They’re all guys

Saturday night, TCM showed the film Saint Jack, which is about Jack Flowers, an American hustler in early 1970s Singapore, who dreams of building a fortune by running a brothel and returning to the States to lead a life of luxury. 

Ben Gazzara plays Jack and early on in the film, he escorts a visitor through a red-light district of Singapore where beautiful ladies abound.

Jack’s visitor comments, “The women here are all so attractive.”

Jack responds, “They’re all guys.”

Wow – I did not see that coming!

“Singapore’s Bugis Street was renowned as a meeting place for trans women to mix, mingle and have fun during the 1950s-1980s. Each evening, a fabulous parade of glamorous trans women would walk up-and-down the rundown streets at Bugis Junction, flirting with tourists, sailors and G.I.s, often charging them to have their photograph taken, inviting them to a bar for a drink, or taking them to a quiet room (or rooftop) for sex.

“Bugis Street was a popular area for touring British servicemen in the 1950s, who became fans/lovers of many of the trans women, and rechristened the area ‘Boogie Street’—a mispronunciation of the district’s name that stuck in 1970s with the rise of disco.

“For thirty years, Bugis Street thrived as a haven for trans women and their admirers, until the government cracked down on what was described as ‘shameful’ and ‘lewd behavior’ in the 1970s. Many servicemen were arrested at gunpoint, tourists were threatened and frightened away, the bars were closed and many trans women were arrested. Eventually the hard-line puritans won and old Bugis Street was demolished in the mid-1980s and replaced by a shopping mall and entertainment outlet.” (source: dangerousminds.net)

The image above is not from the film; rather, it is a collage of the girls who actually populated Bugis Street, circa 1970.

By the way, Saint Jack was very good and Ben Gazzara was excellent.

Wearing Venus

Singapore’s Bugis Street ladies, circa 1970

Someday Funnies

Wearing Nana Jacqueline

Professional femulator Louis Martin, circa 1910

Slipped My Mind

I am so old that when I started femulating, nylon stockings had seams (that a lady had to keep straight). Beneath her outfit, a lady always wore a girdle and a slip. And to complete her outfit, a hat and gloves. Except for hats, I admit to wearing all those items. 

Early on as a novice femulator, seamed stockings gave way to seamless stockings, which soon gave way to pantyhose, Meanwhile, gloves, hats, girdles and slips disappeared from most ladies’ wardrobes.

To this day, I still wear a girdle and my hosiery switches between thigh-highs and pantyhose depending on the length (or lack thereof) of my skirt. I gave up wearing gloves long ago because gloves did not get along with my press-on nails. But it slipped my mind why I stopped wearing slips.

Slips are helpful when you are wearing other layers like bras or shapewear, since slips smooth over any bumps from hardware, closures or digging waistbands. Without a slip, your outer layers of a blouse or dress may hug to these other items, but wearing a slip gives you more coverage for smooth lines. Spanx sells undies that serve a similar purpose, but they are not as elegant as a classic slip.

I invite you to read Angela Friedman’s “Top reasons to wear a silk slip.” Here is a summary of her top seven reasons...

1. Keep your legs from sticking to your skirt fabric

2. Keep your fancy dresses clean for a 2nd wearing

3. Add a layer under a semi-sheer outfit

4. Feel like a glamorous, Old Hollywood starlet

5. For a peek of lace - and prevent wardrobe malfunctions

6. Smooth your silhouette and hide VPL

7. Life is too short to wear ugly pajamas!

...but read the whole article and you will be motivated to slip on a slip like I am. 

By the way, last week I watched one of my favorite science fiction films, The Time Machine, and I noted that in the year 802,701, all men and women wore dresses (see photo above). I also noted that no one wore slips under their dresses. How unladylike!

Wearing Bebe

Femulating in the mid-1960’s

Someday Funnies

Wearing Charo Ruiz

Professional femulators, the Fono Fools (Joe Price and David Hummel) circa 1961.

Dressing Your Age, Continued

Dee responded to Friday’s post, Dressing Your Age, More or Less.

Reading Sandy's post on “Dressing Your Age, More or Less,” I have to wonder how one goes through life with such a condescending attitude towards a fellow traveler. 

It boggles my mind when femulators (thanks, Stana) can have these two thoughts going on in their head simultaneously:

1. When I’m out in public, I expect others to be tolerant of me; and

2. OMG, do you see what she’s wearing?

In short, tolerance for me, but none for thee.

We don’t want people making fun of us, but we are happy to jump on others because they don’t dress the way we approve? How hypocritical. How condescending. How rude.

Here is a sample.

“Truly, I wonder who these sisters believe they are appealing to and I have come to the conclusion that their choices are determined by wanting to look like someone that they themselves would be attracted to, as well as what clothing they have access to purchasing. Maybe they only feel comfortable buying the discards at the local goodwill or someplace else that affords cheap prices and anonymity while shopping.”

Rubbish.

Every post Stana includes a picture which says “Femulate Her.” There are a lot of cute outfits and some might be “age inappropriate,” according to some. 

I suggest instead that instead of bowing to someone else’s judgment, we make our own decisions and ignore judgments like the one above.

Recently, I had a great interaction with a store manager, Kira, in Melbourne, Australia. She asked me if the clothes I was wearing made me feel confident because they should make you feel confident. All I know is that I walked into her store and saw the top she was wearing and I decided I wanted that top. She’s 22 and a genetic girl and gorgeous – I’m none of the above – and I bought the top and wore it out of the store with confidence (see photo above).

Enough with the shaming of others because they don’t dress the way you think they should. If you want tolerance for yourself for how you dress, you must have tolerance for how others dress. Otherwise, you’re not helping our community, you’re harming it.

Wearing Venus

Femulating in the early 1960’s

Someday Funnies

Wearing Elisabetta Franchi

Femulating in the Roaring 20’s

My Achy Left Foot

Thursday, I had to attend another Zoom meeting of my ham radio club’s board of directors. Since I am the only girl on the board, I like to dress pretty and had a new sleeveless dress to wear that demanded that I shave body parts I have not shaved while I was recuperating from my osteoarthritis. 

Wednesday morning, I spent about 45 minutes shaving those body parts and was surprised it did not take as long as I expected. (All those years using chemicals to remove leg hair have taken its toll and the hair on my legs is very sparse, which simplified that part of the hair removal process.)

Mid-Thursday morning, I began getting ready for the 1 PM Zoom meeting. I was good to go about a 45 minutes early, so I decided to experiment with different shoes to see how my achy left foot would get along with different footwear.

My Nine West slingback pumps with four-inch heels lasted about five minutes. Next I tried a pair of over-the-knee boots from Just Fab, which were more comfortable than the slingbacks, but not by much. So I switched to a pair of Nine West pumps with a kitten heel. They were pain-free and I wore them for the remainder of the afternoon.

I also wore my new A-line houndstooth dress from Venus and was very pleased with its quality and its fit, as well as how nice it looked on me, in my humble opinion (see the accompanying photo).

Wearing New York & Company

Femulating in India

Someday Funnies

Wearing New York & Company

Femulating for Halloween in the mid-1960’s.

Someday Funnies

Wearing Zuhair Murad

Femulating in the Easter Parade

Dressing Your Age, More or Less

Sandy responded to Monday’s post, Can I picture Helen Mirren wearing it?

Just wanted to heartily agree with you about deciding if an outfit is age-ish appropriate.

I do not understand how (seemingly) most of our sisters go through their journey trying to look like they are 22, when so many clues give them away.

I mean, I get it. Most of us go through a phase of sorts that feels like we are teens, trying on looks, textures, attitudes. But I think we all have to give a nod to reality – that we tend to and probably should, skew toward the age-appropriate.

Truly, I wonder who these sisters believe they are appealing to and I have come to the conclusion that their choices are determined by wanting to look like someone that they themselves would be attracted to, as well as what clothing they have access to purchasing. Maybe they only feel comfortable buying the discards at the local goodwill or someplace else that affords cheap prices and anonymity while shopping.

Either way, I think it casts a pall over crossdressing/gendering in general because the public can look at those sisters and cast them as pervy and then we, who might try to dress pretty/classy/age-appropriate, get painted the same way. That’s unfortunate.

What’s more is that I think women’s fashion has evolved beyond the age of our grandmother’s hausfrau dresses and other unsexy outfits. These days, most ciswomen still want to be considered kinda hip, if not young and pretty, and there are many styles out there now to accommodate (including hairstyles). I think it’s sad that there are many sisters out there who don’t know the difference and don’t get with the program.

I also understand “to each, their own,” but from a girl who prefers the looks that I think honor ciswomen, by trying to emulate them more: girl next door,  soccer mom, business woman.

I do find some of the fetish looks make my hobby feel a little dirty and seedy (if that makes any sense).

Wearing St. John

Dressing my age – NOT!