Pageant Pix

Miss Asia NYC Nicky Despi (Japan) and her court

Missing the "Golden Years"?

Recently we have discussed starting transitioning into a trans woman or man in mid life.

Andrej Pejic

We have gone through the pain of telling others and the extreme possibility of losing everything we have worked for.
Let's forget all of that and get a bit more shallow.
Society tells us consistently a woman's "golden years" come earlier in life. Sure, as the "baby boomer" generation has aged and cosmetic surgery has progressed many "older" women are still very attractive.
Still, for the majority of females the most attractive years of their life are in their youth. Come on, what do you think Andrej Pejic is going to look like at 50 after 40 years on a water diet?    
Doesn't matter. The average transgendered individual misses all of it. Recapturing any of that time period for a transitioning trans woman later in life remains largely a fantasy. All of those long years of a rough male life is mostly non reversible for those of us without the financial resources to do it. Even some of those with the resources can't- from some of the pictures I've seen.
A blog I always read and reference on occasion is "Janie's" Not long ago she wrote a post concerning the number of pictures one sees of cross dressers in supposedly exotic feminine attire. Basically she was asking what were they thinking? I agree, the majority look ridiculous to the point of hurting the transgendered culture. The sad part is that some of the girls look better with their clothes on.
Perhaps you noticed I used the word "cross dresser"- on purpose. I understand the layers of our community include cross dressers and fetishists too and the people who have the interest in viewing them. Perhaps many of these pictures come from individuals who never plan on being any part of a transgender female. OR-
Maybe what we are seeing is one of us trying vainly to recapture something they probably never had.
Sure I have a strong sense of envy when I see an attractive young transgender girl. (But I certainly can't dress like one!)
As I've written more than once, I would have rather been on the sidelines in a short cheerleader's skirt than the football uniform I was wearing.
Realistically there is no return to those days for us so the next best thing for many is a shortcut. Forget the long and often very difficult process of presenting as a well groomed attractive middle aged woman.  Just take a load of pictures in bra and panties, toss them on the web and someone will like them.
Then there are those who take what they have and tell society to get over it. See my post "Transgendered Activism"). Those trans women are the true heroines of our culture.
Finally, all is not bleak for those of who have the opportunity to transition in mid life.
Natural hormone therapy does have a tendency to blur the genders. Men are less masculine and women less feminine. This time of our lives presents the best window of opportunity to express our chosen gender to the public since childhood before puberty.
Also, positive media attention is at an all time high for transgendered and transsexual men and women. Public reaction is becoming less of a shock.  Trans women and men are becoming  just another segment of society and some people respect our resolve to live our life as we see it and others could care less.
Finally, one of my pet theories is the emergence of mid to late life partners no matter how you identify.
A whole different post I'm still trying to work on was started from a comment I received from a friend. It seemed her wife loved her bi-gendered nature but in a male form. I believe our dual gendered nature will begin to play increasing well with women who have never been successful with a so called traditional male. This idea also includes trans men. All of a sudden a rather unconventional relationship possibility begins to look increasingly favorable.
Now, reverse the situation and say you prefer a man. Social networking and other sites have made that possible too.
It seems easier to look forward these days as a transgendered woman or man. Two things are for sure. You can't reverse time and begin a transition when your body was more workable and your life will change dramatically with your gender. But!
The nice possibility is the gender jump off the cliff could produce a softer landing than ever imagined.
Now, there are those pictures? Really?

Spring has Sprung?

I am probably jinxing all of us in my part of the world.  Our March weather the last couple of days has been flat out beautiful. Mostly sunny, light breeze and highs in the mid 70's. I used the "jinx" word because I have seen a few fairly serious cold snaps and snow into April.
The fun part to me is finally coming true. I never could go sleeveless because of a coat of very male arm hair. My work was a short sleeve only situation so showing up suddenly with hairless arms was not an option.
All of that nonsense is behind me now and I can benefit from the dual hormone therapy I'm on too.  I am heading to a full three months on a form of estrogen and a testosterone blocker and am benefiting from a natural hormonal decline at my age.
SO! My skin is softer and my muscle definition is down and warm weather is here! I have had to finally change my shopping habits away from sleeves. Sure my wrists are a little thicker than most women and my "too small" to catch a football hands are coming full circle to help me now. One way or another, the world is just going to have to work their way through it!
Luckily over the years I have become a thrift store fanatic and with my current budgetary constraints-it's an ideal shopping fit!
A special friend of mine and I are taking in the one night re release of "Casablanca" (my fave classic movie!) this Wednesday so I do have time to find something to impress!

By the way, I have added a couple fashion sites in our "Beauty Boutique Room" here at the condo if you need a few ideas!

The Real Face of Transgendered Activism?

I'm as guilty as the next blog person about seeking out the most beautiful and dynamic transgendered or transsexuals to picture on the blog.

The trio above do not fit that image but could be more representative of our culture as a whole.
They call themselves the "Queer Avengers" from the UK- "Shelley, Brookllyne and Ashley" recently held a conference to voice concerns over the way transgendered people are treated in the media.

I've heard "trans stealth" described as just a bigger closet. I guess you could describe these trans women as the ultimate "anti-stealth" movement.

Go here to read more!

Miss Universe Update

Actually, in the case of "Jenna Talackova" , there is no update. According to "Missosology" this picture of "Jenna" has been taken down.
Reportively, the last known transsexual contestant in the "Miss Universe" pageant was back in 1994 because:

Jenna official portrait at Miss Universe Canada website.

"Many national pageants lack specifics in their requirements. In many countries, it is legal to change ones sex. That is why in 2004, Chen Lili, a transsexual, decided to join the Miss Universe China pageant. "A sex-change woman registering for the Miss Universe contest is something that has never happened before," Miss Universe selection committee chairman Zhang Ruiling told reporters. Chen Lili's application was denied. The public opinion was divided.
Cao Gang, a beauty contest expert in Shanghai, offered his support to Lili: "She has been granted the status as a woman, and is protected and recognized by law. There is no reason to kick her out." But some see it as a publicity gimmick. "Another media circus."

Chen Lili is the first transsexual who attempted to join the national qualifiers of Miss Universe

Being a bit of a bitch, I can see why the other contestants wouldn't want these women in the pageant for more reasons than being transsexual!

Navigation 101 with the Girls!

This is a cute little learning story from a week or so ago.
I was at a girl friend's house helping her do some work here and there.
One of the entrances to the kitchen had a small cart with a microwave.  You could walk through it easy enough unless there was more than one of us trying to pass through.
The first time we met in the entrance, I turned the wrong way for my girls. I didn't plan on the extra room I would need for my chest and I turned to the wall side.
My friend is a very well endowed genetic female. Her girls are women! 
She chuckled at my dilemma.
I try to be a fairly quick learner and found that if I turned to the microwave side, my girls had plenty of room to "clear" the much lower obstacle.
At this point, I will take all the help I can get!

Trans Women Go Under the Knife.

A look at "Facial Feminization Surgery" recently was featured on ABC News. Here's the intro:
Sarah, now 50, came out as transgender but was still "being clocked" as male.
"You are walking through the mall and someone turns and says, 'Oh, my god, it's a man dressed as a woman,'" she said. "They figure it out."
But that rarely happens anymore. Thanks to facial feminization surgery in 2007, Sarah, not her real name, is living with the face she was believes she was supposed to be born with.
It was the first big step in her new life as a woman and in 2009, Sarah went on to have sex reassignment surgery."

That's the good news for most of us. The bad news is this: costs for the procedure can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. With little or no insurance coverage for the procedure, "FFS" is the impossible dream for someone like me.
Ironically, a natural form of "hormone replacement therapy"-age provides a different blurring of the genders and a glimmer of hope.

"Women become more masculine-looking as they get older, and Spiegel (the featured doctor) is also seeing an increase in interest in surgery among women who are not transgender.
"Why are some women more attractive than others?" he asked. "A big part is as women age and lose their fertility, they lose their femininity."
Their eyebrows descend and get flatter, their cheeks are less full, and with the jowls of aging, the tapers of the jaw disappear."

Unless the Veteran's Administration magically begins to approve this kind of surgery for transgendered vets such as myself, it certainly looks as if the magic of make up will be my best friend!

Life Begins at 40?

Check this transition video which began at 40!

Jaylo's Male Stunt Double!

The American Idol host headed to Mexico to film the vid and instead of hiring a female lookalike, J-Lo opted for a male stunt double who was J-Lo'd up to the hilt - complete with fake boobs and braided hair.
A tough job, but someone had to do it!