Dear Ms. Candida,

I have read several issues of your magazine and as someone who has successfully practised domination of the male for many years, felt it necessary to put pen to paper with a few opinions which might be helpful, speaking from long experience.

I do get annoyed at some of the stories regarding petticoat discipline.  I have to say that I think many of them are pure fantasy, but some, presumably, are accounts from real bossy and superior women such as myself.  If so, I have to say that I fail to see what pleasure can be gained from having a man ridiculously feminised in extravagantly frilled dresses and petticoats.  I can see the point of maybe doing it once to emphasise one's complete control, or as a punishment to expose a man to extreme ridicule in front of others, but prolonged feminisation carried out in many of your stories, even down to wearing wigs and make up, falsies etc., creates only a pretend female, and actually would enable the petticoated male to hide his shame behind his disguise.

When exposed to one's friends, after the first reaction of contemptuous hilarity, surely the subjugated male would only be seen on subsequent occasions as a rather pathetic transvestite, which, to me, would lessen the credit due to me for his domination.  So I would say that complete petticoating might be fine for a one-off punishment, but I would not find it satisfactory for long term domination in a relationship.  I agree that the use of feminine items of clothing have a very humbling effect on a man, but I much prefer subtler applications which leave nobody in doubt that I am dominating a full blooded man, and not a cissy who might secretly enjoy the wearing of skirts in some circumstances.

My favoured garment to use to keep a man in his place is of course, the pinafore.  The trusty 'pinnie', a token for years of female servility, is the ideal tool to make a man feel both foolish and a subservient male, not a pervert or transvestite.  I have, over the years, subjected a number of boyfriends, and my current well-disciplined husband, to this type of domination.

I first became aware of the potential to use the pinnie to gain the upper hand in a relationship when an early boyfriend was asked by my mother to help wash up after tea one day.  As he was quite well dressed to go out with me that evening, she insisted, despite his protests, that he wore a pretty, floral pinnie to do the job.  As we mildly teased him about how pretty he looked in his pinnie, I became aware of how acutely embarrassed he became, and also how docile, meekly obeying my every whim in his haste to complete the job and get out of the pinnie.  I later teased him relentlessly about this, and made sure that whenever he was with us, he wore Mummy's pinnie to wash up.  One day she had gone out early, leaving us to clear up, when unexpectedly there was a knock at the door.  Looking out the of the window, I saw that was another couple, friends of ours, who had in fact called in on the off chance to see if we wanted to go out for the evening.  Mischievously I let them in, knowing that my boyfriend was unable to hear them from the kitchen, and showed them through.  He went scarlet, fumbling desperately to untie his pinnie (unsuccessfully) as I laughingly introduced 'my housemaid'.

This was just the start. Realising the power this gave me, when I subsequently moved to my own flat, I always kept two or three really pretty pinnies there, and insisted that any boyfriend always helped around the house, suitably attired of course.  This ruler applied even when girlfriends called, to their great embarrassment.  Their reward, of course, was sex, and if they chose not to go along with my wishes, they didn't get any, and would soon move on - however there were very few that strong willed!  If we had rowed, or I was particularly displeased with them, I learnt to be really firm, and keep them in my prettiest pinnie often all day as a penance.  It was great fun when I would have two or three girlfriends round and insist that he carried on his work, including making and serving us tea and snacks, all the time being teased mercilessly by us girls.  I always made sure that he was well rewarded afterwards, and they usually came back for more!  My girlfriends, of course, thought it great, having a young stud reduced to my pinafored skivvy!  A totally different reaction, I feel to what some must think of the petticoated pansies who figure in some of your letters.

I always found it easy to get the right type of man into a pinnie, as they little realised the web of domination they were getting into - I cannot really imagine that any unwilling man could really be persuaded into the regular wearing of full female outfit.  I think there would have to be some element of agreement from the maid.

My present husband, was of course, well disciplined into what I would expect before he married me.  A successful man in his business, he reverts to domestic duties at home as a matter of course.  I also now insist that he buys his own pinnies, as a further minor embarrassment for him (incidentally, Alexandra Workwear now produce a very nice pink and white frilly bibbed pinny which is perfect for making any man feel subdued).

He wears his pinnie at all times, whether visitors are present or not.  He is still a handsome well built man, I get great respect from my friends for my control of him.  (I know a number have introduced my regime to their own startled husbands).  For heavier, dusty jobs, I have introduced the wearing of full dress-type overalls and matching head squares.  He baulked at this, but my threat to expose his condition to his juniors at work soon convinced him it was unwise to argue.  I was actually being very naughty, as I just wanted to demonstrate to some of my friends (and I guess, to prove to myself) just how far I did control the man in my life - he was certainly not at all happy when they came to see him - but I was delighted!

So there we are, I would advise any lady contemplating the use of subtle humiliation to control their man to use a pinnie.  I really think it very unlikely you will get a man fully petticoated, and in any event, I found it far more exciting to have a still obvious male running around at my beck and call in a frilly, female pinnie, than I think I would some pantomime dame.  As I said earlier the enforced full petticoat treatment of a man as a punishment for some infraction on a one-off basis would, I'm sure, be very effective, as I can't imagine any real man would willingly go through such humiliation twice, and the lesson would be well learned.  However, for a successful long term dominant relationship - get them into pinnies.
Yours in pinafore power,

Vanessa - Bournmouth

Well each to her own I suppose: certainly some wives and mothers prefer full petticoating or nursery discipline to keep their troublesome males in line, but a really nice frilly pinafore can work wonders, and that, of course, is why petticoated.com is offering a beautiful lacy full pinnie as its special Christmas prize.

This letter also brings back memories of the Christmas 'pantos' of my girlhood - in the pantomime the male roles would be taken by woman and girls, and the female roles by males. There would be plenty of fussy petticoats on view too, since the stories were of an old fashioned, fairy tale mein.
Susan