Ethel Granger
- This article is a Biography
by her husband, WILLIAM A GRANGER
Also: ethelgranger.com (as of 10/2019): On this site you can find: the history of Ethel in a summary in Dutch, German and English, and the complete biography of Ethel (in English) by William Arnold Granger.
- SUMMARY
Ethel Granger (born on ✦April 12, 1905 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire County, England, United Kingdom - †May 1982 at 77 years of age.) According to her family tree, she married William A. Granger in 1928 in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom. They had a child Wilhelmina Granger.
- INTRODUCTION
Every story must have a beginning, but the end if such there be, may not be in the book
Where does one begin a tale such as this one? Obviously it began long before I over saw Ethel, and it is equally clear that there were good psychological reasons for my actions and the future events that sprang from them. “Coming events cast their shadows before them.” A small cloud on the horizon can develop into the biggest storm.
So perhaps I might try to dig down deeply into the past of my own history to analyse my own desires and the reasons for them, which came to be reflected in Ethel's history. I suppose certain desires and ideas of what is beautiful, erotic or attractive are widely spread, otherwise one would not see so often the accentuation of various parts of the anatomy by one sex or the other, to attract the opposite half of humanity. Such things as ear‑rings, waists, the breasts, legs, feet and hands as well as the face and head, are all so obvious to the eye that it is only natural that that efforts would be made to draw attention to them and to concentrate the perception upon them, individually, or all together.
So, undoubtedly, we get the many forms of adornment, or even deformity that has been practised in the past or present by some part of humanity, to increase the sexual urge, or for some taboo or even some religious purpose.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or so they say, and from this stem many of our established fashions, customs, ornaments, body mutilations and deformations from East to West and from Pole to Pole. The eye certainly plays a most superior role, but the other senses come into play in varying degrees. Touch certainly does, and with this no doubt the sense of feeling, for even pain can be a great stimulus to eroticism. Even taste, smell and sounds cannot be ignored. Each and every one of man’s senses can be the trigger to excite stimulation, in one way or the other.
So since the dawn of history and probably before, man has attempted to edit, revise, adapt and adorn himself, sometimes for his own erotic satisfaction or to attract the other sex. More often than not he has turned his attention to his womankind, to suit his own ideas of beauty and gain the effects he desires. At the same time the female may accept these changes to her body with willing acceptance, painful as some of them may be, gaining satisfaction from the additional adulation from her mate, and often getting the sense of satisfaction in the accomplished fact, or from the titillation of her senses from the effect. Not the least reason perhaps is the rivalry between members of the same sex, so that if she can outshine other members of her sex in some way, this is a victory worth any amount of suffering.
For the endless desires which are so natural, the female therefore, has often played an active, nay a leading part ‑ more often than not with the natural objective in view - the ensnarement of the opposite sex, by means of the charms considered appropriate and desirable. Frequently he, or she has reiterated the dictum, "one must suffer to be beautiful.”
Consequently both sexes have endured the most horrible tortures and mutilations with a stoic indifference to the pain, perhaps even with a sense of masochistic pleasure at the pain for the final result, which has gone to provide that style of beauty desired by the opposite sex.
This has gone on through the ages and with all races, in some form or other, sometimes with amazing results.
We may consider the women of Central Africa, who pierce and distend their lips until great plates can be worn. This practice was begun upon the women, by their husbands, or future husbands, to it is said, with the idea that it the women wore so defaced they would be saved from abduction by the neighbouring tribes, or unwanted as unsuitable for the slave trade. However, many tribes pierce the lips, sometimes one, sometimes both, and insert studs in some form or the other, and very frequently the males have this form of adornment or mutilation, but it is usually on only one of' the sexes of the tribe. It is done as a kind of taboo, to keep out the evil spirits from one of the body orifices. These are normally no more than half an inch in diameter so not particularly disfiguring or a nuisance to wear.
However the lips being used for kissing, an ornament therein gives an added thrill, both to the wearer and the recipient of the kisses, so one can understand the custom from this angle, as it adds to the sexual titillation of mouth to mouth contact. It is very rare amongst cultured people who do not know this effect or perhaps it would be more widely practised. Undoubtedly in areas were women were taken as slaves or as spoils of war, then disfigurement of the large discs could have a repellent effect and stop the depletion of the females of the tribe. It is positive that they must have been a great nuisance to the wearer, as eating, drinking and speaking was done only with difficulty and when the distensions reached diameters of 12 inches in the lower lip and 8 inches in the upper, so the discs became of great weight, and awkward in every way.
Often the eventual result of the stretching was that the lips parted in the middle then leaving two or four rat- like tails drooping down from each end of a wide-open lipless mouth, which was a disfigurement indeed. Sometimes the owner of this would tie the two ends together to get them out of the way.
No doubt there were many tearful protests from the female held down for the operation of the first incision to be made on the lips, and squeals of pain as it was being done, for from the older women around there was left little doubt about the final result to which she was being committed as to the disfigurement she was to endure to change her natural appearance. I may say that where it has become custom, then it is usually the older women, already possessing duck bill lips, who perform the operation on their younger sisters, maybe to ensure that the custom perpetuated, so they will not be the repulsive remnants of disfigured womanhood, maybe with a self-satisfied macabre gloating, that what they had had to suffer was now being passed on.
However one could expect that as the discs were enlarged, as the holes were gradually distended, so their beauty was in process of complete elimination, that a feeling of resignation may have assuaged the continual stretchings, with the nuisance of the heavier and more unwieldy discs made so many things so much more difficult, that this was followed by a feeling of pride at the accomplished fact of the larger discs being worn, which might increase the love of her husband. Custom then became fashion and the process from then on was perpetuated by the women themselves until deformity was considered beauty.
Proud indeed was the female who could boast of a twelve inch disc or a pair, for she was one of the elite. As I have said, many tribes consider the enlargement of the lower lip, sufficient, while some preferred both. However, the lower lip, being the larger, it could be stretched to a bigger size.
I have dilated upon this form of fetishism for this is just a gruesome of what happens with other types of artificial adornment, except perhaps, that the results may not be so permanent or disfiguring.
So how much different, except from the point of suffering, can one discover when we look at the reduction of the female figure to the flat-chested results of the 1920s, and how much permanent damage did it leave behind, if not on the figure, at least on the mind? Or to go further, the sack line absurdities adopted as the prevailing fashion of the 1958 period? Each was deemed fashionable, so women were brainwashed to believe them beautiful, but often considered repulsive by many especially those with memories of other times and better fashions. While it may be an exaggeration to use the word repulsive, certainly ugly would be correct, for the results so disguised the true female shape that the result was not female beauty.
From this aspect of the female form and adornment, a broad minded attitude of live and let live must be adopted with a realisation that if the subjects mentioned are not in your line, then there may be many other people to whom they do appeal.
Perhaps topics and aspects of truly feminine adornment may be summarised as follows:-
First, The Waist. At this point changes of various kinds can be induced, by a variety of methods. The most important perhaps, is the reduction in circumference to gain a wasp like tenuity to this part of the anatomy. Possibly taking the insect world of bees, wasps and ants, all with wasp-like middles and noting their fecundity, they may have considered that this might also be good for the human population under their control in other words the feminine part, which would no doubt act in like manner. It is often true that during times when women are wasp-waisted, the population increases
The shape of the circumference can be also altered, from the natural oval waist which is oval in shape with the longer axis from side to side, so the waist then appears larger when viewed from the front or rear. This can be changed to a true circular shape, so that the waist, in comparison to the natural one, now appears much smaller, except from the side view. But the ultimate is when the waist diameter of the oval now has the longer axis from back to front, and when viewed from these points gives a very acute wasp-like aspect. This was called the Viennese oval waist, and certainly the most beautiful, for as the woman turns her body from side to front or rear aspect, then the waist literally looks as if she is cut in two parts.
The shape can be altered in the vertical direction firstly from the short hour-glass form, where the waist goes in and out over a short distance; then by an elongation of the waist portion, which often needed early training, or the lengthening from the tiniest part above the bulging hip bone by a rigid tapering Vee-shaped figure. In some cases the lower ribs from early training were forced in until they met down the front in the waist, even over lapped, until they grew together, so the result was permanent. Ribs were driven in until they cut into the liver and other internal organs, which frequently adapted their position to suit. The real fanatically minded even went so far as to have some of their lower ribs removed by surgery. By this means they attained the third form, the pipe stem waist, which was parallel over a length of waist, from 5 to 6 inches in length, above this the ribs curved outwards and below the hips were very prominent. These were the elite for it required suffering equal to that of the plate lipped ladies to gain their required end.
Thirdly the waist can be stiffened to my degree required over length of waist and body to gain any degree of required complete helplessness, so that bending and many normal body functions were impossible or very difficult to accomplish. Waist reduction at certain periods of history and in certain countries, has been practised very widely, often with relentless cruelty, frequently beginning in early childhood, and on this early foundation, ruthlessly maintained until waists of amazing tenuity resulted, if the patient did not succumb first. For this deformation was far more painful and certainly more dangerous, if carried to the extreme, than the deformation of the lips, although not so disfiguring. For precipitate action without care could result in serious injury to one of the vital organs, which could and often did result in a fatality.
Yet it was amazing the slenderness of the waists recorded. Thirteen inches was often gained. Twelve inches or less were possible with early training. It is even said that waists of under ten inches were developed. Even with excessive reduction, done gradually over a long period, the result is not necessarily as injurious to health as one might think, as my tale will tell you.
Waist reduction was usually accomplished by some form of corset or stays; these being made of a wide variety of materials, from steel or other metals, fibre glass, to leather and that might be real hide such as is used for soling shoes for ladies, which was often sufficiently rigid to need no boning. From these materials such as silk, satin, broche, brocades and stronger, cheaper materials made of cotton, even of rubber. Then came nylon, with its extreme durability, and that elastic material, lycra.
Early corsets were just made to lace up, sometimes at the back, when they wore used as a training or undergarment; very often lacing at the front when the lacing was a possible form of decoration. In some cases it was a part of the dress itself. The front busks and suspenders did not come until later in the 19th century, after the early type of spoon busks of the long stem, and with the advent of the straight front.
This was another change in the waist which could be made. The plane of the waist line circumference can be tilted out of the horizontal, or appear to be tilted. During the early period and the spoon busk era the plane was horizontal. But with the coming of the straight front corset the plane was tilted so the front was down and the back was up and this was accentuated by the prevailing fashions and belts designed to show this. The female then appeared to be leaning forward at the waist.
Early types of corsets had been made very stiff and straight at the front down to the waist, where, here at the waist line, the corset ended, or was open to allow the lover part of the body to protrude. This allowed for pregnancy, giving the then fashionable abdominal bulge. The silhouette at the back was curved inwards to the waist, then out again over the rump. A rather similar silhouette curve would be seen at the front, for there was a fairly flat curve into the waist, then an outward curve over the abdomen.
The spoon busk type was extremely high over the waist, right up to the shoulder blades and round under the armpits, then round to the front pushing the breasts up as high as possible; the busks often coming up right between them. This type of corset could produce extremely tiny waists of a circular shape, and the owner of a pronounced wasp waist, due to the freedom of the hips and lower parts, would walk with a pronounced corset wobble, considered the very acme of feminine attractiveness. However, due to the shape, the tight lacing tended to drive some of the lower organs downwards, giving prolapsed wombs and other like troubles, with frequent miscarriages and abortions. So much so, that in high society it was common to resort to extremely tight lacing to bring to an end an unwanted pregnancy with often tragic results, but certainly with intense suffering. When a straight front down to the waist was required, this was obtained or enforced by a heavy busk plate of steel or wood, which went into a pocket behind the busks, which was often put in after the corsets were fitted and laced up; pushed in or even hammered home down to the waist. Busks, in those times were often of great length, 15 inches or more up, to 18 inches, with many clasps.
The advent of the straight front brought many changes. Usually the height of the corset was brought down at the top, especially at the back, but the corset now came down over the abdomen and often the hips. Later corsets were made even lower, and were only about 2 inches above the waist line at the top, but brought down to corset the hips and thighs. The front silhouette was now drastically changed. From the bust a reasonably straight front down to the waist and still straight on down to the pubic area. Heavy busks, busk plates and clever cut and boning of the corsets all helped towards this end. This thrust the old type of abdominal bulge backwards and even upwards and so the back silhouette was curved down to the waist then a very sharp curve outwards over the posterior, which was likewise pushed outwards and back by the straight front. The lower busks and top allowed the breasts to spill forward and overhang. Likewise the waist was now more likely to be oval, showing smaller from front or back.
The long waist was little seen now, it was more often the hour glass shape, for long waists wore difficult to develop with this cut of corset, but the shape was very much more attractive in many ways as we see from the early Gibson Girl pictures and other beauties at the beginning of the century.
The reduction of the waist to wasp like proportions had effects upon the parts above and below, unless these ton were held in check by the corsets. As I have pointed out the corsets were often designed to push the breasts upwards and even outwards frequently having half cups on the upper edges which acted as the present day brassiere, a garment then unknown so that a high firm bosom resulted from this. In addition a real increase in the size of the breasts, bust, hips and posterior developed, for firstly fat and flesh was forced up from the ribs and waist into the bust and down on to the hips and posterior. As little breathing could be done by the lower ribs and diaphragm, the upper part of the chest expanded to make more room and the bosom became like that of a pouter pigeon to become a permanent feature of female allurement. In addition, the decreasing waist threw the bust and hips into greater prominence, and vice versa, the larger bust and hips gave the waist an appearance of greater tenuity.
Corsets and corseting can also mean greater stiffness, and in some cases this was the objective of the wearer, and the end was gained by the use of longer corsets which might reach from neck to knees, being heavily boned all round. The stiffness could be increased by adding a second corset tightly laced over the first, then a third or fourth until the body was completely subdued and unbendable, so the wearer was just a helpless fashion plate, able to walk and move with difficulty, but unable to sit down, or pick things up from the floor.
This was a form of self torture and in fact torture corsets were made, lined with various materials, wires, cords, even thumb tacks, which were driven into the skin inflicting agonies to the wearer until they were removed Often two or more pairs were worn in training to get the figure quickly subdued and flaccid for a final lacing to a smaller size. After this the single corset must have felt quite flexible and easy to wear.
Often steels and busks broke at the waist line where the flexure of the bends was most acute, and the wearers were quite unaware of it or that the broken ends were cutting into the numbed flesh so tightly held. Only when the corsets were removed so the blood stains and scars became evident, were they aware of what they had endured. Waists of inveterate tight lacers bore those scars of their determination to succeed over pain for the rest of their lives.
Here too, whalebone was safer than the spiral steels or flat steels which left sharp broken ends. Remember too that to attain really tiny waists, the lacing was carried on without breaks and the corsets worn day and night, perhaps for a week on end with no relaxation, except for additional tightening of the laces.
However, the pain and prolonged suffering, the feeling of helpless rigidity, the agonies of the tightening waist would be amply repaid by the pride of accomplishment, for the fact that the waist would now be smaller than average, able often to be clasped round by a pair of hands, thus the cynosure of masculine eyes and also the envy of female ones not so endowed by artifice and suffering was a panacea indeed.
A necessary adjunct to a tiny waist and tight corset will often be an attractive, tightly cinched-in belt made of polished metal, leather, maybe jewelled, which would add further to the compression, accentuating the smallness by drawing attention to itself, and which can be used sometimes, it desired, to change the shape of the waist. Such was the Austrian Belt, which was used sometimes as a torture instrument, but which was specifically designed to flatten the waist from side to side, and thus give a false appearance of tenuity viewed from the front or rear. Sometimes this was used with thin steel plates underneath, one on each side, which were laced together when the required reduction had been made, after which the cumbersome overbelt was removed, leaving the flattening plates still in position. Belts could be narrow, wide, shaped or plain or studded, in an assortment of colours. They would fit in and neaten the waist of any dress or skirt to the smallest size, so were very important.
The hips have frequently been enlarged and accentuated by padding, by hooped crinolines to exaggerate by the difference the slenderness of the waist, or to make it appear more slender than it actually was. Even the posterior has had its day, not only during the straight front era, but at other times with padding, or with the repeated appearance of the bustle, an uncomfortable adjunct yet very attractive, as it called attention to this part of the feminine anatomy by increasing its true size.
Likewise the bust has been improved by various means, as this is a most erotic part of the female figure and attractive to masculine eyes. This was done by just simple padding, then rubber forms or inflatable ones, to add to or supplement what nature had failed to provide, and even surgery was used although quite a host of so-called synthetic hormones and creams were put on the market to guarantee to enlarge the bust, but which I fear were mostly worthless. If they had not filled a natural necessity they would not have been sold. Surgery in some form or the other was useful but expensive, and could sometimes be overdone, but women are willing to suffer to be beautiful.
It is commonly accepted amongst primitive peoples, and we have all sprung from such, that man is extremely vulnerable to invasion by evil spirits through one of the natural orifices of the body, such as the mouth, nose, ears and the sexual organs. Preventable measures, taboos, and barriers were used at these points where possible. Other weak points for entry were the extremities, and it in the reason why we now come to our second type of extremely important articles of adornment and deformations which developed to cover the extremities, such as gloves, boots and shoes of various exaggerated forms, which became articles of erotic beauty to many, especially as most of them imposed some form of restriction upon the wearer.
Long perfumed gloves in creaseless smooth kid, black or white for preference, accentuate by their tightness the small size of the hands, and so increase the helpless femininity of the woman wearing them. Further, by using these from a very early age, the size of the hands could be reduced, and so made artificially small. In decreasing order of sex appeal come coloured kid, then suede, satin, velvet or nylon. The helpless hands were a sign that the owner did no manual work. The Chinese went a different way to give the same indication, for they allowed the finger nails to grow to inordinate lengths under special shields to protect them. Modern women follow a similar path, with their long talon like nails, to which they draw attention by covering them with coloured lacquers, or by overloading their fingers with large jewelled rings.
Even here, deliberate disfigurement is not unknown, for in certain primitive tribes it is customary to amputate, or chop off one or more fingers from the women. This is often done when the husband or a child is lost, or even a great man of the tribe dies or is killed. Sometimes this is done by the woman herself, deliberately biting off one or more fingers on such an occasion. It is not unknown to find some of the older women with hands completely devoid of fingers which must have made life very difficult for them. Turning our attention to the feet, we find another collection of erotic, symbols and mutilations. Shoes and boots were originally made for the mundane purpose of a form of protection from cold and sharp objects on the ground. These simple feet coverings were quickly converted into ornaments, and far from the original idea of making walking easier, it was soon found possible to frustrate the wearers from using their feet except to a limited extent, by making things as difficult as possible.
So the toes were lengthened until they got in the way and the wearer tripped over them, so later they were tied up to the knees. The heels were elevated to give high slander heels on which the walker balanced with difficulty. With boots, which developed from shoes, the leg lengths increased and the fancy fastenings or lacings multiplied. Sometimes both sole and heel were elevated on pattens which gave extra height to the wearer, as did the higher heels, therefore much favoured by the female population to add inches to their natural deficiency.
Heel shapes varied from the blocky Cuban heels to the curvaceous Louis heels after which came the straight tapering Spanish and finally the slender stiletto heels around the 1960's the acme of slender foolishness, with heel bases no bigger than the end of a pencil with long tapering heights from 4 to 6 inches. On these tiny pinnacles women had to learn to balance and walk. It may appear to be a contradiction, but as heels became higher and more slender, with tinier bases, so women began to walk better. They had to do so. With broader bases, these could be allowed to run over at the sides, but with these tiny platforms a slight tilt and one was over with a broken ankle. Walking was an art, and the high slender heels were ideal for the exhibition of dainty ankles, high arched insteps and well shaped legs, which came into view as the mini skirt and Hot pants became fashionable. Then came the era of the platform soles and wedge heels and, ugliest of all, the block heels. From these the block heels increased in height up to 7 inches with a platform sole of 2 inches thick giving a great increase in height to the wearer, but no one could say they were beautiful. Boots too came back during the 1960s after being out of fashion for many years. Boots to the mid calf, the knees and up to the thighs in a variety of materials, plastic, leather, suede leather with at first flat heels, then with the high block heels and soles.
The maximum height for a realistic heel for a woman would, I estimate, be 6 inches or perhaps 7 inches depending on the size of the feet. Although higher heels can be obtained, these necessitate either a bigger or foot or some kind of block toe, for women’s feet are naturally smaller and so they do not have the length of foot to exceed this limit and walk in them. What good is a shoe if one cannot walk in it and exhibit its 'beauties of heel and foot? This is another aspect of shoes and boots, to reduce the size of women's feet by squeezing them from an early age into too small a size of shoe of an unnatural shape, different from that of the natural foot. So women are supposed to have small narrow feet and they make them an by artificial means.
The Chinese used to have their own method, and by relentless torture produced astonishing results, of feet so small they could stand on a crown piece [a British coin in circulation up to the 1930s, about 1½inches in diameter] and on which the sufferers were quite unable to walk. This was done by a process of foot bindings which began in early childhood. Firstly the child was bound to a couch. Then mercilessly, despite the screams of the young girl, the toe nails were quickly ripped out from the roots, as these would have been in the way of what was to follow. Now the toes were pulled tightly down under the ball of the foot and tightly bound there. Further binding was put on designed to pull the ball of the foot back towards the heel, creating an artificially curved instep and reducing the length of the foot.
The patient must endure these agonies, and is not allowed to put foot to ground for a long period, often swinging her legs over the end of the bed to deaden the pain. At regular intervals the bindings were removed to see how things were going on, and no signs of gangrene, which might prove fatal. Each time the bandages were pulled tighter and the foot base reduced in size until at last the victim was allowed to walk or to try to, on her Golden Lilies, of which she was now immensely proud. Her feet would now be not more than 4 inches in length, of which a good deal was the big toe. The other toes were shrivelled away underneath towards a big gap under the instep and then the compressed heel. Walking now, was a painful, difficult, almost impossible task, and the golden lily walk was unmistakable. However, this was not enough even to satisfy the real fanatic. So now the young girl underwent the second and more severe part of the process. For this the expert would carefully place the deformed foot on a marble slab, and with a number of carefully planned blows from a wood mallet break the bones in various places. This must be done carefully so that no broken bones protruded through the skin. Now the big toe, broken at the joint, was brought round and forced into the gap in front of the heels under the instep. The rest of the foot was then moulded around it into a rounded hoof like shape, then tightly bound. The victim suffered agonies for some months, with careful watching and rebinding at frequent intervals until the bones had set in their unnatural positions, and the hoof like shape was fully fashioned and permanent. At the end of this period of torture, the poor girl, if she had survived, now had feet like little oval hoofs, not more than 2 inches long, even smaller, down to one and a half inches on which she could never walk or hardly stand again with any facility but she now had the real Golden Lilies, of which, she could be really proud, for anyone would know the pain she had suffer to attain them.
Yet civilised women squeezed their feet and distorted them into tiny, high heeled shoes, with the same objective in mind. In fact it was quite the thing to have one or more toes removed on each foot to get the narrow toed shape that fashion decreed; without this, the feet were distorted and often a mass of corns, hammer toes and other defects endured with equanimity. Some primitive tribes bind the feet and logs to a wood splint, bringing the foot and log into a straight line, so they walk on tiptoe on the end of the splint, a very simple form of high heel sensation.
To be really erotic, shoes or boots must have high slender heels as fragile in appearance as possible, and be as tightly fitted as they can be. Long pointed toes draw the attention of the eye to the feet of the wearer. The small tottering steps taken by tiny feet., with the superbly arched insteps, the toes straining to touch the ground at the tips, followed by the tiny, high, slender, delicately shaped heels, have an irresistible appeal, due to the allusion of feminine helplessness so created. Chinese ladies with their bound feet or golden lilies had the same object in view.
Above this, the gleam of shearest nylon hose, tightly suspendered, preferably dark in colour, for these define the rotundity and graceful curves of the nether limbs and ankle ‑ a point in favour of shoes against boots. With them, the long length of lacing, done maybe, with contrasting coloured laces, right up over the knees to the thighs; or maybe the gleaming rows of shining buttons do something for some people, and these are the attraction of boots; also the fact that the length of lacing or buttoning makes them more permanent than shoes of which court shoes are the ideal. With tightly laced corsets high heels are practically a necessity, for they give the correct tilt to the body and increase the feeling of comfort in the corsets, which would be misery without them under the feet.
Worn together the effect is most entrancing, as the swaying, corseted waddle, assisted by the tottering tiny steps creates wonderful picture of charm for many masculine eyes.
So we come to the head, apart from jewellery, hair styles, can work wonders with a woman, and these can be changed ad infinitum ‑ colour, from any shade from black to white to suit the foible of the wearer. Long hair, elaborately dressed, neatly styled, into masses of high piled curls and waves is irresistible. Some styles are disfiguring such as the Eton crop and the knife and fork cut, which do little for womankind. In addition various forms of maquillage to accentuate the eyes the eyelashes, the teeth and lastly the lips. Lips should be red not the deathly colour, which is going out of fashion. Lips, well shaped and heavily coloured are attractive. The colour on lips, cheeks and eyes can now be put on permanently by tattooing, to give a permanent heavy Cupid's bow if desired. Eyebrows shaped by plucking, and long sweeping false eyelashes change the eyes. Even the eye colour can be changed by contact lenses.
Finally we have jewelry. Women, and even men, have managed to hang articles of jewellery on every conceivable part of the anatomy that was suitable, and when not so have made special provisions that such can be done.
Ornaments are hung on wrists, fingers, thumbs, the neck, the head, toes, ankles, legs, thigh, waists, and through the ears, lips, cheeks, even the septum and nostrils of the nose, the tongue and teeth, not to mention adornments in the, or on the hair or head, forehead and the navel, even the breasts and sexual organs. It is true that even in civilised countries most of those ornaments can be seen and openly worn, although one rarely sees toe rings or ornaments in lips and cheeks or rings through septums and nostrils, although there is an increasing acceptance of some of the later in the last two years, and the influx of Asian immigrants who have long worn such things openly. Their attractive fascination has done much to create the openings eagerly awaited by many. Who likewise can tell how many a breast nipple is pierced and adorned with rings or jewels through the nipples. I suspect it is commoner than one would think, and I understand that it was once advocated by some members of the medical profession to develop the breasts. Even the female and male sexual organs have been pierced and decorated; sometimes for the production of a chastity barrier. Some primitive tribes in fact sew up the young female and the stitching is not cut, or often supposed to be burst open upon the marriage night.
In any case, it is a sine-qua-non that earrings and other ornaments, where possible should be worn through the flesh. through holes pierced therein. These holes can be small or enlarged to great sizes as I have said, in ears, lips and noses.
Nothing is more repulsive to the faddist than to see a feminine ear squashed flat with clip or screw. How can this compete with the dainty piercing from which the jewels swing free? Perhaps the most seductive adornment is the dainty jewel glittering in the wing, or both wings, of a lady’s nostril. Alas, this is rarely seen, except in the natives of the East who have long realized it intense sexual appeal. Why has this not become popular in the West, for the operation is no more painful than that on the ears while the holes when not in use are not any more obtrusive.
Forms of body adornment such as tattooing by scars or dyes is very old and has great attraction for many, maybe from its permanency.
So these are the principal forms of adornment used as a sexual lure by one sex or the other to attract the opposite.
It you think I have covered everything possible, you are far from the truth. If there is anything natural, then man or woman interferes with it.
Let us go back to the head again. Some people have hats to keep off the rain or sun, as uniform accessories, or in the case of politicians, just to talk through. However, give a woman half an excuse and she will put on, not a hat, but a confection, smothered with flowers, fruit, birds feathers, fur, animals, and bric-a-brac; small cloche hats sheathing the head, bonnets covering the face or huge, unwieldy cartwheels, large enough to make a fine tent roof, smothered in veiling and often jewels. Possibly the most feminine attractive style was the addition of the veil, to add mystery to the shrouded features, and hiding imperfections in the features. Even men’s headgear had varied from military protective helmets to elaborate plumed monstrosities, and now we have the compulsory crash helmet for motor cyclists.
The neck can be adorned by necklaces, like chokers, or looser ones spreading from the neck down to the bosom. In some eras women expose their legs and cover the bosom, at other times the opposite method is adopted and the bosom, with a large expanse of breasts are on show, while the legs are covered. A decade later the covering of the bust may extend right up to below the chin. During the Edwardian period blouses dresses were provided with high, boned, tight collars to fit the neck and made life difficult, for a turn of the head or any inclination of the neck was frustrated by the digs from the fiendish boning. Even leather collars and little neck corsets were made to lengthen the swan-like neck of the time, and these neck corsets were so made that they could be extended after being put on, so stretching the neck to the limit, and worn in bed for long training periods, developing a long neck.
In Borneo, the long, giraffe neck is the acme of feminine perfection, and necks of 12 inches in length, are acquired over the years. This is done by winding soft brass rods round the neck into a long coil at puberty, until the chin was forced up and away from the shoulders. It is said that the neck was actually dislocated but whether this was so or not, at intervals, when the neck became free, new and longer coils were put on, each extra coil lengthening the neck until a length of 12 inches or more was the proud possession of the older females; but the lower jaw by then was distorted until it over hung, and there was distortion of the area round the collar bone. It is said that early missionaries tried to cut the coil off the neck, and in fact any infidelity on, the part of the wife they were condemned by their husbands to have the neck rings ceremoniously removed. When this was done, due to the lack of support, which had been supplied for so long by the neck coil, the woman was incapable of carrying her head erect, and she would die with a broken neck, as her head would fall over to the side or back and snap. Unless the husband repents and let the coil be replaced she has been condemned to die. She is a life long prisoner of her neck coil.
In certain primitive tribes they develop long wasp like waists using long lengths, of rattan cane, bound round and round in coils, tightening and lengthening the waist to a long stem. Long coils of copper wire are bound round the arms, both above and below the elbows and also the legs, above and below the knots, adding great weight to these members, or great anklets, of solid brass, weighing 14 pounds each are made and hammered round the ankles so the victim can never remove these obstructions.
Perhaps the weirdest distortion is that applied to the skull or cranium. Two methods giving different results come from different tribes. In one the head of the infant in bound tightly from the forehead upwards and the pressure is continued so that the head develops into a long head, moulded to a point. Quite a lot of children die under the process and the proportion of idiots was exceptionally high. The second method used a double board. hinged together. The long board was fixed over the back of the head. The hinged board was brought down on the forehead and then the two boards bound together. The young developing cranium grows up to a wedge at the top and the forehead is flattened from the eyes. Again death and idiocy are the result.
To see what can be done one can go to India where anything goes. Children were deliberately deformed from childhood by various artificial restrictions. Tongues were torn out, eyes also put out to make blind beggars. Beautiful young girls are sold to be temple prostitutes as Snake Women. Long pointed tusks are riveted to the upper canine teeth and two piercings made in the lower lip so that when the mouth in closed the points project through the lip. Then a forked snake-like tongue is fixed to her own tongue. A pair of snakes are tattooed on the body ending with a head on each breast, where further piercings provided a pair of ivory fangs on each, and a gold mesh tongue fixed to the nipples. With her arms completely removed she bites her lovers with her fang-like teeth. Some keep their arms. Holy men sit gazing up at the sun with deliberately blinded eyes from so doing, often with one am held aloft, the fist clenched until it becomes a fixture and the nails grow through the hand.
Slavery too brought tortures, for often the wrist or ankle circles were put on and hammered home by the blacksmith, often while red hot, leaving searing scars for life to prove the owner was a slave. A United Nations picture showed a slave that had had a large iron chain link forced through the wrist, as the scars showed clearly, and the torture the poor girl must have suffered can be imagined.
Decorating the body skin is also extremely ancient in origin, such as the use of dyes, paints and pigments ouch as the American Indians use and the Ancient British used woad. When these wore off or rubbed off more permanent forms of pictorial adornment were tried, and from these came tattooing, or the injection of the colour under the skin, so that it would not rub off. However, even more painful methods wore adopted such as the process of scarifying the skin to leave raised scar patterns. The Maoris carried this to artistic perfection by deliberately chiselling intricate ridges all over the face and other parts, a process that took weeks of torture, infinitely painful and permanent on men and women. In other tribes a series of cuts were made with a sharp edged stone or knife and coloured clay rubbed into the wounds until there was a raised pattern produced on face, head, back, chest, arms and legs.
Sometimes the scars were subsequently tattooed by conventional means. An English lady described the process of having a pair of flowered garters put on her legs. First the cutting of the scars and the rubbing in of the coloured clays and the final agonies while they healed. After which the final tattooing with coloured dyes to finish the job. In the end she had a pair of wonderful permanent garters which were the envy of her female friends. And so she considered the torture worth while,
As for the sexual organs, at puberty or even earlier, all sorts of things have been practiced, from the simple circumcision usually male but also applied to the females. In some tribes the initiation at puberty entailed the actual skinning of the penis right down to the scrotum. In some cases the penis was slit right down on the underside to the effect that as it never healed up. The regular emissions of urine or semen would dribble out, and unless the penis was held together, as it would be in sexual action by the female, then the ejection would not take place from the end as is normal. In other tribes, slivers of wood, stone or metal were driven right through the penis, and left to heal there, as the women liked this additional stimuli. Rings were put through and riveted therein.
Women were likewise cruelly treated. The clitoris was often cut, but some times torn off. The lips of the vulva were likewise sliced away leaving the woman freely open. Sometimes the lips were pierced on each side so that it could be sealed up by some form of lock from side to side. I presume there is little one can think about that has not been done.
This is not a fully comprehensive list but gives some hints as to what can be done and has been done somewhere on the earth. Even the deliberate removal of legs, hands and or arms has been done even by the civilised part of the world.
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- Needs Chapter 37 - 39