ARTICLE

GO AHEAD — BE A “TATTLE-TAIL”

Linda Jean 20-B-1 FPE

What do I say and how do I say it? Do I have the “guts” to come right out and say what I feel? These were some of the questions I had to ask myself when I first thought of "tattling" on myself. The answer was the same in all cases: “Maybe next time." How many of us have lost sleep, I wonder, berating ourselves for procrastinating this way? How many times have we been irritable because we wanted to "dress" but couldn't because of company? And how many heartaches have we brought upon ourselves by not giving someone a chance to understand? I'd hate to attempt a guess on my own part. At times it's been a hell of my own making and it seems so unfounded when I consider it.

No, sisters, I have no universal answer. Each of us must find it for herself. But find it we must. The reasons are legion and apply in almost every case. We can't spend all our time in the boudoir. It is not only unfeasable and lonely but does exactly the opposite of what we intended in the first place. We are what we are because an important part of us cries for recognition; for release. And so we give life and substance to her and she gives us our sanity. She gives us much more, even, than this. Are we, then, ashamed of her to the point of hiding her from the world? Most of us are shocked to think of a parent who is so ashamed of a crippled child that it is kept in virtual seclusion. But we do the same with ourselves and we lose a dear part of ourselves in the process.

Let's examine the process. We dress and feel like a complete person. We feel great; at ease; at peace with the world. The cares of the day are gone as we become our femmeselves. Then, just as we relax, we have visitors. So Jane or Margaret or Sally goes back into the closet. The cares of the day are with us again and we are ill-at-ease with our guests. They notice this and become uneasy also. Perhaps they cut the visit

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