Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls [Paperback]

Veronica Vera (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1997

It is estimated that three to five percent of the adult male population of the United States feels the need, at least occasionally, to dress in women's clothing. Judging from enrollment at her academy, Miss Vera would say that figure is low.



Veronica Vera founded Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls in 1992 and started a gender revolution. Working from the pink palace of the Academy's intimate Manhattan campus, she has helped hundreds of students embrace and master Venus Envy through her expert instruction in the arts of dressing up, making up, going out, and acting like a lady. In her new book, she shares her priceless wisdom with the world.



With sparkling wit and dazzling insight, Miss V gives us the 411 on body hair, foundation garments, make-up, and dressing, as well as offering invaluable advice on Creating a Herstory (finding the real life story of the femmeself within) speech, manners, walking in high heels, and--that biggest step of all--going out in the real world all dressed up. Amply illustrated and filled with the real stories of students and graduates, Miss Vera's Finishing School also offers a fascinating history of how the Academy came to be, as well as Miss Vera's own incisive gender manifesto.



"As we step boldly toward the new millennium, many more of us will be doing it in high heels," says Veronica Vera. In Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls, she proves conclusively that, after a long day in wingtips, there's nothing like slipping into a pair of spiked heels.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Veronica Vera is an artist, sex activist, and founder of the world's first cross-dressing academy, a truly fabulous institution that has been serving the unique educational needs of "boys who want to be girls" since 1992. Serving more than 100 students a year at her New York City campus, Miss Vera offers courses in makeup application, how to walk in high heels, etiquette for budding princesses, sex education, and, of course, getting frocked. More importantly, she teaches each member of her largely heterosexual male clientele to develop his inner femme and to "take the insights of his femmeself and integrate them into his male persona."

Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls is an informative textbook for readers who want practical advice about all things femme (complete with illustrations and homework assignments). It includes an anecdotal "herstory" of Miss Vera's experiences as a pleasure activist and gender educator and a delightful document of the transformation of the academy's students as they prance toward "gender euphoria" in high heels and glimmering tiaras. This is an indispensable guide for emerging femmes of all ages, sexes, and sexual orientations, as well as an insightful, humorous, and sassy work sure to interest all devotees of gender studies. --Julia Steinmetz

From the Publisher

It is estimated that three to five percent of the adult male population of the United States feels the need, at least occasionally, to dress in women's clothing. Judging from enrollment at her academy, Miss Vera would say that figure is low.

Veronica Vera founded Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls in 1992 and started a gender revolution. Working from the pink palace of the Academy's intimate Manhattan campus, she has helped hundreds of students embrace and master Venus Envy through her expert instruction in the arts of dressing up, making up, going out, and acting like a lady. In her new book, she shares her priceless wisdom with the world.

With sparkling wit and dazzling insight, Miss V gives us the 411 on body hair, foundation garments, make-up, and dressing, as well as offering invaluable advice on Creating a Herstory (finding the real life story of the femmeself within) speech, manners, walking in high heels, and--that biggest step of all--going out in the real world all dressed up. Amply illustrated and filled with the real stories of students and graduates, Miss Vera's Finishing School also offers a fascinating history of how the Academy came to be, as well as Miss Vera's own incisive gender manifesto.

"As we step boldly toward the new millennium, many more of us will be doing it in high heels," says Veronica Vera. In Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls, she proves conclusively that, after a long day in wingtips, there's nothing like slipping into a pair of spiked heels.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books; 1 edition (October 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385484569
• ISBN-13: 978-0385484565
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and enlightening look at cross-dressing, April 7, 2002

By 

Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls (Paperback)

At the suggestion of a friend, I read MISS VERA'S FINISHING
SCHOOL FOR BOYS WHO WANT TO BE GIRLS by Veronica
Vera . . . I found it both amusing and enlightening . . . and while it isn't my typical reading fare, I found it fun to learn about cross-dressing and what exactly it entails. In addition, I also believe it gave me some insight into the female psyche.

Yet no need to fear. I don't see myself becoming a cross-dresser
any time in the near future, particularly since I like my

mustache. And Veronica notes that "no applicant is ready
for the freewheeling life an academy deb if he is not ready
to let go of a handlebar.

"Yet," she went on to say, "there are exceptions to every rule,
even this. I relaxed my rule once when a Hassidic Jewish man
applied for entrance. I knew that his long beard and side-curls
were part of his religious observance and thus not to be removed. Under all of that hair, his long-lashed eyes emanated sincerity and earnestness, so I took pity on him. We used a veil and turned him into an Arabian princess, not only accomplishing his transformation but doing our bit to heal Mideast relations.

There is a basic difference between the way women walk and
the way men walk. Men take control of the earth. Their feet are
planted firmly on the ground. Women go with the flow. We dance
through life. High heels are designed to complement that dancing,light-footed movement. In the days before sidewalks, the entire base of the shoe was often elevated. These early platform shoes made it possible to rise above the muck. Men wore them as well as ladies. But while men have toppled from their pedestals, we ladies remain there, usually being admired. High heels show off the calves and other parts of the anatomy to advantage. The higher the pump, the higher the rump. In high heels the buttocks are raised to provocative heights, inviting admiring glances. Just as some women choose not to wear high heels because they do not want to invite those glances, many men are starved for that attention. In high heels, our students' legs appear longer and, though our girl
may be concerned with her height, her legs can never be too long.

Even before the first official Voice class, new students at Miss Vera's Finishing School receive some instruction on girl talk. I don't know how many times I have asked a student to say "yes" instead of "yeah." There she is, all dressed up in the sheerest nylons and sexy pumps, seated in the makeup chair, wearing a lovely, soft negligee or perhaps a silk slip, bra, garter belt, and stockings while being transformed be the Dean of Cosmetology, who used the finest powders, lipstick, and blush. Inside she feels all relaxed and excited at the same time . . . all lush and juicy. Then I ask a question and she answers, "Yup," in a voice like John Wayne. This won't do. We start be refining speech in small, simple ways. Say, "Yes." The phrase "Yes, Miss Vera" is music to my ears. It is not so much how high she speaks her words that counts, but how deeply she feels what she says and how much of that feeling she
lets pass through her ruby lips.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Vera's School Helps an Actor Perform, February 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls (Paperback)

I've not done much in the way of cross-dressing before. (Just a little dabbling for Rocky Horror) But I found myself in the position of being cast to play Albin in the Broadway musical version of La Cage Aux Folles for our local repertory theatre. This book was absolutely the most helpful source of information I have yet come across! I'm especially grateful since, playing the lead drag-queen, I'm expected to be able to assist some of our "Cagelles", about half of which are high school age boys! The light-hearted tone of this book has made it easier to get across some of the challenges involved in a less daunting fashion. Thank you, Miss Vera!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVED this book!, December 10, 2002

By 

Mistress Dominique (Aguilar, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls (Paperback)

I was overjoyed when I began reading this book. I have been a phone sex operator for more than 10 years, with MANY of my clients being "boys who want to be girls". As part of my ongoing learning experience, I bought this book, and was THRILLED when I read it. The book doesn't condescent, isn't "Domme", and isn't a boring critical read. No, it doesn't give as many tips as one might expect, but it allows crossdressers to see themselves in a positive light, to learn that they are "OK" instead of abnormal, to see that one should walk with pride (and more than a bit of grace), instead of hiding out in the closet, fondling the pretty dresses instead of wearing them. The message is upbeat, humorous, and wholly positive. Thank you Miss Vera for helping to bring sexuality into the mainstream!