What is Petticoat Punishment?
The stories have several common elements. First, the victim is unwilling. "There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it.", according to George Bernard Shaw. Tension vanishes from a story as soon as the victim thinks that wearing girl's clothes isn't so bad. Second, the victim both fears exposure and he is exposed. He may be dressed as a sissy or he may wear clothing inappropriate for his age. He may have a short haircut or his tormentor may let him look like a proper girl but call him by his own name or otherwise identify him as a male. Third, there is seldom a strong male character. Mothers, stepmothers, aunts, sisters and girlfriends are the principal protagonists. Kill the father first is a basic rule.
What are my qualifications to write on the subject?
I have written and supervised the illustration of several published PP stories. I also have this collection... In 1951, at the age of six (no subtracting, thank you!) I read a story in Loony Tunes #113 in which Bugs Bunny was dressed as a girl.
I had already experimented with wearing my mother's clothes, and once even with her knowledge. She helped me dress and we greeted my father when he returned from work. Mother said, "Look, we have a daughter." They were quite amused.
By the time I was twelve, I had a sizable collection of clothing and PP stories that I kept locked in a trunk under my bed. Mother permitted this privacy until a neighbor told her that she was missing some of her undergarments and was afraid someone had been in her house. While I was at school, mother opened my trunk. She discovered the undergarments along with all of my printed matter. She was smart and practical. By the time I returned home, she had burned everything. I still have not been able to replace some of the Nutrix books. On the other hand, I was not arrested for burglary.
I really missed the books. It was difficult for a pre-teen to buy material that was usually sold under the counter. I frequented used bookstores and adult stores in seedy neighborhoods. Many of my books I purchased through the mail. It was not easy without a checking account or credit cards. Irving Klaw went out of business with a hundred dollars of my cash. It had taken me over three months to earn that money delivering newspapers. However, even with that setback, my collection grew again.
The early 1960's were a great time for Petticoat Punishment art. Bilbrew was illustrating the stories of Nan Gilbert. Gene Bilbrew (1923-74) was one of the finest professional artists ever to work in the genre. Immediately following the Second World War he worked for the Will Eisner Comic Book Studio. He then enrolled in Burne Hogarth's School of Visual Arts where one of his fellow students was Eric Stanton. In 1952, perhaps at Stanton's recommendation, he began drawing bondage art for Irving Klaw. His Klaw bondage work is of little interest to the PP enthusiast, but can be found in the Bizarre Comix series by Belier Press.
Bilbrew also began to do illustrations for such titles as Fantasia, Exotique and Nutrix. He drew under several aliases including Van Rod, Bondy and Eneg (Gene spelled backward). The fetish aspect of his work is evident in the cover to "Captive in Lace" from Exotique. Note the corsets, gloves and extreme high heels. Also note the suggestively spread legs of the woman. Again, see the corset, gloves and leather on the cover of "Sister's Tee Vee Revenge" from Mutrix. The busty women in sexy postures are also typical of his work. Even while drawing to appeal to the fetishist, he did draw realistic but frilly feminine clothing as on the cover of "A Male Turns Female" from Mutrix.
In 1959 he began a cartoon series in Fantasia called "Campus Capers." The story was about Bob Strong and the "Pantie Pirates" who are caught during a panty raid on the girls dormitory by Fran and the "Anti-Pantie-Raiders". The girls force them into panties and abandon them some distance from campus.
They are subsequently forced to act as servants for the girls. They have to wear demeaning costumes.
This story was rewritten by Nan Gilbert as "The Panty Raiders" also illustrated by Bilbrew.
Next month: I'll cover the Gilbert/Bilbrew team up.