RANSVESTIA
But before we get into that, I want to reintroduce an old friend and collaborator, Susanna. From No. 1 to No. 61, she provided stimulating and thought provoking insights in her column, "Susanna Says." She had to discontinue it some years ago when other commitments made it too difficult. However, since this is our 100th issue, I prevailed upon Susanna to come out of retirement for "Just one more time." She graciously did so and here is her column. I wish to thank her for her contribution to this anniversary issue as well as for the penetrating ideas she has expressed. Now-hear what "Susanna Says"!
SUSANNA SAYS
One hundred years! or is it one hundred issues of TVia? It really seems like a century ago we started groping in the confusion of our lives for a truth and a self-definition. We followed the same pattern that modern youth seems to have found, the eternal question of "who am I"? We were desperately trying to find ourselves, to see if we could fit somehow, comfortably, in the midst of our society, and we shuddered to think that it might be an impossible task. We seem to have moved forward to a certain extent. A good number of people, many more than there were one hundred issues ago, know about us. The moral "liberation" of our times seems to have helped somewhat, too. But, we ask ourselves, have we really become liberated? Have we really become understood? Accepted?
I get the impression that our "alter egos," the GG's, played a nasty trick on all of us. They are forcing the masculine world to accept them in its midst. They are wearing the construction helmets, and buzzing through computers and tearing engines apart while hanging on to their right to wear perfume, lipstick, jewelry and any type of fashion their wonderful minds wish to adopt. And what about us, you may say? Have we walked those million miles of acceptance to do as we wish, to behave as we'd love to have our "girl-within" behave? I am afraid not. The GG's are winning their revolution. They even defy polarization. We equated skirts with GG's and pants with the masculine way of life. We hated the GG when she boldly snatched away from us our jeans and our shirts and our neckties. But we did not have the guts to retaliate by snatching away her petticoats and skirts and lipsticks. So she advanced while we stood still. We just
2