It's the Time of the Season

In my part of the world prom and graduation season has almost come and gone. But has it really? With increased frequency we are seeing more and more transgender youth challenging the system. Standing up for the right to enjoy activities such as prom or graduation as the trans women and men they really are. The effect of each and every one of these youth will certainly be felt for years-until all the gender walls come down.

In the meantime though, there is much to be done encouraging youth in the closet to enter the world- on their own terms. How much of course depends upon where you are. Here's an example from the television show , What Would You Do?, who decided to find out what people would do if they witnessed a boy undergoing gender transition trying on a prom dress:



 

The Women of "Hot-Lanta"

Perhaps the premier event in the country showcasing the most beautiful cross dressed men is the Atlanta Cotillion . This year's event was this past weekend but  here's look at the 2011 womanless beauty pageant  on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen:

Adolescent Rodeo Clown

Last night I was slaving away over my book and I thought  this experience was good enough to pass along here in Cyrsti's Condo. In fact the whole experience was a great lesson of not passing. Simply put, I was barely out of the closet in my early 30's and going through my cross dressing "adolescence" with a passion:

"Unless you happen to be a young cross dresser going through the pains of puberty, my best advice is don’t act like you are. Time and time again I will tell you not to be the big guy in the mall squeezed into a tiny mini, tall heels and big hair. Sure I tried it too and yes it was totally ill advised. Wait, no one did advise me. I screwed this up all by myself. To add insult to just being dumb, I didn't need no "stinkin mall" and just took off out of my house- on a busy street flaunting my latest attempt to be sexy.

If you are “mature” enough, you will remember the “Urban Cowboy” movie and the resultant cowgirl fashion craze Short jean shorts, boots and blouses tied off at the waist was the basic look. So, who was I not to follow the current fashion craze?

Being the fashionista clothing designer I am, I took a pair of my women’s jeans and cut off the legs-really short- butt cheek short. Hey, I was just following a not so smart but all so common cross dressing fashion disaster. Sexy for many women, stupid for me.

I was certainly working on another “can’t miss, guaranteed way to get busted as a man dressed as a woman” fashion mistake! There was a reason for the madness. Not a good one. But a reason.

Most men have a good looking pair of women’s legs. I was no different. Many of my first compliments dressed as a woman at Halloween parties was wow! you have great legs. But when you put the comment into the context it was intended, it comes off something like this: “You do have great legs for a guy dressing as a woman” and oh gee those wonderful legs of your happen to be attached to those big feet, no hips and big shoulders. All we know is our male egos are just going nuts with the praise and if a little leg is good- certainly more leg is better!

If I knew then what I know now, I may have had a chance of not being a rodeo clown in drag by following a few relatively simple steps. A pair of reasonable length boots and a tad longer pair of cut off shorts would have broken the sight pattern from my hips to my feet. A longer short would have also given me a chance to work in the illusion of hips with a couple pieces of foam rubber padding. If I was skillful enough to do all of that, then maybe I could have loosely tied off a shirt at my waist.

Here is the mistake I made with the shirt tail idea. To be semi convincing your hips should roughly equal the span of your shoulders. I thought I was emphasizing a narrower waist when in reality I was not hiding the considerable size of my upper torso. Bottom line was I just didn't have the body to even give the illusion of being able to wear that sort of outfit. There were plenty of genetic women who didn't either and they were smart enough to not try.

The moral to the story is all of us go through this to some extent-even genetic women.  I hear from so many cross dressers or transgender women who bemoan their looks and say I can't get any better. Just remember, can't is a powerful word. Use it and you will be right- it can't happen.

HorrorScope!

Well kids, another week has flown by here in Cyrsti's Condo and it's time for another "Horrorscope"

First of all, I am swearing all of you to secrecy!  Do Not tell my "Boo" or my old dog about this week's "scope"!

Libra (September 23-October 22): There is a reason why you don’t want to teach an old dog new tricks — because they’ll do it wrong. If you are after something fresh, it’ll mean moving your rodeo to a new boo that will be receptive to seeing what you’ve got. After all, you can continue to beat your head against the wall, but why subject yourself to pain without any pleasure?

See, I told you! "Mum's the word!"

For your scope...go here to theFrisky and always remember "HorrorScope" is my own warm and fuzzy term!

A Loss in our Community

I read this morning JoAnn Roberts passed away.

Briefly JoAnn and her TG Forum site was one of the first informational places I discovered when I got hooked up to the internet.  She identified as a cross dresser and provided a path for closeted CD's like me to see and understand I should not be ashamed for who I was.

To this day her Forum has been one of the very few cross dresser sites to withstand the advance of time.

She will be missed!

Cross Dressing "Goals"

As you have probably figured out, I follow many different sources making an attempt  at bringing an interesting Cyrsti's Condo blog to you.

One person in particular I have followed off and on for years has been posting videos recently of her "out and about" public adventures.  She is a very attractive girl and caught my curiosity when she started to change her identification markers from simply "MtF" to cross dresser to a mixture of both.

After her latest video,  a "viewer"  asked a question I see frequently aimed at attractive cross dressers.  How she can appear so "accomplished" and then go back to "his" regular life.

Good question and a good answer too!

One theory at why a cross dresser may have an easier time adjusting back to his everyday male life is his "hobby" is just that. He just happens to be very good at it. The process is similar to a drag queen's transformation into incredible looking women.  Most do not want to be female at all.

Another theory comes from an engineering friend who believes an attractive cross dresser is the ultimate male ego trip. Working on, designing and assembling your own female doll- who happens to be you. He thinks an inordinate amount of CD's are engineers.

Enough of all of that,  here was her answer:

(Paraphrasing) , she said "I accomplished the goal of spending the weekend presenting as a woman- Shopping, entertainment and all. I don't know what I will do next."

I understand  and  could have written that very phrase about  my life as a cross dresser. As I went to this mall, or store or restaurant with success of sorts- I would literally drive around looking for new places to try out as a girl. I had my goals.

The difference was for me, slowly but surely it dawned on me what I would do next. I wanted to live a feminine existence.  It all felt so totally right. It was so clear even I could figure it out. Looks though had very little to do with my decision. A feminine appearance just was one tool of getting to where I wanted to be.

The central point many miss in our culture is giving too much credence to looks. Let's assume the person who asked the question looked wonderful in drag and decided to do it day after day. Rest assured the "novelty" of appearing as an attractive woman would wear off quickly. Any sort of looks (one way or another) fade quickly when you attempt to truly jump the gender fence. Yet another of my Socialization over Visualization lectures.

ZZZZZ.

Lost in the Ozone

Recently I tried to post an Asian cross dressing video to the Crysti's Condo big screen.  Due to some sort of techno ineptitude on my part, the video just disappeared - Poof! I could find no record of it ever existing.

One of my faithful readers,  Alice actually saw the intro  I wrote but no video.I was relieved and figured at least I wasn't making the whole thing up in the deep dark recesses of my noggin.

At that point, I sat out to locate the video on YouTube.  Easier said than done.  I think there are more videos dealing with Asian cross dressing and transgender subjects on YouTube than China has people!

If nothing else Alice, I am persistent. Let's try it again!

Fashion Stages

Along the way perhaps you have heard of the term cross dresser puberty.  Loosely translated the term can be applied to a crosser  dresser or transgender woman of any age. The stereotypical example is the overweight guy at the mall teetering along in a micro mini skirt and heels typically worn by a teen aged girl.

 I too tried to dress that way into my mid 30's until I grew out of my adolescance the way most do- with  tons of pain and suffering! Much of my problem stemmed from comments on my "fabulous legs".  Nice of course but as I looked around, lots of men have good feminine looking legs- cross dressed or not.  My problem was and is-what are my two legs attached to?

I could write tons of words on the topic but where I was heading is- what is the next step we should take our fashion to?

I found a rather short and to the point look which came from Katie Couric and fashion expert Gretta Monahan:



"Dressing your age can be an ambiguous road to travel, as there is a fine line between a fashion choice that makes you look younger and clothes that are simply too young for you.

Fashion expert Gretta Monahan gave us tips for women to look and feel their best at any age. She encourages women to avoid giving a message of insecurity with their style choices –they should be comfortable with their age and stage in life. A woman in her 20s is going through what Monahan calls her "first impression period," so it is important to give the right impression and not "get trapped by the trends." Invest in one great trend piece -- a classic jacket or handbag -- and build a wardrobe that can be mixed and matched. Mixing your work and weekend wear is a must for a woman on the go in her 20s. And Monahan encourages women in their 20s to embrace their youth and have fun with their wardrobe.

The 30s are a time for a woman to make a sophisticated shift in her image. To do this, Monahan recommends having fun with necklines, whether it's a deep V-neck, a one-shouldered top or a strapless dress. As leather is timelessness yet trendy, Monahan says it's important to have a go-to statement leather piece such as a belt, cuff or cropped jacket. This is a time when women should avoid playing it safe.

When a woman enters her 40s, she should look for energizing colors and prints in figure- flattering shapes. Avoiding baggy and ill fitting clothes is essential, and women in their 40s should not be afraid to raise their hemline a little

As women enter their 50s, they should add versatile wrap dresses to their closet and keep their eye out for flattering three-quarter sleeved tops. Monahan recommends that as women age, they should tone down their makeup but add youthful touches to their hairstyle – such as highlights or bangs. This is the age to invest in a quality support bra and a well-fitted pair of jeans, avoiding "mom" jeans that tend to ride too high and have a tapered leg. Monahan’s overall tip for women and their fashion choices is to avoid being matchy-matchy – never match your handbag to your shoes or overcoordinate your accessories. This will age you no matter what stage of your life you are in As Monahan says, fashion is about presenting your best self and being comfortable with the woman you are – so have fun."

For more go here.

The Little Black Dress and the Trans Woman

Well girlfriends, there is damn " little"  about any part of my body but that doesn't stop me from coveting my own "dee-licious" fun version of a "little black dress"  Speaking of fun-check Sherry's version on the Cyrsti's Condo big screen: