Dina’s Diner 8/19/24

IT’S JUST CLOTHING, RIGHT?

I came across an article on a blog site called WholePersonIntegration.com. It was headlined Crossdressing: It’s Just Dressing. The author was Dr. Denise Renye. The posting wasn’t dated but it referenced events as recently as 2022 so it is pretty current. There are some points in her essay that are well taken and some that miss the mark.

Dr. Renye discusses the generational difference in how gender dressing is viewed. She writes, “Not that long ago crossdressing was the brunt of many jokes. It was considered the height of hilarity to put a man in a dress and heels or a woman in a too-large man’s suit.” She suggests that some young people nowadays might be surprised to hear this.

She points to some celebrities who have tested the edges of androgyny or outright crossdressing without any negative reaction. For example, did you know Brad Pitt wore a long skirt to a movie premiere in 2022? I didn’t. [Editor’s Note: He also did a female fashion photo shoot in 1999.] But while that may be crossdressing in its literal meaning, it is not quite the ‘crossdressing’ that you and I think of. Likewise the example she advances of pop singer Harry Styles who also has worn some gender bending outfits. I can even throw in the example of actor Billy Porter who has made crossdressing on red carpets a part of his persona.

The article quotes a source that claims “twenty-seven percent of teens identify as gender non-conformist; eighty-one percent of Gen Z believe a person shouldn’t be defined by their gender; and fifty-six percent of Gen Z shop outside their assigned gender.” Those are high percentages indicating young people today see clothing options more freely and would not judge harshly those who are gender fluid.

I keep coming back to the concept of crossdressing, though, as something more involved than simply choosing articles of clothing typically worn by the opposite gender. I think the readership here at TGForum goes deeper than simply wearing the clothes. Wigs, cosmetics, accessories, deportment, and even a transformed mindset are also elements for complete crossdressing. A celebrity or a Gen Z person with nonbinary clothing items is not trying to be viewed as a woman (or man). Dr. Renye may be onto something that could lead to an even better future for crossdressing (as you and I practice it) but we are hardly in a brave new judgment-free zone at this point in time.

She concludes: “Clothing is an expression of who you are. If you want to wear a dress, wear a dress. The most important thing is that you are expressing yourself to your fullest capacity. Limits be damned.” I like that giddy-up attitude but I don’t think we’re quite all the way there yet.

THE CIA OR THE CD-IA?

I came across an article on the DailyWire.com opinion site. It was headlined Biden’s Top Intelligence Agency Says Crossdressing Makes Man ‘Better Intelligence Officer’ Internal Docs Show. The item appeared on March 19, 2024. The article was based on an internal newsletter known as The Dive published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The Daily Wire site is a strident right wing political opinion journal. It’s filled with the usual conservative, anti-government sentiment, and (in this case especially) the crusade against “wokeness” embodied in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. So I read their article with a skeptical eye. The edition of The Dive in which the crossdressing article appeared was included in their piece. They had filed for a FOIA release of the material and it was marked as such. The article by the unnamed intelligence officer seems to be a legitimate item published by the newsletter.

The article is kind of clunkily written and some of the simplistic statements the author makes seemed strange to the point of parody. Here are a couple examples: “I am better now at understanding foreign actors. Crossdressing has helped me understand that other people – including those we study in the intelligence community – experience life differently. I’m better at understanding clandestine assets and their motivations. I understand the motivation to keep secrets and who you are. Crossdressing can also be a useful disguise. I am more aware of, and hopefully supporting, my women colleagues. I now have a better appreciation for how it can be uncomfortable to wear women’s clothes sometimes. I know firsthand how wearing heels can make your feet hurt and make it take longer to walk somewhere. Although I like wearing a bra, I know it isn’t comfortable for everyone, and is less comfortable after a few hours. On top of the biases that women often face at work, it must be hard to be uncomfortable, too.”

The author also refers to crossdressing in the workplace and that was surprising given the potential places of work (CIA, NSA, FBI, etc.) covered by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. I don’t know what to make of this article and I still wonder if it’s completely on the level. Naturally, the staff at the Daily Wire would run it as a prime example of the frivolity of DEI initiatives. None of what the author said is untrue and I guess we need to remember that not everyone who works in the intelligence community is a swashbuckling secret agent or a recruit from an Ivy League spy network. Somewhere there is at least one out crossdresser in our intelligence bureaucracy and probably many others who remain (unsurprisingly) clandestine hiding their femme identity from their, uh, born identity.

I BLUSH TO EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

I saw an interesting article on the Vox.com site headlined From Sabrina Carpenter to ‘Blush Blindness’ Why’s Everyone Wearing Blush? It appeared on July 30, 2024

If you’re like me, you might be wondering who Sabrina Carpenter is. And perhaps surprised that blush wasn’t already being worn by everyone until recently. Here at the Diner, we do like cosmetics but my servers Lil and Roz are still rocking the blue eyeshadow look so perhaps we’re not as au courant as some.

According to Vox.com, “over the past three years, blush has become a must-have beauty product.” Some brands have increased by 36 percent over last year’s sales. Amazon reported that they sold $59 million in blush all by themselves. Blush is seen as a warmer cosmetic application than earthier contouring products. [A quick interjection here: blush is the usually pinkish coloration for cheeks and contour is usually a darker skin tone to create shadow or contrast on the face.] The article included this interesting tidbit: “Contouring and highlighting had finally gone mainstream after years of being practiced by drag queens. The goal was to make the face look as angular and “snatched” as possible with little to no emphasis on vibrant colors. Instead, consumers prioritized a shimmery, metallic finish with bronzers and translucent highlighters.” It surmised that the pandemic helped change the focus from stylized glamour as “everyone seemed to prioritize the health and appearance of their natural skin.”

The “blush blindness” referred to in the headline is what happens when users get a little too comfortable with the application and don’t recognize that they have “over-blushed” themselves. Some of the newer products are liquid applications (not like the old drug store powder products). One short video clip shows a multi-layered blush process that appears pretty natural even though the cheeks are positively rosy with pink. One technique called the “strawberry girl” look includes blusher on the tip of the nose, chin, brow and forehead. This isn’t your Mom’s blush application, gurls. Trendsetters are rebelling against the idea of “blush blindness” by “embracing a brave self-expression for any occasion.”

The Vox article offers this parting (perhaps exaggerated) thought: “It might just be that blush has become the ultimate form of feminine self-expression.”

BACK TO SCHOOL, YOUNG LADY

Last week I was in a local Walmart and noticed there were several groups of young women shopping together. I live in a college town and it was clear they were doing some shopping for class or dorm room supplies. The arresting part, of course, was seeing healthy young women in short-shorts, crop tops and long legs sauntering among the aisles.

For crossdressers, the racy schoolgirl is right there with many other iconic images that inspire us in our feminine pursuits. As with so many of these images, the racy schoolgirl, the naughty nurse, the sexy woman cop, and the classic French Maid are not actually found in the wild (except at Halloween parties). But as a public service for Diner patrons, here are some items you’ll need to go back to your own exclusive, private school: A white dress shirt, classic striped necktie, a skirt (preferably plaid) and extremely short, white knee socks or anklets, black MaryJane style shoes. Variations like the romper and platform shoes shown here also work.

It’s interesting that the classic schoolgirl look involves a bit of crossdressing already with the girls wearing boys’ dress shirts and neckties.

If you must run out to buy some supplies, I suggest you visit your favorite big box store soon while the college girls are still on the prowl. You won’t regret it.

OLYMPIC FEATS OF SEXINESS

The recently concluded Summer Olympics saw a few competitors being noticed for more than just their athletic abilities. I applaud this development that has been occurring for several Olympics now. And I have reported on some examples from past Olympics here at the Diner in years gone by.

One of the first examples I saw being posted online was Yuliya Levchenko, a Ukrainian high jumper. The photos made her appear to be a truly Barbiesque woman with white blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and a perfectly formed face. I wonder if some of these were photoshopped because some other photos showed her looking much less photogenic although still very attractive.

Giorgia Villa with cheese.

Another example popped up online when photos of Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa posed on a giant wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese appeared all over the web. The trade association for the aforementioned cheese sponsored Giorgia and the photos were promotional pix taken before the Olympics. Giorgia won a silver medal for herself and Italy a few weeks ago. I thought the photographic angle was interesting for crossdressers. We all have a leotard (even if not bedazzled as an Olympic suit) somewhere in our closets. Perhaps you’d like to recreate Giorgia’s perch atop a giant slab of cheese. Beware though. A large wheel of aged Parmigiano Reggiano can run as high as $3,000. Maybe a dish of runny brie, or a thick wedge of Jarlsberg could be a less expensive albeit much smaller substitute.

Choe Dae Han and The Widowmaker

Yet another entry in the sexy Olympics came from a source not usually mentioned in the same breath as sexiness: competitive rifle shooting. A photo of South Korean competitor Choe Dae Han changed all that – at least for me. Besides the gay news site linked above, a Reddit.com group picked up the accompanying sexy pose of Choe Dae and noted it shared a resemblance to animated game icon The Widowmaker. The point of similarity is how he arches his back, creating a graceful arc down to the out-thrust buttocks while taking aim. It would make a pretty cool ‘crossplay’ outfit for Halloween if you can arch your back and push out your moneymaker like the impeccably conditioned Choe Dae Han. Yeah, I didn’t think so. Me neither.

Tags: featured, opinion

Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment