At the Movies

Thora Birch in Ghost World

I am a big film fan (maybe too big). I have over 700 films on DVD and probably 100 or more films on videotapes that I have not upgraded to DVD yet.

Synecdoche, New York is one film I have on DVD. I added it to my collection because it looked like an unusual film and it starred one of my favorite actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The film was weird and I was disappointed. I assumed I would never watch the DVD again. That is, until I received an e-mail from Gwen today.

Gwen wrote, "I saw this film yesterday and it was really weird in many ways.  The strangest being that at the end of the film, the main character, a man, takes on the persona of a woman, called Ellen.  She's a cleaning lady, so he cleans.  And his role is taken by a woman.  No male to female cross dressing involved.  But there's a definite gender bluring going on, that you don't often see in mainstream films."

I totally missed it. My guess is that the film was so weird that I tuned out mentally by the time the transgender scene(s) occurred. So, I guess I will be watching Synecdoche, New York again real soon now.

A film I can watch again and again is Ghost World, which I happened to catch on the dish last night. It is another unusual film (based on a comic book) and stars another of my favorite actors, Steve Buscemi. It also includes a great performance by Thora Birch, who plays the female lead in the film.

There is nothing transgender in the film, but it is definitely worth watching if you have never seen it.

Blurring

Beauty expert, Louis Licari, wrote about blurring on Huffington Post... not gender blurring, but age blurring. It is an interesting blog post and includes tips on how you too can blur your age and look "young" despite how many birthdays you have celebrated (or not).

You can read Mr. Licari's post here. Enjoy!

Viewing "And Her, Too" in Full Screen Mode

Yesterday, I added the following note below the And Her, Too image: (Viewing in Full Screen mode is best!)

The Full Screen mode provides a big enhancement to the video. It is like the difference between night and day --- I highly recommend it.

To enter the Full Screen mode, click on the button (image above) in the lower left corner of the And Her, Too window.

To exit the Full Screen mode, press the Escape key (ESC) on your computer's keyboard.

Big Delivery

Saw the mailman make a delivery, so I took a break from my housework to see what he brought.

Opened the mailbox and among the usual collection of junk mail was a thick catalog. It looked about the size of the old Sears catalogs, but I knew it was not from Sears and I could not imagine what it was.

I pulled the hefty book out of the mailbox to discover that it is the September issue of Vogue --- 758 pages of fall fashionista heaven.

I can't wait to finish my housework so I can peruse it!

They Ban Books, Don't They?

"The week of Sept 24 - Oct 1 is Banned Books Week, a time when libraries, schools, and bookstores celebrate our First Amendment freedom to read while drawing attention to the harms that censorship does to our society and our individual freedoms," so wrote Molly Raphael in today's edition of HuffPost.

"...far more often than we may realize, individuals and groups have sought to restrict access to library books they believed were objectionable on religious, moral, or political grounds, thereby restricting the rights of every reader in their community. For example, this summer the Republic (Mo.) school board voted to remove Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and Sarah Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer from the school library as a result of a complaint that the book 'teaches principles contrary to Biblical morality and truth.'

You can read the entire article here.

And remember, after they ban books, people (like us) are next.

Femulating at the Atlanta Cotillion Ball

"Annually, a group of gentlemen from the Atlanta gay community participate as 'debutantes' in a unique fundraising concept to benefit HIV/AIDS charities.  Each participant is given a financial goal; how they reach and, almost always, exceed that goal depends on their creativity, resources and passion for helping those affected by HIV/AIDS.  Since 2002 the Atlanta Cotillion has not only donated over $750,000, but has also become one of the single largest donors of unrestricted funds to AID Atlanta, the largest AIDS service organization in the southeast.

"After months of creative individual fundraising efforts, the Atlanta Cotillion social season culminates in the lively and entertaining Atlanta Cotillion Ball. In keeping to tradition the escorted debutantes are presented on stage to celebrate their fundraising successes.  As the highlight of the evening, the debutante who has raised the most funds is crowned Queen of the Atlanta Cotillion Ball."

The dress requirements for the event are interesting to say the least.

"Women’s formal evening attire is required for invited guests who have made donations of $75 or more (regardless of gender or sexual orientation). Guests who have made donations of $150 or more may attend in formal evening attire (Black Tie). Please note that  no table may have more than five guests in Black Tie.

"Those attending in formal female attire are required to be free of visible facial or body hair and appropriately dressed for a formal event. Thank you for adhering to these dress requirements, which will be strictly enforced for admittance."

Sounds like my kind of place.

Photos from the 2009 and 2010 Balls are on flickr here and here. The femulations are fabulous!

Thank-you Aunty Marlena for this fine femulation find.

She Gets It

My wife and I seldom discuss my transgender. I never bring up the subject because whenever I attempted to do so in the past, my wife said she knew enough and did not want to discuss it further.

Today, she mentioned that she was tired of people giving Chaz Bono a hard time. She said he was born that way; no one would choose the hard way of life of a transgender voluntarily, so leave him be.

Then she said, "Just like you were born that way."

I guess that means she gets it.

Anybody Else See This ?

Wednesday evening, I was sitting in front of the television while I was answering e-mails on my computer. I was not paying close attention to the television, which I think was tuned to ABC.

An advertisement came on for a new television show, a situation comedy. The ad showed a male and female in conversation. The female said something (sarcastic?) about the male's clothing choice. Next thing you know, the male was wearing a dress, and the female said something sarcastic about him wearing a dress.

It happened so fast that I missed the name of the show and I am not sure what I really saw.

Anybody else see this? Or was it just my 'magination?

Help Femulating

Since most us played on the other team most of our lives, femulating can be challenging. We try to be mature women, yet we are still learning the basics that young women take for granted.

Personally, I willingly accept all the help I can get. One source of help I find very useful is Ginger Burr, an image consultant, who I had the pleasure of meeting last fall. Ginger runs Total Image Consultants, an image consultant business  in the Boston area and has both cis and transgender women as clients.

Ginger also has an online presence. She writes a blog and sends out sage advice via e-mail.

Today her blog asks "Do You Have a One-Dimensional Wardrobe?"

Ginger writes, "Here’s something to ponder: There’s a fine line between ‘knowing’ yourself (for instance, feeling genuinely confident that harem pants are not for you) and ‘limiting’ yourself, and your style when it’s not necessary.

"Many women pigeon hole themselves into a prescribed way of dressing and thereby limit their options and often squelch their sense of delight. Their wardrobe becomes functional and one-dimensional — devoid of any personal style and their boredom level escalates."

I highly recommend reading the rest of the article; you can find it here.

You can also subscribe to Ginger’s e-mails here.

And may your weekend be femulating!

Three Things

Thing One

I could not help noticing in his recent photo shoot for designer Chris Benz that Andrej Pejic is femulating Warhol Superstar Candy Darling.

Candy Darling and Andrej Pejic

Thing Two

Who would have thought that Gwyneth Paltrow wore Spanx shapewear, but according to this Daily Makeover article, she is not the only "sexy" celebrity that dons shapewear. Jennifer Garner, Tyra Banks, Jessica Alba, Cate Blanchett, Katherine Heigl, and other svelte stars are big proponents of that line of shapewear.

Now I don't feel like such a fatty when I squeeze into my shapewear!

Thing Three

After my first successful purchase from Ideeli, I made a second purchase from Ideeli yesterday: a black and gold brocade "pull through" cocktail dress (photo right) from R&M Richards.

If it arrives in time and fits, I plan to model it in the fashion show on October 7.

Very Out in Public

On Friday, October 7, I will walk the runway in a trans fashion show to raise funds for the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition (CTAC).

The fun begins at 7 PM at Tommy’s Restaurant (825 Saybrook Road, Middletown, CT 06457), just seconds from Route 9 Exit 11. Admission is $10 at the door; you must be 21 or older to attend.

I modeled in this show four years ago and Tommy’s was packed and rockin'. I had a great time and it seemed that most of the attendees did, too. So come early and please say, "Hello" ...I'd love to meet you all in person!

By the way, we will be modeling "business" and "casual" outfits. For business, I will wear the purple retro skirt-suit that I also plan to wear to work on Halloween. For casual, I will wear one of the new dresses I purchased from Ideeli.

I hope I will see you there!

Thinking Tall on Tuesday

Time to add to the Famous Females of Height List with a bevy of beauties who are “famous” and at least 68 inches tall (without high heels).

(Thank you Meg and SoCalSecrets for your input.)

5'8"

Catherine Keener – actress – film, The 40-Year-Old Virgin – source: SoCalSecrets

Minka Kelly – actress – television, Parenthood; Friday Night Lights – source: SoCalSecrets

5'9"

Joy Bryant – actress – television, Parenthood – source: SoCalSecrets

Rachel Taylor – actress – film, Transformers – source: SoCalSecrets

Odette Yustman – actress – film, Cloverfield – source: SoCalSecrets

5'10"

Cody Horn – actress – television, The Office – source: Stana

Khloé Kardashian – ne'er-do-well – source: SoCalSecrets

Leila Lopes – Miss Universe 2011 – source: Meg Winters

Stacey Oristano – actress – television, Friday Night Lights – SoCalSecrets

Heidi Watney (photo above) – sports reporter – NESN / Boston Red Sox – source: Stana

5'11"

Monique Ganderton – stunt woman – source: SoCalSecrets

Ivanka Trump – ne'er-do-well – source: SoCalSecrets

6'0"

Kendall Jenner – ne'er-do-well – source: SoCalSecrets

Day of Hearts: Day of Femulations

 

“Originally, Hartjesdag (Day of Hearts) was a festival celebrated on the third Monday in August in the Dutch areas of Haarlem and Bloemendaal and in various parts of Amsterdam, particularly around the Haarlemmerplein, in the Jordaan, and in the Dapperbuurt. On Hartjesdag fires were kindled and children collected money.

“Later it developed itself into a type of cross-dressing carnival, where men dressed as women, and women dressed as men. A typical scene was captured in the oil painting entitled Hartjesdag, by the artist Johan Braakensiek in 1926.

“During the German occupation in 1943, the Hartjesdag was prohibited, and after the war it eventually became obsolete.

“In 1997 a local committee in the Zeedijk, Amsterdam, decided to see if they could revive the tradition. Each year since then, the festival has flourished into a two-day event on the 3rd weekend in August.”

Perry “Meteorry” Tak posted the previous description from Wikipedia to introduce a collection of his 2011 Hartjesdag photos on flickr.

Also, there are over a thousand other Hartjesdag photos in the flickr Amsterdam Hartjesdagen Zeedijk Group Pool.

(Thank you, Aunty Marlena for alerting me about Meteorry’s photos.)

In the News

Two stories appeared in Saturday's Mail OnLine that may be of interest to you.

Why I let my son live as a girl: Mother of boy who returned to school in a skirt bravely tells her extraordinary story

He walked out of the school gates in July as a boy wearing trousers, polo shirt and trainers, and returned in September, with the school’s agreement, as a girl.

Read the rest of the story here. (Thank you, Accro, for alerting me to this story.)

'I always felt more feminine than male': Poland's Next Top Model favourite tells judges how she was born a hermaphrodite

With her flawless skin and versatile look, it is little surprise that Michalina Manios is a favourite to win Poland's Next Top Model.

Read the rest of the story here.

The Ultimate Womanless Pageant

If only all womanless beauty pageants were like Pageant - The Musical.

For the uninitiated, Pageant - The Musical is a parody that pits six beauty queens against each other in the Miss Glamouresse beauty pageant. These beauties sing, dance, and camp it up in gowns and bathing suits. It is a hilarious contest that is equaled only by the zany "spokesmodel" event which requires them to hawk the sponsor's outrageous cosmetics. While the girls swirl around the charming host, judges from the audience decide who will be crowned Miss Glamouresse.

Need I say that the girls are played by boys?

Pageant - The Musical has been touring the country for years. I have not seen it in person, but I have seen lots of photos of the show and present the best here for your enjoyment.

One-Person Department

Over the years, my company has downsized to the point that I am now a one-person department (in contrast to the four-person department I joined when I was hired 14 years ago).

In one way, it is a good thing. As the last person standing, it indicates that someone thinks I am a valuable employee. I will probably have a job as long as the company exists. (And despite the sputtering economy, my company has done well, so its future prospects are very good.)

On the other hand, as a one-person department, I have no back-up. When my department has to make an appearance or put out a fire, I am the one who makes the appearance or puts out the fire.

My boss informed me two weeks ago not to make any plans this week because all the company bigwigs will be here and that I had to absolutely be here Thursday to demo a website I am building for some of the bigwigs.

The ham radio groups I am involved with are co-sponsoring a conference this weekend. I had planned to go and attend the conference en femme, but I had to forget about it because my one-person department needs me.

I hate it when that happens!

Got Dress, Part 2

The dress I ordered from Ideeli arrived today only five days after I ordered it online.

They shipped the dress in a cardboard box rather than a plastic bag that many online/mail-order retailers use.

Inside the box, there was a heavy duty clear plastic bag containing the dress on a heavy duty plastic hangar.

Examining the dress, I thought it was quality clothing (Ellen Tracy is the brand) and might even be a good fit.

I stripped off my clothes, slipped on my shapewear, and slipped on the dress. It was a perfect fit! Yay!

According to Ideeli's size chart for Ellen Tracy dresses, size 14 should fit me. That is the size I ordered (and as luck would have it, it was the only size they had left for that dress style).

I only own one other size 14 dress and it is a snug fit; most of my other dresses are size 16, so I did not have high hopes that the 14 would fit.

Overall, I was very happy with my purchase from Ideeli and I won't hesitate to order from them again now that I know I can trust their size charts.

TG, Concepts and Usages

Zagria of A Gender Variance Who's Who fame has written a five-part series of posts titled "TG, concepts and usages," which describes her findings regarding the history/etymology of the terms we use and bandy about in the trans community.

Parts 1 and 2 were very interesting. I look forward to the rest of the series and recommend it to my readers. It begins here.

Button, Button, Who's Got a Button?

I made up my mind to do business-woman drag for Halloween and now I had to decide what to wear.

I went through my closets looking for suitable skirt-suits. My search returned a half-dozen suits, but they were all too big.

Your Miss Stana has lost nine pounds and is more than half way to her goal of losing 16 pounds. As a result, I have undergrown some of my wardrobe and by Halloween, will have undergrown even more.

Good news is that some of the items in my wardrobe that were too tight, now fit or should fit real soon now.

I own a purple (my favorite color) retro skirt-suit that I absolutely love, but I have never worn out because it was too tight. So tight that when I modeled it for the first time, I popped a button.

Even though it was too small, I liked it so much that I kept it hoping that maybe it would fit someday.

Friday, I got the suit out of storage, tried it on, and it fit like a glove, but Houston, we have a problem: it was missing the popped button.

I was sure I saved the button, but where did I save it? I had a collection of buttons in a box in the top drawer of my clothes bureau and another box of buttons in my jewelry box, so I searched through both.

I was very surprised how many buttons I had collected over the years, but neither collection had the missing button.

I started contemplating buying a new set of buttons --- six for the skirt and four for the jacket. Replacing ten buttons was not a job I relished and I would probably have my seamstress do it.

But before I had to resort to that, I continued my search in less likely places: my lingerie box, my wig box, my hosiery box, my makeup box, my other makeup box.

Eureka! The button was in my other makeup box.

So now I have the skirt-suit for my Halloween business-woman drag costume. I plan to wear it with black or off-black pantyhose, a scarf, and a pair of pumps, which are yet to be determined.

I can't wait!

Still Just Another Avon Lady

Jaye Anne wrote, "I absolutely loved today's Avon Lady posting and I have several questions I think your devoted admirers and fellow Femulators would be interested in." 

One is are you aware that there are any other Femulator Avon Ladies besides yourself? And if there are, do you know them?

Stana: It seems that there are according to this forum thread on crossdressers.com, but I personally do not know any. Although I did see a couple of women at the Avon Foxwoods event that may have been trans.

Jaye Anne: Also, I assume that Avon management in your area is aware that you are a Femulator and that they are okay and even supportive of it.

Stana: My current and previous district managers were aware and there was never a discouraging word.

Jaye Anne: Also, is Avon aware that they may have a market of feminine males who would welcome either Avon Ladies or Avon Femulators into their homes under proper circumstances (i.e. wife approval, etc)?

Stana: My guess is that as far as Avon is concerned, a sale is a sale no matter who the buyer. By the way, I am aware (via stories on the Internet) of Avon ladies who have femulating customers. 

Jaye Anne: Also, I'd love to know how active in your Avon sales and marketing you are able to be. How are you received in the homes of the women you so graciously help?

Stana: In my experience, selling Avon is simply a matter of distributing the catalogs to your customers and collecting their orders before they are due. I can count on one hand the number of times I have made sales in someone's home and all those occurrences were in boy mode, long before I exited the closet (I've been an Avon rep for over 15 years).

All my current customers are aware of Stana and have no qualms about dealing with her (me).

Avon offers its representatives a website to sell online and I often thought about jumping on that bandwagon and promoting it via my blog. I intended to discuss the matter with my District Manager at the Foxwoods get-together, but she had her hands full, so I will talk to her about it at another time.