At the age of 13 (around 1930), my mother rented a house down at the seashore for the summer and, when school was over, we started out vacation there…
For the entire summer, except for week-ends, I lived as a girl. I wore foam rubber inserts in bathing suits and in my bra and my Aunt bought me a professional dancer’s belt which enabled me to affect a very girlish appearance. Mother would never let me dress when Dad was expected down for the week-end as she knew he would be angry as he was always very prim. However, on one weekend he couldn’t get down, so Mother let me dress. My sisters all got a big kick out of it and thought I was adorable, but unfortunately Carol’s husband thought it was a disgrace and reprimanded my mother severely. Mother then made me change and wanted me to discontinue it immediately. I was able to compromise and Mother agreed to let me finish up the summer as a girl (no week-ends) but on our return to the city, it was to be completely discontinued. I had a most enjoyable summer and dreaded its terminations and my return to the city.
–excerpt Anita, “The Story of Anita – Our Cover Girl,” Transvestia, Vol. II No. 9, June 1961, p. 3 – 13.
Click to view Transvestia #9 at the Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria.
