Dina’s Diner 8/21/15
DID YOU SEE THIS COMING?
Halloween is known as the crossdresser’s holiday. So is it any surprise that Caitlyn Jenner would have inspired a comical costume creation? Now the once-a-year-only crossdressing Halloween-er can almost safely dress in drag as a send-up of La Caitlyn which can be seen as either homage or burlesque.
The costume company (Spirit Halloween) selling the version I saw online, comes with a knockoff of the white bustier ensemble, a cheapo brown wig, and a sash emblazoned with “Call Me Caitlyn.” You really gotta laugh.
Well, since this is the Age of the Easily Offended, perhaps we can’t all laugh. A CNN online article recounted some of the grievances lodged by some TG individuals in a post dated August 25, 2015. “Do not turn Caitlyn Jenner into a costume. Your profit will only lead to greater transphobia and marginalization of an already at-risk community,” according to an online petition that is posted by the Change.org website.
Another novelty company (WholesaleCostumes.com) has a Caitlyn version which they categorized with their other “Humor” costumes. “It’s really clear that the costume is meant to make fun of Caitlyn and transgender people by putting it under the category of humor,” Kris Hayashi of the Transgender Law Center said. “We’re in a moment of ongoing violence and crisis in the community. It’s a real affront to the community to think you can make fun of transgender people and go to a party dressed like Caitlyn when we’re struggling to survive on a daily basis,” Hayashi finished. Maybe the costume company should have categorized it under their “Glowing Tribute for Personal Courage” costumes — if they have such a thing.
Halloween is for fun — especially for adults who have turned a simple candy gorge for kids into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Please don’t get too exercised about a funny jab to a very easy target.
IS THIS REALLY THE MEN’S DEPARTMENT?
The New York Times Thursday Styles section had an article about gender-neutral fashions in the August 20, 2015 edition. When I was growing up (ahem…) it was referred to as “unisex” fashion. But despite the notoriety of peacock fashions for men, the brief androgyny of some rock stars and female models, the unisex thing in the 1970s never really took off.
But now, some fashion houses are reviving the idea of clothing that works for both men and women. Some retailers are also embracing the concept with window displays and floor space devoted to gender-free clothing.
Cultural shifts now seem stronger in favor of blurred gender lines than they did in the swinging sixties and seventies (when it was still viewed as only an aberration). A director of the trend forecasting arm of the J. Walter Thompson marketing firm said “Among the cohort of 12-to-19 year olds defining Generation Z, the lines between male and female are becoming increasingly blurred.”
As luck would have it for the clothing sellers, the modern generation of young people are also less brand conscious — actually wary of brands. So the designers benefiting from the unisex look are smaller independent labels. The seeming flood of transgender personalities — models and entertainers — has bolstered the trend but is not the target audience. The thought is that ordinary young men and women will be willing to purchase and wear the same garment without wondering if it’s for men or women.
Needless to say, there are skeptics. “We may think we’re in a new phase, but we aren’t necessarily” said Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a fashion historian to a Times reporter. “What we’re talking about is the leading edge of fashion, not what you’re going to find at J Crew. Still, every time these trends come up they push the boundaries a little bit more.”
A PARTICULAR VISION OF FEMININITY
I saw an article about a Taiwanese McDonald’s cashier on the HuffingtonPost.com website on August 24, 2015. Here is a brief introduction about the same cashier that was posted on another website by Paul Tamburo for Craveonline.com:
“Cashier Wei Han Xu, known as Weiwei, has now become something of a minor celebrity in the region, amassing over 87,000 likes on her Facebook page, along with appearing on a selection of Taiwanese variety shows. Weiwei has also garnered a part-time job as a model as a result of her new-found exposure, though she reportedly still works in the McDonald’s that made her famous.”
Weiwei has “become a viral sensation after a customer took pictures of the big-eyed beauty at work and posted them on his blog. “It’s my pleasure to introduce her from Taiwan to the world,” [blogger] RainDog told The Huffington Post.” Even AdWeek, the industry trade journal for the advertising and public relations crowd, wrote about her “stunning, porcelain-doll-faced appearance,” continuing that she could “easily double as an anime character.” The notoriety has made Weiwei a celebrity of sorts, appearing on Taiwanese talk shows and her own social media accounts have exploded with followers, according to the reports.
The Taiwanese McDonald’s franchises apparently have higher dress standards than ours and she usually wears a sharp striped blouse, dark skirt and feminine bowtie. But at least on one occasion, the cashiers dressed as french maids and that certainly also spurred interest in Weiwei. You can see Weiwei in both outfits here.
She isn’t a transgender or crossdresser but Wei Han Xu’s sudden popularity points up the power of a feminine image ideal. Even in as mundane an environment as a McDonald’s, a beautiful feminine image, aided by the right habillements, can be transcendent. And isn’t that what most crossdressers are striving for?
IS THIS GOOD FOR BUSINESS?
So much has been written about Caitlyn Jenner but I heard an interesting perspective on her influence from an old friend that was worth sharing. Our friendship goes way back via postal mail correspondence in the 1990s although we’ve never met person-to-person. After many years, we re-connected via email.
My friend — who will remain unnamed — enjoys going out in public crossdressed by herself. She is not transgender except in the most general sense and has a full family life as a husband and father. She has the advantage of looking good as a woman of a certain age. I’ve told her she has the “MILF” look although her chronological age qualifies her as a grandmother.
Recently, she wrote this: “It’s been interesting with Caitlin Jenner’s coming out. It makes it more awkward for me since it’s drawn a lot of attention to the whole TG/crossdressing issue. I can’t fit quite as comfortably under the radar. Also when my friends (non-CD who have no idea I do this) talk about Caitlin, my responses are probably just a little awkward. Wish “she” hadn’t brought so much attention to this issue.”
It could be that some crossdressers or trans people who were comfortable passing or being able to stealthily slip through the unconscious net of most observers might now be “caught” by citizens who have become attuned to the idea of CDs and TGs in their midst. Well, that’s one of those unexpected things and the world never stands still for too long.
GIRL, YOU’LL BE A WOMAN SOON
No, not you, silly reader. I speak now of young actress Ariel Winter. The seventeen year old co-star of the television series Modern Family recently announced she would undergo breast reduction surgery.
According to a CNN.com article, “Ariel Winter was taken by surprise when, at age 15, her breasts blossomed to a 32F cup size. Now 17, the 5’1” Modern Family star says she “feels like a new person” since getting a breast reduction in June, going down to a size 34D. “I got it for myself,” she told Glamour magazine. “I can’t even really put it into words about how amazing it feels to really feel right. Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet always had to do with ‘Ariel Winter’s Crazy Cleavage!’ Or ‘Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs At An Event!’ “That’s all people would recognize me by, not, “Oh, she does great work on Modern Family.”
Well, I guess I am one of those who was fascinated by the teen’s gigantic boobs. I wrote about her earlier this year after she posted prom photos sporting a deep cleavage baring gown. Imagine all the twenty-something actresses in Hollywood who feel under-endowed, some perhaps opting for boob jobs to further their career prospects. I wonder how many heads are shaking that a teenager was perhaps over-blessed in that department. Mother Nature is a madwoman with a wicked sense of humor. I wish Ariel well. And, heck, 34D ain’t nothing to sneeze at.
Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment, Transgender Opinion