ious spectators who gather outside to watch the "queens", I know what they are thinking of me but somehow I don't care. I imagine this could be caused by an overwhelming attack of narcissism.

I wanted to check the reaction of some of the girls who went to the March ball at the Manhattan Center in N.Y. and I requested Lorraine (32-C-5) to contribute to this column with her impressions. It was particularly interesting inasmuch as this was the first time that she went to one of these affairs and she has often contributed with articles to expand our meager be-skirted literature.

Here is what Lorraine wrote:

"I don't know what the astrologers had to say about Friday March 30th, but I know that during the evening, Susanna, Marie, Gail. Karen, Lee, Vicki, Gloria, Colleen, Betty & I had a wonderful time.

The reason? We enjoyed the dancing, the music of a good band and the meeting of Anita (Cover Girl TVia #9) and several other ac- quaintances--at the National Variety Artists Ball which took place at the Manhattan Center in New York City. Vicki, who makes a fab- ulous transformation by the way, shot a number of pictures, and most likely you will see some of them in future issues of this magazine.

Although all the members of our group qualified for participat- ing in the costume contest that was held, Susanna was the only one who entered it. In a rose and green Oriental sheath (created by Helen Lancaster) with a high slit on the left side, and her skill- fully applied, matching eye makeup, she was resplendent to say the least.

If you've ever been to one of these gatherings you can well understand the difficulty of selecting the winners from such a con- test, for there must have been a hundred or more who wore gowns that were outstandingly beautiful.

....

However, the most important and endurable kind of prize that we can win, is that of acceptance (albeit a temporary one). The chance to express our feminine selves not in a locked room, but in large rooms full of all kinds of people, and even to extent outside, for you arrive, and leave these balls, in female attire. The chance to walk about, chat, dance--live and have fun, as a real woman can in every-day life. Those of us who went to this ball for the first time are still "floating on air".. .it is an unforgettable experience. When you have a special opportunity--as this was--for releasing, in a tremendous manner, the woman within you, how can you convey the

67.