CONTENTS
Gender Bending Model - Diane
Adventures Out and About - Bobbi
Trocks at Playhouse Square - Heather and Ginger
This Sunday, "Clothing Optional" - Bobbi
The Arts-Beetle
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Gender Bending Model (Androgyny and Fashion)
By Diane
Andrej Pejič isn’t your average male model. Far from having the rugged good looks of the Marlborough man or say George Clooney, he instead invokes both Katharine AND Audrey Hepburn. While some of his modeling assignments show him in somewhat epicene menswear, much of his work is done in dresses, hose and heels.
His latest runway scandal de jour is ambling down the runway of a Jean Paul Gautier menswear show as a male bride.
If you haven’t seen Andrej before, your first reaction is ‘no way is that a man’. But he is only 19 years old, and the dress itself is a cunning deception. Of course we expect female models to be flat chested, so this frontal view works. Makeup and lighting can do wonders for a young face, although Pejič is exceptional here.
But what about those shoulders and hips
? Here is where clever illusions are created. The shoulders are made to look smaller by the large off-the-shoulder tulle ruffle, combined with the drape of the sheer black veil….all making the eye see less breadth than is there. The very small ruffle at the waist and the gradually larger ruffles at moving to the hip, combined with the cross over of the legs in a models walk creates a true trompe l'oeil. But thanks to computer technology we can take this apart and see that Pejic’s figure is actually not far from the male ideal.
I grabbed the image and measured these proportions- (call them inches if it makes you comfortable) as these correspond to common men's measurements in the English system.
Shoulders 44.4
Waist 28
Hips 34
This gives a waist to hip ratio of 0.82. vs a conventional healthy male of 0.9, and maybe an athletic male of 0.85 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist-to-hip_ratio)
Add the dress illusion takes it to:
Waist 29
Hips 39.7
Or a ratio of 0.73...in the solidly female range. Very clever dressmaking. Now you know why women who can afford custom clothing seek good dressmakers.
He also has the class V torso a w/s ratio of 0.63 vs 0.6 as cited here (of all places! but they report the original literature). http://www.malecorsetry.com/?tag=waist-to-hip-ratio
Now if you look at his legs above and at the knee you'll see a fully masculine structure. Not as developed as a football (soccer) player or a dancer, but classically masculine.
As for Andrej the person? Here’s some quotes from an interview he gave. For a nineteen year old he has a reasonable head on his shoulders (as well as a very pretty one).
Your family is originally from...
My father is Croatian and my mother is Serbian. I was born in Tuyla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Date of Birth:
28th of August 1991. Horoscope: Virgo.
Current place of residence:
I live in Melbourne, Australia.
How did you start modeling?
Well, I was picking corn on a farm at the time and an agent happened to drive past and he threw a modeling contract at me. The rest is history.
What do you think is the secret of your success?
I think women today are sick of seeing underdeveloped teenagers modeling their clothes. They want a real woman with hips and thighs. Hahaha! But really I think that people in the industry get bored easily especially now that everything has been “done“ and every so often they need new toys to play with.
How often does it happen that people think you're a girl?
Oh all the time! Straight men have been hitting on me since I was eight years old!
Do you like being on camera?
Yeah I do! Performing in front of the camera is probably the most creative I'll get in life.
Do you remember your first kiss?
Yes... Lots of teeth!
Are you religious?
No. I'm an atheist and a Materialist.
What do you think about Lady Gaga?
I think the music could be more intelligent but I'm withholding judgment until I hear the next album. However I think she takes all the great elements from the 70's 80's and 90's music and fashion scenes as well as the icons, combines them and makes it all really mainstream. I admire her for that and her creativity, I think she is so successful because everyone else in our generation's time has been so boring.
Tell us one secret about you, please...
I pee standing up!
Read more: Andrej Pejic - Page 11 - the Fashion Spot http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f52...#ixzz16oIAISnV
(Note the use of the term trompe l’oeil. Normally this refers to the illusion of 3 dimensions created in artfully prepared 2-dimensional images. Literally it means ‘fool the eye’. I think that this rather applies here, don’t you?)
Editors Note:
I was watching the Grammy Awards and noticed Rihanna wearing the Gautier Dress.
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Adventures Out and About
By Bobbi
I have written a couple of articles, now, about adventures that I’ve had while out and about. These have been everything from enjoying a dignity cruise or concert, to stopping to lend assistance at an auto accident. And I have to admit that I’ve had some great experiences while out. And there have been others that have contributed similar articles to our newsletter.
And it seems that conversations at AO meetings inevitably turn to adventures while folks have been out and about, tips to enhance outings, or places to go while dressed. A newcomer to the group may even get the impression that one of the goals of AO is to encourage crossdressers to get out dressed. However, I could find nothing about encouraging someone to go out dressed in either the Vision Statement or the Mission Statement of the society:
Vision Statement
The Alpha Omega Society shall provide for the personal growth and fulfillment of those whose lives are affected by crossdressing.
Mission Statement
The Alpha Omega Society shall:
Provide the opportunity for members, potential members, and guests to meet in a personally affirming, safe, secure, dressed environment, on a regular basis - in the spirit of an extended family.
Offer programs that provide information, support, discussion and entertainment for crossdressers, spouses (and/or life partners), and our membership as a whole, equally.
Provide speakers and outreach efforts in Northeast Ohio that promote acceptance of crossdressing and our organization by developing a well-informed public on issues relating to gender expression.
Provide outreach through newsletters, email, regular mail, our website, and other means, as needed.
Offer dressed and non-dressed events, in accordance with our members comfort levels, to encourage getting to know each other as total human beings.
With a spirit of unity, loyalty and honesty, Alpha Omega Society shall work as partners with other groups and organizations in the transgendered community to enhance the spiritual and personal growth of all whose lives are affected by crossdressing.
As you can see, there is nothing that says that it should be the goal of each crossdresser to go out. But it does say a lot about supporting each other, encouraging each other, and providing information. We do all of this extremely well, and it seems that we are getting better at it as time goes by.
But not everybody wants or needs to go out. And that’s OK. We all have our own comfort level, and for some of us that comfort level will mean that we will never leave our homes dressed as anything but our male selves. And, guess what. That’s OK, too.
So, don’t feel any less of a crossdresser just because you don’t feel the need to go out dressed. We are each individuals, and we all have our own needs and comfort levels in crossdressing. And what ever those needs and comfort levels are, be assured that AO is here for you, and for your wife or girlfriend.
And, if by chance, you are looking to get out, we can help with that, too.
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Trocks at Playhouse Square
By Heather and Ginger
In mid-January, Laura Miller posted a notice to the group to see if anyone might be interested in attending Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo at Playhouse Square. I decided that I wanted to go, as it was an excellent opportunity to get out. When I mentioned this to my wife, she didn’t initially express an interest in attending. A few days later, however, when I told her that I was going to buy tickets after work, she instructed me to buy four. So four of us went to the ballet together: me, Laura, my wife Jeannie, and Heather, a friend Jeannie’s, who I am out to, but who had not previously met Ginger.
The evening was full of firsts:
- It was Laura’s first time to be in mixed company with people she had not previously met.
- It was my wife’s first experience with a CD other than myself.
- It was Heather’s first experience with CDs and seeing the fem side of me.
- It was my first experience with someone, other than my wife, who has seen me in both male and now female mode.
So there was a lot of anticipation and excitement in row T at the Ohio Theater at Playhouse Square on January 29.
I always seem to have the “being in public jitters” but Laura is really good at making people feel comfortable. My first interaction outside my immediate circle was at the coat check. I greeted the coat check person with a thank you and a smile and we were off to our seats to meet Heather.
My anxiety about seeing Heather for the first time as Ginger melted away when we gave each other a hug and she told me I looked beautiful. I felt at that moment we had become closer.
After we greeted each other and were seated for a while I did notice a twenty-something woman sitting in front of us look back then chat with her friend only to have her friend’s head snap around for a look. I whispered to my wife that I had been spotted and she responded “that’s their problem”. Later, during intermission I smiled and said hi to the gal with the whiplash as Laura and I headed to the lobby for an obligatory photo.
My biggest fear, in a crowd like that, was running into someone that my wife and I both knew; but that didn’t happen. My wife was a bit relieved that there wasn’t a lot of pointing, staring and talking about us (at least we didn’t notice).
Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo danced to a sold-out crowd. Widely known as ”the Trocks,” the all-male dance troupe was founded in 1974 with a purpose of bringing dance to the widest possible audience in a playful and entertaining view of classical ballet in parody form. The male dancers, done up in wigs, makeup and tutus (I felt right at home!), gave us snippets of “Swan Lake,” “Patterns in Space,” “Le Grand Pas De Quatre” and “Raymonda’s Wedding.” The comedy of their routines is achieved by incorporating and exaggerating the quirkiness, accidents, and incongruities of serious ballet. The fact that men dance all the parts enhances, rather than mocks, the spirit of dance as an art form, delighting and amusing even the novice members of the audience such as myself.
The performers are listed in the program with interesting, faux-Russian male and female names. They include (pronounce them slowly) Ida Nevasayneva, Nina Enimenimynimova, Innokenti Smoktumuchsky, Maya Thickenthighya, Marina Plezegetovstageskaya and Mikhail Mypansarov.
To give you an idea of what we saw that night, here is a sequence from Swan Lake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1giFy6ktVYE&NR=1
When Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo comes to town again, I would classify this as a must-see. We had a great time, and I was delighted to share the evening with my wife, Laura and Heather.
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By Bobbi
As I turned into the driveway of our church the electronic sign out front flashed, “This
Sunday, ʻClothing Optionalʼ”. I was going to pick up my pastor, Aa, for lunch. I consider Aa more than a pastor, but a good friend. When I told him, more than a year ago, that
Iʼm a crossdresser, his response was, “So?” We had been getting together for lunch
regularly since he came to our church 7 or 8 years ago, but since I started my current
job it has been much less frequent. So when I got the time off last Thursday, we made
arrangements to get together.
“Where do you want to go?” I asked, as he opened his office door.
“Wait a minute! I want to show you this image that I found for on the screen on Sunday!”
Our Sanctuary has a large screen and video projector that we use to display song lyrics,
and thereʼs usually an image added that is related to the sermon. He walked over to his
desk and turned his laptop around so that I could see the screen. There, there was an
image of several people sitting in church pews, with the two most prominent folks in the
center of the image, apparently nude. Of course, they were only visible from just below
the shoulders up.
I chuckled as he said, “And Iʼm thinking about wearing flip-flops, shorts, and a shirt that
wonʼt show beneath my robe, so it will look like Iʼm not wearing any clothes
underneath.”
“Do you want me to wear a skirt,” I asked? “I could wear a skirt!”
He had a sly smile on his face when he said, “Iʼm not even going to try to tell you what
clothes you should or should not wear.” Off we went, and had a great lunch, and some
good conversation.
The next morning, after giving it much consideration, and looking over the Scripture that
I assumed would be the topic of the upcoming sermon (Aa has been doing a series of
sermons on the Sermon on the Mount), I sent him an email saying that, although I was
half joking about wearing a skirt, and I was not expecting him to tell me how to dress, if
in his opinion my wearing a skirt would help him make the point of his sermon, I was
willing. I further explained that, while I was not yet willing to out myself to the
congregation, I could probably get away with wearing a denim skirt with cable knit tights
and some flat loafers, along with a menʼs dress shirt and tie. I have to add here, that it
would be almost as surprising for me to show up at our church in a tie as it would be to
show up in a skirt. And, since I am an elder, and the chair of the worship team, I have
often had to come up with skits or videos to help get the point of the sermon across.
One time I even walked into the Sanctuary in the middle of a sermon carrying a ladder
and a tool box and started to tinker on something to help the pastor demonstrate his
point. So, I felt I could get away with dressing, “oddly”, all for a good cause.
By Saturday night, I heard nothing from Aa, and took his silence as, “Damn the
torpedoes . . .”
Since I have some duties to perform on Sunday morning, such as operating the sound
board and recording the service, I generally show up about 30 minutes early to make
sure that everything is ready and functioning properly. As I walked into the church, I
passed a choir member, one of the younger altos. She looked a bit perplexed as we
exchanged “Good Mornings”, but didnʼt say anything else. I walked in to the Sanctuary,
hung my coat on the back of my chair in front of the sound board as I said good morning
to the organist and choir members that we already seated. The organ console is
adjacent to the sound board, between the sound board and the choir. I saw a sly, half
smile on the organists face as she said good morning.
I have to add, here, that I consider our organist, Penny, to be a good friend, also. And,
for someone who was raised in an extremely conservative family (she tells the story that
her father started out as a minister in the Southern Baptist church, but left them to start
his own non-denominational congregation when he found the Southern Baptists too
liberal) and who has a degree from the Moody Bible Institute, Penny is one of the most
liberal people that I know, both politically and theologically.
As the choir began their warm up, an older gentleman whom Iʼd never seen before
came in, walked over to me with his hand extended, saying, “Your sign out front with the
sermon title intrigued me.”
“Well, welcome,”I said as I shook his hand! “Iʼm Rob.”
“Iʼm Jim,” he responded. Iʼm a member of the AARN, and had to come here what this is
about.”
I looked puzzled as I was about to say that I was not familiar with that denomination
when he said, “American Association of Recreational Nudists.”
“Well, make yourself at home,” I said, “And let me know if thereʼs anything we can do for
you.”
“Can I get a recording of the service?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Just call or stop by the office tomorrow, and Kay, our secretary will
be happy to make you a CD.”
As Jim and I were talking, the video operator, Patty, who sits behind me, came in and
fired up her computer and the projector. When Jim found a pew and sat down, I noticed
that the image that came up on the screen was not the same one that Aa had shown me
earlier in the week, and spun around and stood up to ask her about it.
“He didnʼt send me an image, so I was planning to use a stock image,” was her
response to my query. I described the image that he had shown me.
“Oh, thatʼs the one thatʼs on the web site. Maybe he thought that somebody at the
Traditional service might be offended by that.”
“He must have changed his mind then, because thatʼs the image he showed me for this
Sunday.”
“OK? Iʼll download it and if he wants it, I can insert it pretty quick. You donʼt think
anybody will be offended by it?”
“Patty,” I responded. If their not offended by me this morning, I doubt very much that
that picture will offend them!”
She looked at me with a quizzical look on her face, not having any idea what I was
talking about.
“Patty!” I pointed down at my legs.
“Oh My God!” She covered her mouth so that her shock would not disturb the choir. “Youʼre a lot braver than me!”
“Thatʼs not true, Patty! Iʼve seen you wear a skirt to church before.” I retorted.
The choir finished their rehearsal, and Penny came over to throw a tissue in the trash
can that lives under my desk. “You ARE wearing a skirt, arenʼt you? Cute!”
A bit later, Aa came in to get his microphone and to go over some last minute items for
the service, and Patty asked him about the image. “No, weʼll go with the stock image
that you already have,” he responded.
Chickened out, huh,” I kidded?
“Yep! But I see you didnʼt,” he grinned.
As people began to filter in, most of them, like Patty, didnʼt even notice my apparel. But,
when we got to the part of the service where we get up and “Share the Peace of Christ”,
and unlike many churches where you just shake the hand of the person on each side of
your, we get up and mill around the room to greet each other with a hand shake, and
often a hug, I got some definite odd looks and smiles. Kay, our secretary, who also
sings soprano in the choir came over to me, tugged on my tie with a big grin and said, “Nice tie!” Then she wrapped her arms around me and hugged the dickens out of me.
I think that the sermon brought everything into focus, though. the Scripture was
Matthew 6:24-34, and in the first half of the sermon Aa talked about clothing being a
social construct, and how we allow decisions about fashion that are made in cities half
way around the world to cause us so much stress when it comes to trying to figure out
what to wear to a social function. He spoke about neckties having absolutely no
utilitarian function, yet were so necessary in so many settings. And he spoke about
christians who would force certain clothing choices on people when there was nothing
which should mandate it. He then said that maybe what this scripture was telling us
was that we should be worrying more about people that donʼt have a roof over their
heads, food on their tables, or clean drinking water more than we should be worrying
about the latest fashion or the clothes that we, or others, are wearing. I should note
here, that he was saying this in a church that is in the middle of the campus of Kent
State University, whoʼs School of Fashion Design is ranked number 3 in the world.
After the service, I had conversations with 3 or 4 people, and my clothing was a non
issue. The conversations were the same that I would have any other Sunday morning,
about the past week or the week to come, goings on with the kids, and so on.
In the second service, which is more contemporary in nature, and attended by more
young families and college students, there was about the same reaction. Some puzzled
looks before the sermon, and even some whispered comments. But afterwards, my
attire got no reaction at all, and became a non issue.
I have not yet had a chance to talk to Aa to see if he has gotten any comments, and as
far as I know, my clothes were just a part of the pastorʼs sermon as far as the
congregation is concerned. But for me, I have to admit that I felt a bit freer in worship
than I have in the past, even more so than when I attend First Grace Church completely
dressed as Bobbi. I guess that, since I identify as being in the middle of the gender
spectrum, I feel most comfortable when Iʼm dressed in the middle of the gender
spectrum. My clothes feel more comfortable, and as Aaʼs sermon pointed out, I was
less stressed about them.
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Group Information
The Alpha Omega Society is a non-profit social support group for heterosexual crossdressers and their wives or partners. We primarily serve Cleveland and nearby Northeast Ohio communities.
Publication Information
This newsletter is copyright 2011
by The Alpha Omega Society. All rights reserved. Articles and information contained in this newsletter may be reprinted by other non-profit crossdresser organizations with advance permission of the author and provided that proper credit is given to author and source. The opinions or statements contained in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Alpha Omega.
Contributions of articles are welcomed, but may be altered in the editing process, with the author�s intent retained, or may be rejected, whether solicited or not. We will exchange newsletters with any other similar group.
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