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Joined: Mar 2000
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
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Hello PaulB. I remember wearing a liberty bodice too when I was very young (early sixties). It was warm and worn as well as a vest in the winter, I remember it being a light brown or dark cream. I found a couple of websites which said that it was fleecy and designed to keep one warm. I think it was made predominantly for girls. I've seen a couple that were more like corsets but I don't remember it having any "bones". http://removedhttp://www.harboro.ndirect.co.uk/harboro.htmFoornote: I've just looked at the first website that I had listed again, following Jackie's post (next one down). I had searched on "liberty bodice" - and only looked at the information given about where they were made. I've decided that it is a distinctly dodgy site, so I've amended my post and removed the reference.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
I can't stand it, I can't stand it! My God! Jo, that first website! My God! The cruelty! Did you, did you, go to the home page and read, and read, that first letter? That one, from that God-awful sadist who, who, of all things, is a teacher?? To say nothing of those "Three Letters From School". That unspeakable wretch, that woman, that first one--forced her nephew into complete, total, and utter humiliation--subjected him to it for a full half-hour--and then, and then, even more unbelievably, bragged about it!! Oh! Oh! Why, oh why, do adults so often act as though might is right, when it comes to dealing with children?? That woman has NO CLUE as to what she taught that child; that goes for all the other sadistic teachers/parents/parent substitutes, too. What a child learns from that kind of treatment is, first, fear. Obedience out of fear is not what a child should be raised by. That child learned that he could be forced to do something. He learned nothing about realistic expectations, and discipline in its classical sense: that is, why certain things are and are not done. It is also VERY likely that he learned to be vengeful--I doubt that this is what that...that...ooh!...person had in mind! A beloved friend told me of being forced into a humiliating situation in front of his class--it still haunted him three decades later. The feelings of powerlessness cause indescribable harm. Well, now you have all seen me in pretty much full rant. It's going to take me a while to get over those letters.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
My God! Jo, that first website! My God!
I didn't even get to see it. . .
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Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
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Well Jazzo, I could say ... "you just should have got there quicker" but then there is no way that I would say something like that!
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
I didn't even get to see it. . .
Sweetie, it was about adults deciding to punish schoolboys by making them wear girls' clothes in front of people. No major deal--unless you were the boy. But I strongly imagine that the classmates were horribly uncomfortable as well, underneath the laughter they knew the adult expected.
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Joined: Jul 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
How old were these children? I'd say the severity of the "child abuse" depends on the age of the children. In Shakespeare's time, men practically dressed like women anyway, and I think I can safely say that I know people my age would wear a dress to school just because they thought it was amusing
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
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JazzOctopus remarkedHow old were these children? I'd say the severity of the "child abuse" depends on the age of the children. In Shakespeare's time, men practically dressed like women anyway, and I think I can safely say that I know people my age would wear a dress to school just because they thought it was amusing
Ay, there's the rub, Jazz. What makes it abusive is the element of compulsion, as punishment. If someone wants to engage in a little cross-dressing, that's obviously very different from being forced to do so as an act of public humiliation.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
>a little cross-dressing
On a second read I thought it was more of, lets say, a .. fantasy site, that's why I removed the link. Whoever put it there deserved (and probably got) a good spanking.
Nuf said?
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
Here's another discussion of "liberty bodices". I'd be careful of searching on this item, the more modern versions seem to have something to do with bondage! I don't remember it too well as I was quite young. I think it was suggested to my parents as I suffered from bronchitis and any extra layers (in the cold winters before central heating) were thought to be good. I don't remember the bit to attach the woolly stockings and I don't suppose Paul wore them either! --- Here's the reference: "I've suddenly recalled a somewhat peculiar girls' undergarment, which was called a liberty bodice. I know I had at least one in my undies collection, during early post-war years, but all I vaguely remember about it was that it was worn over the vest, was a lot shorter than a vest, had rubber buttons up the front, and a suspender-like gizmo dangling at the sides, at about the waistline, with a rubber button at the end, as though to anchor it to something (goodness knows what). I remember it as being miserably uncomfortable to wear. but perhaps the only ones I had were a size too small for me. I never wore one consistently, but it was there in the drawer and now and again I was persuaded to give it another chance. Eventually they disappeared." http://homepages.pavilion.co.uk/enigma/evac17.htm---
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old hand
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old hand
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All this discussion of 'liberty bodices' throws my mind back (only about 4 years or so) when the V&A had a great exhibition on British fashion through the years. (I bought the book for my mother, who is something of a seamstress, but I went to the exhibition out of sheer fascination anyway - even though I'm not into fashion at all.) One of the loveliest (oh what a twee word) was the 'Liberty suit', a tweedy, thick woollen construction that I wished existed today - I'd love to wear something of the slightly moth-eaten-looking brown shade. I believe the 'Liberty' range was used to designate a series of clothes made rather cheaply in the rationing era (WW2 and just after)? Can anyone confirm this? (No Google matches...)
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