Saturday night a wonderful friend of mine and I had a night out in the "Nati". The "Nati" is a slang term for Cincinnati.
Like so many evenings, this one started out innocently enough, we were simply going to downtown Cinci to enjoy the Christmas lights and sounds. Oh, by the way my friend is a "GG" which shouldn't figure into this post but in spirit of understanding and disclosure-there you are.
Little did I know the real meaning of the evening would begin when I washed and dried my hair earlier in the afternoon. The hair experience is still a mystery to me. Today however, I decided to step outside the box and let my "freak flags fly"...so to speak. I always admired the girls with the wild hair so I spritzed my hair with some sort of curling conditioner recommended by my friend. I let it dry, teased my hair a little and off I went.
Cincinnati is actually and hour and half or so from where I live but for any number of reasons I have always been drawn to it. Seemingly the place has been the spot where many fun and special things have happened to me.
I made the trip, picked her up at her house and we headed downtown- parked and headed to all the Christmas activities. Fairly shortly we got our fill of the festive spirit and went in search of other spirits.
We didn't have to go far as Cincy has finally started to develop the area between the two pro stadiums into an entertainment district of bars and restaurants. One of which in particular I have wanted to visit since it opened earlier this year. Among other things it brews and serves a few beers I call my "ancestral beers" or the beers I drank when I first "popped the top" on a cold brew. This was back in the day before all the now foreign giant brewers started to brain wash the beer drinking public with essentially tasteless "near beer"-but I digress. Fortunately "the Nati" is starting to return to some of it's brewing roots. (It's was a hugely German influenced city) So the night became mystical when I actually ordered a beer I hadn't seen since the early 70's and was sitting there enjoying it with my friend with all my potentially wild hair as a woman in this huge place.
Truthfully, I know my hair is far from being the "wild thing" I imagined it to be tonight-but you know it didn't matter. I finally had connected the dots to a time when I couldn't even imagine doing what I did tonight. Plus just for a second I was the girl with just a touch of bad I always admired. I'm selfish though, and I'll take that second I never really had.
Yes, it was an amazing "night in the Nati" and I give my friend and my ancestral beer all the credit.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Classic Female Impersonation
Remember the term female impersonator ? I think in my youth female impersonator was perhaps a more politically term for drag queen. Perhaps Great Britain had some of the most famous ones for a time such as Danny LaRue.
If you have not heard of - or seen him, check this video:
Friday, December 7, 2012
Carry on Trans Baggage
We are now officially in the holiday travel times from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In whatever mode you are traveling this season, normally baggage is involved.
All of the commotion started me thinking of the amount of baggage we carry between genders as transgender women and men.
Some have suggested we shouldn't carry any of it. But is that possible? I suppose your amount of baggage is somewhat dictated by the amount of life you have lived. I'm not suggesting the transgender experience is easier at any age but it's true at a later age families, jobs and a myriad of other responsibilities do add a ton more baggage to the process.
But go ahead and say it-I'm biased because I represent the older edge of all of this.
Bottom line is however I do believe at what ever age you decide to transition as a man or woman, your baggage is coming along. As time goes by you have a choice to sort through your past belongings to see what you want to keep or throw away. Less and less of it remains.
On a positive side, your experience as your birth gender has the potential to make you a better human being. What could be better if those pieces of baggage you are combining as both genders do provide a unique view of what life could be.
If you are the "glass is half empty" type of person, you could say the negative baggage you brought with you will always affect your life.
During this holiday season, I hope you have a chance to reflect on the baggage you may be traveling with.
All of the commotion started me thinking of the amount of baggage we carry between genders as transgender women and men.
Some have suggested we shouldn't carry any of it. But is that possible? I suppose your amount of baggage is somewhat dictated by the amount of life you have lived. I'm not suggesting the transgender experience is easier at any age but it's true at a later age families, jobs and a myriad of other responsibilities do add a ton more baggage to the process.
But go ahead and say it-I'm biased because I represent the older edge of all of this.
Bottom line is however I do believe at what ever age you decide to transition as a man or woman, your baggage is coming along. As time goes by you have a choice to sort through your past belongings to see what you want to keep or throw away. Less and less of it remains.
On a positive side, your experience as your birth gender has the potential to make you a better human being. What could be better if those pieces of baggage you are combining as both genders do provide a unique view of what life could be.
If you are the "glass is half empty" type of person, you could say the negative baggage you brought with you will always affect your life.
During this holiday season, I hope you have a chance to reflect on the baggage you may be traveling with.
Aussie Transgender Story
This is far from a new story. In fact it is from 2010 but it bears revisiting.
It actually came from "AsiaOne's" Diva site for women and features Ms Chelsey Mikimoto who was born in Singapore to a Malay-Dutch mother and a Chinese- Japanese father.
She migrated with her family to Australia in the mid-90s at age 10.
Much of her story sounds familiar: "Although born biologically male, Ms Mikimoto said that she never identified with being one. Growing up, she liked girlie things. She dreamed of parading in beautiful gowns and experimented with her mother's make-up and clothes. One Christmas, she placed her name on the Barbie doll meant for a female cousin.
She had visited a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with gender identity dysphoria - a condition in which individuals identify emotionally and psychologically with the other gender. For five years before the surgery, she lived as a woman. During that time, she underwent hormone replacement therapy to feminise her facial and bodily features. Other than physical changes, she also took the time to "greatly reflect" on what it meant to have the gender change."
I haven't been able to find much recent information on her, so I hope all is well!
Much of her story sounds familiar: "Although born biologically male, Ms Mikimoto said that she never identified with being one. Growing up, she liked girlie things. She dreamed of parading in beautiful gowns and experimented with her mother's make-up and clothes. One Christmas, she placed her name on the Barbie doll meant for a female cousin.
She had visited a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with gender identity dysphoria - a condition in which individuals identify emotionally and psychologically with the other gender. For five years before the surgery, she lived as a woman. During that time, she underwent hormone replacement therapy to feminise her facial and bodily features. Other than physical changes, she also took the time to "greatly reflect" on what it meant to have the gender change."
I haven't been able to find much recent information on her, so I hope all is well!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Cross Dressing Rocket Man
Over the past several months I have featured pictures and more here in Cyrsti's Condo from a Japanese site called Rocket News24.
Recently they ran a long and detailed post called "16 Things I Learned from Dressing in Drag". Confessions of a one night crossdresser.
The post in itself just tells most of us transgender or even genetic women what we already know such as lesson #10:
It’s more than just the clothes You might think that getting feminine airs is as easy as putting on a dress and a wig, but it turns out there’s a lot more to it. Even something as simple as the word “I” is different from males to females in Japanese, so I had to constantly think about how to refer to myself. Or sometimes, I would sit down in what I thought was a ladylike way, only to find my knees popping open. Or my walk would get very bowlegged if I wasn’t paying attention. There’s just so much to think about! Femininity is hard.
Or the final lesson #16:
Dressing as a woman was unexpectedly intoxicating, but I couldn’t stay like that forever. Going back to my usual self was kind of sad, though. I took off the makeup, removed the wig, traded my dress for my usual men’s clothes, and thought, “Well, that’s that.” It was rather dreary to look in the mirror and find the usual boring face reflected back at me. I almost wanted to cry. So if on the street one night you should happen to meet a man in drag, so long as he isn’t doing anything bad, please just let him be.
If you haven't been to the Rocket News 24 site it's worth the time to check it out!
The post in itself just tells most of us transgender or even genetic women what we already know such as lesson #10:
It’s more than just the clothes You might think that getting feminine airs is as easy as putting on a dress and a wig, but it turns out there’s a lot more to it. Even something as simple as the word “I” is different from males to females in Japanese, so I had to constantly think about how to refer to myself. Or sometimes, I would sit down in what I thought was a ladylike way, only to find my knees popping open. Or my walk would get very bowlegged if I wasn’t paying attention. There’s just so much to think about! Femininity is hard.
Or the final lesson #16:
Dressing as a woman was unexpectedly intoxicating, but I couldn’t stay like that forever. Going back to my usual self was kind of sad, though. I took off the makeup, removed the wig, traded my dress for my usual men’s clothes, and thought, “Well, that’s that.” It was rather dreary to look in the mirror and find the usual boring face reflected back at me. I almost wanted to cry. So if on the street one night you should happen to meet a man in drag, so long as he isn’t doing anything bad, please just let him be.
If you haven't been to the Rocket News 24 site it's worth the time to check it out!
Brazilian Transgender Model
One of the positives of models such as Felipa's emergence is the sense of softening of homo and transphobic attitudes in countries such as Brazil!
She recently made the Celebrity section of the Washington Post and of course you can read it here.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Lohan Drag
Just when you think you have had your fill of Lindsay Lohan here comes D'Arcy Drollinger. He has gone to the trouble of observing a pattern in the life of Lindsay Lohan: "Change your hair color, get into a car accident, go to the hospital; change your hair color, get into a car accident..."Drollinger is presenting a show in San Francisco called- you guessed it- Lohan Before you think this may be an easy task consider Drollinger and his cast of five play 89 characters and wear 174 costumes to chronicle Lohan's life over the next 10 years, ending with Lohan dirt from the day of the performance.
If you live in the area check this link from the SF Weekly
Transsexual History
Although there are questions if Christine Jorgenson actually was the first sex change patient, there is no question she was a true pioneer in the transgender community. To commemorate her 1953 return to New York, this video has been re-released:
Looking Good!
I don't really get into fashion basics here in Cyrsti's Condo. I don't really feel qualified as a "fashionista". Then again there are basics we all need to remember, follow and are especially valuable for those you who are new to all of this.
Here are a few:
Use caution when wearing strapless or thin-strapped designs. This is because men naturally have broader shoulders than women, and if you want to pull off dressing as a woman seamlessly, opting to show your shoulders is a dead give away that you're a man. If you must wear a strapless style, be sure to have a wrap, stole, or jacket handy to cover up. Also, instead of wearing thin spaghetti straps, choose wider straps that are more flattering.
Form-fitting clothing looks better than you think. It may look and feel a little awkward at first, but deciding to wear form-fitting clothing over baggy, relaxed styles is definitely the way to go. It creates the natural outline of a woman's body easier, and helps you create the full illusion. Whether it be dresses, skirts, pants or tops, clothing cut close to the body works best.
Embrace darker colors, and be cautious with light or bold ones. Darker colors are going to easily conceal the more masculine elements of your body, thus creating a more convincing illusion. Lighter shades should really be worn with caution because you can't hide anything when the color you're wearing is especially light.
Bold colors are more forgiving than light ones, but they also tend to draw a lot of attention, so be aware before you buy. Dress your body as though you were a woman. This basically means that the way you dress as a man does not apply to the way you dress as a woman. You need to know what female body type you have, and dress it accordingly for the most flattering look. The way to do this is to do a little research on female body shapes and see which one you best fit into, and then style your clothing as such.
Years ago, I found clothing separates much easier for me to find, buy and wear. The process led me out of the "dress" mode years ago and I doubt if I have worn one in at least five or six years. For me it was much easier to find a pair of jeans or even a long skirt. Then I would add a shirt , jacket or sweater that fell softly over my hips.
Most certainly "illusion" is the key term to all of this but knowing your body style is huge. There are many sites you can go to research yours such as this one called "Shop Your Shape" It's important you don't fall into the "I can't do anything about my linebacker build" mold. Of course you can add curves to that straight up and down body of yours and restrain that male belly of yours with a good pair of Spanx undergarments.
Finally, I really liked the advice on "colors" or "patterns". Back in the day, you could pick out the "Plus Size" women's area of a store a mile away because of a blinding array of bright ugly clothes. Not so much these days. A couple of my favorite and most complimented pieces of my wardrobe are patterned. Even still, patterned additions to my wardrobe are rare. Most of them are pieces that just jump off the rack at me and fit the style I've worked on for myself. Now, I'm to a point where the process becomes innate. Sure I still make mistakes but what woman doesn't?
There you go. I hope this helps some of you who are new and struggling with this magical mystery tour of looking as good as you can as a woman!
Here are a few:
Use caution when wearing strapless or thin-strapped designs. This is because men naturally have broader shoulders than women, and if you want to pull off dressing as a woman seamlessly, opting to show your shoulders is a dead give away that you're a man. If you must wear a strapless style, be sure to have a wrap, stole, or jacket handy to cover up. Also, instead of wearing thin spaghetti straps, choose wider straps that are more flattering.
Form-fitting clothing looks better than you think. It may look and feel a little awkward at first, but deciding to wear form-fitting clothing over baggy, relaxed styles is definitely the way to go. It creates the natural outline of a woman's body easier, and helps you create the full illusion. Whether it be dresses, skirts, pants or tops, clothing cut close to the body works best.
Embrace darker colors, and be cautious with light or bold ones. Darker colors are going to easily conceal the more masculine elements of your body, thus creating a more convincing illusion. Lighter shades should really be worn with caution because you can't hide anything when the color you're wearing is especially light.
Bold colors are more forgiving than light ones, but they also tend to draw a lot of attention, so be aware before you buy. Dress your body as though you were a woman. This basically means that the way you dress as a man does not apply to the way you dress as a woman. You need to know what female body type you have, and dress it accordingly for the most flattering look. The way to do this is to do a little research on female body shapes and see which one you best fit into, and then style your clothing as such.
Years ago, I found clothing separates much easier for me to find, buy and wear. The process led me out of the "dress" mode years ago and I doubt if I have worn one in at least five or six years. For me it was much easier to find a pair of jeans or even a long skirt. Then I would add a shirt , jacket or sweater that fell softly over my hips.
Most certainly "illusion" is the key term to all of this but knowing your body style is huge. There are many sites you can go to research yours such as this one called "Shop Your Shape" It's important you don't fall into the "I can't do anything about my linebacker build" mold. Of course you can add curves to that straight up and down body of yours and restrain that male belly of yours with a good pair of Spanx undergarments.
Finally, I really liked the advice on "colors" or "patterns". Back in the day, you could pick out the "Plus Size" women's area of a store a mile away because of a blinding array of bright ugly clothes. Not so much these days. A couple of my favorite and most complimented pieces of my wardrobe are patterned. Even still, patterned additions to my wardrobe are rare. Most of them are pieces that just jump off the rack at me and fit the style I've worked on for myself. Now, I'm to a point where the process becomes innate. Sure I still make mistakes but what woman doesn't?
There you go. I hope this helps some of you who are new and struggling with this magical mystery tour of looking as good as you can as a woman!
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