A Quick Plug for the Girls on Crossdressers.com

I just wanted to put a good word out for the crossdresser message board at Crossdressers.com. I joined back in November of 2007 and they have been nothing but a joy to talk to and have been very supportive. If you happen to hit my blog before you came across cossdressers.com (highly unlikely) may I suggest you stop there and take a look around.

They have something for everyone, not just for crossdressers but also for the friends and family that support them. And if you do join, when you post on the new member board, tell them that Tracy Schapes sent you! I won't get any free coupons for shoes or makeup from them (I wish), I just want to return the favor.

Yes, Let's bring the Wig Party back!

Or, at least that what I thought they were talking about. Come to find out they were talking about some old political Whig party from the 1800's, and they didn't even spell it the same way. I mean if is was such good party why did Abraham Lincoln dump it?

Anyway, so I decided to have my own wig party. I've had these same three wigs that seems forever. Two I won't show, because one is a poodle hair blond wig from the early nineties and the other one I'm trying to resurrect, but it maybe too far gone. I didn't take good care of it, and since then, I've learned how (I'll share that latter). It's a Jon Renau brand and when it was new I loved it.

The blond pageboy that you see in my profile is one of the old ones. I really like the style and color, but alas it is getting a little thin on top (much like my own hair underneath). Now granted you may have to stand on a ladder to see this wig's flaws, but none the less, I know it's there. It is a René of Paris wig and I've had real good luck with this brand.

So it was time to buy some new wigs. I looked at a number of places on-line and decided to go with wigs.com. So far so good. Their website is setup nice and they've delivered real fast, usually within five business days. I suggest if you want to shop there, become a member. In this way you will get an instant discount. And on top of that, if you get emails from them, they sometime run specials so you can get even more off.

I feel the wig is the most important item for being a Gender Illusionist. My proof for this argument is: If you want to initially fool someone that they're looking at a girl and not a guy, throw a wig on them and shoot from behind. Check out the Justin Timberlake Pepsi Commercial. Just 18 seconds into the commercial and you have a beautiful blond sitting at a window and she turns around and it's a guy with two days of beard growth. Ha, fooled ya.

Now the wig I wanted to buy and the wigs I bought were two different things. I wanted a René of Paris Amore line. This is the top of the line wig. My problem was that I measured my head (and no it's not fat, thank you very much) and it measured 23 inches. Now according to a number of web sites I should not be buying an average size wig cap, that's for heads up to 22 inches. So I need a large size wig cap because of my big noggin.

Since the Amore line can easily run $200 and up, I did not want to take a chance on spending that kind of money and not having it fit. The problem is, if you wear a wig, even once, you can't return it. You may look at it and inspect it for flaws and for color, but that's about it. Now I don't know if the wig sellers have a way of discovering whether you have tried it on or not. You know, maybe they use an ultra-violet lamp or such. But I was not willing to take a chance. So instead I bought an average cap René of Paris wig from their regular "Hi-Fashion" line and a large cap Revlon wig. The reason why cap sizes matters to me is that there are very few wigs made with a large cap size and are half-way attractive.

So I buy the two wigs and you know what I found? I must be on the cusp of sizes. The average cap size is a little snug and the large cap size seems a bit roomy. Since I'm right on the edge and there are more choices with the average cap size, I'm not going to pay attention to cap size anymore.

I thought I would use the same outfit, but change the wigs. I was going for a more sexy look in these pictures. Well, maybe I should just go back to smiling.

This is my old pageboy wig. Like I said it's a René of Paris.





















The wig you see here is called Bailey and the color is a Honey-Blond. This is kind of an update to the pageboy I have. The color is darker than the old one, but actually closer to my own hair color and therefore goes with my skin tone better.













This one's from Revlon and I like the highlights in this one, though the camera might not catch it. Again, it is a large cap wig and one of the few cute ones with this cap size.

















Now the long haired wig purchase was not planned. They had a real good price on it and I always wanted to try really long hair. I might be too old for this at least that's what I keep hearing: "Women over 40 should not wear long hair." Ha, got them there, I'm not a women so I can wear it. OK, maybe just at home.

This is a Wig Pro wig, and I was surprised by the quality of this wig. The fibers are really soft and there's even a skin part on top. A lot of times you don't see that until you spend some bucks. This is also a large cap size, but seems to fit just right.








So now that I've gotten these and experimented with them, I seem to like them all. I'm still in love with the old pageboy and if I can find a top of the line replacement for it, I'm going for it. I'm a little more knowledgeable about what works for me and what doesn't. So the only thing left is to take care of them so I don't have to run off and spend more money.

Come to find out, you don't have to wash them as often as you think. The fibers themselves don't hold up well to washing, and certainly not with regular hair shampoo. I use cleaner and conditioner made for fiber wigs. I'm talking fiber wigs here and not human hair wigs, which is a different story. The cap itself is what gets dirty from dirt and oil from your head. So if you wear a wig cap (the nylon ones) all the time, you'll cut down on this problem.

The next thing is, if your wig is not curly, which mine are not, always comb them out with a wig comb before you put them away. I use this comb from Revlon, not the wig brush, the bush is for styling only.



I put them in a hair net, and put them in their own plastic container like this:



I may talk about bottom shaping next and what I'm thinking for that. But I may surprise everyone and talk about something else. Till next time! Love Tracy

Makeup Malfunction

I was hoping to write an entry about wigs, this week, but after taking all my pictures, I noticed a makeup problem. You might be able to tell from the last two pictures I've posted, but my foundation went a rye. I was trying something new, a regular over the counter foundation on most of my face, and the usual beard and foundation cover, well, on the beard part. The result is my upper face looks normal and the part below my nose looks very matted. Even though there is no black beard per se, the effect still draws your attention to it. Hmm. It's back to the drawing board.

I want the face to look natural. The matte/flat look has another side effect in that it looks too old lady like. And even though I'm 54, it doesn't mean I have to look 54 now does it.

Oh No, I'm a Girl! ... And Other Musings

Oh No, I'm a Girl!

After the last post, I felt I needed to lighten up a bit. The picture you see of me, was after taking oodles of pictures of myself. I do this to see what works and what doesn't. Well after about 60 or 70 shots, I started getting giddy, and just started making different goofy faces. Earlier, I was trying too hard and constantly trying to get the very best pose. Honestly, I don't know how models do it. Maybe the fact that I have an ersatz photo studio makes me think I've gotta be all smiles and pretty.

I have a standard three light setup, a background light, a front light to one side and a key light. These lights are the standard hardware clamp lights with dimmers on them. I got this idea on this do it yourself site. Do It Yourself Light-Kit



My makeup Case

You know, you've got to have a sense of humor doing what us crossdressers do. For example, I still have my makeup box I bought 20 years ago:










That's right "Adventurer", and yes it's a fishing tackle box, never had a lure in it though. Which reminds me, if anybody has a favorite makeup train case, I'm ready to loose my tiny tackle box.

NEWS FLASH!
Science Helps Trannies Learn to Walk!

I found this site where scientists studied how men and women walk. They tracked the movement, and now have a computer simulation of it. This is funny and cool at the same time. Not only does it have this stick animation, but you can adjust it with a slider from Male to Female, Heavy to Light, Nervous to Relaxed, and Happy to Sad. Check this out and play with it girls!

Here's the control panel:

Here's the link Bio Motion Lab

The thing that surprised me was how women keep their elbows in toward their body. Something I've never seen written about. And, no they don't walk with one foot in front of the other unless they are skinny and walking on a catwalk.

How Not to "Out" Yourself

I would like people to know I crossdress, and yet there is no way to ease into it. Trust me, I'm not going to do it anytime soon, at least not on purpose. I was trying to think of the worst way to "Out" yourself:

Yea, just send a post card like this to all your friends and family. Fast, cheep, and traumatic.

Next time wigs!

On a Serious Note... The Surprise Letter

An issue has crossed my mind and it has become more poignant since a recent passing of a close relative. What would go through someones mind if they were to find my female attire and did not know I was a crossdresser? How can I fill them in, so to speak, and not make matters worse?

I posed this question on the message boards at www.crossdressers.com. And after talking to the wonderful girls there, I have decided that a letter left in each storage area, (closet, box, trunk, etc.) should have the same letter explaining briefly what they see before them. I have interjected some humor into it because that is my nature and I wanted them to know that this is not a dire situation. I will probably add things to it as I refine the letter, but I wanted to get something out sooner than later.

So, here is my first attempt at my "Surprise Letter":

If you have found this letter, either:

1. I have died, or
2. You are looking somewhere where you shouldn't be. (please put this letter away now and beg for my forgiveness)

If I have died and you knew I was a crossdresser, congratulations! This means I trusted you, and you understood and loved me no matter who or what I was.

Now, if you didn't know, either I:

1. Don't know you
2. Was afraid of what you might have thought and how you might react, or
3. Was protecting you because you were too young to fully understand

First of all, this is not a dire situation. I would have preferred to tell everyone from the rooftop. But still, in this day and age, there is still a stigma attached to crossdressing.

If this is all new to you, some background may be in order. For those of you that this is old news, maybe just a review.

I was a crossdresser from a very young age of 9 or 10. I loved girl clothes and wanted to dress like a girl long before puberty. Over the years I've dressed in women's clothes and have been out in public dressed. There was a female component to my personality that needed an outlet. I have displayed pictures of myself on-line, but used an assumed name of Tracy Schapes. You may find numerous pictures of myself dressed as female either on my computer or other storage mediums. This was a way for me to critique myself about being a more passable girl. This is a very common goal for crossdressers. I was not gay. Not that I thought that would be bad, I just wasn't wired that way. Nor did I want to have a sex change. I enjoyed the duality of the situation.

I could go on, but if this is all new to you and I'm not answering the questions you may have, may I suggest you join a website like www.crossdressers.com. This is a great community of crossdressers; and loved ones and friends that support them. I'm sure you can talk and ask them any questions and they will be able to tell you more. You may also read my posts on crossdressers.com to maybe understand my feelings at the time. Just do a find a TSchapes.

For what to do with all these clothes, wigs and my salute to Imelda Marcos shoe collecting. May I suggest a cancer center for the wigs and everything else to the Salvation Army. There is no reason now to worry about my reputation and anybody seeing this stuff. It might as well be used for a good cause.

If I shared this side with you while I was alive, bless you. If not, I wish I could have, we would have had a wonderful time.

Love, xxxxxxx (Tracy Schapes)