Transvestia

Dear Virginia:

During the considerable time in which I have been a TV, I have never thought to express any philosophy of life or to explain my tendencies. This is because my behavior has seemed so natural to myself that I found no necessity for "explanation".

In numerous parts of Oceania, the men wear earrings or necklaces and in the societies of the Pacific all the bright plumage is affected by the men. In many parts of Africa, dancing is the perogative of the males who are gaily decorated with feathers, powder and paint. In some Oriental areas the two sexes dress about alike. Most primitive societies are noted for the artistry of the males which covers jewelry and articles of clothing.

Western men on the other hand, are a hard driving competitor who wants to build bridges and rockets. He has no time for frills. Once in a while he relaxes as in the early 1700's when European men were addicted to laces, perfume, ribbons and wigs. Moreover, Western civilization in it's desire to explain everything to sy- stematize everything, places us all in categories. If you are an American male of a certain age, in a certain economic bracket, you are supposed to act in a certain way and dress in a prescribed fashion.

Finally, this attempt to place everyone in a behavior strait-jacket is accentuated by the triumph of mass- man. The masses are now the arbiters of taste and fashion and you must conform to their models or they will turn on you with scorn and ridicule. We are not as individual as we like to think we are.

Yours,

Louise

5- R-6