RANSVESTIA

hardly be otherwise. But nevertheless men see women as they think they are (or ought to be) and not as they actually are. In the past woman has largely been man's creation and she spent most of her life trying to conform to that image. Things are changing today but much more quickly for the young and malleable men. The older ones, which includes most of the readers of these lines, are still operating in large measure by standards and concepts they acquired in their youth.

So the FP in femmedress and "living" his "Girl Within,” constructs her according to his own concept of womanhood. Naturally not being a female himself and therefore not being brought up as a girl and woman he has not been subjected to the molding forces of society which have been applied to her. He therefore has only his own concept of her to go by. This was elaborated in some aspects in the No. 77 column but this time let's take up some others.

To the average FP, his Girl Within is a "thing of beauty and a joy for- ever", swathed in nylon and lace floating in clouds of fragrance from Coty, Chanel or whatever, and who must not waste her precious hours or soil her pretty hands in the more mundane aspects of womanhood. Although the FP husband of an accepting wife sees her cooking, housekeeping, shopping, sewing, child nurturing, etc. when in his femme form "she" seems to overlook these aspects of femininity completely as though they were not part of being a woman. If he is fortunate enough to have an ac- cepting wife whom he supposedly loves (and should for her acceptance if nothing else) he ought to take some time to look at himself-herself from the wife's point of view.

On an evening when he dresses or on a weekend what happens? To be- gin with he-she takes literally several hours going through the delicious process of "becoming." Meanwhile, back at the range (kitchen) the "lit- tle woman" (another male chauvenistic expression), who probably also spent a long and tiring day, is tidying up the house and getting dinner ready. If it is a Saturday she can probably dust and clean the whole house while "my lady" is in her boudoir "getting herself together." Finally, the charming creature emerges like a butterfly from her cocoon. If she looks good enough and has some experience she probably immediately takes off for the outside world if that is convenient. If not she sits down in the living room to read Mademoiselle or Vanity Fair, to watch the “real TV” or to busy herself with her nails or other "feminine occupations."

How many of our "Princesses" dress themselves in housedresses and

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