May I relate an extremely bizarre experience that occurred towards the end of November last.

I am a single girl of twenty two, and I run an extremely successful mobile ladies' hairdressers. As you may imagine, what us girls talk about whilst having our hair done is nobody's business. During such a conversation with a particular customer of rnine it came about that she was having hubby trouble. He was generally lazy, and was also one with an eye for the girls. In fact I had had trouble with him myself.

Our discussion continued for some time, and the customer asked for some advice. I was flabbergasted. Not being married, I could hardly suggest an answer. The whole question was left with Jane (my customer) thinking things over, and I personally thought no more about it. However, some time later the phone rang, and Jane asked if I could call round that evening and bring my hair- dressing equipment, especially my perming rollers. She also told me to expect a very interesting evening.

My imagination ran riot. Was Jane, whose long black hair was a delight to the eye, going to have a perm? The evening could not arrive quickly enough. I approached No. 41 with eagerness tinged with slight trepidation. Jane answered the door, clad in a very scanty negligee set. I was invited into the front room and was greeted by two of Jane's friends. They were giggling, and I asked Jane to explain.

This she eagerly did. It seems Richard had been confronted with the truth from Jane, and she had given him the ultimatum that unless he mended his ways she would withdraw all sexual privileges from him and also inflict a surprise punishment suitable to fit the crime. It appears that Richard went straight out and got drunk, and generally debauched himself. However he could not do without the favours of his attractive wife, and had agreed to whatever she had devised as punishment on the basis of having these favours restored.

I was told that Richard had been 'prepared' prior to my arrival and with this comment Jane rang a small bell which was placed on the coffee table. After a few seconds the lounge door opened and there stood Richard. The immediate effect was one of shock, quickly replaced by one of immense hilarity. Richard was dressed in maids’ clothes like I've never seen before. He was clad in black stockings, a black rnini-dress, a white frilly nylon pinafore which was tied in an enormous bow, a white mob cap, and he wore a gorgeous flimsy petticoat under his dress which flared out at a ridiculous angle. He was heavily made up and wore heels.

The laughter amongst all of us reached fever pitch and the comments from Jane’s friends were amusingly funny, such as 'Your slip is showing, sweetie', or 'Come on, get em off'. Richard was red with embarrassment, and I could see he was also near to tears. However Jane made him curtsey to us all, and ask in a sweet voice what we would like to drink. He, or should I say she, returned, curtsied again, and was then dismissed.

We were all laughing fit to burst. How I wish you all could have seen him! The evening wore on and Richard was made to sit in a chair whilst we teased him. He had great difficulty hiding his petticoats and was kept very busy adjusting his frock. I personally felt no remorse for this poor wretch and the way in which he was being treated. I cannot remember a time where I have been able to laugh fully non-stop all evening.

Richard was finding it extremely hard to hold the tears back. This period of humiliating punishment went on for fully two hours, when suddenly Jane suggested that Richard should have a free hairdo, as he was dressed so sweetly. I could see him wince at this suggestion and his eyes filled with tears again when he saw me bring in my drier, rollers, and especially my frilly pink coverall.

He was secured in a chair by Jane’s friends, and a lengthy discussion then took place as to what style would suit his long brown hair best. One girl suggested ringlets, another plaits. Jane had other ideas. She wanted his shoulder length hair permed into an Afro fuzz. I brought all my skill to bear on this task and after a great deal of effort Richard was reduced to a laughing stock, his head crowned with a bush of hair fully three feet round. He was shown his hairdo in the mirror, and finally he cried. To add insult to injury Jane’s friend tied a big pink bow in the front of it, and this resulted in Richard crying his poor heart out even more.

The comments and humiliations still persisted after his release from the chair. The evening finally broke up and we left Richard washing up, still dressed in his frillies. Jane tells me he has quietened down a lot, and is much better to live with. She is now the boss in the house and the roles have definitely changed. Richard has been given a pretty pink pinafore for Christmas, and Jane tells me she intends him to wear it.

The maid’s uniform has been returned to the theatrical costumers. Its effect however will remain with Richard for many years to come, as I hope my hairdo will. It should last him a good three months at least. I do hope you will print my letter as I feel it will interest all your fans of petticoat discipline. Keep up the good work at 'Janus'.
Yours faithfully,

Anne (Coventry)

I think that ringlets would have been very sweet, or plaits with ribbons at the end, rather than the ghastly 'Afro' style which was in fashion when this letter was first published, in 1974. Ringlets are so reminiscent of Mary Pickford and Shirley Temple, and would be perfect with an old-fashioned velvet dress with a lace collar and cotton lace petticoats and bloomers.

Plaits would be fun too, as Jane and her friends could tease her poor hubby by gently tugging them as he fussed about serving the girls and doing the washing up. The pinafore is an excellent Christmas present,and it would be nice to see more Christmases in which the husband was presented with a frilly pink pinafore, and in return gave his wife a broad handled hairbrush, both to be liberally used.
Susan