Uniforms
By Eunice Farmer
Maids in little black dresses with a froth of white petticoats, schoolgirls' white socks and gymslips, nurses in starched aprons - don't you just love them?
I know I do,and not only do most of us love them but we love the idea of them, and we love being them. Or at least as near to being them as we can manage by slipping into their uniforms!
In a broad sense, it is possible to argue that transvestism is all about uniform: the uniforms of the two sexes. It is only a step beyond dressing as the opposite sex to adopt dress which defines our place in the world more precisely.
Genuine uniforms can be very precise indeed. A real school uniform not only identifies the wearer as a schoolgirl, but as the pupil of a specific school. More - as uniforms change, it identifies her as belonging to a particular time. Many uniforms indicate rank - most obviously those of the military and the police.
Our first feeling is probably that uniforms make those who wear them look the same as each other, and in some ways they do. Paradoxically, however, some uniforms can be more individual than any other form of clothing. A good example is a Girl Guide blouse which is one of my more treasured posessions (it fits me too!).
This blouse carries many badges including those of rank (patrol leader). Another badge identifies the forget-me-not patrol and the shoulder flash is of the 7th New Malden Guides. The interest badges include entertainer, sportswoman, collector, hostess... and so on. It is doubtful whether another Guide in the entire history of the movement accumulated exactly the same collection of badges. Indeed, if the original owner were to read this, she might be able to identify her old blouse from the details I've given!
Gaining such insight into the original owner is one of the great joys of genuine uniforms. Considering how nearly genuine they may be, there are - as I see it - five kinds of uniform. That's not to count them by role (schoolgirl, nurse, maid and so on) - by that count there are a lot more than five sorts.
The five uniform kinds I have in mind are: fantasy, improvised, authentic, genuine, and composite. Each has its own attractions and enjoyments.
Related categories: Transgender Features
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