Passing Times

“I’m a guy.”

Many girls who have been around the block a few times opine that passing is not important; that it isn’t the be-all and end-all of crossdressing. 

I agree, but it is icing on the when you do pass.

My attitude is that I pass whenever I crossdress until something indicates that I am not passing. Of course, I don’t pass all of the time; I know that, but the attitude that I pass helps to build my confidence when I am out. If I went out among civilians thinking that I was not passing, that would surely affect my confidence in a negative way. And make crossdressing an unpleasant experience.

Passing is a crapshoot, however, there have been times that I know absolutely that I passed. Here are a few of those times.

At Nordstrom

While I was perusing a rack of cocktail dresses at Nordstrom, a saleswoman nearby spoke up, “You're tall. I’m tall, too. How tall are you?”

I said, “Six foot two.”

She replied, “I'm six foot one.”

And she engaged me in a discussion about being a tall female. She asked me how I liked being tall (“I love it.”). She admitted that she had some difficulties during her school years because of her height, but as an adult, she was happy with her height.

After we exchanged a few more words, I excused myself and headed out the door to greener pastures.

That turned the old saw on its head that being tall will giveaway a crossdresser’s birth gender.

At Fantasia Fair

Over dinner at Fantasia Fair, I was chatting with two new friends, Cosette and Dianne, and we were discussing passing techniques. 

During our discussion, I mentioned how I always thought my voice was my weakness. They replied by saying my voice was perfect. And then they added that when they first saw me that they thought I was a genetic female!

Passing among civilians is one thing, but passing among sister crossdressers is something else.

At Lunch on Halloween 2022

I decided to go to Viron Rondo Osteria, an Italian restaurant in Cheshire. I’ve dined there a number of times in the past en femme, so I felt comfortable dining there again.

My waitress was pleasant, took my order and in short order, I was drinking a beverage and dining on a delicious pasta dinner. Time flew by quickly and before I knew it, the waitress was packing up my leftovers and presenting me with the bill. 

I had overheard her complimenting a couple at another table about their Halloween costumes, so when she returned to collect my payment, I asked, “How do you like my Halloween costume?”

She looked at me with a blank expression and asked, “What is it?”

“I’m a guy.”

She was shocked. She had no idea and began gushing over my “costume,” loved my hairdo (wig) and thought that my nails were “cute.”

I was younger and probably more passable during my first two passing stories. I was 71-years-old in the last passing story, which made me feel great that this old girl still has it!

Wearing Boston Proper

Femulating in Space's music video for “Begin Again.”
Click here to view this music video on YouTube.
Again, thanks to Rachel Williams for the information about this femulation.

This is no joke!

Is it safe?

I have been going out en femme for 55 years and I have always felt very safe doing so. In all that time, I only had one encounter in which I did not feel safe. 

After a support group meeting, a bunch of girls decided to go to a gay bar. I went along and did not enjoy the experience. It was dark and smoky (this was before all the smoking bans) and the gay clientele were not very sociable. The only thing going for it was its drag show, which indirectly turned out to be the source of my discomfort.

I was not having a good time and after one drink, I left the bar to walk to my car which was parked a long, dark block away. As I exited the bar, a patron followed me. He had the impression that I was in the drag show and tried to engage me in conversation (and maybe more).

I ignored him and walked as fast as my stilettos would carry me. Half way to my car, my “admirer” abandoned pursuit and I made it to my car unharmed, but scared shitless!

In retrospect, I should have asked the bouncer to accompany me to my car, but who knew!

Except for that occurrence over 30 years ago, no one has bothered me. Sure I have gotten my share of strange or amused looks over the years, but nothing that shook my confidence and ruined my day.

However, these days, I feel less safe than in the past. There is an element of the civilian population that hate us and following the lead of certain politicians and religious zealots, they have no fear about calling us out and worse. 

As a result, I am more circumspective about where I go en femme. I am very aware of my surroundings and avoid places where I might find trouble. Luckily, my home state, Connecticut, is more open-minded than the average united state and so it goes.

Be safe out there!

Wearing Ann Taylor

Stuart Kelsall femulating in an episode of British television's Ideal.
Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.
Thank you Rachel Williams for reminding me about this femulation.

No Questions Asked at 10 AM EDT

I just discovered that No Questions Asked will be on TCM on Sunday (today) at 10 AM EDT. This 1951 film noir has one of the best femulations ever filmed in Hollywood history (in my humble opinion). The femulation occurs about 30 or 40 minutes into the film. Enjoy!

UPDATE: In case you missed it, click here to view a collection of images of this femulation.

Head Turners

Wearing Boston Proper

Alex James femulating in the Blur music video for “Parklife.”
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
Thank you Rachel Williams for alerting us about this femulation.

Look Ma, No Whiskers!

 

Wearing ModCloth

Anna Grodzka

Femulating at the Movies

I have an affinity for films that include crossdressing in their plot. The crossdressing may be incidental to the plot or it may be the main storyline. The film may be great or it may be a stinker. In either case, my main interest is the quality of the femulation. 

With wardrobe and cosmetic professionals at their disposal, I expect film femulations to be above of average, if not excellent – something that can inspire femulators everywhere. As a result, I often include femulations from films and television shows. 

George White, a longtime reader of this blog, seems to be a fan of crossdressing films, too. George has built a website called “Temporary Girls” that enumerates films in which a cisgender male appears en femme for one reason or another. The website lists approximately 150 films in all with new finds being added all the time. It even includes films that I did not know included femulating!

So click here to visit George's excellent website.

Wearing Self Portrait

Georgina Beyer

Best of Both Worlds

How to Date Men When You Hate Men was in Monday’s offerings from BookBub. I did not purchase the book and have no plans of doing so. However, when I saw the book listed on BookBub, I immediately thought of a solution to the conundrum presented in the book’s title: date a femulator.

If you hate men, dating a femulator is a perfect solution. You will be dating a man who does not look or act like a man. Rather he looks and acts like a woman.

And you will have a new girlfriend who will be loyal and appreciative that you chose “her” as a date. (Finding supportive women is at the top of every femulator’s wish list.) 

In addition, you will have a girlfriend with a little something extra (if you know what I mean). You will have the best of both worlds!

Wearing Boston Proper

Vladimir Luxuria

Six Months Left to do Your Christmas Shopping

 

Wearing Boston Proper

Vincent McDoom

Stuff: Thoughts from Abroad

By J.J. Atwell

Abroad?

Did you think this was going to be about me referring to myself as “a broad?” Sorry to disappoint. Instead, I’d like to relate some observations from a recent trip abroad – observations about women’s styles of course. 

There is a Different Aesthetic

My trip included England and Norway. A couple of places that are similar, but very different. I’d also allow that the places I visited were more touristy, but did include some regular locations, with regular people, as well. 

Perhaps the most interesting thing I noticed was that the professional women I saw were frequently wearing skirts and hose – very stylish outfits for sure. The fact that they were wearing hose was the odd thing for me. You see, JJ lives in the south where the temperatures are pretty high. So we seldom see women wearing hose. It’s just too hot for that. But I understand the bare leg look is not uncommon at all even in the big northern cities in the USA. 

As an aside, when getting ready for one of JJ’s group meetings, I went looking for some dark pantyhose. It wasn’t an easy search. There were few options available here where the weather is hot almost all the time. It seems like here in the USA that the regularity of women wearing hose is fading away. Perhaps, Europe is behind the curve here.

Other Differences?

Yes, I noticed interesting styles. Especially in Norway where much of what was for sale was targeted more to the colder climates. Not surprising, you say. Well yes, except that the weather while we were there was in the upper 70’s and low 80’s. So obviously there should be a market for some lighter wear. Also, lots of clothing in Norway were knitted with interesting, intricate patterns. 

Sizes are also a bit different. It seems that it’s hard to find things in larger sizes when abroad. Marked sizes are only an indication of what the garment might be. In the US we often hear the term “Vanity Sizing.” That’s the practice of making clothing larger than the standard size or marking it one size smaller. That way people can proudly say they are a size 8 when in reality they are a 10. Or a 12. 

I noticed however that sizing in Norway especially seems to run pretty small. An XL size there might be equivalent to a M or L in the US. If you go shopping abroad be sure to hold up the clothing to get a better idea if it will actually fit. 

I’ll admit that most of the women I noticed were younger and perhaps my impressions are just my old, male bias showing through. But I did come away from the trip with a different perspective on style abroad. Maybe it is simply differences in the environment or climate in the places I visited. People adapt their clothing to suit where they live. 

I’ll Be Back

I’ll be back with more Stuff in the next installment. Comments are welcome either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. JJ is always looking for more stuff so let me know what you would like to read about.

Wearing Nine West

Sture Lagerwall femulating in the 1934 Swedish film Adventures At The Hotel
(Äventyr på hotell).

His New Look

Wearing Cynthia Rowley

Veit Alex, male womanswear model

Breaking Ties

 

Wearing Madeleine

Meg of Call Me Meg fame