Dina’s Diner 8/1/16
This installment of the Diner has a bit of a theme centered around the summer season. The items don’t have direct crossdressing content but all have to do with beauty of the feminine variety. By the next time around, the beach season, the Rio Olympics and the better part of the summer will have passed by. See you after Labor Day.
BY THE SEA, BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA
A “mermaid” in Asbury Park, NJ.
I never thought much about Mermaids one way or the other. Then I saw an article in The New York Times on July 10, 2016 about Asbury Park, New Jersey with the lovely photograph included here. The young lady is a participant in Asbury Park’s annual “Mermaid” promenade.
I know she doesn’t look much like a mermaid in the classic sense. And who cares? There was something about this photo that gave me a vivid sense memory of how I felt when I first wanted to crossdress in the first place so many years ago. Oh, to be standing on the boardwalk in a swimsuit-y thing and sky high heels with a parasol that screams “Look at Me!”
Mermaids are one of the iconic G-rated femme images, right up there with the Indian squaw, the nubile cheerleader, and the smoldering librarian. The problem with mermaids (in my opinion, anyway) is the lack of legs. The fin bottom sort of killed the image for me, although I admired how the artists always made sure their hips and derriere were voluptuous enough to almost make you forget about the impossibility of actually getting it on with a mermaid.
It turns out that several — if not many — seaside resorts have “mermaid” parades to promote the idea of fun near the surf in the summertime. On the belief that that idea needs more promotion, I suppose. But on research, I found that drag queens are often participants in the “mermaid” festivities. So I guess there is a little bit of crossdressing tie-in to the mermaid parades but really . . . . it’s all about that girl in the photo for me.
EVERYBODY OUT OF THE POOL
Speaking of mermaids (sort of), let’s discuss swimwear. The swimsuit has carried a lot of water (ha!) in the ongoing effort to make the female form sexy. The bathing beauty is an image that goes back to the very early days of photography, even when swimsuits were full coverage leotards with flounce skirts and stockings.
Swimwear for crossdressers, however, is a dicey proposition. While lingerie is a staple of the home crossdresser, swimwear is not nearly so often seen. Tank styles offer full coverage and a bit of waist control but bikinis are damn near impossible for all but the slimmest crossdressers. For the authentic beach look, bare legs are not usually a guy’s best friend in any swimsuit. As the crossdressed model shown on the left illustrates, most of us opt to include the flattering sheen of pantyhose to provide a little pizzazz to pale legs.
So while we all grew up with images of Misses America in tank suits and high heels, Raquel Welch’s fur bikini, the thongs of Girls Gone Wild, and maybe even the enticing MILF at the neighborhood pool party, the swimsuit is an aspirational garment that most crossdressers knowingly skip over.
If you want to put a toe in the water and you believe that you’ve conquered the potential pitfalls of the swimsuit, whether tank or bikini . . . I’d love to see it, doll.
THE GRACE, THE BEAUTY, THE CONCUSSIONS?
Synchronized mayhem.
The New York Times had an article about the Olympic sport of synchronized swimming in the July 18, 2016 edition. The article had an interesting bit of news, namely that synchronized swimming participants are suffering concussions at a surprising rate.
The article said, “underwater, synchronized swimming is a combat zone in which swimmers, all with a smile, routinely kick and crash into one another while executing those exquisite moves at close quarters without touching the bottom of the pool.” Yikes! The evolution of the sport and more complex pool routines are causing the increased injury rate. One former synchronized swimmer said that in her day, the formations left two or three feet between each woman. Now the routines have a mere eight inches between the women as they perform more difficult maneuvers. “It lends itself to getting kicked,” [a former swimmer] said. “It’s amazing that more people aren’t in the way.”
“I would say 100 percent of my athletes will get a concussion at some point,” said Myriam Glez, chief executive of U.S.A. Synchro, the sport’s national organizing body. “It might be minor, might be more serious, but at some point or another, they will get hit,” The Times reported.
You may still think that it can’t be that bad because, c’mon, it’s synchronized swimming, after all. As one participant said, there is no time out, no break between plays as there are in other sports to stop action and get out of the pool. So women with head injuries often plug through the routines even though the movements and underwater twists and turns can be disorienting even without a concussion. “A kick in the head is a kick in the head, whether it happens in the pool or not,” said Geoffrey Manley, the chief of neurosurgery at San Francisco General Hospital and a specialist in head trauma, quoted in the article.
Fear of a synchronized swimming concussion is another reason why crossdressers should avoid swimwear — in addition to the warnings already given in the previous item.
HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY
Club kid Visco.
The New York Times had an article about a 61 year old woman in the Thursday Styles section on July 21, 2016. The woman in question is Geraldine Visco and The Times said that she “may be one of the city’s oldest club kids.” The Times article was headlined “Digging the Dancing Queen” in recognition of her tireless nightlife activities in the City That Never Sleeps.
It was just a Diner or two ago that I mentioned “club kids” as being so-o-o 1991. But it turns out that it’s still a thing. The club kids (at any age, I guess) are notable for weird, spectacular, oddball outfits, makeup, and hair styles. Geraldine told The Times, “When I dress outrageously, people enjoy it. They find it funny. They like my outfits and my eyelashes. Some people think I’m a drag queen.”
This being a summer special Diner, the article about Ms. Visco made me think of how glorious it is to be out on a nice summer night, dressed up and feeling good about life. Summer weather presents a lot of challenges for crossdressing, what with the hot, humid weather that plays havoc with makeup under a hot wig. But on one of those cooler summer nights, there is nothing better than being out dressed.
Meanwhile, Geraldine Visco has a day job at Columbia University, where she also dresses flamboyantly — if not in club kid drag. By the way, Geraldine also received a BS, MFA, and MS in different disciplines from Columbia. The Times asked her how she keeps the late hours at clubs during the workweek with her full-time job at Columbia: “I’m hypomanic, so I don’t need a lot of sleep.” Not much help there for the rest of us. If you need a lot of sleep, confine your club kid, drag queen, or crossdressed bar flitting to the weekends.
NOT YOUR GRANDDAD’S OLYMPICS
The 2016 Summer Olympics will be opening soon and some of the sports are worth a look-see even if you don’t follow or really care much about the competitions.
I am not sure when women track participants began wearing tiny Spandex® bikini shorts instead of the old loose nylon versions of years gone by but I am thankful for the change. I had a brief item probably four years ago about two American runners with gold medal posteriors in Spandex® short-shorts. YouTube.com has plenty of videos of lean lady runners with their bottoms betrayed by creeping shorts, like the still photo here of Slovenian Alenka Bikar from several years ago.
You might think that with the low body fat of world class runners, they wouldn’t have much in the way of booty. I guess the gluteus is connected to the leg bone, etc. etc., and counter-intuitively many female track and field athletes are cheeky devils — or angels.
Water Polo wedgie.
Back to the pool we go for another Olympic sport that piqued a good deal of male interest four years ago: women’s water polo. The underwater television cameras captured a good deal of R-rated fanny-baring, grab ass, and even a reputed beaver shot as the girls tussled in the opaque blue water. YouTube.com also has a selection of hot, competitive footage for viewing, in case you like toned, wet, twenty year old women catfighting in swimsuits. You do, don’t you?
For those with elevated tastes and a dash of kink, don’t forget the equestrian events in the Olympics. There isn’t anything wrong about admiring classy women in tight jodhpurs and shiny boots. Let’s leave the horses out of it, though, okay?
Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment
About the Author (Author Profile)
I started crossdressing and going out publicly in 1988. I joined the Renaissance group in the Philadelphia area that year and later became chapter leader for two years in the '90s. I always enjoyed writing and wrote for the Renaissance newsletter and magazine throughout my membership years. I've been writing for TGForum for several years now. I also contributed items to LadyLike magazine and other TG publications before the advent of the internet. My hobby-within-a-hobby is singing live as my alter-ego Dina Sinatra and I have had the opportunity to do that with several accommodating performers and in a number of venues over the years since the mid-1990s. In the Diner column items here, I try to relate crossdressing or transgender themes (and my own pet peeves and fetishes) to the larger world -- and vice versa.Subscribe
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Hoooo, more activities? where is the good one?
Oh my,,, pretty thou!