Another Reason to Love the Japanese - Yasumasa Morimura

Yasumasa Morimura is a Japanese photographer that creates interpretations of famous painters by placing himself in the pictures. He also does pictures of himself as famous movies stars like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

He's done such a good job, that his pictures hang in some of the most prestigious modern art museums in the world such as the Luhring Augustine Gallery in New York city. He has become my hero, this is what I have aspired to do without knowing of his work.

I recently discovered him while in my photography class. I had submitted a photo of myself as a Geisha, and my professor at first did not realize it was me. The class discussed the photo on it's own merits, then the inevitable question came up as to who the model was. I said it was a self-portrait. The class was impressed as was evidenced by their positive reactions. My professor said I was like a reverse Yasumasa Morimura in that I was interpreting a Japanese theme and he interprets Western themes. So I just had to look him up!

Not only does he blur gender lines, but being Japanese, his interpretations ask the question: Would these images be as popular as they are if they were of Japanese people instead of people of Western heritage?

And, here's an example of him blurring the lines between painting and photography. This is Portrait (Queen and Dog) 1991:

So please look him up, check out his Gallery. He is another "Gender Illusionist" for me to look up to.

-Tracy

Time for New Pictures!

I haven't posted new pictures in a while, so here is rock & roll picture:

---

There are more rock & roll pictures at my New Picture Gallery

Here's some baseball themed ones:

What's With the Female Masks?

I said in an earlier post Photo Enhancing Software and it's Uses I would explain later what the picture was all about. If you remember, this was a picture of four school girls, each of which was me in a female latex mask, of a different style.

But wow, talk about taboos. For some odd reason a female mask is even hard for some cross-dressers to understand. I get comments from CD friends like: 'It looks creepy' or 'you don't need it'. And, I get questions like: 'Why would you wear one?', 'Would you wear it in public?', or 'Don't you sweat in those things?'

And it must be an unwritten taboo. If you go to any normal costume website and look at the latex masks, you will see only a few female masks. Usually only a "Witch" or an "Old Lady" mask is available. Sometimes a prominent figure like Hilary Clinton will be featured. But for the most part, nothing. I have an old Planet of the Apes mask from the Don Post Studio. Don Post was one of the better known mask makers, their ads used to be in the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. The only Don Post Studio female mask I can remember was a Lily Munster mask.

Q. Why would you wear a latex female mask?

A. Maybe you're Shawn and Marlon Wayans in White Chicks. But one bad movie aside, one good reason, the reason I started, was because at the time I didn't think I looked that good. This was especially true when I was overweight. But some cross-dressers wear masks because they want to look younger or they may have a beard. Other's are so scared of being "outed", that they feel they need a mask to hide from a not so supportive public. But there is also the "Mission Impossible" thrill. Many people watching that show loved it when a character would pull off their face to reveal their true self. And besides, don't we all wear some kind of mask throughout the day to hide our true selves?

Q. Where would you wear them?

A. Only the bravest of the brave would dare go out in public with a mask. There may be some clubs that would accept them, but for the most part this is more of a fantasy type experience enjoyed in the home.

Q. What are the masks made of?

A. Latex, but there are two types of latex masks. One type, the latex is poured into a mold, the process is called slip or slush latex. The second is called foam latex where the latex is baked. The first type is easier to make, but the mask is heavier and less porous. The second is very light, porous but the process takes longer. The ones I've shown on the blog are of the foam latex type. To me they aren't that heavy and you don't sweat as badly as the slip style masks.

Q. Where do you buy these?

A. There's a number of places on the Internet. Here's some links:

Female Latex Masks by Kerry
Greyland Film
Nikki's Monster Shop
Ebay use key words female and mask

Q. How many people wear these masks?

A. Well there's at least 500 that I know of. This is the number of subscribers to Kerry's Mailing list. So I would imagine the number would be greater than that. And a real good site to see more maskers is the Female Mask Homepage.

So there are a number of good reasons for a cross-dresser to consider a mask. And I'm sure for the the fans of latex and cross-dressing, these masks would just be a perfect combination!

Till Next Time, Tracy

The X-Men, The Cross-dresser And the "Pink Fog"

Sounds like a great movie title doesn't it? Well I watched "X-Men The Last Stand" this weekend for the first time (yea, I know, I don't get out much). It was the first time I identified with the mutants.

Hmm, let's see now, why would that be?

Mutants are:

• Feared
• Disliked
• Closeted
• Misunderstood
• Have awesome powers
• And need to be cured.

Yep, that's me alright. I'm not the only one to notice the parallels either. Dr. Richard/Alice Novic, M.D., of Alice in Genderland fame spotted it too. This is from her blog article "The Two Types of Transwomen"

But intersex conditions can just as legitimately be seen as simple differences, like green eyes or red hair, or strange, special powers. Rent the X-Men III, and tell me the writer didn’t have GLBT folks in mind.

So what are the similarities?

Feared

That's right, hide the children there's a cross-dresser in the neighborhood. Honey cast your eyes askance so that you will not gaze upon her finery. I don't understand this attitude, we are truly harmless. We're acting like loving compassionate women for cripes sake. What's to fear? Like the X-men I only use my special powers for good!

Disliked

The mutants were hated for what they were even though they had no choice in the matter. Cross-dressers too have no choice in what and who they are. By all accounts we are born this way. It doesn't help when religion weighs in with an odd reference or two. Yea, the next one to roll out Deuteronomy 22:5 on me and what an abomination I am, they just might have to fear me! Honestly, this old saw that they burned Joan of Arc on is way over rated. What's to dislike? Most surveys have found that cross-dressers are above average in intelligence, marry intelligent women (my wife's a Mensa member thank you very much) and are represented within many professions. So chances are you know or someone you know, knows a cross-dresser. So why don't you see more of us cross-dressers?

Closeted

Oh, yea that's right. Just like the mutants we cannot live openly among the "normal" people. Only a few strong willed people like the aforementioned Dr. Novic are truly out. Or in the case of the movie, Kelsey Grammer's character Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy. Even though we would not harm anyone or cause anymore trouble than anyone else on average, we fear loosing friends, family and our livelihood. There are those of us who venture out in public and try to be as discreet as possible. But for most, the thought of looking foolish by being found out overrides any chance of going anywhere.

Misunderstood

Yes, us cross-dressers are confused with drag queens and transsexuals. Yes we do have things in common with them, but for the most part, male to female cross-dressers are heterosexual and are not looking for surgery. We have a female component within us so we are not all male and not all female. And each one of us has a differing amount or percentage of the two genders. So dressing and assuming the personae of a woman brings out the feminine side of us. This is not much different than when Stacy and Clinton from "What Not To Wear" help a genetic "Tom Boy" female find her feminine side. (See the May 30, 2008 episode Natalie from Orange County you'll have to download the Move player first). So like the mutants, we are misunderstood and so are our powers.

Have Awesome Powers

And yes, cross-dressers have awesome powers like the X-men. We are like two people in one both male and female. How may men have the guts to even wear women's clothes? How many women wouldn't love to have a man to help her with her makeup and clothes? One that understands that compassion and nurturing are good traits for a man. One who is not all macho and violent yet can still fix the faucet and kill that spider when needed. And being secretive, we can hide whole wardrobes! Heck, we should all be working for the CIA!

And Need to be Cured

Yes since we are all of the above we need to be eradicated even though we are harmless, loving, have a wide range of emotions, creative, and know how to match shoes to a Spring outfit.

So Tracy, what does the "Pink Fog" have anything to do with this movie?

The "Pink Fog" is a term we use when we are blinded by our own cross-dressing and ignoring the rest of our life. This happens from time to time and us cross-dressers work hard to keep our cross-dressing and the rest of our lives in balance. So when I saw the character Jean Grey look like this:

I thought I know that look, that's me when I'm in the "Pink Fog"!

-Tracy

Tracy's Place, Now With a Subscription Feed

A quick post here. I've just added a subscription feed to my Blog, so if you subscribe, you will be notified that I've posted something! Sounds pretty cool. I have yet to try it myself and I'll probably have to tweak it along the way.

So, let me know if you like this feature. I have some new articles coming soon, so stay tuned!

-Tracy

P.S. If you use igoogle for your home page, you can add my Blog gadget by just pressing the button under the feed!