I've just been reading your page for the first time and have been very interested in some of the comments and letters that you have published. One of the subjects that I have not seen discussed before is that of boys wearing tights.  You made a very interesting comment that they look nice on boys and it is a very good type of punishment for them, as they are not used to the feeling.  This is the first time I've seen this opinion stated by a woman and I would like to also give my opinions on this subject.

Girls are brought up with wearing tights.  They start off by wearing thick ribbed tights, then move on to keep-fit lycra tights and leotards for keep fit/ballet, and finally on to thin nylon tights in womenhood.  Some women do find them uncomfortable, but most do accept them and find them comfortable at times.  I remember the first time I tried on a pair of nylon tights.  I was curious of what they felt like, and tried on a pair of my mother's for a few hours.  Not being used to wearing anything tight fitting before, I found them to be very uncomfortable.  The nagging constant grip that they had on my thighs annoyed me.  Also, every time I moved my legs I was reminded that I was wearing them as they moved with every movement.  After a short time the gusset started to fall down and this had me pulling them up every 15 minutes.

On a plus point the did give me some coolness to my legs but the top part can become very hot and uncomfortable, and I can understand from your male correspondents why they feel it's a punishment wearing them - not only because of the shame factor, but also due to them being so uncomfortable.  I must agree with you that thick lycra or white tights do look excellent on boys as well as girls, but there is another problem about boys wearing them which I have discovered.

If any type of sexual arousal comes on a boy, the panty part of a pair of tights can give a very uncomfortable experience.  Also this would be very noticable if no dress or skirt was being worn.  I think that this would be the only time a boy would be thankful for having a dress on so as to hide his embarrassment.  I feel sorry for any boy who is forced to go to ballet lessons with the girls.  Having to wear tights would be very shameful in front of so many girls, and having their most private part on display (even though it cannot be seen), would be very distressing to the average boy.

I hope that my comments may help your discussions and would like to correspond about other subjects in the future.

'Jane'

You have made some very wise and well thought out points regarding the effectiveness of tights discipline Jane. I have no doubt that the close fit of tights, as well as their girlishness, is a very important part of their effectiveness as an instrument of petticoat discipline. If a boy's sexual feelings can be controlled, then this is half the battle towards developing a well mannered and deferential attitude towards women and girls, which is the main aim of petticoat discipline in general, and the close, clinging fit of tights (and panty girdles) can easily achieve this. Having to wear white ballet tights, and perhaps a fluffy short tutu, is an excellent punishment for a difficult boy, especially if he has to take ballet lessons with giggling girls!
Susan

Susan,

On your otherwise terrific site, I've seen a couple of fantasies based on sending boys to ballet class in full female attire, including tutus. I'm sorry to advise you that sheer fantasy is all this can ever be. Little girls occasionally wear tutu-like garments when eight years old or younger, but no responsible teacher would allow an adolescent or pre-adolescent boy in a class with such young girls.  At older ages, girls wear only tights and leotards, with possibly a light wrap-around skirt over them.  Again, no responsible teacher is going to allow a boy with a tutu into her class, or indeed any detectably cross-dressed boy.  Ballet class is for hard, exhausting work, not for playing at punishment games.
 
Terry Gal

I went to weekly ballet class myself for a few years, from the ages of about 8 to 13, and the children, including one boy, wore comfortable, ordinary clothes, with children's bedroom slippers. The parents couldn't really afford proper ballet slippers. It is very strenuous, and makes considerable demands on the body's flexibility, even at that age. It is true that the scene imagined by "Jane' would never take place in actuality, and that the last part of my final sentence was coloured by the comment in Jane's letter.

The boy in the class I attended was not really interested in ballet, and I found out later that he was so skinny, and shorter than the other boys his age, that his mother had taken him to the doctor's, who advised ballet lessons. It seems that was common advice in those days to stregthen a child who seemed underdeveloped for his age, at least in colder climates. In warmer parts, swimming was the preferred advice. The whole thing was unnecessary anyway; it is just that children grow at different rates. In one year he grew to be amongst the tallest in his class at school, and his attendance at the ballet lessons ceased, to our disappointment. We did not tease him, in fact we pretty much ignored him, but it was interesting to have at least one boy in the class.
Susan