Hair

 Despite my tech problems over the last few weeks at last I seem to have a new laptop so I'm still getting used to that which usually involves downloading all the stuff you had on the last one and yet it also seems somewhat needier as I'm getting a lot more pop-ups now...but you all probably don't want to hear about stuff like this. 

Something bigger though is that my living situation may be about to change as my housemate is moving out soon although before all that he recently gifted me a wig that his girlfriend bought for reasons as yet unknown. Now, as I have said before, I've never really been one much for wigs as I've often found them a bit hot and cumbersome when I've worn them for cosplay. This one however, which is black with blonde highlights, is really comfortable and fits really nice. I think my cosplay wigs are often the cheapest I can buy too but this is quite well made. I've been trying it on more and more and seeing how it looks but it still looks rather odd with my face there and I can see it kind of sticking out. 

I've been thinking a bit more about cosplay recently and I do follow quite a lot of other cosplayers on social media and right now I'm feeling a rather inadequate. I think with the kind of cosplay I do I feel I need to do the wigs and make-up part and it's something I've never really mastered or, to be honest, attempted much of. I think that's also why I've never tried to get some more proper pictures taken because I don't feel good enough. I don't see myself stopping anytime soon though as there are still some costumes I would love to wear but, thinking about it for a bit, I wonder if, although I started out with cosplay, I haven't moved on a bit and that my new cosplay has become the everyday. Putting together outfits for work (from home of course) or going out (when such things still happened) has become my main goal and what I want to do with my fashion for the moment. It's easier when it's all laid out for you of course but there's a lot of fun in the discovery and playing about with different clothes and looks. 

The Week in Crossdressing #4

It's not been the best of weeks. Crossdressing was in the news this week due to author J.K Rowling's new detective novel Troubled Blood (written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith). I won't go heavily into this as Ms Rowling and her comments on trans people are quite well known and this has stirred everything up again. Also, I've not read the source material myself. The story can be found below.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/jk-rowling-new-book-troubled-blood-transphobic-strike-tweet-b444955.html

I find it a shame that transvestite killers are still a trope in this day and age. Silence of the Lambs has been mentioned however I think it goes back at least to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho although there was at least a reason why Norman Bates dressed up and it wasn't anything to do with a fetish. It's still seen as something very seedy and something to be scared of. Hopefully programmes like Ru Paul's Drag Race and more public figures embracing crossdressing along with ongoing discussions about different gender identities will at least help it become more acceptable and less like a seedy, perverted activity performed by lonely men in run down bedsits.

One more thing I wanted to mention is something I meant to last week and that's a TV programme Hayley Goes...Gender Curious. It's one in a series in which Hayley Pearce, former star of The Call Centre documentary, tries out various things for a month including going sober and going vegan. It was a pleasing grab bag of various gender related talking points including pronouns, crossdressing, male make-up, gender identity and trans issues. Hayley is a bubbly, likeable, down to earth presenter which I think helps with the issues presented. There's also a particularly good explanation of the 'they' pronoun through the use of a jacket on a chair.

One final mention is for a company I've just come across, Bettertights. I can't vouch for the quality of the product though. So why am I mentioning it? Well they're another company who have championed diversity and inclusivity which is always nice to hear because we all need less judgment in our choice of clothing.

My Week #9

 I had hoped to complete (or even start) the third and final part of The Beach this week but unfortunately I haven't really had the time plus some technology issues. I was due to have a new laptop this week but looks like it was delivered to the wrong address or someone just plain stole it so that's a depressing thought. Not that I'm oblivious to the fact that people can be shits but I had a little more faith in humanity than that. Mistakes I can handle.

Anyway, in lieu of that I thought I would add a couple of things I saw this week. First up was the film Predestination which is a 2014 sci-fi movie starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook that centres around time travel. I don't want to say an awful lot about it as it's best going in cold but if generally you like time travel movies then give this a go. It's still on Amazon Prime here in the UK. The film deals with transgender themes alongside those of identity although they aren't the main focus. The design aspect is brilliant too with some great 1960s style dresses for the Space Force sequences and a cool take on a time machine.

The other one is a music video. I'm surprised I've never done a series on music videos as there are more that deal with TG, crossdressing and body swapping than you would think. The below is the 2011 song TYP D.I.S.C.O by Israeli electro pop group The Young Professionals which also stars Israeli drag artist and gay icon Uriel Yekutiel.

Looking up the details for this post I'm surprised that this is nine years old. I know that musically I don't have my finger on the pulse much anymore but this is ridiculous. Anyway this is an excellent video with a cool 80s vibe to it and I'm thrilled that a male performer is wearing the same outfits as the female dancers. He's very Freddie Mercury too. 

The Beach: Part Two

Becky sauntered along the beach, her long blonde hair flowing in the wind almost colliding with the ice creams she had just bought. Dressed in a skimpy pink bikini she attracted a lot of attention and loved every minute of it. She always flashed back a wink and a grin at whichever man’s eyes caught hers. By contrast Samantha was dressed a little too warmly for a day on the beach as a brown shawl covered her shoulders with black socks and Doc Marten boots covering her feet. Her one concession to the beach was the blue one-piece swimsuit she wore and not even the sun would make her look up from her Charles Dickens omnibus. The one thing that did make her do so though was a mint choc-chip ice cream casually placed in the large tome like a bookmark and a giggling Becky as she licked her raspberry ripple; the colour almost matching her bright red fingernails. The two girls, both in their early 20s were college roommates but had very different outlooks on the day.

“Uh…thanks…I think,” said Samantha lifting the treat from the pages of her book. “Welcome!” trilled Becky. “Now are you going to put that down and come and have a swim with me? You said you would try and enjoy the day.” “How can I with all this revision and college starting up in a few weeks. You know, you should be doing this too!” “I will do but c’mon Sam it’s summer. We’re entitled to a break to recharge our thingummies,” “Yeah, and we both know what you like to plug into to recharge,” Samantha noted as two men with washboard chests and tiny Speedos jogged by and caught Becky’s eye. “I can’t help it if there are so many hotties down…” her voice trailed off as the beach went silent and a bell tolled somewhere in the background.

The ice creams were the first casualty as the girls dropped them into the sand with Samantha’s book making a dull thud as it hit the ground when she stood up but yet she didn’t seem to worry as they were both caught in the Silent Swapper’s trance. The two friends then began undressing and switching clothes. It didn’t take Becky long to untie her short bikini and take off her pink flip-flops to present them to Samantha while the other girl peeled off her layers. A few moments ago Samantha, as much as she liked her friend, would not have been seen dead in her beach attire but now she casually slipped into it as if she had done so that morning; tying the top around her neck as a bigger chest filled it up and pulling up the thong bikini bottom which accentuated her ass as it was rounding itself out. Her skin was a little more tanned and evidence of a skincare regime could be seen. Smart red fingernails replaced her stubby ones and long brown hair with pink highlights replaced her black bob. She slid her feet, also with matching red toenails, into Becky’s pink flip-flops.

Becky’s skin grew less tanned and a little greasier to match a life spent inside reading as she dressed in Samantha’s blue swimsuit that covered more of her body than she usually liked. She pulled on the black socks over her now colourless toenails and covered them in the black boots with the thick soles. As her once bright blonde hair dulled and shortened itself into a dirty brown bob, she pulled the brown shawl over her shoulders and gave a shiver. Her nails grew shorter and she picked up the book from the sand. Becky then gave Samantha her hot pink heart-shaped sunglasses from the top of her head in exchange for her more functional silver reading glasses and took her seat on the blanket. Time soon restarted and the chatter from the beach filled the air once more.

“What…was I saying?” Sammie looked puzzled. “Oh darn and where’s my ice cream!” “You probably ate it,” Rebecca looked up from her book, wiping the sand away “What the hell happened to this? Did I fall asleep?” “Probably. That book looks way boring,” snorted Sammie. “See, just another reason why you shouldn’t be reading at the beach. Come for a swim with me, pleeease!” “Ok, ok, maybe in like half an hour. I need to sort this out” she replied. Sammie looked up as a new car arrived in the car park and suddenly her face lit up. “Oooh fresh fish! I’m gonna go and greet them” she smiled, adjusting her bikini slightly and prancing away. “Typical. Those poor dudes,” Rebecca smiled and said to herself as she turned the page and resumed reading her book.