The "C" Word?

Along the way here in Cyrsti's Condo, we have mentioned several "C" words quite a bit. First and foremost, confidence comes to mind. Take Stana over at Femulate for am example  Every once in a while, some one will take her to task for wearing her skirts too short and not covering up those world class legs of hers. She obviously has developed the confidence to wear what she looks best in. 

Another "C" word you see a lot around here is "Connie" and here is her confidence experience:

FABULOUSCONNIEDEEMay 8, 2018 at 2:53 PM

"I don't see your hair as being not age-appropriate. It fits your general style and personality, which is much more important in determining "appropriateness." My own hair (which is my own because I paid for it) is colored to be blonde with darker roots. At my age, this would be almost impossible to achieve naturally, as the roots would actually be much lighter (grey or white) than the blonde color. I find it humorous that this doesn't even occur to others when I point this fact out. They will usually just respond that it suits me, anyway. I chose this style, as I thought it helped to make it look less "wiggy." So, I pull it off (unless I literally pull it off!).

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a fancy semi-formal affair honoring my sister-in-law for her 70th birthday. I wore a body-con black dress that was knee-length and modestly low cut on the top. I felt it to be totally appropriate to my age and body, and I received many compliments from the mostly-older crowd, as well as one from one of the younger women there. I did throw caution to the wind by wearing a pair of 4 1/2" open toe shoes (and still, I was not the tallest woman there!). I liked the way I looked that night, and my attitude and demeanor showed it. I wasn't trying to look younger, even if a younger woman could have worn the same outfit successfully, as well.

I think that the main thing to remember is that it is not the clothing, hair, and makeup that should define us. Rather, those things are enhancements and extensions to and of ourselves. We should want to look for ways to present ourselves that show who we are, and not, necessarily, who we'd like to be. Dare I say that old "C" word again? Confidence!"

Overall, like you said, the key is being yourself and every woman (cis or not) has to find their niche. As transgender women, it just takes us longer to find our confidence. Although I don;t know a single cis woman who hasn't confided a time or two having a little insecurity about a big night out.

A New Boob?

We received several comments concerning recent posts I have decided to pass along here in Cyrsti's Condo. One of which center around vocal feminisation for transgender women:

1. Melissa WestApril 30, 2018 at 6:12 PM

   "Hi Crysti
   
   At the moment I’m listening to and doing while driving the Melanie Anne Philipps voice feminisation course as mentioned by Stana. She’s at http://heartcorps.com/page33.htm I feel that I am making a lot a progress. She covers the points covered in your last but one para.
   
   Best wishes
   
   Melissa"

   Yes! I have heard the demo and the difference is startling (as was the person I saw in person)! Thanks for sharing.
3. 
   FABULOUSCONNIEDEEMay 1, 2018 at 4:07 PM

   " The VA in some situations will provide one wig and one set of breast forms a year." This made me chuckle. Do they pass them out the same way you got your government issued uniform and other necessities when you went to basic training? I wonder just what kind of wig and breast forms they'd supply. :-)
   
   Seeing yourself as you practice your voice is important. You need to combine the non-verbal communication with the vocal. I made videos of myself so I could analyze it later, because I learned a long time ago that what I might have thought I was seeing in the mirror was not necessarily what was really there!"
4. As I understand it, the VA will pass out the breast forms through their "Prosthetic" Department. The VA also has a very active "Women's Health" department, so I'm sure the program originated there. More than likely, the same thing happens with wigs. I will ask "my people!" 
5. And thanks for sharing the video/mirror idea!

 

Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Stana from the Femulate blog recently wrote an interesting and extremely thought provoking post about transgender women who complain about being laughed at in public.

She (Stana) placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of the trans person trying unsuccessfully to present in their desired gender. While some of that is unfair given the extremely un-level playing field we play with as far as looks are concerned, much of it is true.

To start with, I think presentation and/or passing are wrong terms. Better yet would be "blending." Let me give you an example. At the huge grocery store we shop at, I have seen a trans woman or cross dresser outfitted in a denim mini skirt in winter and on the other end of the spectrum, one dressed to the"nines" in heels and hose. Both stuck out like sore thumbs and set off my "trans-dar"immediately.

I think some just say what the hell with their appearance and I agree with Stana, shouldn't complain too much when they get busted. I used to write about the amount of emphasis I put in to skin care and weight loss as I transitioned.

No one should argue how much work it takes to undertake a Mtf gender transition and how most of us have had to grow a tough skin along the way.

While it is true the great majority of us are not and will never be blessed with Stana's looks, we have to fall back on what cis-women do...work on our positives.

Beware of the mirror lying to you and don't be afraid of going back to the drawing board! Confidence breeds success and specifically the cis women in public will know it.

He Might be a Cross Dresser If?

This post was actually written in 2014:

I was talking to Missy the other day (my deceased wife's sister) about one of her boy friends "just happening" to have a couple dresses and women's underwear stashed in the back of his closet. She was waiting for me to "anoint" him as a cross dresser, or something.

The whole conversation brings up and interesting point which we haven't steered clear of here on occasion in Cyrsti's Condo.  How good is our "trans-dar" and once we come out to a genetic woman, how much better does her's become?

I know Pat has commented about her wife many times as I have about my deceased wife and current partner Liz.  It's a pretty simple deal. Genetic women are simply going to have a heightened sense of who may have entered their girls sandbox.  They were born into it as females.  No contest!

Now, as more and more of us come out of the closet as Paula Goodwin commented:  "as we stop hiding one side of ourselves they (the sides) stop being separate to the rest of our lives. I see that Stana is now going to stamp shows as well as Radio Conventions, as we all do more and more the "Gender" bit just becomes part of who we are (just like everybody else)." It's much easier for a genetic woman to have that "aha" moment when their trans dar goes off.  Even if it is wrong.

When we do come out to a woman around us that we know,  they begin to see "shadows" on occasion. All of a sudden, that guy they dated way back when or the cousin who came to visit just may have been a cross dresser?  To be sure, those guys may have been.  We all know there are far more cross dressers buried deep in closets than anyone knows about.

Plus, as I told Missy, there are so many different levels to our community, it's hard for us to keep track.  One man's cross dressing may be as simple as wearing panties and bra under his suit to work, all the way to transforming himself into that attractive well dressed "woman" you pass at the mall.

These days, I am careful to mention two things. One, does it matter if the man has a simple attraction to feminine clothes or two, if he has more than an attraction be sure to keep an eye on him.  Most of us are
facing a highly emotional, difficult, up hill battle if we transition.  She will need all the help she can get!

By The Numbers

If there was ever a survey I didn't want to see Ohio show up towards the top in, it's the one I saw on Femulate from Twitter:










Or:


Thanks Stana!!!

The Disappearing CrossDresser?

Saturday I was supposed to meet another of the 'family' for lunch. To be fair, I don't how she identifies; crossdresser, transgender, or "gurl". We were to meet in a very well known coffee and sandwich shop (not called Starbucks)  but for whatever reason, coffee with her never happened.

Since I had arranged my day to meet her, yes I was more disturbed than I normally am. If you are backing off-tell me. Won't be the first time. Saturday's deal is not the point of this post though.

I began to wonder how many under the LGBT - CD umbrella over the years I have met (even if on Facebook or comments to Cyrsti's Condo) who have faded away. Or abruptly disappeared. 

Of course I have several ideas like:

1. Ill health or death
2. The wife or family found out
3. They grew tired of the fantasy of being the second coming of Marilyn Monroe
4. The sheer amount of work to make a transition got to be too much
5. Financial resources

I could probably go on, but you get the point. Plus, I need to say I only really know in person a couple trans people-one woman-one man. Then, here on line, I can claim several more like Connie, Shelle, and Stana (who I have met once) and Paula. Then, there are the transgender veterans like Carla Lewis who I share an extra bit of history. (Shelle again too.)

I guess I should look at the point of this blog as a positive influence on potential LGBTQ family members. If I can shed any light on the process, my work is complete. 

Just one thing, if you want to meet me for coffee-don't stand me up-please. 

Are Women Better Actors?

Yesterday at my therapist appointment (which has gone completely past the core reasons I originally went) we wondered into the world of women at large and my perceptions as a transgender woman.

I told her, and you Cyrsti's Condo readers will remember, I was fortunate to have worked for 30 plus years in restaurant business as a manager. During that time, it wasn't uncommon for me to try to manage approx fifty female servers. Also (of course) I worked with other women managers too. 

I learned up close and personal that women form cliques and men form teams and you always had to be on the outlook for the knife to the back from a woman. Women are vicious, men are brutal.

Knowledge that has served me well all the way through my transition. Let's take the Dayton, Ohio VA Medical Center for example. Yes, the same Dayton, Ohio Stana from Femulate who comes West to our 'neck of the woods' once a year on business comes to. In fact the hospital/complex isn't that far from the airport.

Stana has never flown there before as a woman and I hope her experiences are as good as mine at the VA.

"Kudos" to them yesterday! I think at least 90% of the women I came across in the hallways or was treated by in the clinics were sooooooo nice. Especially the one who tap danced her way around the wrong pronouns with me by even using "this veteran" at one point.

Even though as you all know, I have been doing this public trans woman thing for quite awhile, sometimes it is still very difficult for me to make eye contact with another woman every time I should - I nearly never do it with a man.

So yes, we women are better actresses and we transgender women have to be even better. After all, the world is a stage and we need to be comfortable in it to survive.

Plus I almost think we trans girls are getting to the place cross dressers have been for years. We are OK-if we aren't someone's brother or husband.

What Would YOU Do?

Carmen Carrera

Have you ever seen the ABC Television Show "What Would You Do?"  basically, the show features the public in sensitive (potentially really controversial situations.) In fact, years ago, Carmen Carrera was featured as a transgender server working the counter in a diner. All of the sudden one of the counter customers recognized her from her high school days as a boy and started loudly to go nuts to her. Of course, he was an actor and it was nice to see how many of the other patrons came to her aid.


Actually though, none of that has much to do with this post.this- except this also revolves around the true experience of a transgender server.

Now,  I know many of you follow Stana and her "gold standard" Femulate Blog and I found her daily post today to be quite interesting and thought provoking. Cutting to the chase, she (Stana) did not agree with the parent in Minnesota who came up and asked a transgender server to explain her "gender status" to his young daughter. Her , Stana's point was (I paraphrase) - it's none of your business. Get out of my life. 

Now Available on Amazon

My point is, in my "neck of the woods" I don't trust the greatest majority of parents to have any knowledge at all of what a trans person is. I would rather try to explain myself. But-

Having said that, my daughter would agree totally with Stana. Let her (my daughter) do her own parenting.

Either way, it is yet another highly thought provoking topic you can comment on here, or on Femulate. (Follow the link.)

By the way, Stana's book "Fantasia Fair Dairies" is out now! Available on Amazon.

The Right Answer is There Isn't One

Over the years of my Mtf gender transition, I have come across many with a "it's my way-or the highway" approach to living a transgender life. Truthfully, I know along the way-I have been there too. Guilty as charged.

Recently, I have happened across a couple other bloggers who seem to facing the same problem from others.

Stana at Femulate is one and Francine at In Transition is the other. As is usually the case, Stana wrote a thought provoking personal post essentially about her life. I really don't want to describe it anymore than to say Stana talked in depth abut her life as a "feminine man" and her extensive fashion sense. I will say though, it seemed she was trying to "rationalize" all of it.  No need to!!! The world is full of feminine men and masculine women. Plus, as far as style goes, Stana and I very much fabulous examples of the opposite ends of the trans style spectrum and that's OK too!!! 

If nothing else, all the recent publicity with Caitlin Jenner, Laverne Cox and others should show the world as a transgender community we are different. And, appearance alone far from defines us.

In a similar vein was the post from Francine in which a reader asked her about the best way to come out to her family. Again, her answer was a good one. There is no right answer. Each person is different. 

The only right answer is to take care of yourself. Do your best to follow a path you can understand. Just be aware there will be many blind curves. It sounds like a clique but if you are heading the right way, your inner girl will tell you. She has all he right answers!

"Fear and Loathing in Ohio?"

Several days ago Stana on the Femulate blog wrote a post essentially about part of her yearly trip to Hamvention here in Dayton, Ohio called "Fear and Loathing in Ohio." 

Immediately I thought Whoa!!! basically, she worried about Ohio being (and I paraphrase) less than liberal and somewhat worried about traveling through it. I will let you get your own take on it because after being slightly miffed immediately, I began to think-Stana is right.

Selfishly, I have had tons of fear and loathing here as I opened the cross dressing door and began my transition to woman. On a much larger scale though Ohio is a melting pot of ideas and sometimes they just don't melt. I can see how that would frighten some-after all- there is a reason we are always a presidential battle ground. 

Plus, "Fear and Loathing" for each and everyone of us is yet another highly personal situation. I can't begin to express the terror I felt the first night I journeyed into a TGIF Fridays. Could I - would I be able to for the first time in my life express my feminine self. As is turns out-the evening was successful and the first of many. And, in a Dr. Phil moment- I have many more examples of "fear and loathing" in my book "Stilettos on Thin Ice."

So, it has been suggested on occasion the hormones cause me to become a little more bitchy. So I have calmed down now and agree-there is "Fear and Loathing" in Ohio! But rest assured, there are more and more "freedom fighters" out here on the frontier getting organized to make life easier for all transgender women and transgender men. 

I certainly don't live in a cushy liberal neighborhood but acceptance is worth the battle!

Sitting in the Back of the Church

From Stana at Femulate:



"More so than the folks in the LGB crowd, a lot of folks in the trans crowd will get clocked by civilians who are scrutinizing people to determine whether or not we are discrimination-worthy. Size is often our giveaway (big transwomen and small transmen) and there is not much we can do about that.

And stop calling it a "religious freedom" law. It's a freedom to discriminate law, that is, you are free to discriminate according to your prejudices and then use religion as an excuse. How twisted is that?

Tell me, Mr. Christian, if a transwoman needed some carpentry work done, what would Jesus do?"

Stana is sooooo good at reducing a topic to a few basic well placed words!!!! Follow her link above to read more.

Mirror Mirror on the Blog

I had an OMG moment this morning when I read a comment on Stana's Femulate blog.


Here's an excerpt:



I am a life-long TV, so I feel able to comment. My advice to nearly all those who contribute to your blog is simple: Throw away the cameras and look long and hard in the mirror. Look at the women around you; you should blush with embarrassment. Cover your shoulders and knees and get rid of those “long luscious locks.” Very few women over 40 look good with long hair. None of you (and me) really look anything like women and that is a tragedy.
Stop being delusional. A mirror does not lie except at a fairground.

I think this comment is tragically misdirected on one hand but does have some socially redeeming value on the other.First the value-no you can't live in the mirror and expect to navigate the feminine world.    No you can't squeeze into the short skirt and 4" heels and shop at the grocery but if you do look around at the women around you-chances are you can make it happen. I would question the writer about the generics who don't fit his "ideal of a woman?"  Some of the most delightful women I know wouldn't make his cut.
I feel sorry for him that he has seemed to miss the whole point of this trip we are on. I know of course paths are somewhat different for cross dressers and transgender women but in my life, every "GSB" (Gender slur Bitch) I have encountered has been countered with five or ten wonderful people.
Sounds like he has let the mirror ruin his life.  He may be surprised at what the world has to offer for him!
But!!! I have to draw the line at my "long luscious locks". I have waited 60+ years for them, so come hell or high water, they are mine to enjoy!  

My Bucket is Leaking?

Here are a couple well placed comments on the very loosely based Cyrsti's Condo post on personal "trans bucket lists":

HollybnhOctober 22, 2014 at 9:27 PM

Take every opportunity you can, when you get to where Stana and I are, you'll have a shorter list!

and:

Paula GoodwinOctober 23, 2014 at 5:02 AM

The older we get and the more things we do the less firsts there are left

Thanks ladies!  Holly, if by chance you are talking about you and Stana in the age department, I think I qualify! (65)

And Paula, you are completely right in that we "more mature" humans should have less firsts to do- but don't you think being transgender wipes the slate clean?  Plus, as I read a few of the comments in Femulate, I realized yet again what a fine line it is to be able to check many of the bucket list items at all. Let alone have the courage to do them!

One Foot in the Bucket?

At my age, I can't say I don't pay attention to "bucket-lists" especially now a days when it seems they are popping  up again. I read with interest on Stana's Femulate blog in particular (of course) when she came up with a bucket list of sorts for "femulators" to accomplish.

Not that it makes me any better than any other cross dresser or transgender person, but many of the items on the list I could check off. I began to wonder at what point did I subconsciously realize checking items off the list led me to where I am now? Or was I doing what came naturally?

I guess my friends thought so- much of the credit for checking off  most of the major items, go to my friends. Early examples were the invites to professional sports games and to real live girl's night outs. Of course I was scared to death and none of it came easily. And then, there were the early vacations with Liz, including a week long trip to New Orleans and Mardi Gras.  Really? No pressure packing for that with no guy clothes-right?

You see,  my friends and lover just crushed my bucket list.  They saw past all my petty paranoia's for who I was.  I'm still amazed they see nothing special about what they did. I'm just one of their girlfriends. Wow.

Yes, I did see and few items on the list I had not accomplished and that's cool too. One of which was getting a mani-pedi. Can't say I haven't had the chance and I really want to but I also want to keep a couple of new and mysterious/fun girl things to do.

So, I really never had the chance to check off all those items on my list if I ever had one.  I suppose I would change the title of "bucket list" to "dream list" because I still can't believe this all is happening to me!

Plus, I have never been one who didn't think I wasn't living on borrowed time and I better get to whatever I wanted to do before the curtains closed. I suppose I'm lucky that my biggest regret out side of transitioning earlier, was not taking that trip to Kathmandu we had planned when we were in the Army.

I still don't have both feet in the bucket! There is still time!

WassssUp?

Been out of town for a couple days and even away from Cyrsti's Condo too, although my mind is always churning out "stuff."  Even though I don't think I am particularly good at it, I'm going to try to connect a few dots for you all on a couple thoughts.

First of all, when I went "a surfing" this morning, Stana's post today on Femulate caught my eye, especially the part which said she (Stana)been mentioned  Cassie Powney who did a post about Jodie Lynn a London makeup artist "who has dedicated her career to helping men reveal the woman within..."   To see it all follow the link above over to Femulate and go from there. (Of particular interest is the "channeling" mention of a few of Stana's beauty hints.)

Jodie Lynn at "The Boudoir (before and after)

After I read it and looked at the pictures, certainly I was impressed by Jodie's work but I was equally "struck" by the words "some transvestites just come in every so often to be cross dressed as women and then go back to their lives as men.  

Of course I lived that same life for years in my own closet and I remembered vividly if everytime I did step out of the closet, would I lose my way and never get back.  More importantly, did I want to.  Well, you all know how that is working out for me!

One way another the post is informative and even more so when you read Stana's (femulating) Halloween ideas for her workplace!

Well, those dots were a little farther apart than I expected.  so we will pick up the dots in a future post!

"Itty Bitty" World Comment

I loved this comment from J.AlanaS on the Cyrsti's Condo "Itty Bitty World" post:

I had a friend from grade school, who wanted us both to be on the cheer squad. When he suggested this, all I could think about was hoping we could wear the cheer skirts and pom-poms. So I said yes, but we were denied by the school board. Only a few short years later we moved away, then one day he contacted me via snail mail. I let that slip, but after Stana's post thought I'd try FB one more time, and there he was. He was the second from the youngest with all sisters, and always was the girls best friend, and mine too.


Indeed most of us knew "one of the boys" who was more "one of the girls".  Back in the day though, it was assumed all of them were gay although other things may have been going on.

Looking back, I grew up with the same kids who went to the same school-kindergarten through the 9th grade.  Our class size was 100 at the most. It wasn't until I moved on to a much bigger high school in the 10th grade I heard "rumors" about certain other boys.  So, I was very fortunate to have encountered another boy before that (at my age) at all who may have harbored any of the same gender dysphoria I was experiencing.

It's too bad, the school board wouldn't let you two on the "cheer squad!"  I understand.  Around here when I was growing up, there weren't even (and still aren't) any womanless pageants a prospective cross dresser could "play with".  Even though they are great fund raisers.

Where I live, If a young transgender person today was attempting to participate in a school function as their chosen gender and it was allowed with out a fight- I would feel the ground getting real cold -because hell was freezing over.

It's An "Itty Bitty" World

As I always do, in the morning I jump over to Femulate and get my Stana fix. Yesterday morning her lead post at first got my attention and then "riveted" me.

Over the years I think Stana has revisited the question of any of us having any reason to believe we had friends who possibly went on to be cross dressers,  transgender women or transgender men.  Then, Stana went on to write about her childhood friend Billy who went on to hint heavily about his affection for girl things. Follow this link to read the entire experience.

What got to me was that I too had a friend named Bill for a short time before he moved away , we were somewhere in the 14 year old category and lived in a very rural area.  During the summer before he moved we did "boy" things like "borrowing" his older brothers old Ford and driving it around the farm, plus we "tried" a couple of his Mom's cigarettes.  I can't tell you why, but cigarettes ended up not being all we "borrowed" from his Mom...on several occasions-we got into her makeup and clothes too.

I often wondered what would have happened if he had not moved three states away because his Mom didn't seem to mind we were playing in her clothes.  As in Stana's case, of course I too had tons of conflicting emotions.  On one hand I was learning to drive and smoke at 14 (never did continue to smoke thank the Goddess) but on the other, had another friend to share my shaky exploration of femininity.

I wouldn't see Bill again for at least 25 years and only for an hour then, so I have no idea of how much time he went on to spend as a girl.

Who knows, maybe I wasn't so alone after all -just another confused kid afraid to push it farther.  After Bill left, I fell into a group of kids who weren't in their Mom's makeup.Very simply, by doing so, I sold my feelings out to live a long lie and not get bullied in the process.

I also know, until I read Stana's experience, I had forgotten mine had occurred at all.

We Got Mail!

In a recent Cyrsti's Condo post I referred to an experience I enjoyed when I met Stana of the Femulate blog fame - and as it turned out leg fame.  The post simply mentioned how her legs had guys bumping into walls.  I did make one mistake though in the post, she (Stana) is 6'2" without heels!  She is living proof you can be older -more mature :)- and tall and sow off those dynamite legs of yours if you do it right...
Here's Stana's comment:  Thank you for the very kind words, Cyrsti! And by the way, I am 6'2" 
without heels!

I "calls em like I sees em Stana!" Speaking of "sees em."  For years I used to play the game of positioning myself where I could see over my wife's shoulder and still make eye contact with her when needed.  Of course she knew that too and it became sort of an a "cat and mouse" game.  When I met Stana, I just happened to be in a situation where the same thing happened!

Some time ago I posted a rhetorical question asking which transgender model would break the Victoria's Secret "trans barrier." Would she be Carmen Carerra or Andreja Pejic? (below)  Mandy Sherman's vote was-

Both are gorgeous...but my vote's with Andreja. Just because...

I don't know Mandy but have a notion to lean with Andreja also.  Only because of her enormous amount of modeling experience, name and body style.  I think Carmen deserves it because she has worked harder at getting it but is blessed with a curvier feminine body which doesn't necessarily "mesh" with what Victoria Secret's marketing audience is.

Unfortunately, like everything else, it's as simple as "following the money."  Would signing either help their (Victoria's) bottom line?

Continuing my continuous quest to not keep putting my foot in my mouth (before someone else but their's up another part of my body) - at one point I did go back a change my reference to Stana's age as "more mature." Along the way I also made an attempt to refer to Paula's interests as "more unique."   She responded:

I like that "unique tastes"! Doesn't everybody like Gardens and Brass Bands?  Why yes Paula! I'm sure they do! (wink)

Finally, Linda Marie Daniels commented on Woman less pageant participant Spencer:

Spencer looks amazing! Really a natural. I'd be surprised if this was the first time Spencer wore a dress.

Yes! He certainly didn't just "throw this on" on hit the runway!  What really got me were his "poses".  He was either heavily coached or self taught to throw the shoulders back, rock the legs and work the runway.  Who knows, maybe his favorite show was Tyra Banks Top Model ?

LADIES! Thanks for the comments! Love em and you!

 

Didn't We All?

I loved this comment from Paula concerning our Cyrsti's Condo "Skirting the Issue"post for a couple of reasons.

You're right I think we have all gone through (or got stuck in) the "Leg Phase" I am tempted to say that it is all part of growing up. Since many of us didn't start going out wearing complete outfits until we are of more mature years we end up making the mistakes our daughters make in their teens in our forties. I am sure that I am not your only middle aged reader who now regrets the leather mini skirt and thigh boots, yet somehow I still find it difficult to discard them.

I so agree with the "growing up" idea and I so remember my conservative wife telling me how she passed her Mom's inspection on the way out the door to school and then proceeded to roll up her skirt to more of a mini skirt length before she got to school. Then there is Stana.  She is a role model of how a more mature transgender woman can showcase her legs.  She is tall (6' 2" I think in heels) and I vividly remember when we met. She was wearing the outfit on the left. Soon, I ended up sitting and then standing where I could see the men checking her out over her shoulder...bumping into things! 

But, the point needs to be made she is fortunate enough to be able wear that outfit.  If I had her legs-I would too. Almost all of us male structured body types though,  have some sort of redeeming feminine values, if we look for them. Example? For the most part we have the "inverted triangle figure" going on (below) and have to work around our shoulders.

Before HRT took over, my triangle wasn't quite so dramatic because I had sort of a rounded proportioned guy deal going on.  I could add a little hip foam to equal the width of my shoulders, played with my breast side and learned the hard way to make myself as presentable as I could.

Also, I can have a little fun with my legs, especially with cooler times coming up around here.  I positively love the feel and look of leggings and what you can wear them with!

Before we go, I must leave you with a classic British quote from Paula:

Remembering the famous line about "not doing it in the street and frightening the horses" I now always check myself in the mirror and ask myself the question "Will I frighten the horses?"

Shopping Karma

Nearly the first thing I do in the morning is sort through my email boxes. I check to see if any of my three collectible shops on Etsy and Ebay have sales and then look to see if there is a possible transgender story or two to pass along to you visitors here in Cyrsti's Condo.

I do quite a bit of networking the shops on Twitter and Pinterest and this morning I received a "follow" request on Pinterest from Blondellamy' Dean, A Curvy Girl's Boutique.  The request sparked my interest in that the follow request was for my TruNorth Pickers Shoppe,  which has nothing to do with fashion, makeup etc.Then I checked them out and found they offer sizes from 10 to 36 and a full line of fashion, accessories and makeup.  Hmmn, I thought do they know more about me than I sell all sorts of collectibles? At any rate I went to the site and subscribed to their weekly newsletter to add to my on line collection.  In many ways I am sort of like the person who liked to mull through weekly newspapers on a regular basis from around the country. (When they were relevant.) You can check out their store by following the link above.

Then, I jump over to Crysti's Condo to do this post and stopped by Femulate first. As Momma Karma would have it, Stana's topic today is called "It is a great time to be a tall woman." If you don't know Stana sets the "tall woman" standard at 6' and to put it into perspective, she is over 6' and I am slightly under.

As I sipped my morning "cup o joe" (coffee), my morning noggin thought Wow! both of these topics work well together because indeed most of us share size issues, transgender or cross dressers alike. To again put the topic into perspective, follow the Femulate link above to view how Stana has turned her height into a plus when she owned it and remember I have had to own the fact I'm stuck with many of the "football body" ready features I was born with.

My point is when I hear from those of you who immediately say "I can't present well as a woman because of my size" I think maybe you should do some research - and while I'm preaching at you, skip that Dbl Bacon Cheeseburger you have for lunch and consider a salad to get that weight down a tad.  Also, you are already defoliating your skin every morning when you shave, just follow up with wrinkle creams and moisturizers and you will look better as a girl and a guy. Plus, if you are worried about detection, consider replacing a different cream bottle you may have hanging around with the anti wrinkle formula.

Well the "Joe" is gone and my dog is bugging me for her walk. See ya all and be well kids!

**I have added the "Blondellamy" link to our fashion boutique room in Cyrsti's Condo.