Mister Maid, Masculinists and Pouting Princesses

(Extract from a leading newspaper article 2oth February 2021)



"The Future of Masculinity in the 21st Century" by Jasmine Tomlinson



"The stunning rise and success of women and girls over the last sixty or so years has been witnessed and has taken up endless articles in newspapers all over the world for many years now. At last count, in the western world, girls achieved 95% of all top grades at school and college level, 87% of Bachelors degrees, 97% of Masters and Phd's and 91% of MBA's. Success in the academic sphere has also been gradually translated into the professional sphere. Female Doctors outnumber male ones by seven to one and the gender breakdown in other areas such as the law, middle and junior management, accountantcy and business executive positions report the much greater representation of females over males. In nine out of every 10 households, the female partner is the main or sole breadwinner. Women form 90% of all new businesses and typically those businesses are handed on to their daughters rather than their sons.

But what about the male of the species? Less than a century ago, men were unquestionably the dominant sex and a man speaking in the last half of the last century would have said that woman's place was "in the home". But, in the wake of equal rights for women, economic recessions, the stunning rise of females and the proportional decline of males academically and professionally, they have been proven to be the weaker sex. Fewer than 10% of boys go on to higher education, few businesses are owned by men and of those that are, they are mostly small-scale operations, male unemployment and economic inactivity are at record levels. For those men who do work, it is often in the lower grades as compared to women. Most men do not work at all. Many are the chief homemakers and child raisers to success career women. Women are now openly saying "a man's place is in the home". The positions and status of women and men have been almost completely reversed in the last hundred years.

Curiously, there has been a modest upsurge in the number of new businesses started by men, the highest recorded for many a year but these are invariably hairdressing salons, beauty parlours and cleaning and domestic services. One noteable success has been the "Mister Maid" company, founded by former executive, Carl Leonard, which provides a male maid, appropriately attired, for hire to anyone requiring maid services.

I went along to Leonard's office and met the man himself, attired in traditional male costume, and buoyed up with confidence over the success of his enterprise. He showed me one of his top employees, Alan. From the back, Alan looked exactly like a sterotypical female maid. Black high heels, shapely long legs encased in black nylon stockings, a short black maid's dress, dripping with lace, long stlyed hair and a frilly maid's cap. The illusion was lost when he turned around to reveal muscular arms, a flat chest and male features that even the liberal application of cosmetics could not fully disguise. Alan smiled sweetly and spoke in a girlish whisper but he was clearly a male.

Leonard saw my slight discomfort "Women love maids like Alan" he said "They just love seeing men dressed up as maids and running around at their command. A male maid is becoming the new status symbol for the successful woman. Seriously, demand is in danger of exceeding supply!"

And "Mister Maid" is the most successful male maid company, but not the only one. Statistics show that one the fastest growing sectors is domestic services with males as the service providers and females as the consumers. With the woman as head of her household and the male as her domestic servant, the role reversal of the sexes that has been going on for decades is complete.

The declining status of males is of grave concern to a hotch potch of masculinist groups that have mushroomed over the last decade or so. They range from moderate groups wanting equal rights in marriage, access to their children and halting the sexual objectification of males that has increased as women have become more powerful to more hard-line factions wanting male only schools and colleges, a quota system to ensure males get more jobs and political power to the lunatic fringe who advocate that men rise up and take back the jobs that women have stolen from them and to put woman back in her "natural role" as nurturer and carer.

I spoke to Nathan Greene. Greene is a rarity of the modern age. One of a handful of males that attend university, greatly outnumbered by a sea of young women. When Greene is not studying Politics and History, he is President of the Tomorrow Men movement, one of the more moderate groups looking for small concessions from the female elite.

"We want more equality in marriage" Greene explains "Presently, a male is expected to take his wife's name and to promise in the marriage ceremony to "obey" her! We feel that this is demeaning to our maleness". Then his tone is coloured by bitterness "Once, men used to be the heads of their families, now they come a poor third after their wife and then their children! There must be more equality".

Like feminists in the last century, the masculinists are divided amongst themselves and Tomorrow Men is considered to be betraying the cause by the more radical factions. They are hopelessly divided and indulge in political infighting amongst themselves.

But, judging from the literature coming out of organisations like Tomorrow Men, equality in marriage is only one of many bones of contention that men like Greene have with women. The literature, a lot of it bordering on hysteria, proclaims that not only have men been made obsolete and have been heavily demoted by women, but that the very nature of masculinity itself is under attack by women determined to feminise their menfolk.

Evidence for this can be found in the homes of the upper and middle class families where, invariably, the woman is the chief wage earner. Girls are being pushed to be successful at school and on the sports field and to be as successful as their mothers. The boys, though, are on a completely different trajectory to their sisters.

To the horror of the masculinist movements, a new phenomenon known as the "Princess Complex" has swept across the country. Now that girls are the new heir apparent and are spared the girlhood they would have had to endure a few decades ago, mothers are feminising their sons. Many boys, as soon as they are born, are put into pretty dresses and underwear and have ringlets and hair ribbons. They are mollycoddled and indulged and encouraged to be pretty and pleasing and discouraged from any traditionally masculine tendencies.

Will, a pretty six year old boy, is the son of a successful stockbroker mother who earns a seven figure salary. He is dressed in a pink frock, silken petticoats, lacy anklets and pink high heels. He has blonde ringlets and has pink bows tied in his hair. He is wearing lip gloss and is presently playing with a doll. He even pouts when he is displeased. He is undistinguishable from the stereotypical little girl that is endlessly illustrated in literature.

His mother, one of the most aggressive and ruthless brokers in history, coos and fusses over him as if he was more valuable than the millions she makes each year. Will, she says, is her little princess boy. He spends most of his time in salons or doing ballet. Her proudest moment, she says, was when her son won Master Europe last year, defeating hundreds of other pretty boys.

She shows me a picture of Will crowned as the winner of Master Europe. He is wearing a pink swimsuit and matching high heels and is wearing a tiara and sash and his shiny lips have formed into a wide smile.

Will, and every boy like him, are the future of masculinity.

He protesteth too much I think!

Last night I did some random surfing on the net and came up with some very interesting threads.

There are abundant accounts of young males being beaten by girls and made to dress as girls as a punishment! Quite recent examples too, as recently as a few days ago in one case.

For example, a boy told a girl that girls were useless at computer games so the girl challenged this by challenging him to play a military tactical game with her. The girl won and said that as she had beaten him and he was therefore useless at playing computer games, by his own logic, he must therefore be a girl! So he had to dress as one.

There are endless tales of boys being beaten at basketball by their sisters or a member of the cheerleading squad and being punished by being made to wear the skimpy, revealing cheerleader costumes worn by the girls. One boy was told he would have to get a "shampoo and set" and the bewildered boy was asking on the net what this meant. A lot of girls delightedly mailed him back and told him in delicious detail what an experience he was in for!

One boy, beaten at basketball by a cheerleader who would have agreed to be his maid for a year (and he even made a point of showing her the maid's uniform she would have had to wear had she lost), wrote a plaintive e-mail and even set up a poll to ask if he should be made to wear the cheerleader's skimpy top and tiny skirt that was his punishment and wrote further e-mails bemoaning his fate. He had to wear the uniform and claimed it was humiliating.

To the humiliation of being beaten by a girl at a traditionally male activity goes the humiliation of being forced to wear girls' clothes as if to say you have been defeated by a "useless girl", so who is the "girl" now?

I suspect in all these cases, the boys did what I would have done in these situations and deliberately "threw the game" so that they would end up in girls' clothes! The young man who had to dress as a cheerleader protested a little too much for his "horror" at being made to dress as a girl to be convincing. I bet that, like me, they saw an opportunity to express their girly side and seized it with both hands!

In any event, it's good to see young males making sexist remarks and thinking girls are an easy win being put firmly in their place by girls! Keep it up, girls!, you're doing a great job of disabusing young males that they are in any way superior to a girl when the opposite is true! Girls Rock!

The Trip to the Museum - 2041

Hannah Harper arrived at the nursing home where she agreed to help out during her summer holidays.

Hannah was aged 15 and in her last year at one of the girls' only special academies that specialised in teaching science and technology. Hannah had set her sights on becoming a Doctor, a popular profession amongst students at the academies, and wanted to get some work experience in by helping with the elderly.

Hannah was welcomed by Mrs Allen, the manager of the home, a no nonsense attitude lady in her fifties who wore jeans and a denim shirt. She showed Hannah around the home, which was a hive of activity and efficiency. The nursing staff were trousered females, whilst the more lowly care staff were males in pink and white dresses, with a white apron.

Mrs Allen explained that the residents of the home were all elderly men ranging in age from their late 60's to the early 80's. Their faculties were intact and they were in good physical shape for their ages, thanks to advances in modern science. Most of them were divorcees, widowers or just old bachelors. Some of them had been placed in the home by their daughters, who did not want the bother of having them around.

Hannah decided to ask a question that had been on her mind "These residents...they must remember the old days...you know, when men were in charge. They must have some interesting perspective from that era".

Mrs Allen replied "Oh, yes, I'm sure that they do".

Hannah was fascinated. Here were relics from a completely different age where the male had been the protector and provider, and wore the trousers, and had the best jobs. That had all changed of course in the early 21st Century, when girls outperformed boys academically and women outperformed men and replaced them as leaders and breadwinners. Hannah could not imagine a world where women were not in charge.

Mrs Allen took Hannah to see some of the residents. They were as Hannah expected, elderly men dressed in flowery frocks and stockings. Along with the change of roles between the sexes had come an inversion of dress. Hannah had worn trousers all her young life and could not envisage what it must be like to wear a dress or skirt. She wondered what it must have been like for the elderly specimens in front of her. From trousers one day to skirts the next.

The men were, without exception, grumpy and miserable and would not look up at Hannah when she entered the room. "What's up with them?" she whispered to Mrs Allen. Mrs Allen smiled "They still hate having to wear dresses and stockings and drawers! They spent most of their lives in trousers, so I suppose it is understandable but still it does not make for a happy atmosphere here". She raised her voice to address the residents "Morning, gentlemen! Today we have a special treat for you. A visit to a museum! Doesn't that sound good?".

There was a distinct lack of enthusiasm from the residents. Mrs Allen shrugged and she and her staff shephered the residents out of the home and on to a bus that had been hired for the day. Hannah followed behind, since this was her first day, she was not expected to do more than shadow Mrs Allen.

The drive, that lasted just over an hour in duration, was uneventful. Hannah, sitting with the staff, noticed that whilst the staff were chatting easily, the residents were largely silent and deep in thought. Hannah wondered if they were thinking back to the days when they strutted about in trousers and had had lives.

The bus pulled up outside a large building in the centre of the city. Hannah recognised it immediately as the Museum of Women. Hannah had been there twice before on school trips, and that had been before she had gone to the academy and so there had been boys in her class. Hannah remembered them vaguely as shy, submissive, docile little creatures who wore the school dress for boys of pink gingham dress, lacy anklets and mary-jane shoes and who spoke only when they were spoken to. In her experience of boys, limited though it was, they were ill-equipped to do much more than menial jobs or to care for homes and children.

The staff herded the residents off the bus. The men were grumbling and seemed reluctant to enter the museum.

The museum was a vast, modern complex of glass and steel. It had been built entirely by women to celebrate their ascendancy.

The first display was "Adam and Eve". It showed a man and a woman, wearing nothing but fig leaves. The recorded commentary proclaimed "In the beginning, man and woman were created equal and given dominion over the earth and everything in it".

The next display showed a caveman and woman, dressed in animal skins. The man carried a spear whilst the woman was tending a fire and cooking meat on it. 'Over time, the roles of men and women became strictly defined. The male was the hunter and gatherer and the female was chiefly responsible for raising children and cooking, but it was still an equal partnership".

Circa 1000 AD

The next scene displayed a man dressed in warrior garb and the woman in a woollen shift. The man carried an axe whilst the woman was shown at a spindle. "Millennia passed and over that period of time, males asserted themselves as the dominant warrior sex whilst they relegated women to the status of property and servants and made to perform menial tasks".

Circa 1580

Then followed the scene of a man and woman wearing Elizabethan attire. The man wore an embroidered doublet, jewelled hat, tights and boots. The woman wore a jewelled dress with a flaring skirt and headress. "Along with the roles of men and women, the dress of males and females gradually became rigidly defined, with men wearing bifurcated garments and women wearing skirted dresses".

Circa 1800

The visitors then saw a man and a woman. The man was dressed in silk leggings and breeches, embroidered waistcoat, heavy overcoat. He was wearing a wig and wore jewelled rings on his fingers. The woman wore a silk dress, with many flounces and frills and a bonnet. "In the 18th Century, male and female fashions were closer than ever, with male fashion being distinctly feminine in character. Men still wielded the power of course and owned all of the wealth. Women were not permitted to work, except as a domestic servant, and were not allowed to own property in their own right".

Circa 1870

The scene then shifted to another man and woman, along with a boy and girl. The man was dressed very soberly in a dark suit and top hat. The woman wore a pink gown, petticoats and crinolines and a bonnet. The children, both of them, were wearing dresses and petticoats, with their hair in ringlets. The boy child wore a blue sash as a concession to his maleness. "In the 19th Century, adult fashions between the sexes suddenly diverged. Men wore dark suits suitable for work. Women, confined to the home, had to look pretty for their husbands and wore corsets, petticoats and crinolines and had to endure much discomfort. It was, of course, quite impossible for a woman dressed in this way to engage in any strenuous activity. The 19th Century marks the high point of female subjugation not only under the law but by the very clothes that they had to wear. Oddly, small children regardless of gender, were petticoated until the age of six, when boys became breeched and wore trousers and girls continued in skirts".

Circa 1910

The next scene contained women only, dressed in white blouses and heavy woollen skirts and hats, wearing sashes. They seemed to be protesting about something. "In the late 19th and early twentieth centuries, women had become aware of thier subjugation and were determined to achieve equality with men under the law. These women were called Suffragettes and they were the pioneers of the women's movement. Some small gains were made. Women were allowed to own property and were entitled to an education although of course boys were still favoured".

Circa 1943

The scene shifted to an image of women dressed in blue overalls performing manual work and looking like they were having some fun "The most fundamental change in women's status and opportunities came in the first half of the twentieth century when men, indulging in two world wars, went off to fight them. Someone had to keep the economy going and governments turned to women. Under females, industrial output in both world wars was superior than in peacetime, and women were given the vote and allowed to stand for political office, the most important concession granted to date. Now male politicians would have to consider the needs of women if they wanted to be re-elected and meanwhile a few female politicians began their careers to advance the cause of women".

Circa 1960

There then followed another scene. It showed a man in a suit and hat, carrying a briefcase and leaving for work. His wife, wearing a dress and apron, carried a feather duster and was waving him goodbye. There were two children in the background. The boy, in a shirt and shorts, was riding a bicycle. The girl, in a frock and ringlets, was playing with a doll ". "This image was the idealised male view of the roles and dress of males and females. The male was the worker, the female was the homemaker. Unbeknownst to the male at this time, this rosy image was to be obliterated forever as the superiority of the female was beginning to become apparent. Women now had the vote, political office, the right to work and own property. There was discrimination against women but women were fighting it and battling to assert themselves by gaining educational qualifications and securing jobs".

Circa 2010

The image changed to the picture of a man wearing a suit and a woman wearing a trouser suit. "By the early 21st Century, laws had been passed to outlaw discrimination against women. These laws and the ambition of women to succeed led to women becoming the majority of graduates and a majority of the workforce for the first time in recorded history! Men, by contrast, were gaining fewer qualifications each year and most of the traditionally male jobs had been lost in recessions in the 1990's and 2000's, including the man-cession of 2008-09 where 80% of the jobs lost had been held by men. Women were increasingly becoming the main breadwinners in their families and men were becoming responsible for homemaking and childcare. The rise of women had become an unstoppable force!"

Circa 2020

The next image showed a woman wearing a trouser suit and seated at a desk and a man, clearly her subordinate, dressed in a silk blouse, pencil skirt and high heels. His face was made up and his hair was styled. He was taking dictation from his female boss. "The changes in the power balance and dress between the sexes in the early 21st Century were truly revolutionary. Women now held the power in the economy and occupied all of the executive positions. The former roles held by women had to be filled and were. By men. These were the only jobs left for men due to changes in the economy that made males almost obsolete. However, taking a traditionally feminine role meant adopting feminine dress. The new female oligarchy now insisted on their male secretaries wearing the blouses, skirts, high heels and make up that any female secretary had been expected to wear for her male boss and that insistence extended to the private sphere too. Women, as breadwinners, were shedding feminine garb as inappropriate to their new status and insisting that their househusband or lower earning spouse wear feminine garments instead. Males had no choice. Most were now kept by their wives and made to be homemakers and child raisers and discouraged from pursuing a career, for which they were unfitted".

Circa 2021

The image showed a schoolgirl and a schoolboy. The girl had short cropped hair and wore a shirt, jumper and trousers and flat shoes. The boy wore a blouse, jumper, knee length skirt, lacy anklets and low heeled shoes. He had a pink bow tied in his long hair and wore minimal make up. "The way in which girls and boys were brought up was altered. Girls now wore trousers and were encouraged to study hard and assume the leadership role over their male siblings and classmates. Boys now wore dresses and were brought up to be pretty and to follow the lead of their sisters. Education was not important for a boy, for his goal was to find a girl to marry him and provide for him whilst he kept house for her and raised her children".

The last image showed a woman, wearing a trouser suit and smiling triumphantly. A man wearing a dress and holding a baby stood some distance behind her, looking submissive. "Women, once downtrodden and without any rights, have by their innate superiority over the male of the species, assumed their rightful place as leaders".

The women present applauded enthusiastically. The male residents were sullen and silent. Hannah felt a little sorry for them. What must it have been like to have been born to be male and allowed to wear trousers, hold jobs and to be the head of their families and then for everything to change and to lose their jobs, their status and even their trousers to the females they had been born to be masters over?

Hannah saw Mrs Allen's face. She was smiling at the sullen group of males and Hannah realised that this little trip had been planned deliberately to show these men how far their gender had fallen in such a short time.

Their ordeal was not over yet though. A group of elderly ladies, dressed in expensive suits and looking happy and confident entered the chamber. One of them exclaimed "I don't believe it, it's Simpkins!....and Hall...from the old days at Brett Incorporated!"

The two men named went red and looked embarrassed. The elderly ladies circled around the group of befrocked males "How the mighty are fallen!" one woman said "Believe it or not, ladies, we used to work for this bunch of losers!"

"Oh, yes!" said another "We used to be the secretarial pool for this lot. We had to dress ourselves up in pretty blouses, skirts, high heels. We had to file and paint our nails and put cosmetics on our faces and be sweet and submissive. We had to take dictation and type at a hundred words an hour. For them!" she spat.

"Yes, and they used to ogle us as we walked across the office and even gave our bottoms a slap whilst we were bending over to retrieve some work from a filing cabinet!".

The men looked distinctively uncomfortable and looked for the exit.

"Nice dresses by the way, boys! Suits you a lot better than those suits you wore way back when!". The group of women cackled with mirth at the sight of their former bosses in dresses.

"Of course, we girls were always way ahead of you boys" said another woman "as soon as we left work, we went to college and got our business degrees and our MBA's whilst you went down to those wine bars and tried to pick up women. Then, a few years later, your boss retired and you applied for his job. But so did I and I got it! I became your boss! Remember that day boys?"

The men remained silent, with their heads bowed low, as if in a nightmare.

"I became your boss. The sweet little secretary whose bottom you used to slap now controlled you. Of course, I eventually sacked you and appointed these other ladies here, who were better qualified and better motivated, to your old jobs. I'll bet you haven't worked since. Who would employ a bunch of losers like you?"

"Nobody" mumbled one of the men, almost in tears "Since you fired me, I have never worked. All jobs were going to women". The other men nodded sadly in confirmation.

The women looked smug "That is as it should be. You men shouldn't trouble your pretty heads with work. Leave that to us women. We are better qualified, after all! Well, it was good to see you boys again, especially in your lovely dresses, but we have to go now". The women mockingly waved as they departed. The men looked thoroughly humiliated.

One of the women turned back "Oh, by the way boys, the way that male fashion is going nowadays, you'll be trading those frocks in for some corsetry, frilly drawers and crinolines! Seems that that is now how women like their men to be dressed! I'm sure you'll look very sweet in them!". The woman laughed and gave a final wave.

The men's faces were a picture of misery as they departed the scene of female supremacy.

Taking Over

Lydia White and Suzy Doyle stormed out of the headteacher's office, shaking with rage.

The girls had just been told by the headteacher that their applications to become Head Girls had not been successful and that he was appointing two boys as joint Head Boys, Martin Harris and Peter Jackson. It was so unfair.

Lydia and Suzy were the best pupils in that school. One or other of them was top of the class in every subject, Lydia tended towards humanities whilst Suzy was an ace in the sciences. Lydia was captain of the hockey team and Suzy was captain of the netball team. They both sat on the school council.

Martin and Peter were very average students at best. They did not have a place on the school council and neither of them was a sports star. Yet, somehow, they had achieved the best grades in a recent exam and the headteacher was using this as his reason to appoint the boys.

They must have cheated. It was the only explanation. But how to prove it?

When school was over, the girls went to Lydia's house to put their heads together and plan their next move. They were determined to uncover the truth. Lydia had a brainwave, as she normally did on a daily basis. Getting their things together, they whizzed round to the house of the school nerd, Cassie Butcher. Cassie was an expert with computers and had built her own machine with better specs than anything in the shops. She was also a hacker. It was this skill that the girls wanted to utilise.

Cassie opened the door to them and let them in. She was as indignant as the girls were over what had happened. "Boys are the most useless specimens. Appointing that pair of idiots as Head Boys is a disaster, and an insult to all girls. If there is anything I can do to help..."

Lydia spoke to her quickly, outlining what she thought had happened. The Headteacher, Mr Leslie, was an insufferable dinosaur, who still thought boys were superior to girls, in spite of the mountain of statistics that the opposite was true. His deputy, Mrs Holt, ran the school in spite of him, as he was incompetent and lazy and had only got the job because he was on good terms with the school board.

Nevertheless, he was in charge, and he had laid down a strict uniform policy. Girls had to wear black stockings and a suspender belt, regulation navy blue knickers, low heeled shoes, a white blouse and tie and a mini skirt. Boys were allowed to wear the more comfortable and less revealing shirt, tie and trousers and swaggered about in them. The girls had protested, but their arguments and pleas had fallen on deaf ears. The boys of course loved seeing the girls' legs and ogled them constantly.

Cassie was also angry that she had to wear a mini skirt. It went against her natural geekiness. She worked for only an hour before finding what the girls were looking for "Bingo!" she said triumphantly.

The following day, Martin and Peter strode through the school, proudly wearing their gold Head Boy badges. They were best friends and would use their authority to "encourage" the other students to donate money or items of interest to them. They had a whole year to fleece the student body and were getting started on this lucrative venture.

They spotted that Lydia White, one time rival for their positions, carrying a bottle of what looked to be lemonade. They intercepted her and confiscated the bottle from her. The insolent girl had argued, but had given in with an ill grace, stomping off. Laughing, the boys consumed the lemonade. This was the life!

Suzy, in the meantime, had gone to see the Deputy Head, Mrs Holt, and laid before her their evidence. Scowling with anger, she decided what she would do.

Mr Leslie sat in his office, not doing very much, as usual. He enjoyed being paid a lot of money to do as little as possible. He had the Head Boys in place, as he had wanted. He had no time for girls. Pretty little things and clever enough, in their own way, but boys were better. That uniform policy he had instituted had certainly put the girls in their proper place.

He was startled by the sound of his door opening. Initially, he was angry. This was his private sanctum! How dare anyone disturb him without so much as knocking. It was true he wasn't at all busy but still! Then he saw the dark anger on his deputy's face as she stormed into the room and knew that there was going to be trouble.

He tried to stand his ground "Mrs Holt, what is the meaning of this intrusion? How dare you.."

"How dare you!" she retorted "Involve this school in a cheating scandal!"

Mr Leslie was confident that Mrs Holt had no evidence of his involvement "I have no idea what you are talking about, dear lady".

"Don't dear lady me! I have proof here that you scanned and e-mailed copies of the exam paper and answers to those two cretins you appointed as Head Boys! Look for yourself!". She passed him a buff file.

Worried now, Mr Leslie leafed through its contents and groaned. That stupid oaf Harris had failed to delete the e-mail from his personal computer as he had been instructed. Mr Leslie himself and Jackson had been clever enough to delete all e-mails and thus cover their tracks but the other boy hadn't. How on earth Mrs Holt had uncovered this was a mystery but uncovered it she had and Mr Leslie knew he was in big trouble.

He tossed the file onto his desk resignedly "What can I say Marcia? I wanted Head Boys. It was the only way to justify their appointment".

"You despicable creature!" hissed Mrs Holt "You help two boys to in order to cheat two girls who are infinitely superior to them in every way of their rightful place".

Mr Leslie winced under this onslaught and tried begging "Look, Marcia, if I rescind the appointments and appoint these girls, can we not overlook this? No real harm has been done after all. You wouldn't get me sacked over a tiny thing like this would you?"

"A tiny thing like this? You have harmed and insulted two girls by denying them their positions and appointed two boys who are neatherthrals by comparison. You leaked exam answers to pupils! I should report this to the authorities at once".

Mr Leslie almost got on his knees but stopped himself, seeing his life in ashes. All he could do was await whatever fate Mrs Holt chose for him. He dreaded being led away from the school by the police. The humiliation would be unbearable!

Mrs Holt tapped her foot, thinking and then said "For the good of the school's reputation I will not be contacting the police. However, I think it is time you retired. You're not young anymore and frankly you are not capable of running this school. If you agree to retire and write a recommendation to the school board that I be appointed in your place and are gone from this building within one hour, you can enjoy a quiet retirement. And I'm not doing this for you, but for the good of the school".

Mr Leslie let out his breath in relief. She was offering him an honourable way out. He quickly wrote out his letter of resignation on the grounds of early retirement and a letter to the board strongly recommending Mrs Holt as his replacement and was gone.

Mrs Holt took her place at the Headteacher's desk and called Suzy in to see her, explaining what had happened "Needless to say, I am rescinding the appointments of those two imbeciles immediately and I am appointing you and Lydia White as Head Girls, as should have happened in the first place. Unfortunately, I cannot expel the boys as I would need to explain why and that would implicate Mr Leslie when I promised him I would not, and drag the school into this"

Suzy smiled. Satisfied that justice had been done "What about the uniform policy Mrs Holt? You are going to revise it aren't you. Let us girls wear trousers"

Mrs Holt smiled "Oh no, my dear, I have no intention of revising it. It is a very good uniform policy".

"What? You actually agree with it?" said Suzy, disappointed.

"Yes, I agree with it. But the uniforms are not the issue, only the pupils wearing them. The girls should be in trousers and the boys should wear the miniskirts, so I'm going to impose a reversal of the uniforms currently worn by boys and girls!"

Suzy's smile broadened "We girls will get to see the boys' legs! Fabulous!"

"I'll call an assembly straight away and make the necessary announcements" said Mrs Holt "Oh, by the way, are Peter and Martin ready?"

Suzy's smile grew even broader "Oh, yes, Mrs Holt!"

Cheers came from the girls and groans from the boys as Lydia and Suzy were given their Head Girl badges and the new uniform code was announced. Pupils were given a grace period of a week to conform with it. The boys looked humiliated at the prospect of having to wear a miniskirt "They'll be able to see my legs! It's not fair!" the boys protested. The girls sat smugly. They would be in trousers, as they deserved, and could ogle the boys as they walked past in their miniskirts and stockings.

The announcements were over, but there was one more item of business. Two figures were dragged into the hall. It was the former Head Boys, Peter and Martin, but unlike the last time they had been seen, their swagger and confidence was gone and they looked dejected and defeated.

The shame of being outwitted by a mere girl was bad enough. The lemonade that they had confiscated had contained a drug that had knocked them out, but what had followed was much worse. They had been stripped of their clothes, dressed in girls' uniforms and had had make up put on their faces. They were blushing with shame. They actually looked quite pretty with their shapely legs and prettified features and if they could look pretty then most of the boys would look even lovelier concluded the girls.

The Acting Headmistress decided that the two miscreants should be punished for abusing their power whilst they had been Head Boys.

The two miniskirted boys were dragged to the front of the assembly and made to bend over. Their miniskirts were flipped up to reveal their navy blue knickers and stockings, and then their knickers were pulled down to reveal their bare bottoms. Lydia and Suzy took their positions, canes in hand, a new privilege only just granted to Head Girls to administer corporal punishment. Let the fun begin, thought Suzy and Lydia in unison as they raised their canes.

Avril's new waiter

Ian Goode, a tall, slim youth, waited in line at the unemployment benefit office. It was a soulless, depressing place where the stench of failure permeated the very walls.

Ian had been coming to this place since he had left school, four years ago. It was staffed entirely by women in smart business suits to deal the "clients" as the benefit seekers were euphemistically called, with other women dressed as security guards to deal with any "client" who tried to cause any trouble. There was generally at least one incident per visit, as a youth frustrated at the system or being told his benefit was being stopped, would threw verbal abuse, or his fist at one of the staff. The end result was always that the offender was easily overpowered by a single, muscular security officer and handed over to the police, who were nowadays invariably female.

The "clients" were males. Unqualified, unemployable males. In the distant past, only males went on to college and university and held the most prestigious and highly paid jobs then, gradually women began to appear in ones and twos, then their representation steadily grew until one day, male graduates and male executives were in the minority and then their representation diminished in direct proportion to the rising number of women. Nowadays, it was almost unheard of for a boy to go on to further education as girls always got the best grades and degrees.

Women's success in the education system was translated directly in the workplace, with women replacing men as executives, managers, doctors, lawyers, police officers and even in the military. Men's career options were severely limited without good qualifications. They either filled the jobs that women used to do such as secretary, nurse, nursery nurse or cleaner, became long term unemployed or, if they were lucky, found a successful woman, married her and became a househusband.

Ian's life mirrored that of a typical male. He had been one of two children, and the eldest at that, but he had struggled with school, messed about and gave up trying to be a good student, leaving school with a few certificates and going straight on the benefit queue. His younger sister, by stark comparison, was an academic star. Top of the class in most subjects and always winning prizes. She now attended one of the top universities and was tipped for a glittering career as a barrister. Ian, still living at home with his parents at the age of 20, was acutely aware that he was an embarrassment to them. They were always talking of their brilliant, clever daughter and looking with pride at the academic trophies she had won. Ian had never won a single prize in his life.

His parents had tried to help him, to encourage him to find work. His mother, who was the primary breadwinner in the home and who was friends with some rich and successful businesswoman offered to put in a good word for him. His father, happy to be the supportive spouse, but who had nevertheless worked hard as a labourer until age and ill-health had forced his retirement, also offered to get in touch with some of his old contacts. Then found that all of them had either retired or been bought out by a acquisitive businesswoman.

Ian could have probably handled being a labourer. It was one of the few areas where a man could still be a man in the old fashioned sense. Wearing a hard hat and jeans. In offices and shops however, males occupied subordinate roles to women and were often required to wear skirts, high heels, make up to please their female bosses. To become feminine. Ian had been determined to remain masculine and so shunned opportunities that came his way to go on a nursing course or become a secretary since he would have to wear skirts.

"Next, please!" Ian's mind was ripped away from the past and he had to concentrate on the present. It was his turn. The woman in the blue suit and name badge that told everyone that her name was Ms Eva Sheard and that she was a Client Relations Manager was waiting expectantly. Ian had dealt with her many times before and found her efficient but reserved.

Ian took his place in the empty chair and mumbled his name. Eva typed rapidly and brought up his record. Her normally calm face was suddenly creased by a frown and she addressed Ian. "Mr Goode, it says here you've been a client since you left school some years ago". Ian confirmed that was correct, wondering where this was going. He was going to meet a mate in the pub once he had cashed his benefit cheque and wanted to be out of this place as quickly as possible.

"It also says that you have turned down every opportunity to re-train and to attend interviews for jobs we have matched with your skills and experience". Ian affirmed that that was also right. The training courses offered had been a secretarial course, a hairdressing course, a nursery nurse course and a make up consultant course and the job interviews had been for roles as a cleaner or trainee hairdresser. These were not training courses or jobs for a man!

"Well, I'm sorry" said Eva "but you've been claiming for four years now and I regret to say that we won't be making any more benefit payments to you".

"You can't be serious!" Ian said, almost bolting out of his chair "What am I supposed to live on?"

Eva looked at him sympathetically "I'm sorry, sir, but that is not our problem. I have to ask you to leave now. We are extremely busy today". Shaking, Ian, stumbled out of the office, unable to believe that his income had been cut off. He drowned his sorrows at the pub with his mate, spending the last of his money, getting drunk and then getting into a fight. He ended up being arrested for being drunk and disorderly and spent the night in a police cell.

His mother came to collect him. She looked at him in sadness and disappointment. He was dirty and unshaven, his clothes had been torn during the fight he had started (according to the police report) and he had vomited over himself during the night and stank due to the amount he had drunk. Mrs Goode was able to speak to the station Inspector, a woman of similar age to herself and persuaded her to let Ian off with a police caution, rather than taking the matter to court, promising that she would not allow her son to have another brush with lawbreaking again.

Once the caution had been administered and Ian had promised to amend his ways, he was free to go. The desk sergeant, a compassionate mountain of muscle, even found amongst her stash of lost property some suitable clothes for Ian to wear to replace his rags.

Ian was driven home and once the car stopped, his mother bade him to stay put. She needed to talk to him. She and his father were very concerned about him. He was 20 years old and had no job, no money and no girlfriend and no prospects and was getting into trouble with the cops. Well, that was going to change. There was a job going with one of her lady friends who ran a classy restaurant in town, "Avril's", and she would speak with the propreitor, Avril Turner, and persuade her to offer Ian a job and he had better accept it otherwise....he would be turned out of the family home. His parents had agreed on this point. They had supported him for long enough. If he didn't accept, right now, he could pack his bags right away and leave and his parents would never want to see him again.

Ian did not want to be homeless. It was bad enough being unemployed. And he felt ashamed at the memory of his mother seeing him in a police cell covered in his own vomit. So he agreed and for the first time in a long time, his mother smiled at him in pride. It pleased him to please his mother, he found.

His father cooked them a nice meal and, for once , his parents spoke about him and their hopes that he would make the most of the opportunity that was being given to him.

The following day, his mother met with Avril and came home flushed with triumph to announce that Ian would start his new job tomorrow. Ian was amazed. After four years of drifting, he would be working at the city's most prestigious restaurant.

He reported for work at 8 am sharp, the earliest he had ever been out of bed in years. His mother had insisted that he shave and wore his best suit and shoes. The head waiter, a young woman dressed in a very smart suit that made Ian's own attire look shabby by comparison, welcomed him and introduced herself as Valerie or Val, as she preferred to be known. She had a strong handshake.

She looked him up and down, nodded in approval and gestured for Ian to follow her to the staff only area of the restaurant. Entering the area, Ian saw a group of employees. The women wore suits and the men wore a short pink dress with a frilly apron, stockings, high heels and make up. Their hair had been coiffed and styled in contrast with the cropped short hair sported by the female employees. Ian gaped at them in both fascination and horror that these men had allowed themselves to be reduced to this. In the roles and dress formerly assigned to women!

"Max!" Val called to one of the mini-skirted males and a tall, slender man, minced over with dainty steps "Yes, Ma'am?" he asked in a whisper, his eyes cast down in a submissive attitude to acknowledge the superiority of the woman before him in terms of both her status and her sex.

Val waved an unmanicured hand towards Ian "This is a new starter, Ian". The man's shiny red lips worked themselves into a smile and he said "Hi there Ian". Ian mumbled a reply, trying to associate the feminine figure in front of him with masculinity. He couldn't do it. Max seemed more female than male, not just in dress but in mannerisms.

"Max, I want you to mentor Ian and show him how to be a good little waiter, just like you are". Max's rouged cheeks went slightly redder at the compliment and he simpered "Ian, if you've any sense you'll pay attention to everything Max shows you. If you do, you will become an asset here. If not...." Val chose to leave the sentence unfinished.

"First things first, Max. You'd better sort him out with a uniform". "Yes Ma'am" Max whispered. Val turned on her heel and left Ian alone with Max.

"Please follow me, Ian" Max said and led him to a row of lockers. Max opened these up to reveal rows of uniforms like the one he wore, but in different sizes. He pulled out a dress and held it up against Ian "That looks a reasonable fit. Try it on".

Ian's impulse was to refuse. But he thought about it. If he refused, he would no doubt be fired before he had even started, his mother would be furious and he would be homeless. Reluctantly, he took the dress from Max and went to a changing area. Once he was inside, Max passed him some other items. A suspender belt, a pair of thick black stockings, a pair of black high heeled shoes, a frilly cap and a pair of black lace knickers.

Ian's face grew red when he realised that he would be wearing all these feminine garments and be seen in public wearing them! Instead of changing, Ian sat down, trying to come to terms with what he was being asked to do.

"Are you alright in there, Ian?" Max called from outside "Please hurry, we have a lot to do today". Ian couldn't answer him. His mind was in turmoil. Getting no answer, Max risked sticking his prettified face through the curtain to see the boy on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong Ian?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern at Ian's plight.

Ian struggled and finally manage to summon up the power to speak "I'm not sure I can do this - wearing a dress and stuff. I'm a man"

Max put one of his arms around him "Of course you can do this, Ian. Men wear the skirts here. That's just the way things are. There's no shame in it. If it'll help, let me tell that before I took this job I used to be a soldier. Yep, I wore combat fatigues, did route marches and even saw action and won a decoration for displaying exemplary courage under enemy fire. When I got this job, the last thing I wanted to do was put on a dress, but then I thought, I have a living to earn and the job means I have to wear a dress and that is that. Come on, once you've got dressed you'll soon get used to it and will even stop thinking about how odd it is to dress this way".

Ian had to admit that if a decorated ex-soldier could wear a dress then he certainly could. If he wanted to earn and keep a roof over his head he would at least have to try. He found the energy to smile at Max.

"Attaboy!" said Max, clapping him on the back "I'll tell you what, these things are no doubt strange to you, so I'll tell what I'll do. I'll stay and give you a hand"

Ian got undressed, strangely less self conscious than he expected in front of Max. Max appraised his naked body "You have nice legs, Ian. But they're hairy. The stockings will hide that for today but you'll have to shave if off before you report here tomorrow. And your arms too. Staff policy for male employees. The customers don't like seeing body hair".

Max helped Ian into his suspender belt and showed him how to roll the thick stockings up his slender legs. Ian could manage everything else himself and, blushing, slipped on his lacy knickers, put on the short frilly pink dress that had "Avrils" emblazoned on the left breast in gold stitching, and the matching lace cap and the high heeled shoes that caused Ian to wobble about all over the place.

Max was very patient and helpful. He gave Ian a crash course in how to walk in high heels. Ian to his surprise, picked up this new skill very quickly and found that he could either prance in them or effect tiny dainty mincing steps. His new uniform felt very strange. Frills and lace and the colour pink were constantly in his field of vision to remind him of his new feminine state, he felt very exposed and vulnerable with his long legs on display and without the benefit of trousers. The swish of his puffed out skirts and the click of his heels on hard surfaces were new experiences for him.

Max complimented him on his appearance. "You look really good in that, young man. You'll need to let your hair grow longer but once it does you will make a real pretty waiter. We need to do something about your face though".

Max went to his handbag and brought out some items. A lipstick and other things that Ian did not recognise. Ian knew what was coming. He was going to have to wear make up. Max proceeded to apply a thick layer of foundation, black eye liner, mascara to volumise Ian's lashes, blue eyeshadow to his eyelids , rouge to Ian's cheeks and finally a deep red lipstick to his lips.

Ian submitted to this, feeling foolish. It felt very strange to wear a mask of cosmetics. The texture and smell of them assaulted his senses. Max held a compact with a built in mirror and held it up to Ian's face.

Ian almost fainted at his own image. It was unrecognisable from his usual image. A pretty face stared back at him, his cute mouth open in surprise and bewilderment "You are pretty!" said Max with a smile "The customers are going to love you".

Ian felt ashamed and self-conscious to look "pretty" but soon had little time to even think about how he looked. Max got him a name badge that read "Hi, I'm Ian" and pinned it to the right breast of his uniform. Val came back to see how things were going and saw her new waiter "Hey, Ian, you look great! I can see you're going to do well here. Most boys we get run a mile as soon as Max pulls out the dress. Their poor little fragile male egos can't handle having to accept the new status of males in this world. Good to see you have some sense!"

Ian then had to spend the day shadowing Max as Max went about his waiting duties.

The customers were both men and women, but it was the richly suited woman who led her skirted partner into the restaurant, ordered food for herself and her partner and paid for it. The male partner remained silent and docile as his partner chatted with other rich, powerful women, usually about business or forthcoming social enagagements.

The job of the waiter, Ian observed, was to to anticipate and fulfil the needs of the female customer, be attentive to her, and blend into the background as much as possible. The female customer was not interested in a mere waiter and did not want her conversation stalled because a waiter brought the wrong order or dropped some cutlery. She wanted an attentive server who brought the food she had ordered and gave her all she needed, with no fanfare.

There was a definite art to it, decided Ian, as he watched Max simpering, speaking in a whisper, being submissive and pleasing to a dominant woman. Ian wondered if he could do it.

Finally, the working day was over and Ian was able to put off his uniform. With Max's help, his make up was removed and he was restored to his male clothes. Max kept his make up on and put on a flowery frock "I'm so used to dresses now that I find it easier just to do without trousers altogether" he explained "You did well today, Ian. Have a good evening". Max departed with a friendly fluttery wave.

Ian was picked up by his mother. As he got into the car, his mother smiled at him in pride "I'm so proud of you. My son, earning his first paycheck ever! You know, when I dropped you off I waited half an hour, expecting you to come rushing out when you realised you'd have to be a waiter. I'm proud that you swallowed your pride and tried. Let's get you home for a well deserved meal".

After the meal, his mother asked him to follow her upstairs to his room, which still bore the traces of his boyhood. Laid out on the bed were various bags. What was this about? Ian wondered.

"I took the day off work to buy you some things" his mother explained. She walked over to the bed and pulled a suede brown long skirt out of a bag.

"That's for me?" asked Ian "Mum, I have to wear a dress at work. I'm not wearing one at home too!"

His mother looked at him "You will" she said simply "I paid good money for these things and you will wear them. Your old clothes, by the way, were in such a state that I got your dad to put them on the bonfire he has out back".

"You burnt my clothes! You had no right!" Ian almost shouted at her, but had the sense to hold back

"I have every right. I am your mother and the head of this family and you are here on sufferance. Please, don't ruin your good start today by asserting your male pride. It makes complete sense for you to wear dresses at home too. It will help you adjust to your new role and get used to wearing feminine finery. The clothes I have bought you are gorgeous and I want you to look pretty for me in them. Once you move out of the family home, you may wear whatever you wish, but whilst you continue living here, paying no rent and no bills and eating the food that my wage brings into this house, I might add, I insist on you wearing your new clothes".

Ian struggled with himself for a few moments and shrugged. He had to wear a dress at work so he might as well do so at home too. He held out a hand for the skirt.

"Good boy!" said his mother. Within half an hour, he was wearing the suede skirt, with a pink jumper and a pair of low heeled shoes. He wore silk underwear under the folds of his skirt. His mother showed him some of her other purchases, a make up kit, a handbag, a depilator, some jewellery and a mass of feminine clothes and underwear "The girl assistant who served me gave me some very strange looks as I picked out dresses and underwear for you!" said his mother, laughing "I explained that they weren't for me but I'm sure she believed me! She probably thinks I am cross-dresser!"

Mother took the last of Ian's original clothing and handed them to her husband, who nodded in understanding and went to put the clothes on the bonfire. Ian's parents heaped compliments on his improved image. Under his father's instruction, he used the depilator to remove his body hair and saw that his legs and arms looked more feminine denuded of hair. His father, who had adopted femininity some years earlier, also gave him make up tips and made him practise "putting on your face", as his father termed it.

The following day at work, Max was pleasantly surprised to find that his understudy willingly putting on his uniform, doing his own make up and being ready for work even before Max himself, the most diligent and conscientious waiter in the restaurant, had done so.

Today, it was time for Ian to come out from beneath Max's wings and actually wait table. Max would be nearby to observe, make suggestions for improvement and, if neccessary, intervene if Ian fouled up, but he doubted that would be necessary seeing the boy so well turned out and eager to work.

Ian worked hard all day. He mimiced Max's mannerisms and did his utmost to be the prettiest and attentive waiter. He felt some disappointment that the customers did not seem to even notice his efforts. When he mentioned this to Max, the other man chuckled and said "That means you're a great waiter! To be unobtrusive and unnoticed is the goal". Ian got changed into one of his new dresses and was about to leave when Val came in and called him over.

"Ian. I watched you today and I was impressed. You've picked the job up really well. Keep it up. Here are your tips by the way". Val slid a bulging envelope into his hand and laughed as she saw the confusion on Ian's face.

"I see Max didn't mention how the tips system works here" said Val "You get a small wage, which is paid into your bank account, but a waiter relies on tips and if a waiter pleases a customer, she will leave a very generous tip and it belongs to the waiter who earnt it, less a little for me as my perk for being Head Waiter. As you can see, you have pleased a lot of customers today!" Val clapped on the bag and walked away.

Ian opened the envelope. It contained more money than he had ever held in his life. He was buzzing with happiness as he went to meet his mother and talked to her about his day on the drive home.

Ian soon became accustomed to his feminine dress and behaviour and found that the more submissive and pleasing he was, the more he pleased the customers and the bigger his tips became. He was fast becoming popular with the regular customers, who loved his prettiness and willingness to run around after them in his frilly skirts.

Some customers were harder to please than others. A middle-aged woman in a dark tan suit, smoking a cigar, came into the restaurant with her daughter, a young woman in a shirt and trousers and ordered food. The customer was unhappy with the food and unhappy with the service, even though both were perfect and Val had to step in to calm the woman done and smooth things over.

Ian stood nearby attentively as the two women ate their steaks. The mother was evidently giving her young daughter the benefit of her experience "Olivia, let me tell you something about men" she said, her words barely audible since her mouth was full of prime steak "When I your age, men still ran the show. They wore trousers and I had to wear a dress, believe it or not. Can you imagine me in a dress?". The girl shook her head, trying to imagine her masculine mother in a frock. "Well, I had to wear one. All women did in those days. And high heeled shoes and make up and frilly underwear. And I had to work under men as their secretary. Most women did in those days. Men thought that they were cleverer and stronger than any woman but we showed them! We studied and worked and showed them that they were the weaker sex. We conquered the schools and universities and took all of the jobs, except the ones we didn't want, and there was nothing men could do to stop us taking whatever we wanted. We even took their clothes and made them wear the skirts, frillies and high heels!". The woman looked at Ian and said "You! Come over here boy!" she barked.

Ian sidled over, casting his eyes down submissively. "Look at him, Olivia, this pretty, submissive little thing, and others like him, used to run this planet. Now look at him!" she jeered and waved him away with a wave of her hand.

"So Olivia" continued the woman "surely you can see that entertaining any idea of letting your boyfriend wear trousers is absurd. If you let a man wear trousers he will get ideas above his station. He may even come to believe that he is the equal of a woman! A ridiculous notion! Keep him in skirts, Olivia, and in his place, and your partnership will be a happy one!"

Yes, mother" the girl sighed. Then she said "Mother, what was it like to have to wear a skirt? I have never ever worn one!"

"And you never will either young lady! Do you know, it's been so long since I had to wear a skirt that I just don't remember what it was like to have to wear one! Eat up, Olivia, I have an appointment to keep". The woman and her daughter left a few minutes later, leaving a miserly tip.

Ian, motivated by the prospect of tips, continued to work hard to please his customers and became the highest earning waiter at the restaurant. He found that his old resistance to femininity had vanished and had been replaced by a love of feminine finery. Now he had a good income, he spent freely on new clothes, jewellery and make up and became obssessed with looking immaculate. His parents were proud of their improved son.

One day, to Ian's surprise and slight discomfort, his parents visited the restaurant. But they were not alone, for they had brought with them Ian's more successful sister, Abbi. Abbi was dressed in a tailored suit with short blond hair and had an air of confidence about her that Ian envied. She had had that same air all her life and had sailed through school with an ease that hid the hard work she had put into her studies. She was destined for greater things than being a waiter, Ian instinctively knew.

His family sat down and asked Val if Ian could serve them. Ian waited on them attentively and treated them just like any other customer. Abbi spoke of how well her studies were going. She was top of the class, of course, and was running for union president and expected to win the forthcoming election easily. Ian envied her for her abilities but did not begrudge her her success.

Ian served his sister her fish course and Abbi noticed him for the first time and read his name badge "Ian. I have a brother called Ian" she said absently and turned to her parents "Where is Ian by the way? You haven't even mentioned him since I arrived home. Is he still unemployed? Poor boy".

Ian's parents smiled and pointed at Ian "There is your brother. He has done very well since you last saw him and is the most popular waiter at the city's premier restaurant" they said with a pride that made Ian's heart leap for joy. They were proud of him!

Abbi stared at him, open mouthed. For the first time and probably only time in his life, Ian had the advantage over his talented sister. When she could speak, she said "That's Ian? My brother? He looks prettier than most of the boys I've ever met!" She jumped up and gave Ian a hug "Hi bro, you're looking good" she whispered in his ear. Ian blushed and simpered. He accompanied his parents and sister home and they talked for hours. For the first time in a long time, Ian felt like he was part of the family again and was accepted by them.

Life was good, Ian decided. By embracing femininity, he had landed a good job and had a future. He even met, by chance, Eva Sheard, who complimented him on his appearance and congratulated him on his success and apologised for having to stop his benefit. Ian thanked her for doing it. It was the best thing that had ever happened to him!

Bridal Bonanza

Hi everyone.

I hope that you are enjoying the stories. I'm particularly proud of the Office Worker, Parts 1 and 2 and loved writing them.

I have booked to attend a TV Bridal Weekend in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England in September.

I have always wanted to be dressed as a bride. One of the disadvantages of being a girl on the inside but a boy on the outside is that you never get asked to be a bridesmaid and being the bride? Out of the question at the moment but lets hope that when women ascend to power this will change.

The event allows you to not only be a bride, but also a bridesmaid, mother of the bride or a guest (of either gender) or the groom. Women attendees are encouraged to don the tuxedo and be the groom to the male bride, the ultimate role reversal.

I have just had delivered to my house the most gorgeous lilac prom dress that will be my bridesmaids outfit and I tried it on today and felt like a princess. The dress is perfect for the weekend event.

I have also ordered a tiara and of course the wedding dress. It is an off the shoulder, white dress, with a train and lots of lace detail. It will be the most feminine garment that I will ever have worn and I can't wait to try it on. It will be even better when I attend the event and wear it.

I need a veil and some shoes, but these should not be too difficult or expensive to obtain. The net is a most valuable resource. I also need some white stockings but already have the bridal corset and silk knickers.

Once I have everything I will look and feel fantastic.

I will try and post pictures of the event, and of me wearing my dresses, after the event.

Well, I must dash, a bride's work is never done after all!

Love

Jasmine

Lady in waiting

That's exactly what I am - a lady in waiting.

I was born into a typical nuclear family. My older sister died in infancy and when I came along I was smothered with love and care. My younger sister came along four years later. My father was away often so our mother was the authority figure. I had a difficult time with my father and grew close to my mother, who taught me to read. I now love books and so I am so grateful to my mother for helping me.

Perhaps my closeness to my mother was what led me to emulate her, by trying on her dresses, knickers and shoes. I would view myself in a mirror and conclude that I was quite the sophisticated lady in my mother's frock.

As I grow older, as did my sister, I began wearing my sister's clothes as she was nearer my age group. So I dressed myself up as a schoolgirl and loved every minute of it. I even wore a skirt in front of my sister and she accepted me as her sister and called me sister, a compliment I regard highly.

I continued to dress as a woman for the next twenty years and I am still a lady in my own mind but have to be a guy in everyday life. But I still shave off my body hair as an expression of my femininity.

Of late, the compulsion to develop my feminine side has grown stronger. Today I bought a dress, a pair of high heeled shoes, ladies' socks and a pretty blouse. And shampoo and conditioner, as I am growing my hair long.

I long to tell my parents that I am a woman at heart but fear their response. My mother I am sure will accept me but as to my father I am not so sure. So I am forced to remain the lady in waiting. I know that I am a woman on the inside but I am encased in a male body.

I would love to tell my parents but fear their response. They could reject me but my gut instinct is that they won't but you can never tell. I feel so confident when dressed as a lady. I feel so much more confident in a skirt, knickers and high heels and feel that this is what I should be - a lady - in waiting.