Congress Paper Abstract

Letters on cross dressing

Peter B Farrer 

The presentation will be in three sections:

A) Summary of the newspapers etc. involved and how discovered:

• The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine (Doris Langley Moore);
• Town Talk, The Family Doctor and Society (guessed that if had whipping letters would also have tight-lacing);
• Modern Society and Photo Bits (Havelock Ellis);
• Bits of Fun (Press Directory).

B) Eight types of situation chosen and examples given of each:

• 1) Continuation of Petticoats (boy dressed as girl until 14);
• 2) Resumption of Petticoats (boy of 14 put into girls’ clothes);
• 3) Girls’ Clothes as Punishment (troublesome boy of 13 made to wear girls’ underclothing);
• 4) The School Play (mother makes son practise wearing girls’ clothes);
• 5) Trying on Women’s Clothes (boy of 14 caught by aunt);
• 6) Making a Pretty Boy (boy dressed up as girl "for the benefit of the ladies");
• 7) Masquerade (young officer accompanies cousin dressed as woman);
• 8) Petticoat Government (wife compels husband wear female dress when alone).

C) Progress.

• Extracts published up to 1920: Still to review (publicity available papers): London Life (1926 to 1941), The Sunday Chronicle (1927) and the Canadian Justice Weekly (1949 to 1972). The difficulty is that the contributions become increasingly far fetched.

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