That's What She Said

Wearing Audray

 

Jonathan Deves, brother of controversial anti-trans Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, partied in a pink bikini and a blonde wig through the streets of Sydney.

My Neighborhood

One thing leads to another on the Internet and I unintentionally came upon a website called Neighborhood Scout that provides “Custom Analytics to Invest, Appraise, or Finance Real Estate.” Naturally, I had to see what the website had to say about my neighborhood.

Most of what the report stated did not surprise me – stuff I already knew or suspected, but two items in the report surprised me.

According to the report, my neighborhood is “pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 9.5% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Polish at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 97.9% of the neighborhoods in America.”

Since I am of Polish descent, this surprised me and struck home. Even though I was born and raised in the USA, my first language was Polish. I did not learn English until my parents brought home a television.

The other item of interest was that my neighborhood “has the amazing distinction of housing more same sex couples living together than 98.3% of neighborhoods in the U.S.” 

There is a same sex couple living a few houses down the street from us (and we are on very friendly terms with them), but I was clueless that my neighborhood was competing with Provincetown! As a crossdresser, that fact makes me feel more comfortable about living where I live.

Wearing Shein

Libor Landa femulating in the 2003 Czech film Kameňák.
Click here to view this film on YouTube.

Remembering Tapestry

By Paula Gaikowski (paula.gaikowski@gmail.com)

One of the greatest strengths of Femulate is the sense of community it’s created. For many of us, it’s a daily gathering place where we can check in with one another, offer support and share our experiences. It’s a space where we can be vulnerable, share our struggles and celebrate our successes. Just like any neighborhood, we may have our disagreements, but we also have a deep sense of camaraderie and look out for one another.

Being part of this community is like being at home. It’s a feeling of comfort, acceptance, and belonging. I often start my day by checking the blog and it’s always reassuring to know that I’m part of a space where I can be my authentic self. This blog has created a haven for us, a place where we can be ourselves without fear of judgment or rejection. That’s what makes it so special.

Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, being a transgender felt incredibly isolating. One of the few ways I felt connected to others like me was through media. I remember writing an article for Femulate about the 80’s talk shows that featured transgender women and crossdressers. Seeing myself represented on television, albeit in a limited and sometimes stereotypical way, gave me the sense that I wasn’t alone.

To find more information and connect with others, I would sometimes visit an adult bookstore in Passaic, New Jersey. This derelict place with its peeling paint, flickering lights and seedy clientele, exuded a sense of decay and despair. This was all that was available. I would buy magazines that catered to “transvestites,” which would feature articles and pictures of persons who had transitioned or crossdressed. Although I may not have known much about these individuals, seeing their faces and reading about their experiences gave me hope and a sense of connection.

One magazine stood out from the others: Tapestry, published by the International Foundation for Gender Education in Waltham, Massachusetts. While it covered important topics like transgender rights and transitioning in the workplace, what truly resonated with me was the personal ads section in the back. Trans cross-dressers and transgender women would share brief stories about themselves, creating a sense of intimacy and vulnerability.

The profiles I discovered were striking – professional women, dressed to impress, with high heels, makeup, pantyhose and dresses. They were the epitome of 1980’s office attire. But what struck me most was that they were living their lives in secret, hiding their true identities behind a veil of femininity. They didn’t identify as fetishists or seeking hookups. They were simply trying to connect with others like themselves. I want to know more about these persons if anyone knows, recognizes or is one of these persons please share. [Stana was one of those persons. - Ed.]

Using the term “transvestite” was the norm at the time and I remember seeing it in print. These individuals were hiding their true selves, often behind post office boxes or pseudonyms, due to the overwhelming taboo surrounding transgender identities. But what was clear from these profiles was that I wasn’t alone. There were others across the country, living similar lives, struggling with similar feelings of isolation and longing for connection.

Tapestry magazine was a lifeline for me, providing a platform for these individuals to share their stories and find community. I would eagerly look forward to each new issue, feeling a sense of connection to these strangers who had become like neighbors to me. Little did I know, the Internet was on the horizon, about to disrupt the lives of these individuals and others like me, eventually giving rise to Femulate, a haven for transgender persons to find sisterhood and community.

Wearing Paige

Our Gang/Little Rascals ballet femulation

(Top) Spanky (George McFarland) and Alfalfa (Carl Switzer) in a 1937 Our Gang comedy titled Rushin’ Ballet.

(Bottom) Alfalfa (Bug Hall) and Spanky (Travis Tedford) in the 1994 film The Little Rascals.

(Click here to view both femulations on YouTube.)

A Christmas Karen and other femulations

A Christmas Karen is a 2022 film about a self-entitled “Karen,” who gets the full Dickens’ A Christmas Carol treatment.

The film is now playing on Amazon Prime. It was amusing, but I doubt that I would watch it again except to re-see the following things.

👠 Gary, the Ghost of Christmas Past, is dressed over-the-top wearing a white diaphanous trouser suit, strings of pearls, chunky high heel shoes, makeup, etc. – not your typical Dickens’ ghost ensemble.

👠 While Gary is revisiting Karen’s past, we find her as a teen yelling at a long-haired girl wearing Karen’s training bra. The “girl” is actually Karen’s gay brother and I had no idea “she” was a boy until he removed the wig. He passed well.

The average viewer would probably gloss over these things and forget about them. But being a hard-core femulator, I saw them and will remember them until they pry my miniskirt from my cold, dead hands.

I never forget the femulator events that cross my path. I can even recall the first femulation I ever encountered over 60 years ago: an Our Gang episode titled “Crazy House.” In that episode, a rich girl invites the gang to her elegant home for a party and all hell breaks loose. The girl wants to be a boy and convinces one of the male gang members to switch places with her and they crossdress in each other’s clothes. 

I will never forget seeing the boy in the little girl’s short dress and thinking that he looked just like a little girl with short hair.

Click here to view the film on YouTube. The crossdressing begins at the 15:15 minute:second mark.

Enjoy!

Wearing BCBGMAXAZRIA

Lena, 1959 vs. 2018

1 x 2

Hannah posted her 2024 Performance Review last week and enumerated her blog’s 2024 ranking according to Feedspot. Her blog did very well ranking 7th, 5th and 10th place in three categories listed below. 

My narcissist side, which is closely related to my feminine side, had to see how Feedspot ranked Femulate.org in 2024. Here are the results:

Femulate.org is ranked number 1 of the 45 Best Crossdressing Blogs and Websites in 2024.

Femulate.org is ranked number 1 of the 35 Best Trans Woman Blogs and Websites in 2024.

Femulate.org is ranked number 7 of the 70 Best Transgender Blogs and Websites in 2024.

Wow! 

And so it goes!

Wearing Shein

British professional femulator Terry Durham, circa 1974

Gloria sent me a newspaper clipping from 1978 about Terry Durham. According to the article from Reveille, Terry “reckons he has another six years in the business but there is one thing he will never leave behind – his 40-inch bosom.”

It seems that Terry took a course of hormones circa 1950 “and his shapely figure helped him become a top-line act in the clubs.”

Someday Funnies

Variations on a Theme

A few weeks ago, I found a random photo on the Internet and thought it was femulate-worthy. So I did my thing and the result is below.

A few days ago, I was resting after dealing with six inches of snow for two hours and wondered if I could duplicate the above image with AI. So I did my thing and the result is below.

And so it goes!

Wearing Shein

Lionel Jeffries femulating in the 1957 British film Blue Murder at St. Trinians.

Stana short

On Wednesday, Unknown commented, “It's always nice to be noticed by men, but when they start following you around, it becomes worrisome. I remember giving my high-heeled legs a break in Montreal sitting on a park bench. A guy walked by, then came by again and on his second look he commented, “Nice legs honey, we need more women wearing short skirts and heels.” I mumbled thank you and then became concerned if he came by again. I got up and left and yeah it was Stana short…”

I resemble that remark! LOL

Seems like I have a reputation for wearing short hemlines.

My excuse is that my skirt’s not too short – my legs are too long! 

There is actually some truth to my excuse. At my height, most skirts and dresses that fit me are going to have hemlines above the knee. Even midi dresses fall above my knees. 

But with my so-called shapely legs, is there anything wrong with that?

Personally, I think that my legs are ok, but other people have convinced me that they are more so. My legs have always received good grades. My mother often said I had beautiful legs (and that “you should have been a girl with legs like yours”). My wife and other genetic women have admitted that I have nicer legs than they do. Friends and strangers have praised my legs. A friend’s spouse even nicknamed me “Legs,” which is quite a coincidence because when she was an office girl, my mother was nicknamed “Leggy” in recognition of her shapely gams (like mother, like son). 

Who am I to argue? The consensus is that I have great legs, so they meet the qualification to be shown and height is not a cause for disqualification. 

But does my age disqualify me?

For starters, I don't look (or act) my age. Even in boy mode, I look younger than my age. In girl mode, with makeup and a wig piled on, I look even younger. But what’s age got to do with it?

I honestly think I look good in short skirts despite my age, real or apparent. Until I am convinced otherwise, my skirts will be short... Stana short.

While I was preparing today’s post, I was watching NBC’s The Today Show and noticed that host Savannah Guthrie was wearing a dress that was extremely Stana short! (Savannah is 52 years old and 5'10" tall.)

Brini Maxwell AKA Ben Sander 

Mistresses of Disguise

Wearing Bebe

Nikola Rokvic femulating Christina Aguileraon Serbian television’s Your Face Sounds Familiar.
Click here to view this femulation on YouTube.

A New Tradition is Born! (Continued)

By Norah Blucher

Day 2

When we last parted I had just ended Day 1 of my Black Friday outing. Now, without further adieu, we’ll pick up where I left off.

A New Day Begins!

Ending a day and beginning the next en femme is always a special experience and this was no different. I went through my routine and the hardest thing is getting a good facial shave the second day, but it all ended in a decent job, so I guess I had no excuse but to head out again. This time around I went with the same suede boots, a black turtleneck sweater with ¾-sleeves and a green, tan, and black plaid wool A-line skirt, which came a respectable length above my knees. I specifically chose this as I had a new green tote bag I was using that day. I have a lot of green in my wardrobe, so I splurged a bit on a bag that was not black or brown. It all looked right cute and I can’t believe in my excitement I did not get a picture! Oh well, I packed up and headed out the door, mixing things up a bit for fun. This time I actually made a point of stopping at the front desk to check out! 

The day was quite brisk, but clear and bright and I decided to stop at a Marshalls I saw the previous night. I made a quick stop for petrol on the way and just for the record, I always pay cash for this, so it involves parking at a pump, going inside to pay and then heading back out to pump. I previously did this en homme, upon arrival into town, but am incorporating more daily tasks while en femme. I almost skipped Marshalls, but it ended up being big win as I finally found some comfortable ballet flats which were much needed. I know they do not have the appeal of a nice heel, but I can tell you that driving in heels long distances gets to you, especially after a long day, so having something flat, but still stylish enough to hop out of the car with is needed. Being out and about is definitely changing a few things about me as I adapt.

Heading back to the outlet center found it much busier than the previous evening, but still thankfully not crazy. I actually found most of the staff in the stores to be much friendlier this time around, probably because they had not endured being to work at 6 AM for the attack of Attila the Hun like the day before. 

I must say that being a well-dressed lady in a sea of jeans and yoga wear certainly commands some attention when you enter a store, but this is a two-way street as well. On several occasions I chit-chatted with the ladies working in the stores and commented how tired they must get this weekend. This was always followed by an instant look of relief that they were talking to a real person who acknowledged this, followed by an outpouring of willingness to help me in any way as I browsed around. In many ways, acknowledging them as a person and not just a drone to wait on me led to a much more open acceptance of who I am as well. Some stores had staff running around like mad hatters, but others actually took an interest in if I had been here before, how my holiday went and so on.

I had recently watched some videos on YouTube about walking like a woman and though I had no way of seeing myself, I actually felt it working. I do not think I was that off before, but it gave me a few tweaks that really helped up my game. No dramatic runway walks or anything like that, but just how to move your legs, turn around, swing your arms and move in a fluid and feminine fashion. It did a fabulous job of explaining how men are more linear in their movements, while women are more circular and fluid in their movements and gestures. I felt I was firing on all cylinders strolling about this day.

The tote bag was working splendidly as well. Not for everyday and I still love my purse, but a medium size tote bag was exactly what was needed for days like this. See why we need so many bags! Just big enough for a few extras like a water bottle, some snacks, my gloves and sunglasses.

Food and Other Business

Halfway through the mall I reached the food court and got something to eat. The indoor seating area was packed, but the outdoor area was less busy. Perhaps being cold and breezy had something to do with this. I found a table outside and as I ate, two young ladies sat at a table across from me. They gave no notice to me, but I noticed one was wearing a sweater and a very short denim skirt so I was not the only skirted bird out that day. It actually reminded me of something 20 me wore a lot and would have worn out if I was braver back then. She was bolder than I that day though with bare legs and low cut shoes and I had resolved to comment to her on her bravery when I went to throw my rubbish in the bin, but she did not last long before heading inside with her friend. I did not think any less of her though as the chairs were metal and she had no possibility of sitting without bare skin touching the chair. I had the luxury of a silicon bum pad, and a layer of wool and I still felt a chill up my skirt, so I did not last long myself, LOL. I hurriedly ate and moved on.

As to bathrooms, we always have the perception that the ladies’ room is cleaner than the men’s room. Not so on this weekend. I’ve no idea how the men’s rooms fared, but most of the ladies rooms were quite trashed. What’s so bloody hard about getting your paper into the bowl! I digress. I will say I had no issues with anyone, but picked my battles. I did not utilize bathrooms with lines or if I had just seen large groups of women heading in. Perhaps this will change over time, perhaps not. I do not hesitate to use the facilities en femme, but I do not make a point of drawing attention to it either.

I was in one store that had single occupancy bathrooms and as I was finishing my business I heard a knock. I acknowledged I’d be done in a minute and upon my exit was met with a very eager lady. She made no fuss over me whatsoever, not even a cold glance. As I passed her I turned and warned her that there was not a bit of tissue paper in there. Her face dropped before giving me a very approving look as she genuinely thanked me for the warning. So there you have it, outreach in its most primitive form! Oh, and before you think me a heathen or were wondering, I always carry tissues in my purse. Now, on to a new subject.

Dressing Rooms

I shop as much as any girl, but actually do not buy a whole lot. I’ve a ton of clothes alread, and am very picky about what I need or what I’ll use now, so I browse a lot and wait for something to “hit me” if you will. I’ve passed up bargains that looked alright, but did not scream “Norah.” I also spent way too much on a holiday dress recently because I thought it looked amazing and I’ll probably actually wear it out this year, so that’s just me. Again, I know how sales people are trained, but I had more than one sales associate swooning over it at the checkout desk, so take it for what it’s worth.

Anyway, I was browsing Bloomingdale’s and I came across a paisley dress by Sandra Darren that just said “you know you want me!” I certainly did and it was a light breezy thing I am lacking and will need in warmer times. I’m not familiar with this brand and it was sized in medium and large and I was not sure what would work, so off to the dressing room! There was only one dressing room area and I only saw women entering and exiting, but I think it was meant for anyone. I went in and found an empty stall and tried them both on.

Changing was a bit of a hassle as I had to remove my wig to get my sweater off, but I discovered that the dressing room is a marvelous place to regroup during a long day en femme. No one is anxiously pounding the door like the bathroom and you can take a minute to adjust everything and comb the tangles out of your wig. I think I’ve dropped a size as well as my skirt kept slipping from my waist to my hips. I had no fear of losing it, but it just needed some periodic adjusting during the day. I felt revived upon exiting.

Oh, the dress you ask? I’m glad I tried them on as I would have bet on the large, but not so. Finding a dress for $35 – Fabulous. Fitting into anything that says Medium on the tag – Priceless! I had a less-restrictive corset on as I did not need it with my sweater, so I did not have the full curvature I’d need to wear it out, but it looked good nonetheless. See below and tell me what you think.

When all was said and done I cleared town with a dress, two black tee shirts and some flats. It was well worth the trip though and I would certainly go back again. Maybe not to the same exact place on Black Friday, but I may give some consideration to making Black Friday an annual outing in the future. I need some new traditions in my life and this seems as good as any.

The Check-Out Girl

Heading toward home I stopped at another Applebee’s for dinner. Everything was fine, though I was not the object of attention like the previous night, but was not disappointed. Tired as I was. I headed into the nearby Market Basket, a chain of grocery stores, for a few things before heading home. It was not crowded at all, but as I headed down the tea aisle there were a few patrons walking my way and a bloke sitting on the floor stocking a bottom shelf. The patrons seemed to pay me no attention as I passed by (an older couple), but I had to maneuver around the bloke on the floor and a display. As I passed him, I turned my head slightly and dropped my gaze down toward him so as to avoid smashing the basket on my arm into his head and saw his head swiveling as he checked me out going by! I told you that walk video worked, didn’t I?

This actually did not bother me in the slightest and I silently laughed to myself as my heels clicked down the aisle (probably what caught his attention to begin with) and I turned the corner. He did not wolf whistle or do anything inappropriate and I would honestly have done the same thing. Come on, tell me most of you wouldn’t either? 

This has happened before, more than I expected it to honestly, and I just take it as par for the course with life as a female. It is certainly not something I’m seeking. I do not bat my eyelashes at anyone or act flirtatious in any way and I would certainly put the brakes on everything, and let them know what I was if anyone started pursuing me further. I do acknowledge though that a well-dressed woman in any sort of heel is a bit of a rarity, so we do stand out a bit and I take this as a sign of approval or acceptance.

Final Thoughts

Arriving home late and utterly knackered, I was able to scurry inside without being seen before washing up and changing to unload the car. Such an inglourious end to another smashing adventure en femme. 

What comes next is a bit of a mystery for myself. Certainly more outings and I assure you all that I do so much more than just shop and eat, LOL. I’ve a holiday party approaching at the end of the month and aside from that, a holiday symphony and a Christmas light show are possible if I can line things up. I’ve a few museums I want to visit as well and perhaps dinner with one of my ever-expanding list of friends. I must say, being out is more fabulous than I expected, but being able to share some of my more memorable experiences with everyone here has truly been a joy I did not expect and I’m so thankful Stana lets me share it and you seem to enjoy it so much. We will see where life leads next and until then, please leave questions or comments below, or e-mail me at nblucher at-sign proton dot me.

 

Wearing Venus

Rory Kinnear and Joseph Quinn crossdress in television’s Catherine the Great.
Catherine regularly hosted parties in which the males and females had to attend crossdressed.