Wearing Reformation |
Philip Seymour Hoffman femulating in the 1999 film Flawless. |
I replied, “My sister is two years younger than me and I wore her (and my mother's) clothes whenever I was home alone. I had a couple of close calls, but she never caught me.”
Although my sister was younger, she was tall, so lucky for me, most of her clothes fit me. My mother was also tall and even though I had full access to her wardrobe, her wardrobe was more mature, whereas my sister’s wardrobe was youthful and more desirable by a girl my age. Not that I abandoned my mother’s wardrobe; her wide range of foundation garments outshined my sister’s, so when I crossdressed, I usually wore my mother’s bra, girdle and nylons under my sister’s dress.
My sister was messy and she probably never noticed if something was out of place, so as far as I know, she never suspected I was getting into her stuff. On the other hand, my mother was neat and very organized and I assume that clued her in to what I was doing. My mother used very little makeup, whereas my sister had lots, so my sister’s stuff was more attractive to a young girl like me in that regard, too.
Besides my sister’s youthful, circa 1970 wardrobe, she also had a beautiful prom dress that my mother sewed for her. It was the most body-conscious dress she owned and when I wore it with the proper foundation garments, I looked fabulous!
Regarding being caught, I had one close call. Home alone, I was crossdressed when I heard the garage door open. Mom and Sis had returned from shopping much earlier than I expected.
I had some time to switch from girl mode to boy mode because we had a manually operated garage door, which meant that my mother had to get out if the car to open the garage door, walk back to the car, drive the car into the garage, get out of the car, close the garage door, then gather up whatever she had purchased and carry it upstairs (the garage was under the house).
I managed to switch modes and return miladies’ wardrobes to their original state before Mom and Sis climbed upstairs to our living quarters. I was pretty pleased with myself because I had dodged the bullet. But a few minutes later, after Mom entered her bedroom, she asked, “Stanley – why are my shoes out?”
Nuts! I forgot to put her high heels back in her closet!
I had to think fast. Back then, I was drawing a lot – a cartoonist in the making – so my very lame excuse was that I borrowed her shoes because I was drawing shoes and I needed a model.
She bought it and I was very relieved. But years later, I figured out that she knew about my crossdressing and I imagine that the high heel episode was just more evidence of my secret identity.
Mom never confronted me about my crossdressing, although on countless occasions she asked, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
I realize now that she was reaching out to me, but I was a clueless idiot and always said, “No,” which I now very much regret.
On the other hand, my sister was clueless and probably did not suspect anything until she saw me crossdressed for Halloween. Some years later, I came out to her and it did not go well, which surprised me because she is a big supporter of LGBTQ+ people… except for me.
It hurt especially since we were so close. We are still very close, but my crossdressing is the muzzled elephant in the room.
And so it goes.
Wearing Elágia |
Femulating guests at Casa Susanna, circa 1962. The lady on the left is Darrell G. Raynor, the author of A Year Among the Girls, the book that revealed to me that I was not alone. |
By Norah Blucher
Hopefully, as you’ve been reading along here, I’ve given you some points to ponder, to maybe spread your wings a bit and try something new.
I personally stayed with brunette shades (my natural color) for years, as blonde never looked right on me. That was until my wig lady convinced me to try a “rooted” blonde wig with brunette roots and low lights and I took a gamble. It looked amazing and profoundly different. So much so that the first day I wore her, I walked past a mirror in my house and my heart skipped a beat as I thought for a second that someone had broken into my house!
Looking back I laugh and feel silly. Who breaks into a house wearing heeled boots and a pencil skirt? Perhaps I was just miffed the tart didn’t knock. I would have made her some tea and chatted! Regardless, I survived the encounter and have been predominantly blonde ever since. And yes, I have had more fun. ; )
Color
Trying different styles is always exciting, but playing with different colors can be just as dramatic. Try on the same wig in two different colors and see what I mean. You may find yourself looking at two completely different girls in the mirror. Just be mindful that certain colors or tones of colors, look better on certain people. As a general rule, your natural hair color will always work well, but if you’re going for a wig, live it up and experiment! Most styles are available in fairly solid colors, but why not go for something that looks like a high end highlight or lowlight job? The rooted colors can also open up fabulous new doors for you as well, as I found out!
If you have begun to go grey or all grey, your original hair color can still be a good reference point for color or root color, but many wigs can be obtained in various shades of grey and grey blends as well. Never forget that a true lady like a fine wine, only improves with age, so don’t be afraid to be gracefully grey! In case you hadn’t noticed, shades of silvery or platinum grey are also popular with younger girls of any age as well and is actually something I may try myself!
And Now for Something Completely Different…
Has all of this got your mind going and now you can’t decide on the locks you’d love the most? Maybe you tried on several wigs and they all looked smashing? Just remember that it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind and this girl is certainly no different. We would not wear the same shoes or clothes every day and with wigs, you don’t have to have the same hair every day either. Change your clothes or shoes and people know it. Change your hair and people may not know you... and your unknowing neighbors may just think you have a string of mistresses and a fetish for women who all drive the same car as you.
Seriously though, your hair really does have a huge impact on how you present to the world. It has likely not escaped you that every part of this series has a picture of me that’s different. This is not my wig history. These were all taken within a few weeks of each other and your first impression would likely be different for each one based on my hair.
Number 1 is the life of the party and that friend you don’t go shopping without. You are likely inviting her on your next cruise. Just make it a Baltic or trans-Atlantic one though, dear, as I’d melt in the tropics.
Number 3 is the exact same color and rather similar, albeit shorter. She’s my current “go to” and to me she screams tea and biscuits with a bit of retro flair, though I’d keep my eye on her as she’s a bit whimsical and might go chase a rabbit and fall down a hole to who knows where. Rather like how I found Stana’s blog here…
Changes don’t have to be as dramatic as this either. Even with their natural hair, some people keep the same style and go lighter in summer and darker in winter. Others always have the same color, dyed or natural, but change style with the seasons. With wigs, you can do the same, only easier.
We aren’t topped off yet
We have certainly covered a lot in the wide world of wigs here and you are hopefully just about ready to go out and get the tresses you desire. Start looking, but I’ll be back again to cover more helpful tips. Until then, questions and comments are always welcome below or e-mail me at nblucher at-sign proton dot me.
Wearing Ann Taylor |
Stephen Carr femulating in an episode of television’s Adventures of Superman. |
By J.J. Atwell
Old Joke but…
You know the old joke, “When is a door not a door?” And the answer of course is, “When it’s a jar.” OK, I can hear the groans. But today I’d like to talk about making that door not just ajar, but kicking it wide open.
How out are you?
I know that Stana has lots of people that read her page regularly. No doubt some of you are at various levels of comfort when being out dressed. That is if you are even comfortable enough to go out of the house dressed. All I can say is that you are in control of your life and are the one that must make the decision to step out.
Making the decision to go out of the house is intimidating. We imagine all kinds of issues that we may encounter. We build them up in our mind until we convince ourselves that it’s too dangerous or difficult to go out in public. So we wait for a better time. And we wait. And we wait. Before you know it, you’re in your 70’s and still haven’t stepped out of the house.
Taking that big step
Somehow you’ve finally decided to just do it. Yes, a bold step, but you got yourself there. There will be lots of second thoughts popping into your head. Many excuses as to why today is not the right day. Push them aside. Stand by your decision to go out. Don’t let the doubts deprive you of a major accomplishment in your life.
Stepping out of that door is an exhilarating experience. It is also scary. But the scary part gets easier and easier the more you do it. The exhilaration doesn’t go away. Enjoy yourself. That door is no longer a jar.
I’ll be back
Yes, there will be more Stuff. As always, 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 if there is something you would like to read about please let me know!
Wearing JustFab |
Steve Landesberg femulating on television’s Barney Miller. |
Wearing Boston Proper |
Marcin Rogacewicz femulating Debbie Harry on Polish television’s Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo (Your Face Sounds Familiar). Click here to view this femulation on YouTube. |
I want to publicly thank the handful of readers who have contributed to my Coffee Break! Fund.
I wish I could thank each of you by name for your generous gifts, but I do not want to out anybody, so personal thank you’s will continue via personal emails. However, I do want to acknowledge you as best as I can publicly, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Trending: His & Her Outfits
Wearing Ann Taylor |
Femulating on the New York City stage in Pageant: The Musical. |
Donald Wollheim AKA Darrell G. Raynor, author of A Year Among the Girls |