I've just finished reading Almost Perfect, a young adult novel about Logan, a high school senior who becomes attracted to Sage, a pretty new girl at school. Sage insists that they remain "just friends" but Logan wants to be more than that. When they finally do kiss, Sage reveals why she has been reluctant to move beyond the friend stage. She's transsexual and is biologically a boy. Logan, a small town boy who's only dated one girl before Sage, is shocked and repulsed. However, he comes to realize how much he cares for Sage. There's much more but I don't want to give the plot away.
Both Sage and Logan are wonderful, likeable and flawed characters. Although the story is told from Logan's point of view, we learn a lot of what Sage has experienced in trying to live as the woman she knows she is.
Almost Perfect recently won the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.
Now in it’s second year, the award is given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.
“A young adult novel about a transgender girl—told from the perspective of the straight boy who falls for her—Almost Perfect is exceptional. The writing is sensitive, haunting and revelatory,” said Lisa Johnston, Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Award committee chair, via a press release.
Almost Perfect is a excellent book, exploring the nature of friendship, prejudice, courage and gender.
Here's a link to a story about Almost Perfect winning the Stonewall Award and another to an excellent review at Bibrary Bookslut.
Here's a different take on the book from Megan Honig. Although I don't agree with Megan's review, it's very well done and presents a thought-provoking critique.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Lovely crossdressers
There are so many pretty crossdressers. Here are a few pictures of girls I think look just great.  | |||
| LisaJohanna |
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| Yasmeen Wa |
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yasmeenwa/
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cristy98girl   |
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cristy98girl/
Cristy has quite a few videos on YouTube. I find Cristy lovely and charming:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cristy98girl?blend=1&ob=4#g/u
Monday, January 24, 2011
Socks with High Heels
I think the socks with high heels look can be so cute. I know I'm about 3 years behind the times here, but I just think this is such a cute look.
As I was looking for pictures to illustrate this post, I realized that although I like this look, the girls in these photos would probably look good in combat boots.
As I was looking for pictures to illustrate this post, I realized that although I like this look, the girls in these photos would probably look good in combat boots.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
More Shoes I like
More shoes I like
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| Yves St. Laurent slingbacks |
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| Christian Louboutin |
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| Mark Jacobs Wedge |
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| YSL Platform Pump |
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| Christian Louboutin Glitter Pump |
Friday, January 21, 2011
JosieAlbum's Album
Link to JosieAlbum's Photobucket Page
Lots of fun photos, including pictures of Josie, pretty dresses and a few captions.
Lots of fun photos, including pictures of Josie, pretty dresses and a few captions.
Is Hypnosis a Magic Pill?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the mythical "magic pill" - the pill that could change you permanently or, even better, temporarily into a woman http://lindamariedaniels.blogspot.com/2010/12/magic-pills.html
I think it would be wonderful to feel like I had really transformed, at least for a little while. I wouldn't want it to be permanent, but to be able to feel like I was really a woman, maybe for a day or two, is a wonderful fantasy.
I've been intrigued by hypnosis for a long time. My uncle was an amateur hypnotist and hypnotized people at several parties he gave. It was fun and funny but even then I wondered whether I could be hypnotized to feel like I had been transformed into a girl.
Starting sometime in my teens, occasionally when I would dress, I would employ the fantasy of having been hypnotized into having to crossdress. I think this "forced" aspect is not unusual for crossdressers who feel guilty about their passion. You can pretend that it's not you wanting to crossdress, but that you're having it imposed upon you.
Apparently it's a fairly common fantasy. I've seen many web sites that feature hypnotic feminization. These sites generally come in two flavors:
the "forced" sites where the man is tricked into being hypnotized and turned unwittingly into a woman (these tend to be fairly explicit)
the "nicer" sites that purport to be about helping crossdressers and transsexuals to feel more feminine and adopt more feminine traits and gestures
The "nicer" sites (which aren't always all that nice) suggest that with training, under hypnosis, you can achieve a kind of alternate state where, while you're aware you're really still a man, you also experience your feminine side more fully (whatever that means).
I've played around with a few free self hypnosis mp3 files. I find the idea intriguing and the part of me that fantasized years ago about being hypnotized and having to dress up still finds the idea exciting. Of course, I don't think I've ever achieved a real trance state, but it was fun listening to the files and pretending.
Is it possible, with a trained hypnotist, to achieve a trance state where, for a while at least, you feel like you've become a young beautiful woman? I doubt it, but it's a nice fantasy.
I think it would be wonderful to feel like I had really transformed, at least for a little while. I wouldn't want it to be permanent, but to be able to feel like I was really a woman, maybe for a day or two, is a wonderful fantasy.
I've been intrigued by hypnosis for a long time. My uncle was an amateur hypnotist and hypnotized people at several parties he gave. It was fun and funny but even then I wondered whether I could be hypnotized to feel like I had been transformed into a girl.
Starting sometime in my teens, occasionally when I would dress, I would employ the fantasy of having been hypnotized into having to crossdress. I think this "forced" aspect is not unusual for crossdressers who feel guilty about their passion. You can pretend that it's not you wanting to crossdress, but that you're having it imposed upon you.
Apparently it's a fairly common fantasy. I've seen many web sites that feature hypnotic feminization. These sites generally come in two flavors:
the "forced" sites where the man is tricked into being hypnotized and turned unwittingly into a woman (these tend to be fairly explicit)
the "nicer" sites that purport to be about helping crossdressers and transsexuals to feel more feminine and adopt more feminine traits and gestures
The "nicer" sites (which aren't always all that nice) suggest that with training, under hypnosis, you can achieve a kind of alternate state where, while you're aware you're really still a man, you also experience your feminine side more fully (whatever that means).
I've played around with a few free self hypnosis mp3 files. I find the idea intriguing and the part of me that fantasized years ago about being hypnotized and having to dress up still finds the idea exciting. Of course, I don't think I've ever achieved a real trance state, but it was fun listening to the files and pretending.
Is it possible, with a trained hypnotist, to achieve a trance state where, for a while at least, you feel like you've become a young beautiful woman? I doubt it, but it's a nice fantasy.
There's Something About Mary (Janes)
I may have mentioned once or fifty times that I love shoes. It's nothing as sordid as a shoe fetish, of course. It's just a sincere appreciation for cute shoes.
I love this pair from Cole Haan. Stephanie Air Mary Jane This is actually a link to Zappo's so there's even a short video description of these shoes.
Like many other crossdressers, I tend to get stuck a little bit loving the clothes and shoes that were in style when I first began to regularly crossdress. For me, this was just before high school. I remember going to high school dances (standing in the corner with the other shy boys), watching the girls dance with each other. Mary Janes with small heels were very popular at that time. There in the corner, I went through the common crossdresser train of thought - thinking how nice it would be to talk to and dance with a cute girl while at the same time being a little jealous of the cute clothes and shoes the girls were wearing. That may have been where my appreciation of Mary Janes started.
I love this pair from Cole Haan. Stephanie Air Mary Jane This is actually a link to Zappo's so there's even a short video description of these shoes.
Like many other crossdressers, I tend to get stuck a little bit loving the clothes and shoes that were in style when I first began to regularly crossdress. For me, this was just before high school. I remember going to high school dances (standing in the corner with the other shy boys), watching the girls dance with each other. Mary Janes with small heels were very popular at that time. There in the corner, I went through the common crossdresser train of thought - thinking how nice it would be to talk to and dance with a cute girl while at the same time being a little jealous of the cute clothes and shoes the girls were wearing. That may have been where my appreciation of Mary Janes started.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Crossdressing and General Geekiness
The other day I entered a search term like "best science fiction stories" into Google. One thing led to another and I wound up at site that had a science fiction story called The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model Before I even read the story (pretty good, by the way), I noticed that the author, Charlie Jane Anders, seemed familiar. Sure enough, it's the same Charlie Jane Anders who's the author of The Lazy Crossdresser Here's a link to her site: http://charliejane.com/
I'm not the first or even the thousandth person who's noticed there seem to be quite a few geeky people (software engineers, science fiction fans, electrical engineers, etc.) in the transgender community. I think a lot of this is because transgendered people who are online have to have at least a working knowledge of computers to even get online and, being online ourselves, those are the people we tend to notice. Especially for mostly closeted people like me. I know there are many transgendered people who are not geeky and are not even online (how do they live???) but it does seem like there's a higher percentage of geeky people among crossdressers.
There's more I can say, but, as usual, I'm late for something already.
What do other people think about this?
I'm not the first or even the thousandth person who's noticed there seem to be quite a few geeky people (software engineers, science fiction fans, electrical engineers, etc.) in the transgender community. I think a lot of this is because transgendered people who are online have to have at least a working knowledge of computers to even get online and, being online ourselves, those are the people we tend to notice. Especially for mostly closeted people like me. I know there are many transgendered people who are not geeky and are not even online (how do they live???) but it does seem like there's a higher percentage of geeky people among crossdressers.
There's more I can say, but, as usual, I'm late for something already.
What do other people think about this?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
If a woman dresses up like a drag queen, is that crossdressing?
Link to a very silly post at Tom and Lorenzo's Fabulous and Opinionated blog.
This post shows contestants in the Miss Universe pageant in their "national costumes" The women are gorgeous, the dresses are hilarious and the commentary snarky.
Here's a picture of Miss Curacao in her costume
If a real woman dresses like a drag queen, is that crossdressing?
Tom and Lorenzo Miss Universe pictures
This post shows contestants in the Miss Universe pageant in their "national costumes" The women are gorgeous, the dresses are hilarious and the commentary snarky.
Here's a picture of Miss Curacao in her costume
If a real woman dresses like a drag queen, is that crossdressing?
Tom and Lorenzo Miss Universe pictures
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Breakfast Anytime
The comedian Steve Wright tells this joke:
“I was at this restaurant. The sign said "Breakfast Anytime." So I ordered French Toast in the Renaissance.”
I like this joke. Now it probably doesn't have to do much with crossdressing, the role of fantasy in our lives, life satisfaction or even French Toast. It does, maybe, very tenuously, tie in to something I've been thinking about lately.
One of the great, amazing things about the Internet has been finding out how many people like us are out there. By us, I mean everyone on the so called continuum of gender identity from the very occasional crossdresser to true transsexuals.
In addition to the intensity of the need to crossdress or otherwise express a feminine aspect of ourselves, there also seem to be many many individual reasons for why and how we crossdress.
There are many crossdressers who just enjoy the wonderful feeling that many of us are familiar with that comes from putting on some item of feminine attire. Others may feel a personality transformation when they dress. For others, dressing is tied up allowing feelings of submissiveness that are otherwise buried to come to the surface. For many, crossdressing offers an escape from a stressful life period, a chance to lay down life's responsibilities, at least for a little while. I know for me, dressing up also involves giving myself permission to look nice - as a boy and man, I've also felt uncomfortable and vain in trying too hard to look good.
Sometimes, when I dress, at least in my fantasies, I'm not just an attractive middle-aged woman. I dream of being an attractive young woman in my 20s, well-dressed, outgoing and confident. I think partly this is because like many crossdressers, I get stuck in an idealized image of what a woman should look like based on what I imagine women were like at an important time of my life. I think that's why I also have fantasies of being a pretty, vivacious 16 year old.
It's funny that I seldom have fantasies about being a 20 something man. My 20s weren't bad. I miss certain aspects of being 25, including being in shape, being able to go my own way, not have a lot of responsibilities and not have a lot of the minor aches and pains I have to deal with. I miss those times to some degree, but I don't fantasize about being a 25 year old man.
However, I do fantasize about being a 25 year old woman.
One of the good deals about being a man as opposed to a woman is that despite some progress in equality of gender roles, it still seems easier for a man to age than it is for a woman. Men are not encouraged to use "age defying" skin care products and there's much more of a blurring of what's age appropriate dress for men than for women. Growing older for men (at least to a point) seems to be associated with increasing wisdom while for many women, growing older is associated with a loss of attractiveness and sexuality. It's not right but it's a prevailing sentiment in society. An example of how this works is the difficulty many actresses have in finding good roles after they turn 35, especially roles where they're considered attractive. Compare this to actors, like Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who were still considered attractive and sexy into their 70s.
One of the feelings I get sometimes is of "time running out" for me to look ok when I crossdress. Now, if I'm really honest with myself, time has already run out. Even on my best days wearing my cutest clothes and having applied my makeup well (through some miracle), I'm going to look like a middle-aged guy in a dress. Not much glamor there.
But the "time running out" feeling is exacerbated by the thought of being a late middle-aged, dowdy crossdresser. While in some ways, a crossdresser in his 50s or 60s may have more success passing as a woman than one in his 20s (especially if he wears age appropriate clothing and makeup), I don't find the prospect of being a dowdy but passable crossdresser especially attractive.
So, how does any of this tie in to "Breakfast Anytime?" I posted an entry a few weeks ago about magic pills in which I said I'd love a magic pill that would not only transform me into a woman temporarily but would also transform me into a young, beautiful woman. As long as I'm having unrealistic fantasies, may as well have really good ones. Not enough to have French Toast at 3:00 PM - I want to have my French Toast at 3:00 while being a gorgeous 25 year old in a pretty dress and cute pumps.
I think the crossdressers who are most satisfied with their lives are those who not only accept and celebrate the feminine aspect of themselves but also accept and celebrate their growing older. I'm still working on that part.
“I was at this restaurant. The sign said "Breakfast Anytime." So I ordered French Toast in the Renaissance.”
I like this joke. Now it probably doesn't have to do much with crossdressing, the role of fantasy in our lives, life satisfaction or even French Toast. It does, maybe, very tenuously, tie in to something I've been thinking about lately.
One of the great, amazing things about the Internet has been finding out how many people like us are out there. By us, I mean everyone on the so called continuum of gender identity from the very occasional crossdresser to true transsexuals.
In addition to the intensity of the need to crossdress or otherwise express a feminine aspect of ourselves, there also seem to be many many individual reasons for why and how we crossdress.
There are many crossdressers who just enjoy the wonderful feeling that many of us are familiar with that comes from putting on some item of feminine attire. Others may feel a personality transformation when they dress. For others, dressing is tied up allowing feelings of submissiveness that are otherwise buried to come to the surface. For many, crossdressing offers an escape from a stressful life period, a chance to lay down life's responsibilities, at least for a little while. I know for me, dressing up also involves giving myself permission to look nice - as a boy and man, I've also felt uncomfortable and vain in trying too hard to look good.
Sometimes, when I dress, at least in my fantasies, I'm not just an attractive middle-aged woman. I dream of being an attractive young woman in my 20s, well-dressed, outgoing and confident. I think partly this is because like many crossdressers, I get stuck in an idealized image of what a woman should look like based on what I imagine women were like at an important time of my life. I think that's why I also have fantasies of being a pretty, vivacious 16 year old.
It's funny that I seldom have fantasies about being a 20 something man. My 20s weren't bad. I miss certain aspects of being 25, including being in shape, being able to go my own way, not have a lot of responsibilities and not have a lot of the minor aches and pains I have to deal with. I miss those times to some degree, but I don't fantasize about being a 25 year old man.
However, I do fantasize about being a 25 year old woman.
One of the good deals about being a man as opposed to a woman is that despite some progress in equality of gender roles, it still seems easier for a man to age than it is for a woman. Men are not encouraged to use "age defying" skin care products and there's much more of a blurring of what's age appropriate dress for men than for women. Growing older for men (at least to a point) seems to be associated with increasing wisdom while for many women, growing older is associated with a loss of attractiveness and sexuality. It's not right but it's a prevailing sentiment in society. An example of how this works is the difficulty many actresses have in finding good roles after they turn 35, especially roles where they're considered attractive. Compare this to actors, like Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who were still considered attractive and sexy into their 70s.
One of the feelings I get sometimes is of "time running out" for me to look ok when I crossdress. Now, if I'm really honest with myself, time has already run out. Even on my best days wearing my cutest clothes and having applied my makeup well (through some miracle), I'm going to look like a middle-aged guy in a dress. Not much glamor there.
But the "time running out" feeling is exacerbated by the thought of being a late middle-aged, dowdy crossdresser. While in some ways, a crossdresser in his 50s or 60s may have more success passing as a woman than one in his 20s (especially if he wears age appropriate clothing and makeup), I don't find the prospect of being a dowdy but passable crossdresser especially attractive.
So, how does any of this tie in to "Breakfast Anytime?" I posted an entry a few weeks ago about magic pills in which I said I'd love a magic pill that would not only transform me into a woman temporarily but would also transform me into a young, beautiful woman. As long as I'm having unrealistic fantasies, may as well have really good ones. Not enough to have French Toast at 3:00 PM - I want to have my French Toast at 3:00 while being a gorgeous 25 year old in a pretty dress and cute pumps.
I think the crossdressers who are most satisfied with their lives are those who not only accept and celebrate the feminine aspect of themselves but also accept and celebrate their growing older. I'm still working on that part.
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