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Well, I guess I’ve been living under a rock for sometime now. Could it be because of the pandemic? I was just searching around, curious about that new Lexus/IS ad that includes a number of ‘influencers’ who are (in the words of the ad agency) passionate about their personal pursuits. And, of course, the fashionista is turning some heads. So just sort of looking into it a little I came across the term ‘Femulate’. Femulate: January 2021 As in Femulate-her.
Has this term been in use for some time now? Is this the now the politically correct term for cross-dressers? Does anyone hope this will usher in an era of allowing more open-ness for the cross-dresser communities? Or is this just a trendy word for ‘drag queen’ but going beyond gaudy to dress up as just some kind of known celebrity? Such as what Jim Bailey used to do.
Thanks Angela, that was where my included link went. I was just wondering how long this word has been around, and that Stana seems to have a compiled a lot of photos of obvious cross-dressers. And that the site came up rather quickly as I was looking into the Lexus ad.
ChloeC,
I must have also been living under a rock because this is the first time that I have ever heard the word and as it says in the link you included it refers to and means a Crossdresser. Interesting, so I guess that is the new term for a Crossdresser.
Kathleen
Yes agree Angela, not much really new in the site, except it is used to advertise fashion brands , just wondering the exact point of it, accept the existence of crossdressing, and experiences. Femulate sounds awful cold.
Femulate sounds good to me – I prefer it to DRess As a Girl, or even cross dresser.
It’s not just about the clothes for many of us, we want the makeup, walk, talk, all sorts of things that extend beyond the clothing – we chase a vision.
It may be an unattainable vision – who cares? It’s about the journey, so I’m happy with femulate. Sounds a bit like formulate, which again, is similar to how many of us approach this.
Anything that helps normalise us is a good thing, IMHO.
Love Laura
Please correct me if I am wrong, I think there are variations in how we identify ourselves as “cross dressers”. Some feel that they are bi-gender, some are somewhere in between or one gender (female) and fetish, like to emulate female but identify as the gender they are born with. It’s difficult to have one label that is very specific because it won’t work for all of us. I have read of the the term “gender fluid”, I sort of like it because of the concept that gender in not binary and it could cover all of us? Not sure if anyone know of a blogger name Hannah Mcknight, she posted many article about this subject.
Rachel M
I think the thing is, cross dressing is one thing, sexuality, gender identifications and motivations are quite another.
We’re all people from an extraordinarily wide range of backgrounds – cross dressing doesn’t choose a particular type of person, but the predilection occurs to a human being.
So we are hetero, bi, whatever, we are military, doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, students – all men with a common interest. Some of us don’t feel that we are “men” – we are at the heart of the “gender as a spectrum, not a binary” concept – some transition and become transgender – are those people still cross dressers?
Some stick to lingerie for kicks and never venture out of doors. Some go the whole way in the challenge to “pass” as the opposite sex.
Drag Queens are cross dressers, women are cross dressers when they wear male type clothing – but we’re just people when all is said and done, and not one of us matches any kind of stereotype.
That’s my take, anyhow.
Love Laura
Hi Chloe,
I’m not keen on femulate’, it has the ring of ‘impersonation’ about it and what we on CDH are most definitely NOT are impersonators. For a wide variety of reasons we get pleasure, satisfaction, a greater sense of self, an awareness of the woman within etc. through wearing clothes usually worn by females. In most but not all cases we want these clothes to enhance our femininity. I’m quite content with the term cross dresser as it embraces both the act and the very wide range of motives behind the act.
With love as always
HildaRuth 💋💋Great reply Hilda, love it.
Hello Chloe.
About the term “Femulate”… I’m not going to claim that I came up with it before Stana, starting because I have no idea when she first used the term. I know that in the early 2000’s (maybe 2002 or 2003) I used the word “Femulator” in a different site (the “crossdressers haven, in case anybody still has access there and may want to check) to indicate that I felt it was more descriptive for me than crossdresser or transgendered. Because while for me it is definitely much more than just the clothes, it is not as far as to feel unhappy as a guy, or deprived of joy if not wearing panties, etc.
By the way, “emulate” is not “impersonate”.Emulate: to strive to equal or excel.
Was she first? Was I first? I don’t know, and I really don’t care. It is very likely that we arrived to the word totally independent from each other.
Now, the idea of impersonating a woman may be too close for comfort to anybody who is still considering themselves to be a CD but is still stuck in having “passing” as their goal. Maybe subject for another conversation.
Gabriela <3
Stana and I share similar professional backgrounds, and I have maintained contact with her on and off over the years.
We also share the amateur radio hobby and cross dressing.
Stana taught seminars at one or more amateur radio hamfests (conventions) up north, while I taught seminars at a couple of hamfests here in the south. If I recall, we both started attending hamfests cross dressed around the same time. For me, reactions varied widely, from people who had known me for years, as my male self, and if I recall correctly, Stana mentioned the same thing.
Most surprising to me was the reaction from the wives of many of the male attendees, particularly at the dress up events. The women were curious as to where I purchased my dresses, shoes, purses, and how I did my make up. Discussing those topics was much more fun than talking all the technical engineering stuff.
”the women were curious as to where I purchased my dresses, shoes, purses, and how I did my make up. Discussing those topics was much more fun than talking all the technical engineering stuff.” No doubt they were. Allowed animated voices conversation v. near monotone precision, I imagine. I must more often read Stana’s latest and archives.
OOOOh! An Etymology question.
The term seems new, I have seen one usage date 2012 for Stana’s blog. There is a reference to the blog being, apparently, for people fully transitioning. It was discontinued in 2019. However the web site is up and running as of today. It is described as, “… the web pages of a woman who found herself in a male body…”, which I would consider to be a fairly insightful observation.
There is a note that femulate’dot’org was created either 5JUN2008 or 6MAY2008 depending on how you read 2008-06-05. Other than that the term seems to have been adopted for pornography and breast-enlargement creams and feminine products.
I do not know if I like it but I am prejudiced having my own tern, athenise. It does have some ‘reality’ to it. The components of the portmanteau word (female and emulate) seem fairly obvious. I do not recall seeing the word earlier that 2000 but my memory is hardly the best.
There’s an on-line dictionary (now there’s a reliable source) that references a 2016 usage. It defines the word as:
“A man especially cross dressers who endeavors to appear female so as to blend in with everyday women to pass as female when in public but NOT as a drag queen or for any entertainment purpose”
It should be a male (not necessarily ‘man’) who dressed (not ‘cross’) to be feminine (not ‘female’). ‘Passing’ may not be the issue in public or otherwise. Why exclude the entertainment element? By the way, some females (assuming ‘man’ is meant to mean ‘male’) actually do ‘cross-dress’.
While it is quite probable that the term had been used earlier I think the 2008 date is indicative and, as with similar terms, it is rapidly being inaccurately used and defined.
Araminta.
Plumb, dear girl… you are on to it! At first the term appealed to me… in a need to define myself somewhat better… but as it turns out… a farming friend of mine scoffed at the word and explained it as you have done so aptly. No more femulate for me! Even spell check in French says… d’émulation! Donc…
I am me, Polly and I am a girl in most ways… ALL my friends and acquaintances know that by now!
Love xxx Polly
You are absolutely right Stephanie, made by a I think an American company, Oxy-Gen Inc. Femulate HP concentrated Formula. Slims the neck outline, and produces a better coat finish on heifers. Maybe you could soak wigs in it for glossy shine.
Yes. You are wrong Jessica. 🙂 Nothing to do with sex. All to do with wanting to emulate females.
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