side in public with a safety net – the safety net being the event itself where it is OK for guys to be girls temporarily.

I recall my high school’s basketball team crossdressing to perform in my school’s annual Irish Minstrel. I was so jealous and wished I had the opportunity to do the same in public with some kind of safety net. If my school had a womanless event, I believe that I would have mustered the courage to be a participant and I feel that most non-civilians would be similarly inclined.

Womanless events have their good side and their bad side. Does the bad side outweigh the good side? I dunno, but from the perspective of a non-civilian, I believe I would put up with the bad to take advantage of the good.




Source: WhoWhatWear
Source: WhoWhatWear



Austin High School, Decatur, Alabama, 1985
Austin High School, Decatur, Alabama, 1985
As I wrote in my previous post, I killed my flickr account (for economic reasons). Besides a handful of personal photos, the account also included thousands of photos from womanless events that Starla culled from school yearbooks. 

To make up for that loss, I decided to feature some of Starla’s photos in this new “Not a Civilian?” slot. 

During the next 25 posts, I intend to sort through all of the photos in alphabetical order (alphabetized by school name) and each day, feature the “girl” who in my humble opinion, is most likely not a civilian (just like you and me). Boys who dress up as girls on Halloween get 2 bonus points and boys who attend proms en femme get 5 bonus points. On the other hand, boys with leg hair, lose 2 points and boys with facial hair lose 10 points.

Kicking off “Not a Civilian?” with the letter A is the lovely Johnny McLemore from Austin High in Decatur, Alabama.

Monday, May 4, 2020

I Killed My Friend flickr

A femulator at Hanford High School
(Richland, WA) in 1981 
I killed my flickr account.

Because of the vast quantity of images I had posted on flickr, I needed a “Pro” account, which only cost $25 per year when I signed up for it back in 2015. Last year, the price increased to $50 per year.

Friday, I received a PayPal receipt indicating that flickr was now charging $7 per month ($84 per year). That was the last straw and I killed my Pro account as quick as a Playboy bunny.

I actually had only a few dozen personal photos on the site, but I also had nearly 5,000 photos of womanless events that Starla culled from online high school yearbooks. I hope to find a new, less expensive home for those images real soon now.




Source: Beyond the Rack
Source: Beyond the Rack



A womanless wedding, circa 1910 in Waterbury, Connecticut.
A womanless wedding, circa 1910, put on by the Boys Club in Waterbury, Connecticut. Not the greatest femulations, but I am posting the image for two reasons: (1) Waterbury is my hometown and (2) womanless weddings in Connecticut were rare – in fact, this is the only Connecticut womanless wedding I am aware of.

Friday, May 1, 2020

Never Gets Old

Five Days in Ohio
I am tapped out, so I am repeating a post I did on a previous May Day. I hope you enjoy it despite it being a rerun.

Velma wrote, “Your comments on having two days out en femme in one week brought a recollection from one of our recent support group meetings. Several of us had concluded that they feel satisfied, grounded, calmed and focused after about two days out femulating per week. More time out than that did nothing to increase the changed feelings, but additional femulation almost became burdensome.”

Burdensome?

Hardly.

Sure, it feels good to kick off my heels and take off my girdle after a day out as a woman, but I am always ready to do it over again the next day and the day after that.

Why?

Despite my body parts, I am a feminine being and femulating fulfills the need to express that femininity that I had hidden in a closet for most of my life.

And I disagree with the statement that “More time out than that [2 days] did nothing to increase the changed feelings.”

Quite the contrary, every additional minute that I am out en femme just confirms my being as feminine. My feminine reaction to every little thing that occurs when I am out just adds to the pile of confirmations that indicate that I am indeed a woman.

Velma also wrote, “I am aware you have mentioned that you would dress full time if possible. Did you always feel this way or did this desire grow and evolve through time? How many days have you gone dressed en femme on a continuous basis?”

Once I discovered that it was possible to live full time as a woman, I had a strong desire to do so. My commitment to my wife is the only thing holding me back, so I try to fulfill that desire as best as I can  by living full time as much as possible in those chunks of time that do not involve my wife.

My longest continuous chunk of time en femme was seven days the four times I attended Fantasia Fair for the full week. But in my opinion, that does not count because it is not a real life experience. Most of the civilians you encounter in Provincetown are aware that the Fair is in progress and assume every tall woman is a femulator.

So I feel that my longest real life experiences en femme were my five days attending a workshop in New York City and my annual five-day trips to Ohio to attend Hamvention. There most of the civilians are unaware of my origins and I can genuinely experience life as a woman.




Source: Bebe
Wearing Bebe




Teri Hatcher and David Spade
Teri Hatcher and David Spade on a 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live.
You can view the skit on YouTube.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

My Wednesday


My Fair Lady Dept.

Quarantined, I am watching the first season of The Sopranos on HBO. Being a late adopter, I missed the first year and a half of the series when it was originally broadcast back in 1999, so these episodes are new to me.

I also watched “NYC Subway Front Window View - The Manhattan-Bound 7 Express Line” on YouTube. Basically, this subway line travels between Flushing, Queens and Manhattan passing by the site of the 1964-65 World’s Fair.

It is very nostalgic trip for me because we took this line the first time my family visited the Fair in 1964. It is also a reminder that I wanted to revisit the site en femme for a photoshoot at the Unisphere and other remnants of the Fair. Maybe I will be able to pull that off in the fall or next spring after things return to normal.

My IMPOTUS Dept.

I received an email that opened with “WHY...are you biased against the President?”

Besides being intellectually and psychologically unfit for the job, IMPOTUS has waged a nonstop onslaught against the rights of trans people since the day he took office.

There are too many battles and skirmishes in Trump’s War on Transgenders to enumerate here. The National Center for Transgender Equality keeps track of such things and you can view the complete list here.

Anyway, for the life of me, I cannot understand how any trans person can support someone who is working hard to limit and/or eliminate their human rights.

My response to “WHY...are you biased against the President?” is “WHY ...are you not biased against the President?”




Source: Karen Kane
Wearing Karen Kane




I love this photo. Looks like a classroom, so I assume it is some kind of gender switch event that middle and high schools sponsor on occasion. Typically, the boys and girls crossdress to emulate middle and high school girls and boys, but in this case, the femulators look like they are emulating adult  women, perhaps their teachers!
I love this photo. Looks like a classroom, so I assume it is a gender switch event that middle and high schools sponsor on occasion. Typically, the boys and girls crossdress to emulate middle and high school girls and boys, but in this case, the femulators look like they are emulating adult  women, perhaps their teachers!