By Nina

My family lived in a small village in the middle of England. The year was 1902. One day just after I turned twelve my mum called me aside. "Julian, your father and I were talking and we decided that it would be good for you to live in a big city for awhile this summer and give you a broader view of life. I’ve contacted your Aunt Rose who would love to have you stay with her for a while. You can help out at her clothing store". Aunt rose was my favorite aunt. I was enthused about staying with her and seeing what a big city was like. As soon as school was out I boarded the train and headed for Manchester. Aunt Rose met me at the train station. As soon as her driver collected my suitcases we boarded the cab and set out for her home. I was fascinated by the sound of the horse’s hooves on the stone streets. Back home the roads were mostly loose stones.

Aunt Rose owned the shop and lived above it. As we pulled up in front of it I noticed a sign reading ‘ROSE’S CORSET SHOPPE’. I thought that it would be embarrassing working in a ladies shop. Later as Aunt Rose fixed tea for us I mentioned it. I was told not to worry, as I would be a stock boy and have minimal contact with the customers. She fixed a terrific dinner that evening and later tucked me into bed. She kissed me goodnight and said, "I love having you stay with me. There are so many things to see and do on the weekends. By the way, please call me Rose, I’m not one to stand on formalities". I knew I would enjoy my stay (no pun intended).

Monday morning I was dressed in my best clothes and accompanied Rose to the shop. It was just a small shop. Everywhere I looked there were corsets; small ones, large ones, short ones and very long ones. Some were quite formidable looking. I wondered in my young mind how a lady could wear such things and why? Little boys are naïve. My job was to keep the stock organized by style and size, and sweep the shop at closing. The work was easy and Rose was most generous, paying me the incredible sum of twelve shillings a week. I suppose if I weren’t family it would have been considerably less.

I had a bad habit of slouching. Rose would chide me about it in a joking sort of way. I tried to improve but with out much success. One evening after a wonderful dinner, Rose and I were talking. Rose asked, "Did you ever notice and wonder why ladies stand so straight?" I thought of my slouching as I answered, "No, not really, why?" "The answer is right around you, silly boy. We all wear corsets". I worked in a corset shop but at my young age it never occurred to me that they had any function other than just being a strange item of female clothes. She continued, "Besides making a lady stand straight they keep one’s back from getting tired when standing all day. Why I would never make it from morning to night without mine. Here feel it. See how firm and supportive it is?". Shyly, and reluctantly, I ran my hands over her waist. It was like touching a tree trunk it was so hard and rigid. How could she stand anything that tight and stiff? Reading my thoughts she said, "It does take a while to get used to it but when one starts young enough the adjustment comes easily. Why I wore my first corset when I was just your age". We dropped the subject and I retied to bed shortly afterwards. Just before I fell asleep I had a strange thought. "What would it feel like to wear one? Maybe it would cure my slouching". With that I dozed off.

During the following week I tried my best to walk straight. Rose kidded me about the strained look on my face whenever I tried. One morning Rose and I went to the shop early. I thought that she wanted to rearrange the stock. She left the CLOSED sign on the door and the shade drawn. I asked her what she wanted done. She said, "Nothing but come in back with me. Julian, I have a favor to ask of you. You have been trying hard to walk straight but without any luck. I would like for you to try wearing a corset. I’m sure it will help". I didn’t know what to say. Corsets were for women although I did notice several men coming into the store to buy corsets for their wives, or so I thought. I was torn between my thoughts. I hated my appearance and sometimes my back was tired at the end of the day. Yet I couldn’t imagine my self in a woman’s corset. The again, Rose was so nice I felt I should maybe take her suggestion.

After a few minutes thought, children tend to rush into things, I agree to give it a one day trial. Rose was elated. She made a few measurements and took a corset from one of the shelves. "I think a long one will be best. It will give you more support". I looked at it. The corset was indeed formidable. It was very long, twenty-two inches, I learned, and had cups and shoulder straps at the top. She read my thoughts and said, "No one will notice, with nothing in the cups, nothing will show". She handed me a chemise that I discretely put on after I undressed behind the privacy screen. As she proceeded to tighten the laces my penis began to harden. Rose noticed it and laughed as she saw it, "My nephew is a man and he seems to like being corseted". I didn’t know why but she was right. That night, alone in bed, I learned something new and delightful. The corset felt tight and restrictive but delightfully so. She didn’t lace it excessively tight explaining that it would be tightened more as I got used to it. Get used to it? I was only going to try it for a day. Bending was a problem but Rose taught me how a tight-laced woman stoops down. By noon I was enjoying the feelings it gave me and wasn’t sure I wanted to give it up at day’s end. As we closed up the shop for the day I noted that my back wasn’t tired and I was walking straight. Perhaps wearing a corset wasn’t all that bad. I just might give it another day’s trial. Rose suggested that I leave it on until I retired. I was so used to it and being too lazy to take it off, I took her suggestion. Eventually I came to enjoy sleeping in it. Wearing it really enhanced my nighttime pleasures.

The next morning Rose entered my room and asked if I was willing to try the corset again. I was soon laced into it. It felt even better than it did the previous day in spite of Rose lacing it tighter than yesterday. One thing I did feel annoying were the garters that had bumped against my legs all day yesterday. I asked Rose if they could be removed. "No, It would damage the corset. If they bother you, you could wear stockings. That would solve the problem". The idea of wearing silk stockings seemed like going a bit far since at twelve boys still wore short pants. It would be too lady like. Once again reading my mind, Rose seemed good at that, she said " If you wear you boy stockings over them no one will notice", and with a laugh continued, "And I won’t tell". Done and done. Shortly I was wearing the stockings. They felt ‘nice’ against my hairless, boy’s legs. Once again I "rose to the occasion". As I walked I was fascinated by the way they tugged against the garters, a constant reminder of being laced, not that the tight corset wasn’t a reminder on its own.

Over the next few weeks one thing seemed to lead to another. Being rather short I could just barely reach the top shelves. Rose had a solution that I reluctantly accepted at first; High heeled lady’s shoes. After a few hours practice after work I was able to walk in a pair of her boots that had four inch heels. The next day I had very little trouble reaching the top shelves. I was amazed by what a difference a few inches in height made. The next day a couple of young girls came in for their first corsets. They were quite amused by the boy in high heels. Rose noted my displeasure. That evening as we talked she casually suggested that if I wore a dress and fixed my hair, that was a bit long, the heels would go unnoticed. "After all", she noted, "It might be a better image for the shop if the customers saw a girl rather than a boy in a corset shop". Somehow it seemed to make sense and I swallowed the bait. After all, Rose was so nice and I didn’t want to hurt her business. Besides, it was only for a few hours a day and just for the rest of the summer. Accordingly the next day I was outfitted in a stylish young lady’s dress. I never thought about where it came from. It never occurred to me that Rose had planned this whole thing. She fixed my hair into a girlish style and, against my not overly strong protests, applied a touch of makeup saying, "All young girls wear a little bit these days". A glance in the mirror when she finished shocked me. I looked just like a young girl of fifteen complete with a beautiful figure. The look fascinated me. I was no longer a boy.

Little by little my wardrobe increased over the summer. My corsets were drawn closed giving me a twenty-one inch waist. I now had my own shoes. A wig, in a more turn of the century style, adorned my head. Padding was placed in the cups of my corset; my voice had not changed as yet. Rose decided that since I looked like a girl I could wait on the customers. It was thrilling to outfit young girls in their first corsets. As the months went by the number of men and boys that came in for fittings amazed me. Being one, I especially like lacing the boys very tightly. A few of them even came in dressed as girls. The boys, and some of the men seemed to have the same problem as me; they all became ‘excited’ as I laced them. I was perplexed at the time by a strange desire to touch them and relieve their problem.

The summer was drawing to a close and I would have to return home. I had come to love my new life as Julia. I absolutely hated the idea of returning to boyhood. I was busy in back of the shop on day when I heard familiar voices. It was mum and father talking to Rose. I heard her say, "He’s been a terrific help to me. I wish you didn’t have to take him home. I will surely miss him and I’ll bet you won’t recognize him". I wanted to crawl into a hole. Much as I loved my lifestyle I couldn’t have my parents see me this way. Just them mum walked back and gasped as she saw me. "Why Julia’s even lovelier than you wrote. Henry (my father) come here and see your new daughter". Father walked in saying, "She really is a beauty". They knew all about me. Rose had told them. I learned later that all three of them, for whatever reason had decided to feminize me. As mum and father greeted me with a kiss, I whispered, "Thank you." It was decided that I could stay on as Rose’s apprentice. Someday I would own the shop. I loved the idea. As time passed I took ‘liberties’ with my male customers. Towels became part of the fitting ritual. They seemed to love it as witnessed by the repeat male business. Eventually I reduced my waist to nineteen inches. I am now a twenty-year-old young lady with my natural hair falling to my tiny waist. I have completely forgotten what it was like to be a boy. Several of the boys with whom I took ‘liberties’ have become ‘special’ friends. Dear Aunt Rose allows me to run the shop and enjoys her lack of responsibilities. Do I have regrets? Only one. I wish I had started sooner. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Try it yourself. You just might like it.