I Love My Lipstick

By Susan King, Transitioning into TomorrowFor me, my lipstick is a fashion necessity. However, it also has some additional benefit:    It supports lip hydration    It can be a good sunscreen     Can improve your menta...

I’m so tired, I’m feeling so upset

All day and all of the night, I get e-mails from Google Alerts, which monitors "the web for interesting new content" on topics I want to know about.About 95% of the alerts I receive are on the topic "transgender." Each e-mail alert typically contains o...

Fashion for Old Ladies (Like Me)

I am an old lady (65 years old and counting).When I was a teenager in the 1960s, my grandmothers were about my age today. They dressed like peers their age. As I recall, here were the key items of their wardrobe:- Ankle-length, flowing dresses that lef...

New Shoes: The Rest of the Story

The remainder of my shoe order from Payless arrived and they are all keepers, that is, they fit and don’t hurt.

Layla Front-Zip Heel

"Elevate your style with the Layla from Fioni! It features a glitter mesh upper, zipper up the vamp, peep toe, pearlized lining, padded footbed, 4-inch heel with a 1/2-inch platform, and a sturdy outsole."

When this pair arrived, I eyeballed the heel and thought it looked higher than 4 inches. So I  measured it and it is almost 5 inches high. The glitter is so subtle that I would not hesitate to wear these shoes out anywhere... except on the cobblestone streets of Provincetown. I paid $27.99 for these beauties on sale versus the regular price of $39.99.


Sinclair High Wedge

"Easily dressed up or dressed down, the Sinclair espadrille from American Eagle features a faux suede upper, ankle sling with adjustable strap, faux leather lining and padded footbed, woven 4-inch wedge with 1-inch platform, and a durable outsole."

This is a shoe I probably won't wear much until next spring, but at $12 a pair, I bought a pair now (in red) before they disappeared in my size.

Mink Medallion Wedge

"The Mink Wedge from Fioni can take you from work to weekend in no time flat! It features a pretty round toe with shiny medallion, 3-inch wrapped wedge, jersey lining, padded insole, and rubber outsole."

I chased this shoe for months, but it was always sold out in my size online and in the store. Then surprise, it was suddenly available this week in my size online and at an incredible clearance price of only $10. I bought a pair in black patent.

One problem that occurred when my new shoes arrived is where to store them. My closet space is overflowing, so I guess it's time to go through my shoe collection and eliminate the seldom worn footwear.



Source: Boston Proper
Wearing Boston Proper (I love the necklace!)



Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder femulates in the 1982 film Hanky Panky.

High Heels are Good for You!


Ever since I began sashaying in shoes of stupendous height, all I ever heard was how bad they were. A parade of experts claimed that high heels caused one bad thing after another. They were the cause of all that was wrong with our feet, as well as being responsible for some of society’s ills as well. 

Well, I have some good news for high heel fashionistas. Contrary to popular opinion, wearing high heels is good for your physique and your psyche, according to studies recently uncovered by Team Femulate.

In one study, a British doctor performed tests using special scales and the results indicate “that high heels throw the weight onto the heel rather than onto the toes… which eliminates slouching, produces more healthy breathing, and adds inches to the bust.”

"But the greatest effect is the psychological one," the doctor added, "...long legs are admired and the high heel gives the impression of greater leg length... a sensation of slimness."

In another study, British scientists gave high heels a clean bill of health. “Instead of being unhealthful, high heels are actually easier on the body than low ones. In spite of the present vogue of high heels, there is no evidence that corns, flat feet, or other disorders are increasing.”

Works for me!



Source: La Redoute
Wearing La Redoute.



Michal Grobelny
Michal Grobelny femulates Maryla Rodowicz on Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo.

My Favorite Things Come in Pairs

The first item of women's clothing I ever wore were a pair of my mother's nylon stockings. I recall looking in the floor-length mirror mounted on the inside of her closet door and admiring my pre-puberty hairless legs believing that they looked just like women's legs!

With my mother's closet door wide open, I noticed the stack of shoe boxes on the closet floor and I suddenly felt motivated to try on a pair of her high heel pumps. I opened a random box and found a pair in a floral fabric with a 3-inch heel. I slipped on the heels and they fit perfectly.

I looked in the mirror and the combination of nylons and high heels was exhilarating! Not only did my legs look like women's legs, but now they looked shapely and sexy, too!

I have been a big fan of high heels ever since. When en femme, I seldom wear anything else on my feet. Unless the occasion absolutely screams for flats, I wear heels.

Once upon a time, I thought that at 6-feet-2, wearing heels would make it more difficult to pass. But I came to the realization that if I can pass at 6-foot-2 wearing flats, then I can pass at 6-foot-6 wearing 4-inch heels.

I love wearing heels. They make my legs look more shapely and more importantly, I feel more feminine, more lady-like wearing heels. I know it’s my late-1950s/early-1960s socialization that makes me feel this way, but that's me and I'm not changing shoe styles at this late date.

Genetic females often compliment me about my proficiency in walking in heels and ask if it was difficult learning how. Truth is that I took to heels like Daisy Duck took to heels.

As a child, my mother often mentioned that I walked on my tiptoes. I assumed that walking on my tiptoes was not the way a male was supposed to walk, but nobody ever taught me the "correct" way to walk. So I took the path of least resistance and continued to walk on my tiptoes.

I believe that my penchant for walking on my tiptoes made walking in high heels a natural thing to do. True or not, from day one, I never had a problem walking in heels.

Heels hurt. I have high heels that begin hurting as soon as I slip them on and I have heels that I can wear all day with little or no pain. I discovered that the height of the heel is not critical as far as pain is concerned. Some of my most comfortable shoes have 4-inch stiletto heels. Go figure!

Wearing heels makes my femulation complete. Despite the pain, I will never give up wearing heels; you will have to remove my high heels from my cold, dead feet.



Source: Intermix
Wearing Miguelina Camelia top and skirt and Rag & Bone hat.



Roger Sloman
Roger Sloman femulates in British television's Eastenders.
(Thank you, Meg, for suggesting this femulator!)

Man Wearing High Heels and Skirt


This young man seems so happy wearing high heels even on a rainy, windswept day that I had to share his joy with you. His photo appeared on the now defunct High Heels For Men blog.




Source: Madeleine
Wearing Madeleine.



Marek Kaliszuk
Marek Kaliszuk femulates singer Hanka Ordonówna
on Polish television's Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo.

Naturally Effeminate or Naturally a Woman


Recently, I proffered, "Ask me anything" and Pat asked, "Were you naturally effeminate as a kid and ever called a sissy while going to school?"

Yes ― I was naturally effeminate as a kid. I know it was "natural" because at the time, I was not aware that I was effeminate.

I was not intentionally acting effeminate, I was acting as me, myself, and I, and as luck would have it, me, myself and I was very effeminate. So much so that my peers let me know it by calling me names like "sissy," "twinky," "fairy," and worse.

At my first summer job, which was in a very macho environment, my nickname was "Zelda" in honor of my feminine ways.

At another summer job working in the receiving department of a department store where I unpacked and sorted women's clothing all day long, one of my co-workers suggested that it must be my dream job because I got first shot at all the new dresses and lingerie before it went on the floor for sale to the public. He even showed me a private backroom where I could try on the clothing that I might like to purchase.

At my high school graduation, some of the jocks asked aloud why I wasn't wearing a gold-colored graduation cap and gown like the other girls.

In college, the guy in the dorm room next door said I could borrow his girlfriend's bra that she left behind after one of their evening rendezvous.

Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I never changed my feminine ways even when I figured out what was going on. I knew how to fix the problem, but I rejected manning up and becoming macho because doing so was so incompatible with my nature.

On the other hand, dressing in woman's clothing was a perfect fit. I already acted, moved, and spoke like a woman, so the clothing just completed the picture.

(Caveat Emptor: This is a redo of a 3-year-old post.)





Source: Intermix
Wearing Self Portrait.



Vladimir Luxuria
 Italian actress, writer, politician and television host, Vladimir Luxuria

Why Femulate ?

Stana, 1976Growing up, I was the neighborhood effeminate boy. I did not choose to be feminine; my feminine persona was natural, not an affection.Whenever I acted on the advice to "man up," it felt so unnatural and uncomfortable that I invariably return...