Introducing our Eye Candy of the Month: Tawni Bonds
For our first Eye Candy Girl of 2021, we wanted to do something special. We have a treat this month for our readers. She is one of the most popular girls to have entered our contests and is a model for products on our website. Let’s meet this month’s Eye Candy, our dear friend Tawni Bonds!!
Hi Tawni! We are so glad to have you as our first Eye Candy Girl of 2021. Why don’t we start by telling everyone where are you from?
I was born in Hollywood, California
When did you first start dressing and how did it come about?
I have a sister who is 7 years older than me. One day when I was 5 or 6 years old, while babysitting me with her friend, she basically captured me, forced me into tights and a leotard, then tied me to a chair (because I would not go along with her) and she and her friend put makeup on me and then did my hair. I knew that i was not supposed to like this, but it hit me like a tidal wave! I loved everything about it – the smells, the textures, the way the clothes hugged my body. It was electrifying! I have been dressing ever since, starting with stealing the very outfit that started it and hiding it in the bushes where I would dress, then when my parents were out and I was old enough to stay home alone, then when I went to college and it still makes me feel so wonderful and relaxed and real – the real me!
How did you come up with your Femme name?
My first femme name was Barbara. I wanted to be called Barbie. After a few months that just did not feel right. Then I decided I wanted to be called Cat. So I changed my name to Katherine. That didn’t last 2 weeks. It felt so artificial and not real. So I was thinking about all the women I admire and then one sort of bubbled to the surface: Tawni! That surprised me because I never would have thought of that name nor would I have accepted it. But I realized that I kind of fit – strangely. The person it came from is Tawni Kitaen. She was hanging with the guy from a band called Whitesnake and was in all his videos. I met her in person at one point before I took the name and she really impressed me with her kindness, intellect and beauty. So I figured I should try it out and suddenly, years later, I discovered that it was me. Felt right. Very comfortable. Of course, I still keep Katherine as my middle name. My last name, Bonds, comes from when my sister tied me to the chair and all the James Bond women!
How often do you dress?
When I am on my own, I dress every day. When there is family or friends over, I have to keep the dressing in the background – so on those occasions I dress as often as possible. During this Covid time, I have only dressed about 2 times since February 2020 – which actually makes me feel sad, tense and like my life is being wasted.
Are you married/in a relationship? If yes, are you able to share your female self with your partner?
I am married! My wife found out about my dressing after we were engaged and before we were married. She did a lot of research – because she is a very smart woman – and discovered that it is not as strange and odd as she had believed and that just because I dress does not mean I am gay. As i say to her, “I am a lesbian trapped in a male body.” We tried it together one time – and it totally freaked her out. I mean seriously freaked out. The reason, she told me, was that I became a completely different person – from how I moved, sat, talked and obviously looked. She told me that she married a man and that she would prefer to never see Tawni again. However, she doesn’t mind that I dress and go out as long as I do not bring it home. And by ‘it’ I mean everything from stories, disease, etc. She is really wonderful because she goes out of her way to give me time to dress and even buys Tawni things to wear. And I share some of my things with her when she needs them, which is more often than not! So it works out for both of us. Another benefit she discovered, is that I want her to have nice things, shoes, skirts, blouses, etc. and I do understand how long it takes to look pretty – so we get on really well! I am a lucky girl!
What are some of your favorite outfits/fashions?
I L-O-V-E leather skirts and jackets – never had a leather dress but would love to try that out. My favorite outfit is black high-heel pumps, shiny stockings, black leather miniskirt, white pirates or artists blouse (Lots of ruffles), a black leather jacket, a black choker with a heart on it and a messenger purse that has fringe on it.
I also love getting into a long halter top evening gown that has a slit (up to the top of the thigh) that shows leg when you walk. I love it in any Gemstone color but am partial to Royal purple, cobalt blue or Red and of course, Black!
And another of my favorite outfits is a sleeveless, red minidress – but, alas, it has fallen apart.
I have so many wonderful items I love, the mirror dress, the sleeveless turtleneck top with a checkerboard miniskirt and boots.
I just so love shoes, boots, leather, and both Ivory colored stockings and nude shiny stockings! And of course earrings that dangle or jingle!
Wow! What don’t I love except frumpy looking things. My look is “classy trashy” I think. On occasion I go elegant, so beside the evening gown, I love my Southwest, off the shoulder, dress. That’s more for things around the house I guess.
Stockings or pantyhose?
I love both!!!!! Depends on the outfit and where I might be going. For example, stocking and garters for more sensual fun outings, pantyhouse for clubbing and regular lunches or dinners. The important thing is that they feel so good on your legs and they make your legs look so much better than none!
Heels or flats?
Heels, heels and heels. I have no flats. If I did, they would only be for house cleaning. There is something about the feel of wearing heels, the sound of walking in them, the way they make your leg look that is intoxicating to me!!! Even my boots are high heels!!!!
Favorite places to go when dressed?
I have so many! But Alas, most have gone away – even before Covid – and that’s in L.A. so I wonder what’s going on in the world. I love to go down to Long Beach and visit Hamburger Mary’s! But I also love it when a crowd of us gather at the NoHo Diner in North Hollywood for those “after clubbing” chat & chews! But probably my most favorite thing is when a bunch of us agree to kick in a few bucks and check into a lovely suite in some hotel, like the Hilton in Tarzana or even the famous Biltmore in Downtown L.A. It ends up being cheap and it is always so much fun because it becomes a potluck, dance party with a view! I also enjoy going shopping on Hollywood blvd at Frederick’s and a few other places and of course on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood where there are a bunch of nice restaurants and stores to browse in.
Go to accessories for a night out
When it comes to accessories I have to say that I just love them! Bangles (the more the merrier), a choker with a dangling heart, 5 to 7 silver rings, long dangling silver earrings, and, long fingernails – I consider them an accessory because I have to put them on every time! So my “Go to Accessories are the black 2” ribbon choker with the pearl heart, which I have been wearing since the beginning almost. I have had to replace the ribbon but the heart… it is my heart! I have a set of silver bangles that I wear on my left wrist. I love wearing my leather rope bracelet and a diamond tennis bracelet on my right hand. I also love wearing lace, see-through fingerless gloves. It sets everything off very nicely. And finally, I have a favorite necklace that is made of 2 chains – one with a crystal heart dangling from it and the other chain has a silver outline of a heart. I have several favorite pairs of earrings, but my most favorite is a cascade of silver discs that jingle a tiny bit and hang about 2 inches. After that, my favorite is Heart shaped hoops that have 2-3 hearts per ear. I just love hearts!!
Who is/are your female role model(s) and why?
I have so many! Jane Fonda because she was the epitome of sexy, smart and played a lot of roles I wished I could have lived in real life. She dressed how I do in her early movies. I wish I could have been her! Rachel Welch because she is so beautiful and sexy in a foreign way. I always admired and yearned for her dresses and blouses. Nicole Kidman for her intense beauty and great style!!! When it comes to the mind it would have to be Ruth Bader Ginsberg! Of course! So smart, so willing to stand up in an intelligent manner and accomplished so much for women. And finally, Ru Paul. Because he is RuPaul!!! Amongst my friends I have 4 role models: Amber Dubois- because she really doesn’t care who knows what she is and is so full of passion for cameras, fun and us girls!!! Jennifer Merrill for being so stylish and there, Carollyn Olson because she is so supportive of all and so smart – she encouraged me to write and be of gentle mind in troubling times and lastly, Veronic Noel – who is just the best person in the world and so wonderful, joyous, sexy, fun and just present!
Tell us some fun facts about yourself. What are your hobbies (either when dressed or not), likes, things you do in your spare time, or anything else you would like to share?
I absolutely LOVE Astronomy and telescopes and images from the Hubble and other exploratory craft! Cassini footage is nutty great! I love magic (close up magic that is) because it is hard to do and seamless when it works. I learned that you really cannot fool kids, but adults love to be fooled! And I love to take photographs – mostly of patterns that occur in nature because shooting people is scary if you do not know them – especially these days. I spent some time in Africa and you can photograph the people there in most places and they love it but I did have an “incident” where I was almost forced to marry someone because I took a photograph of their 3 year old daughter and in that village that was a no-no! I am constantly on a watch for what I eat, how much I eat and the like as I am losing my waist a bit here and I love my tiny waist! So it is all about avoiding sugar – which is really hard to do these days. I look silly reading every label but you have to. They sneak sugar into everything almost! Just avoiding sugar keeps the weight off – and that doesn’t mean I never eat, I just pick and choose when I do.
Any stories you would like to share about yourself and your journey?
I grew up in a very different social time from now. If you dressed there was definitely something wrong with you. In hindsight I realize that I was not brave enough when I should have been – but that’s all history now. So my first time out in public is kind of an amazing tale. I actually have 2-first times but I will focus on the 2nd of the first times because it was a much fuller experience. It began when I met someone online who also dressed. She convinced me to come over to her place after many back and forths. The bait: I could try on her thigh-high heeled patent leather boots!!! We agreed that I could come in drab. Well, I showed up with about 22-million butterflies in my stomach and enough fear and tension that I probably could have jack-rabbited out of there faster than any human alive. She coaxed me into her place that she shared with another crossdresser and the two of them really made me feel great about myself and my dressing. After a couple of hours they had me convinced to go out with them and their friends that very night. I scurried home, got dressed and returned at the appointed hour. I sat in my car for 30-minutes waiting for “the coast to be clear” enough to walk across the street and through the lobby of the apartment complex. When I knocked on the door, I was greeted by 5 beautiful girls in various stages of dressing. The apartment was called “The Slut Hut” and they all rented it together. These girls called themselves “The Couch Kittens”. And they were fabulous!
They fussed and cooed, oo-ed and ah-ed at my look and choices of clothing. After that they took me out, en masse, to the famous Queen Mary. As they surrounded me for my walk to the club from the parking lot, they warned me about several of the regular patrons and how they were going to try to protect me from the many “amorous advances” they thought I was in for. And they were not kidding! I felt like the bell of the ball. my confidence shot through the roof and I suddenly was “Home!” I had such a wonderful time chatting, and dancing and drinking and flirting. And I met a man who was to become my protector, Wayne, always the gentleman, never asking for anything in return but always keeping an eye out for me. I loved Wayne. Sadly he passed a few years ago and it is still hard to believe.
After the club closed at 2AM I thought the night was over, but no. The girls told me we still had after clubs to hit. And we went to one that was amazing – 300 people or more, all dressed or in costumes – but all friendly. More drinks and a slice of someone’s birthday cake and then I thought it was time to go home. it must have been 4am.
So we piled back into the cars and to my surprise went all the way to Santa Monica. And I say my surprise because they had a surprise for me: They escorted me down the street and then down a flight of steps into an underground club. When my eyes adjusted to the dark red light, they grew wider than is humanly possible. This was a bondage club and before me was a sea of revelers in all manner of bondage outfits and devices. I was both shocked and enticed. I just stood there looking around, taking it all in until one of the girls reached over and closed my mouth for me. One by one the girls disappeared and suddenly I was very alone. A very good looking man and woman approached me and asked me if I would like to play. I blushed enough that even though the makeup and in the red light they could see it. They told me not to be afraid and that as a newbie they would be very gentle with me. I declined and as soon as they were gone retreated up the steps and back out onto the street.
It was 5am or so. The glow of the rising sun could be seen on the horizon. The girls I came with could not be seen anywhere. Fear started to creep into my shivering soul. I was standing on the sidewalk, alone, dressed and with no way home. To jump to the end of this, after a time I was convinced by a biker group to hitch a ride with them. I was convinced by the lead biker and his girlfriend. So in the end I ended up sitting on the back of a hog with my arms around this man flying along the 405 freeway heading home. They were perfect gentlemen and would not even let me give them anything other than… you guessed it, my scarf and a kiss on the cheek.
I fell into my bed exhausted and elated and I owe much to the Couch Kittens, the Slut Hut and those kind bikers!
You are a regular in our annual contests and a fan favorite. Can you offer any advice to girls looking to enter this year?
The only advice I can give is that if you do not succeed the first time, try, try again! And the prizes are so wonderful and there are so many of them. And it is so much fun just to see the entries and watch it all unfold. AND if you are lucky enough to win – WOW! What a feeling. What an endorsement of you! It is just the most wonderful thing that Glamour Boutique holds these contests. I have heard that choosing the girls is one of the most challenging things ever – but they seem to do it every year pretty well!… Other than that, my advice is to look at last year’s winners and try to figure out why they won! Thats fun too!
If you have social media, what is the best way for others to follow you?
I have facebook (https://www.facebook.com/tawni.bonds/) and Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tawnibonds/) and an email address (Tawnibonds@Gmail.com) Feel free to write me anytime about anything – I love to “mentor” people!
If you would like to send a message to your fellow girls out there or a closing statement.
These are strange times but I feel that love, respect and courage to tell the truth will get me through. No matter how fearful or angry. That and wearing good looking, yet comfortable things also helps!
The younger girls today have such wonderful opportunities – for them there is no need to feel like a “freak” or hide their true selves because our “kind” are more accepted now than ever before – and more beautiful I might add. That is not to say that we are not sometimes targeted for violence or that it is always safe out there – it isn’t. But being smart and aware certainly help you stay safer.
If I had one wish for all my friends it would only be that they all stay safe and get through not only Covid but all the haters out there.
Finally, I would like to thank Glamour Boutique for being there for us girls through thick and thin. For always trying to find better items for us at good prices. For holding community building contests, publishing tips and generally being so encouraging to us girls – not for their own profit, but for their love of us and our “culture”. It is their way of enabling us all to be what we are! And that is really something to be thankful for!
I love you all,
Tawni
Thanks for those kind words Tawni and thank you for sharing your story with us. We can’t wait to see you in our contests this year!
Would you like to share your story and become an Eye Candy Girl?
Let us know by emailing us at glambmarketing@gmail.com or by messaging us on our Facebook Page. For more Eye Candy head over to our blog and meet more amazing ladies.