Transvestia

life in the sense I've defined before in coining the word "femme-personator", but to BE in the situation where a woman normally finds herself and then find- ing that womanly interests and satisfactions come forth, has been a fascinating thing to watch as an observer even if it is happening to oneself as the subject.

Unfolding the "anima" within myself has been something akin to the butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Its wings are wrapped around the body and are damp, soft and of no use for flying. Gradually in the warmth of the sun they unfold, spread out, dry, harden and become functional flying appendages. They incidentally are revealed as objects not only of utility but of beauty with all their dainty and delicate markings, irridescent colors, etc. This is about what has happened to me. The cocoon I was in was the little, crowded, uncomfortable house in which I passed my "pupal" stage last 3 years. I move to a bigger, better, more beautiful and more demanding world of a new home and I shed my cocoon and begin to unfold. Various necessitities of decoration, alteration, cleaning, repairing, painting, garden- ing and general sprucing up provided the stimulus to unfold the Virginia butterfly to a much greater extent than ever before. As she settles into her new role as owner, housewife, woman in (not of) the world, her wings (her anima) unfold, dry, harden and become capable of sustaining her in flight thru the rest of her life. The "anima" in the whole Charles-Virginia being unfolding in the sunshine of opportunity as well as necessity, hardens and firms. up as a total human being and makes Virginia a more real, self-confidant and socially functional person. This new creature is found to be beautiful too, even as the butterflys wings are beautiful--not beautiful in the external face, figure, and hairdo sense but beautiful inwardly as a person, free to be, free to do, no longer afraid, no longer fighting, mistress of her own fate and fully aware of herself and her capabilities etc. That beauty is evident to me my-