Summer's #1 Accessory

Like so many things in my noggin', I can't remember exactly when I saw this ad first for a woman's skin care product:  Your number one accessory this summer, is your skin! I do remember however, how much I wanted my skin to be just that. I had spent an entire lifetime aching to be like the girl and woman next door with cute tops, shorts, skirts and sundresses.  It all seemed to be the impossible dream.

I paid my dues in the summer time as a cross dresser. Due to work considerations, I couldn't remove the hair from my arms so I had to find the very rare piece of women's clothing which covered my arms in the summer.  I did end up finding a few tops here and there which were very lightweight and wearable. However, I just drew attention to myself  being the only woman in the room wearing long sleeves on a sweltering summer day.

My legs were a different story.  Even before I started HRT, I had no problem keeping my legs free of hair. In fact, the older I got, the less I had!  Very quickly I was able to do what most every other woman was doing around me- going bare legged in the summer time. Shorts/skirts-you name it-no panty hose. Like so many guys who cross dress, I was told I had good legs. So I shopped for a couple shorter denim and dressier flared skirts.  By wearing them, I found I could almost balance my covered arms with  "uncovered" legs.  My problem then became, how was I going to continue using my homemade set of foam hip pads? I always held them in place with panty hose because I always disliked the restrictions of a girdle.  The system wasn't perfect, but I got by. What I  finally ended up doing was cutting a pair of hose off well above the skirt line so the pads were in place but didn't show.

Now of course, all of those contortions are behind me, as I go into what I call another summer furnace.  For all you Cyrsti's Condo regulars, you know how much I bitch and complain what HRT has done to my body's thermostat.  Roasting in the summer and freezing in the winter.  Certainly I wasn't the only one freezing last winter in Ohio during the "Polar Vortex" last winter and to get even, it is supposed to be really hot around here this summer.

I'm a believer that "Momma Karma" giveth and she taketh away.  I certainly will "take the heat" for the chance of my skin being my number one accessory this summer.  The effects of HRT have smoothed out my skin and decreased my muscle mass, so I can wear sleeveless tops this summer.  I still don't wear many skirts, instead I stocked up on quite a few pairs of Capris from the thrift stores.  Finally, I took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend sales to pick up a couple pairs of what I call fancy "flip flops." To wear them, I managed a  DIY basic pedicure on my feet.  As far as my hair goes, hot wigs are out-my own hot hair is in. Not much of a big change except I can't reach up and pull off my hair to cool off!

So this part of the year is pretty cool- when it's hot because I have waited so many years to get here and it's everything I thought it would be.

Finally, If I get brave and not think I am overly drawing attention to myself at the Trans Ohio Symposium this weekend, I will ask Liz to take some pictures-maybe!