A Girl Named Dick Z

Mikki tells this true story that could have come right off the pages of Fictionmania.

I was in the fourth grade, when a boy named Richard started school in our third grade. On Halloween, our school had a parade through the neighborhood on. This was in 1950 and a high percentage of the locals were stay-at-home moms and they always were generous with goodies for us kids. My Mom modified one of Dad’s Navy uniforms for me so I could be in the parade. Richard came to school dressed as a girl. Not just any girl – he was prettier than any of the girls in our class and we had a few who were very pretty. 

I made sure I walked beside Richard in the parade and I even walked “her” home (it was on the way to my house). I didn't let on that I had found some of Mom’s lingerie in the clothes basket and wore my find whenever I could get away with it. But here was a boy who went all the way and looked like the real thing. I’ll admit it: I had a crush on “her.” 

Richard had twin sisters, who were one year older than him. They went to a Catholic girl’s school and were already home when we got to Richard’s house. He asked me to wait outside while he talked to his sisters. He was asking them about inviting me in and they said, “OK.” Here is where the BIG surprise comes in: Richard got out of his nice Halloween party dress and changed into a “play” dress!

Richard’s mother (let‘s call her “Miss Z”) had him wear girl’s clothing except “when he needed to be a boy” outside the house. I didn’t know what to say, but I was fascinated and maybe more than a little jealous. 

Turns out that Miss Z had been raped by a young man. A private marriage was performed and her spouse raped her again shortly after the birth of the twins and that produced Richard. 

When a problem occurred that caused her to give birth to Richard early, her husband was off in Ocean City with his mistress and only found out a week after the birth when he got home. That was the last straw and the couple split up and she divorced him. 

Her anger was so harsh that she chose to “deny” him his son by making him a girl. She got a large settlement and also had a big trust fund, so she disappeared into a middle-class neighborhood in the DC suburbs, leaving no forwarding address. I had stumbled into a real-life soap opera!

Miss Z had a trusted sitter watch the three girls when she had afternoon classes at Trinity College, the women's college of Catholic University. Her family contributed to Father Hartke’s Theater Program and had full access to all of that. 

Since I was taller and bigger than any of the three girls, I couldn't wear their clothing, so Miss Z borrowed clothing from the Catholic University costume department for me. I was fairly 4 to 6 inches taller than the rest of them. Miss Z was about 5 feet 1, while Richard and the twins were about 5 feet 3. None of them ever got any taller! No late-teens growth spurt for Richard –– he remained a cute, petite girl. 

Once we were in junior high school, Richard always dressed as her pretty self for school on Halloween and also for some small parties with people he trusted. He played the part of a crook who disguised himself as a woman in a school play (his only lead role). Otherwise, he pretty much kept a low profile through junior high. (Since Richard was petite, he looked like a girl in boy’s clothing and had to endure lots of teasing. 

High school was on the horizon. About halfway through our ninth grade, we received our “Choice” letter to choose what we were going to do for high school. Back then, over 90% of the kids in in our county did not go to college. Kids were expected to walk off the graduation podium with their diplomas and walk right into a job without missing a beat. I went to the academic high school while Richard went to vocational tech school for the beautician program. 

Miss Z moved to a larger house I continued to drop in and see her and the girls. Richard was becoming even more of a girl, prettier everyday and decided to adopt a new name. The nickname for Richard was “Dick,” so he became a girl named “Dixie” (Dick Z). Miss Z even had her name changed to Dixie for Richard’s senior year. While Dixie was an even bigger target for teasing, she was protected by a gang of girls in the beautician program. If boys wanted to date them, they had to leave Dixie alone and it worked!

Dixie wore her hair in a long-ish Pixie cut, but by senior year she, let her hair grow out. She was the best student in the beautician program, so teachers cut her lots of slack. I thought that was very impressive and forward-thinking for 1959. 

Dixie continued to look like a girl wearing boys clothing, but during the second half of senior year, she became that girl. Miss Z requested that the school allow her to graduate as a girl, but the school wasn’t nearly ready for that back in 1959, so they graduated Dixie separately (and they got a very nice donation from Miss Z). 

The school did let Dixie come to her prom. I know because I was her date and she was my date for my prom. Nobody said anything at her school and nobody came close to guessing at my school. 

After Dixie scored 100% on the DC licensing exam, she went to work in a very exclusive salon in DC. She quickly became their go-to makeup girl. 

I was attending Maryland University and would touch base every now and then. I even brought Dixie to a party with my college friends just to show them I could get dates with a super-beautiful woman. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. 

During my senior year, Dixie got a job with Weston Cosmetics in Hollywood. A few years later, when I got a job with a Los Angeles-based computer manufacturer, I tried to look Dixie up. I was told she was on location, left a message, but never heard from her. Miss Z moved out of the DC area and left no forwarding address.

It was fun while it lasted and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Wearing Venus

Trevor Moore and Darren Trumeter femulating on television’s The Whitest Kids U’Know.

Someday Funnies

Wearing Taylor

Laurence Chrysler, professional femulator, circa 1955

Someday Funnies

Wearing Boston Proper

Rolf Lassgård femulating in the 2020 Swedish film My Father Marianne.
You can view the film’s trailer on YouTube.

Let's be careful out there

Going out among civilians as a woman is very different than going out among civilians as a guy.

As a guy, I seldom was concerned about being out among strangers. I go where I want to go without a worry. I am big (6 foot 2, 185 pounds) and people are more likely to be fearful of me than I of them. So I have my size going for me as a guy. Yet, it is not something I have on my mind when I go out; it is just a fact. 

As a woman, I feel that I am a target. Not so much if I am walking the mall or visiting a museum. But when I am out on the street, in a parking garage or in a strange place, I am very aware that I am a potential target of someone snatching my purse or much worse. 

I learned my lesson many years ago. After a support group meeting, a bunch of girls decided to go to a gay bar. Leaving the meeting hall around 9 PM, I followed a trail of cars to a dark, unfamiliar neighborhood where the bar was located. There was only on-street parking, nothing available near the bar, so I had to park two blocks away. Another girl parked nearby and we walked the two blocks together.

I did not enjoy my visit to the bar primarily because the air was thick with cigarette smoke and I left after one drink. Walking back to my car alone, I had someone following me: a guy who was shouting at me wanting to know if I was in the bar’s drag show.

I ignored the guy and ran as fast as my high heels would let me. After one block, the guy gave up the chase and I made it to my car safely and a lot wiser. In retrospect, I should have asked the bar’s bouncer to escort me to my car or I should have waited until one of my friends was leaving and accompany her to our cars. Either way, I never put myself in such a precarious position again.

The Desota County (FL) Sheriff’s Office has a list of tips for women on staying safe.

• Be Alert! Scan the area as you walk. Be aware of your surroundings and walk with confidence.

• Avoid shopping alone. Try to shop with a friend or relative.

• Know your surroundings. Keep an eye on the people in front of you as well as behind you.

• Carry your purse close to your body and do not leave it unattended. 

• Try not to carry too many packages. Place all packages out of sight in your vehicle, preferably in the trunk.

• Park your vehicle in a well-lighted area. Even in daylight hours, you may want to park near a light pole so if you leave when it is darker, your car will be in a well-lit location.

• Approach your vehicle with your keys already in your hand. Keep your vehicle doors locked and your windows shut.  Look around, under and in your car, especially the back seat, before you get in.

• When leaving a business late at night, (if available) ask a security guard to walk you to your car. Do not go up to just any security guard. Go directly to the kiosk and ask for them to assign an officer to escort you. Predators sometimes dress up to resemble security or other authority figures.

Those are the first eight tips from the Sheriff’s Office. Click here to view all the tips.

And let’s be careful out there.

Wearing Venus

Gale Gordon, Richard Crenna and Robert Rockwell femulating on a 1953 episode of television’s Our Miss Brooks. Thank you, Meg for the information about this femulation.

Done That

Diana’s post on Wednesday reminded me that Tuesday was National Coming Out Day. 

I missed another one! 

It is not an entry on my calendar because I don’t have to worry about coming out any longer. I am out to just about everyone I know (and don’t know). The only stragglers are some aunts and first cousins and the Internet savvy ones probably know if they ever Googled our last name because my “secret identity” comes up in the Google search results. (Note to cousins: You can tell me you know. I won‘t be embarrassed.)

C'est la vie!

One truth I discovered when coming out is that you are likely to have better reactions if you do it yourself rather than via a second party. I have come out to hundreds of people and have had no negative reactions (to my face – who knows what goes on behind my back?) The worst reaction was from an old friend who remarked, “Why would anyone choose to be a woman?”

When you use an intermediary, the reactions may not be so positive. My wife did a lot of the coming out to her family and friends. As a result, one long-time girlfriend ended her relationship with my wife over it. My in-laws, in general, were not supportive (oddly, the wife of my very non-supportive brother-in-law was very supportive). 

If I came out to them myself, I wonder if their reactions would have been better?

I was not always so free about revealing my secret identity. In the past, I took baby steps when I came out, carefully picking and choosing the people I considered coming out to and mulling over whether to do it or not.

Early on, I only came out to females – never to males. It was easy to come out to females because I was telling them that I am on their team. Men were not so easy. Just encountering men when I was en femme used to give me pause; coming out to a man was unthinkable. But I finally reached a point when I had to come out to males.

When I decided to attend a ham radio convention as a woman, I felt obligated to inform the officers and directors of the organization whose booth I would be staffing at the convention (I was an officer and director myself). 

I composed a coming out letter. That was the easy part. Sending it was the hard part.

I recall copying that letter into the text of an email, adding all the email addresses into the To: field and then hesitating to click on the Send button for hours... over three hours. 

I finally realized that my hesitancy was ridiculous – I had to come out to these people or chuck my plans to attend the convention as a woman. So I clicked on the Send button and waited for the reaction.

The response was anti-climatic. I received 100% support from the people who received my email. Not a discouraging word was heard.

And so it goes.

Wearing Venus

Greg Kean femulating in a 1993 episode of television’s Designing Women.

Someday Funnies

Wearing New York & Company

Modern senior couple

Someday Funnies: She’s the Boss

Wearing Sea

A must-see music video for femulators, I’m The One by Morten Harket.
See it on YouTube and thank you, Allison, for informing me about it.
See the colorized version on Vimeo. Thank you Aunty for the heads-up. 

Face Time

Romney asked, “What's an expedient routine for us who are not ‘out’ daily, but wish to participate? Could you outline for us a practical and uncomplicated means for maintaining a smooth complexion? How does one overcome the abuse of daily shaving and accommodate the desire to be presentable when there is the rare makeup opportunity?”

Shaving your face is actually a good thing (as long as you don’t cut yourself). It is an exfoliant that removes hair, debris, excess oil and dead skin cells, which brightens the look of your skin and helps makeup go on smoothly and last longer.

I use a Gillette Fusion razor with a shaving gel (all links go to Amazon.com). The multiple blades in the Fusion provide a very close shave. Also, I shave in the shower. The steam and heat in the shower open your pores and soften your hair, making it an ideal environment for a close shave. 

I shave in the morning, remain clean shaven most of the day and only require a touch-up with a Philips Norelco electric razor if I will continue en femme through the evening. Using an electric razor avoids having to redo your makeup from scratch if you use a manual razor for touching up your beard and also avoids getting a razor burn. (Your mileage may vary depending on your beard’s behavior.) No matter how you shave, shaving dries out your skin, so it is a good idea to moisturize your face after a shave.

Like the old Maybelline advertisement stated, “Maybe she was born with it!”

To some extent, I was born with it. Whenever I received makeovers in the past, the makeup artist often remarked how I had an excellent complexion.

During one makeover, I asked Hollywood makeup artist Jim Bridges, which actresses he had worked with and he rattled off a few names. Then I mentioned that I thought Jaclyn Smith was one of the most beautiful women among the current crop of stars (circa 1985) and he responded that he had done Jaclyn’s makeup a few times and that she had lousy skin that required a lot of work! After bursting my balloon, he patched it up by adding that I had better skin than Jaclyn Smith!

Being an Avon lady, I occasionally receive free samples. About 20 years ago, I received a free sample of a product to deal with wrinkles around the eyes. Looking in the mirror at the wrinkles developing around my eyes, I decided to try the free sample.

After a week or so, the wrinkles were less noticeable. After a few weeks, I had to examine my eyes closely to find the wrinkles. So, I was sold on the eye cream and currently use Avon Anew Clinical Eye Lift Pro Dual Eye System every morning.

I also moisturize my face and neck in the morning using Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer. After many, many years of shunning skin care, I began using a moisturizer after my success with eye cream and it made a huge difference. My skin is smoother, more supple, healthier-looking and my makeup goes on easier, looks better and stays on longer. 

Avon Solutions Dramatic Firming Cream is a miracle product, in my opinion.

I have sun damage on the sides of my neck. All of the foundations I have used only cover the damage temporarily and sooner or later (usually sooner), the red skin shows through.

Perusing the Avon catalog one day, their Dramatic Firming Cream caught my eye and I bought a tub to try on my neck. Using it daily for a few weeks, I noticed some improvement – the redness was less red. Using it daily for a few months, the redness is gone! Wow! Like I wrote above, it is a miracle product.

One more thing: I have never smoked in all my 71 years and I seldom drink alcoholic beverages (I probably average less than one glass of beer per month). I am sure that has contributed to my healthy complexion and enhanced my ability to femulate.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Vittorio Gassman femulating in the 1963 French-Italian film The Monsters.

Someday Funnies: Who’s the Boss?

Wearing Alexia Admor

Savannah Jackson, elevator selfie

Someday Funnies

Wearing A.L.C.

Gurl Friends Forever

Future Dressing Redux

I don’t get out much. First, it was the pandemic, then some health issues, then I became a housewife, which included being caretaker for my spouse. So I was a little surprised when I discovered that out in the world males using makeup and wearing feminine clothing was more prevalent than I imagined. 

This revelation occurred while watching a British reality program called 100% Hotter in which men and women off the street receive makeovers. There were mostly women in the episodes that I watched, but the few males that appeared on the show all used makeup to one degree or another and all borrowed clothing from milady’s closet.

This got me thinking about a blog post I wrote (“Future Dressing”) back in 2014 and reposted in 2018, in which I predicted what men will be wearing 25 years into the future. I decided to revisit my predictions which are now only 17 years into the future. But before I do that, I want to briefly revisit the past for those readers who pooh-poohed my predictions.

Go back to 1962. Who in 1962 would have predicted that 60 years in the future, men would: 

• Use makeup

• Remove all body hair

• Use perfume (or “colognes” as the manly men prefer to call it)

• Go to salons (and abandon barber shops) for their hair needs (styling, coloring, etc.)

• Wear purses, jewelry, shapewear and undies in a variety of colors, styles, and fabrics

• Stay at home to perform housekeeping tasks, while their wives were breadwinning

• And on and on and on... You’ve come a long way, baby! (I hesitate to use the word “feminization,” but what would you call it?)

So, what will life be like for us in 17 years?

It will be completely acceptable for males to dress however they please. Just as it is acceptable for females to wear male clothing today, it will be acceptable for males to wear female clothing in 2043. (There are a reasons for this that I will address in a future post.)  

There will be different degrees of how males adopt womenswear. At one end of the spectrum are guys who may on occasion wear a macho skirt, a manly pair of high heels and a little foundation, while at the other end of the spectrum will be the femboys (you know who you are), who will dress in womenswear all of the time from head to open toe pumps. And nobody will hassle anyone for what they wear except maybe scolding those gentle men wearing white frocks after Labor Day.

There will no longer be women’s and men’s restrooms; there will just be restrooms.

Clothing stores will no longer segregate their wares between women and men or girls and boys. Instead, the stores will have adult, young adult, and children’s clothing departments.

Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) will be very common in 17 years because folks will be able to get SRS on demand just like cosmetic surgery can be had on demand today. Folks with and without gender dysphoria will be able to change genders and the results will be more satisfactory because of advances in the surgical procedures.

All health insurance plans will cover gender-related procedures, either as basic coverage or as an option like some plans offer vision and dental coverage as an add-on expense today. For example, if you were contemplating SRS, you could opt for gender coverage and it would not be an expensive add-on because the procedure will be so common in 17 years.

By 2043, you will be able to live in whatever gender role you prefer. When someone asks a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the anticipated answer will be “girl” or “boy” and not a career choice. Females can be as macho as they want to be and males can be as feminine as they want to be.

What a wonderful world it will be!

Wearing Boston Proper

Prom-bound sister and brother