Reality TV -11- Real Normal

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Reality TV

by Erin Halfelven

 

In the end, they decided to skip the colored locks because the effect of the mass of platinum curls was so powerful. "It needs an off-side touch, though," said Penny. "Too much balance is boring."

"Could you bring the hair down over my left eye?" asked Wren. "I don't see much out of that one anyway."

"Really? Hmmm," said Penny. She worked quickly, adjusting the part and pulling one of the shorter, natural locks out and spraying it into place. It seemed to satisfy her and she stepped out of the way so Wren could see with her good eye.

"Yow," said Wren softly.

"I like it," said Penny. "It's modern but retro at the same time. Jayne Mansfield might have worn her hair like this, or Marilyn. But it's almost wild enough for Lady Gaga."

Wren laughed. "I don't think anyone is going to recognize me."

"Well, once they see you now, they'll recognize you," promised Penny. "Are we all done?"

"How do I take care of all this hair?" asked Wren. "And how do I recreate this look?"

They spent some time on instruction, demonstration and a little hands on education before Wren heard Phil at the door.

"Yow," he said.

Wren laughed. "That's what I said."

Phil tapped the cameraman on the shoulder and said, "That's it for the evening, fellas. Thanks."

The cameraman and sound tech started shutting down their gear and packing things away. They were the third crew who had worked with Wren during the day and had had the shortest shift.

Phil came around the crew to take one of Wren's hands in both of his, "You're stunning," he said.

She blushed. "This is going to take some getting used to. I look like a starlet."

"That's the idea," said Phil. He smiled at her and said nothing for a moment longer that Wren was comfortable with.

* * *

They spent a few more minutes talking with the salon crew but finally, Phil led Wren out of the shop and onto the street without going back into the studio. The side street ran along the studio's eastern side, away from the big gates and parking structure but Phil had moved his car to a smaller parking lot across the street. A blinking yellow caution light guarded a crosswalk and Phil somehow, naturally it seemed, took Wren's arm as they crossed the street.

Wren seemed a bit amused at this, it was a step into increased familiarity, but she didn't resist. With her new hair and more dramatic makeup, she felt on display and welcomed a reassuring touch from someone she trusted. Without much surprise, she made a mental note that she apparently did trust Phil.

Phil held the door on his Lexus for her and closed it when she said, "Thanks," then he scurried around the car to get in on the driver's side. He'd done this before but almost in an ironic way, it seemed more sincere now.

She sat almost sideways in the seat, one knee up, turned so she could see him without turning her head so far to the side. She gave him a dimpled smile as he climbed in, but he warned her, "You'd better buckle up. We're going through county area and the deputies love to give out click-it tickets."

She frowned but turned to sit square in the seat and buckled her belt. "Makes it hard to see you," she said.

"Sorry. Maybe we'll take the show to England so you can sit on this side and I won't be in your blindspot. Or hidden by that hair."

She grinned. "I'd like that," she admitted. She brushed a hand through her hair, carefully so as not to disturb the set.

Phil was quiet for a while as they cruised down the boulevard toward Hollywood. He kept glancing toward Wren and she smiled when she caught him at it.

"Where's this place we're going?" Wren asked.

"For dinner? It's called The Hungry Cat. It's in Hollywood. But I thought we might make another stop first. When's the last time you saw a doctor?"

Wren didn't answer right away. "More than a year," she said finally.

"This is a doctor who has kind of a specialty in Hollywood," said Phil. "I thought you might like to see him."

"Huh. He keeps late office hours?" It was after six, most doctors Wren knew of closed before that.

"Oh, yeah," said Phil. "Dr. Tran caters to a particular clientele, in and around Hollywood. Performers, most of them."

Wren nodded. "I think I'm getting the idea. Okay, let's stop. As long as it doesn't take too long, I am getting hungry."

* * *

Dr. Henry Tran turned out to be a small man of indeterminate age, probably of Vietnamese ancestry, or possibly Chinese. He had no accent and the diplomas on his walls showed degrees from Stanford, Houston and UCLA in various medical specialties accumulated over the last ten years or so. He also had board certifications from the American Institute for Metabolic and Endocrinologic   Research and Treatment and the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery hanging on his wall.

Wren waited in a small examining room wearing a back-to-front gown after having stripped down to panties. She didn't have to wait long, Dr. Tran entered and smiled at her. "The x-rays are good so we won't have to retake them. Did Miss Eulisle get a blood sample?"

Wren nodded, the technician had stabbed her in two fingertips and the bend of her left elbow which now had a circular bandaid in place.

"Hmm," said Dr. Tran. "I'll need to see the blood tests which we won't get back for another week but the x-rays and my exam are fairly disgnostic, Miss Andrews." Since Phil had told her that most of Dr. Tran's patients were in show business in one form or another, she had used her professional name.

His smooth brown face looked friendly, reassuring and interested.   "You present a rather unusual case, Miss Andrews. You're just under five foot four inches tall, and you weigh only ninety four pounds. You have no pubic hair and very little body hair at all with a small amount of gynecomastia. The x-rays confirm that you have the skeletal development of someone who has not yet reached puberty."

He continued smiling as he spoke. "I'll want confirmation from blood work but it looks as if you have a condition sometimes called delayed puberty accompanying hypogonadism. Do you know what that means?"

"I think so," said Wren. "I got a similar diagnosis about a year ago from my doctor in Lancaster. He wanted to send me to UCLA for more tests."

"Wouldn't hurt," agreed Dr. Tran. "We could rule out certain chromosomal abnormalities with tests. I can't get you an appointment with the right lab over there before next week. I'm confident of my initial diagnosis but I don't know enough of what might be the cause of your condition. Did anyone else in your family have a delayed puberty?"

Wren nodded. "My father, Woody. He was doing stunts in his twenties for children because he still looked young. He didn't have much body hair until he was twenty and didn't have to shave until he was twenty-seven, he told me."

Dr. Tran nodded. "Not common but not exactly rare either. Human development has a lot of variables in it. You're seventeen but you have the muscular, testicular and skeletal development of someone who is about twelve, pre-pubertal.   Assuming nothing in further tests contraindicates, the conventional treatment would be to induce puberty with gonadotropic hormones and possibly testosterone supplements."

Wren looked down and away.

Dr. Tran continued. "I'm assuming from your presentation and appearance and what I have learned about your career that this would not be desirable at this time."

She shook her head.

Dr. Tran nodded. "You're already a year past the recommended best age for starting such an intervention and the earlier such a thing is done, generally, the better the results in terms of normal development. But what is normal anyway but a statistical average that ignores the idiosyncrasies of individual cases. And desires."

Wren looked up and smiled a crooked little smile.

Dr. Tran smiled back. "You could be a very lucky young lady in some ways. Depending on the blood work, we could start a different treatment regimen within a week or so. One aimed at a more personally desired course of physical development."

She said nothing.

"A female puberty if that's how you would like to proceed," said Dr. Tran. "Your father already signed a medical release form, you know."

Wren frowned. "The doctor I saw before said that that could put me at risk for cancer. Gonadal cancer."

Dr. Tran snorted. "Everything is a risk but there are obvious ways to minimize that one depending on what your ultimate goal is."

"I.... I don't know," said Wren. "But I don't want to grow muscles or a beard."

"Well," said Dr. Tran. "You certainly have time to find out more about what you do want. In the meantime, we'll get some more tests done. And there are some minor things we can do to improve your current presentation."

"Like what?" asked Wren.

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Comments

"I don't want to grow muscles or a beard."

Uh... Wow...

There were absolutely no indications earlier that Wren might actually be trans, but now... wow... I just cannot see a male, even one who wants to be able to perform convincingly as a female impersonator for a time, actually NOT wanting male musculature or beard.

There've been other hints and indications beginning to surface... Wow, just wow...

Well, still loving this Erin, can't wait for the next installment!

Abigail Drew.

Perhaps...

...not so much trans (as yet), but the desire to keep all options open and on the table for as long as possible. This reality TV show will be a year long, and already Phil's been talking about career extensions. Given the premise of the show, there might be questions asked if Wren started a significant course of hormones of either type before the end - or at least dosages that would be noticed by viewers.

It would probably be helpful for Wren to have regular appointments with a psychologist - actually, given the premise of the show, it would probably be useful for all participants. In Wren's case, not just the usual issues, but also aspects relating to the delayed puberty and attitudes / feelings towards Phil, who appears to be increasingly enamoured by the appearance / behaviour of his latest starlet, as well as by the earnings potential. Hopefully once the show starts, Phil will be a little more hands-off (metaphorically, of course!)


As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

Love the Hair

terrynaut's picture

What is it about that hair style? It seems so mysterious. So alluring. *sigh*

I'm still a little creeped out by Phil but I like the story. Please keep up the good work.

Thanks and kudos.

- Terry

Arrrgh!

"Dr. Henry Tran turned out to be a small man of indeterminate age, probably of Vietnamese ancestry, or possibly Chinese. He had no accent ..."

Of course he had an accent! Everybody who can speak has an accent. Dr Tran probably had a US accent of some sort, perhaps a Californian one, rather than (say) a Vietnamese one? Sorry, accent is one of my bug bears, take no notice :)

I would have thought the epitome of the 'hair over one eye' style would have been Veronica Lake. I think she was probably the first Hollywood star to adopt it. Or am I showing my age?

Great story, Erin. Its only fault (apart from the accent thingy) is its infrequent updating but I know you've been a bit busy lately so you're forgiven.

Robi

Accents

erin's picture

Glad you like the story.

We'll have to differ on the accent thing tho. :)

In context, it is clear what is meant. An accent is a distinguishing feature of how someone speaks in what sounds they use and how they put them together. Dr. Tran did not have a distinguishing feature in how he spoke, none that distinguished him from the community. So, in context, he had no accent. In a different context, like South Texas, or Kent, or Halifax, yes, he would have had an accent.

Accents are a hobby of mine and I can even tell the difference between several California accents. NorCalinos, especially people from the Bay Area, palatalize the boundary between initial stops and back vowels. That is, they pronounce the number two and the conjunction too as if it were spelled "tyoo" but they don't do this with the preposition and verb particle to. Many SoCalinos make fricatives out of initial glides, that is they pronounce young further forward in the mouth with a hint of movement and a whisper of a buzz. Natives of the Inland Empire and the Big Valley have a more nasal intonation than their coastal neighbors. A lot of Big Valleyites and Eastern Californians have a drawl. Sacramento has its own accent which almost sounds like Cleveland or Philadelphia.

From San Ysidro to Santa Barbara, there's a speech community along the beaches whose accent is the basis of the mostly put on "Valley Girl" way of speaking. The original Vals were wannabes from San Fernando Valley who imitated the way the beachniks spoke. That imitation has spread and morphed with variations so it is its own generational accent now from Lancaster/Palmdale down to El Cajon. Interestingly, the real beachnik/surfer lingo is a mix of California, Hawaii and Australian speech patterns. The equivalent to Valspeak is rife in the Sydney suburbs. :)

So, Dr. Tran had no accent, meaning he spoke in the California version of General American, probably without the SoCalino markers. Wren speaks the same way except when at home with Woody when she probably modulates between Valleyite and Inland Imperial.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

taking the time to know what she wants

I think she would be happy to be somewhere in the middle, but it might be that she would be a candidate for a more permanent change.

DogSig.png

Caught up now Erin

Like this story, interesting developments ahead by the tone you are setting?

Thank you Erin.

Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)

LoL
Rita

Yes, I've just caught up, too

I hope you'll continue this - the story and characters have really grabbed me.

Not only that, but I think it would make a good TV show - a scripted show about making a reality show.

Reality TV -10-

Erin,
I have thoroughly enjoyed this story so far, but it is far from complete. Is there any chance that it will be continued? Thank you for all your efforts.
Avid Reader

Will this continue?

Any chance that you will ever continue with this?
I really like this one.

This is one of my favorites

This is one of my favorite stories, but it seems like only the start of a longer story(?) I hope so.

I'm much too exhausted to say anything intelligent about it now, but one thing that recommends it is its pace. If you do publish more, it might be good to not accelerate events, as so often happens with good starts of other TG stories. Umm, also, making it a TS story (some previous comments suggest it could be one, and perhaps the title does too) might narrow its appeal a great deal. It could be a lovely story of one young man enjoying a unique opportunity in his life, to feel and be both very feminine and very attractive.

Your stories are always so enjoyable, but this one even more so. Thank you for sharing it with us, and please do continue it, if your muse allows. Just letting you know that many months after others have asked for more, there are still interested readers hoping for more. :-)

Annemarie

"People tend to think of science fiction as, oh, Star Wars or Star Trek, and the truth is there are no closed doors,
and there are no required formulas. You can go anywhere with it."
-Octavia Butler, November 11, 2005

superb story

Dear Erin,
I would love to see this story develop further and is the picture up top what Wren looks like after her visit to the cosmeticians?....if so or if it is very close all I can say is that she is what might be called drop dead gorgeous-I hope she might like becoming female through SRS, and is certainly one the boys would likely drool over even now, please keep up the good work Erin also this when complete may be worthy of being published

I'd like it to continue too...

I really liked this story. But I'm used to Erin starting cool stories like this and then dropping them suddenly in the middle and moving on to something else... I don't think we should hold out too much hope for seeing more of this one. Sadly.

Abigail Drew.

unfinished

yeah there's less point in reading them if you know there not going to be finished.

We still hope for more

Your last installment of Reality TV was six years(!) ago, but there are probably a lot of us hoping that one day when we log in there will be new additions to this story. The story is a combination of a good premise with good characters, plus your talented and confident prose and well-informed research.

I am hoping for more of other stories of yours, too. Hired Girl, for instance.

I will practice patience. In the meantime, this is just a friendly note to let you know that there is definitely still an audience.

Annie
"...time is but a stubborn illusion." - Albert Einstein

There's hope

erin's picture

The characters still visit me to tell me more of their lives. I just have not been able to get anything down that is postable.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Please...

Sure wish you would continue this story to it’s end. I really hate reading a serial and finding it is not finished!