Dina’s Diner 8/9/21

CAN FAILURE BE A SUCCESS?

The 2020/2021 Olympics is notable for the participation of some transgender athletes. An Outsports.com article from May 2021 listed nine possible trans Olympics and Para-Olympics competitors. Some did not make the final cuts to be included on their countries’ teams. But some did.

Laurel Hubbard

The most notable was Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, whose participation in meets leading up to the Olympics was always controversial. This is the first Olympics appearance for trans athletes although the Olympic committee governing body has allowed trans participation since 2004 and further eased the rules in 2015. The other notable trans athlete in the games this summer is a Canadian soccer player who goes by the single name Quinn. They will be the first trans medal winner as the Canadian women’s soccer won their finals match for gold.

Quinn the Olympian

An article on the MSNBC.com website dated August 2, 2021 noted that two other trans competitors did not make it into the games. A BMX rider named Chelsea Wolfe was an alternate for the U.S. team but will not participate. A marathon runner named Megan Youngen came up short in the Olympic trials, finishing 306th, according to the MSNBC article.

So let’s take a look at these results in light of the phobic push to keep trans athletes off women’s sports teams. As you know, the movement is making its way across the nation on a state-by-state march. The argument takes two forms: that trans athletes are physically superior to biological women; and that trans athletes are taking spots away from women athletes because of their biological advantages.

Poor Megan Youngen, the marathoner, finished behind 305 biological women. I daresay she did not feel particularly superior to any women runners after that tally was made. Quinn, who will bring a gold medal back to Canada, is one of 18 members of the Canadian soccer team. A quick online search could find no mention of how they played – only that they were the first trans player. So it doesn’t appear Quinn is bowling over the women in competition on the field. And finally, Lauren Hubbard the weightlifter did not even obtain a score during her match. Why? Because she failed to make an official lift. That’s right, the powerful trans weightlifter couldn’t lift the weight she attempted. Apparently, the medals went to biological women competitors.

In the long run, these less-than-stellar performances may be better for trans inclusion in athletics when people see there is nothing to fear by allowing trans competitors in women’s sports.

THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT MAKE-UP

Bridal cosmetic magic.

I found a fascinating article on a site called RonProject.com headlined Fifteen Brides Before and After Having Their Makeup Done. It appeared on the site June 4, 2021.

The bridal cosmetics were performed by “Arber Bytyqi . . . a talented makeup artist based in Prizren, Kosovo. With now over 298K follows on Instagram, Bytyqi has gained an impressive internet fame thanks to his stunning transformations.” The collection of brides-to-be include a lot of young women who would not necessarily elicit any double-takes for their natural beauty. The cosmetic magic of course makes them look like Miss Universe winners.

According to the article the cosmetics magician began drawing women’s eyes and dresses and playing with his mother’s cosmetics as a young boy. Although he got a Master’s degree in economics at the insistence of his family, he decided to pursue his interest in cosmetology.

Looking at these photos it is amazing how the techniques of makeup application can change the entire look of a person’s face. As crossdressers we know this. People who watch RuPaul’s Drag Race see it often. But the idea that a female can be so radically transformed in appearance is still hard to believe. No wonder we don’t see more of those “celebrities without makeup” features that pop up every so often.

Elsewhere in the article, Mr. Bytyqi says that he always wants to see the dress to be worn so he can create a complementary makeover for the bride. The article didn’t say what factors enter into this approach or how cosmetics can be used to synch the face to the fashions. It’s an interesting idea that might be worth looking into for future dressing sessions, dear readers.

The article quotes Mr. Bytyqi, “Makeup is like jewelry for the face. Play with colors and shapes. Don’t be afraid to transform yourself. At the end of the day, you can just clean it.”

IS IT SUSTAINABLE? OF CORSET IS

There have been a lot of articles about how the pandemic lock-downs (and recent return to semi-normal) have affected many facets of life this past eighteen months or so. Here at the Diner I’ve written about the resurgence of high heels, makeup for Zoom calls, and now an article about artisanal corsets. This latest after I saw an article headlined Meet The 25-Year-Old Designer Turning Tablecloths and Tea Towels Into “High-Fantasy” Corsets that appeared on the Refinery29.com website on July 20, 2021.

A corset by Rosie Evans.

The designer’s name is Rosie Evans–all of 25 years old and now something of a fashion star. The Refinery29 article is fairly short so I will copy bits in their entirety. “Evans, 25, initially planned to become a costume designer before realizing that creating costume-esque looks for everyday people, rather than actors, was more rewarding. Corsets, in particular, became a primary interest of hers. After studying them at length at the University of the West of England in Bristol — she researched the style in her final year–but never actually making one herself, she one day just said, “Why not?””

The article mentions that corsets became a hot fashion topic in 2021 thanks to the Bridgerton TV series and celebrities like Billie Eilish (see my May Diner item) and Dua Lipa sporting them. The article points out: “During the pandemic, people’s consumption habits have changed, with many seeking out more eco-conscious fashion. Then there is the price factor. “Obviously corsets have been really big lately,” she says, “but not a lot of people are making them sustainably or they are making traditional corsets which are very expensive because they’re made to your measurements.” On the contrary, Evans makes everything out of recycled materials, and crafts pieces that, though designed in a traditional way – she uses historical corsets as a blueprint for her designs–are more fashion-forward and easy to wear. Price-wise, they typically go for between £120 and £160 (roughly $210 to $275). In comparison, corsets from a lingerie brand like Agent Provocateur can cost upwards of $1,000.”

Rosie’s corsets have a softer, homespun appearance than the steel boned fetish corsets we see on certain other websites. (Ahem). She crafts them out of pillowcases, tea towels, vintage doilies and other scraps of materials. That’s the sustainability part of her design process. Repurposing discarded items into sweet, feminine, and yes, tight corsets for the stylish modern woman.

THERE SHE WAS JUST A-WALKIN’ DOWN THE STREET

The New York Post had an interesting article on July 5, 2021 headlined Ukraine Criticized for Making Female Cadets Parade in Heels.

Women cadets in Ukraine.

The article began thusly: “Ukraine’s defense minister is under pressure from members of the government over the decision to have female military cadets wear pumps with heels in an important parade.” The parade was part of the festivities celebrating Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of freedom from Soviet rule.

Apparently, the Ukraine defense department was trying to make a statement about its female military members in a pre-parade press release. The Post reported, “It noted that about 57,000 women serve in the country’s armed forces and “have proved their worth not in heels, but with machine guns.” Going for the beauty and ballistics angle, I guess. Of course, it ran afoul of most government observers. “The purpose of any military parade is to demonstrate the military ability of the army. There should be no room for stereotypes and sexism,” said a joint statement from three Cabinet members, including Minister of Veterans Affairs Yulia Laputina.

The Defense Minister dug himself in a little deeper (the Post reported) when he instructed the military “to look into whether ‘experimental’ shoes — ankle boots, according to news reports — could be worn by the female cadets instead of the pumps with heels. The military offered no explanation as to why female cadets were wearing a different type of shoe than male cadets.” When I was a kid, a common insult was ‘Your mother wears army boots’ but if your Mom’s in the army, uh, why not?

I know that the high heels angle was the catnip in this story but I kinda dig the whole look of the Ukraine cadets here. Notice their camo fatigues are considerably tighter (I’m sure) than their male counterparts would be. Who needs a catwalk or the Rockettes for that matter when you have a line of tough military women cadencing in high step down the boulevard?

SHE’S ‘BEHIND’ BARS NOW

I saw a couple of reports about the jail sentence meted out to Flavia Tamayo recently. Oh, Flavia Tamayo is better known as the 2018 winner of Brazil’s Miss Bum Bum Contest. She was arrested last year for drug trafficking and prostitution. The court handed down a sentence of 8 years for the multiple offenses.

Flavia Tamayo

According to the reports, Flavia was a key figure in a prostitution ring that also distributed drugs to their clients. They also believed the ring was involved in wider drug distribution schemes. At the time of her arrest in a Brazilian hotel, Flavia caused a loud and physical fuss and began taking her dress off, perhaps to make it appear she was being victimized. The reports pointed out that prostitution in individual transactions is not illegal in Brazil but organized services or brothels are outlawed. (Good to know.)

Quite a while ago, I wrote an item about the Miss Bum Bum Contest and some of the participants. I don’t remember Flavia specifically but all those girls had some massive (but still shapely) derrieres. Flavia later performed in some adult films under the name Pamela Pantera and was once a covergirl for the Portugal edition of Playboy magazine.

It’s sad to see someone fall from the height of booty fame to the bottom of the judicial system. But it’s apparent it was no bum rap. Prostitution and drug selling landed Flavia behind bars. If you flout the rules of society, the system will rear back and spank you with everything they got. It was especially troubling to read that she made an ass of herself during her arrest. There are no if’s, and’s, or buttocks about it: Flavia is guilty. The jail in Espirito Santo will be the new quarters for her hindquarters. The only thing she can look forward to is that at the end of her fourth year of incarceration, she will be on the backside of her sentence. And that is the end of this story.

Tags: featured, opinion

Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment, Transgender Opinion