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It is likely that by the time this message reaches those I entrust it to I will no longer recall writing it. There is a subtle irony in an historian being convicted under an obscure historical law that most thought no longer existed. Sedition; even the word seems foreign to our modern vocabulary but nevertheless that was the charge that saw me here awaiting my Correction.
Section 124B of the National Correctional Code proved to be my undoing by defining the content of my Subsequent Report to Executive as seditious words. I thus found myself summarily convicted for “…writing, uttering and publishing seditious words with the intention of causing public disorder”. My penalty of course is Grade A Thought Correction. Sentence will be carried out on the morrow.
My two week mission to investigate the notion of free choice for attire, specifically based on Breeding Class, was nothing like I had envisioned. The transit to and from the relevant time period early in the 21st century was achieved with little difficulty. My research efforts before the mission proved effective and initially my Pattern S tunic didn’t seem to stand out. Unfortunately, as part of my mission was to identify the colour enhancements employed by Class A Breeders, referred to as females in that period, I had not adorned myself with such enhancements and thus soon began attracting curious looks from other citizens.
One intriguing aspect of the society of that age was the fact that there was a significant range of attire worn by citizens of all classes. There were some standards which appeared to be based on occupation, as it is in our time, but outside those parameters the variation was staggering. Climate regulation had obviously not yet been developed so many variations were to counter or benefit from climatic exposure though again, there was no standardisation. Citizens were responsible for the selection and acquisition of their own attire and I was able to establish that ‘fashion’ wasn’t a specific authority but in fact emotive pressure from those responsible for production of attire. There was even divisive competitiveness among such attire producers and much effort was expended to entice citizens to barter for the acquisition of attire from specific manufacturing sources.
Within all that, it was still blatantly apparent that citizens selected and acquired different attire based purely on whether they were defined female or male; the concept of ‘gender’. Remember, these designations are close to but not identical with Breeding Class (BC) A and BC-B citizens. Identifying BC-C citizens was difficult as they wore the attire from either of the female or male designations. In addition to the fact that citizens wore different attire seemingly dictated by ‘fashion’, they also seemed to have multiple variants. Indeed, from observation over a number of days, many females wore different attire combinations each day unless it was occupation-based.
The public education system was quite primitive, relying as it did on printed notifications upon buildings and in paper-based products referred to as magazines. There were also visual displays that frequently intervened in entertainment applications on personal devices and public view screens. Many of these printed and visual notifications promoted various features of the attire options and seemed aimed at enticing citizens to acquire specific products. It was through such notifications that I gathered my first intelligence on the colour enhancements employed by females.
The products used for this purpose were generally referred to as cosmetics. They included liquids, creams and powders that were applied topically, mostly to the face. There were also artificial scents of a range far greater than the Designated Scents of our period. These scents were applied liberally in many cases and appeared to be mostly for the purpose of attracting the attention of opposite gender citizens. I was shocked to realise that I found many of these scents most agreeable.
Cosmetics also included topical paint for application to finger and toenails. These too had significant variations, both in colour and texture. These paints were, however, mostly used by females. There was significant effort made by citizens, particularly females, to achieve ascetic combinations of attire and cosmetics, success in which generated a heightened sense of wellbeing. Males, however, rarely appeared to be enhanced by cosmetics, although some public entertainment males viewed on the public screens and in the magazines, did appear to have been so enhanced. I was pleased to discover that within some of the significant commerce emporiums, often called malls, there were individual services that not only purveyed cosmetics but also assisted citizens with advice and application of the products.
My mission required that I try to understand all aspects of attire and appearance in this time period so I approached one of these cosmetics services to seek the relevant information and assistance. Because of my unfamiliarity with the terminology and language of the era I believe there was some confusion when I asked to be instructed in the topical application of cosmetic products in order to simulate the appearance of a female. That was no doubt compounded when I asked that such application complement my Pattern S tunic.
My selection of this service proved to be fortuitous and over the next two hours I was able to engage in significant data collection. The initial confusion about my language was dismissed by way of stating that I was “obviously from the country’ and thus not used to the ways of the city. When I was asked my name I almost replied with my nominal designation but quickly cut myself short so “Alph..” was all I said before I cut myself off. She thus assumed that “Alf” was my “name”. My ‘beautician’, an unheard of occupation in my time, was called Veronica.
In our conversations I was also finally able to gain significant information about those of the ‘transgender’ designation. I had happened upon someone who had much to do with what she called the ‘transgender community’. These are indeed citizens who, for their own essentially emotional reasons, dress and assume the appearance of the gender other than that which relates to their anatomical status. They apparently gain much pleasure, satisfaction and emotional stability from doing so. From her attentions I believe that Veronica mistakenly believed I was one such individual.
The process that I underwent was called a ‘makeover’ and the cosmetic products used upon my face were collectively called ‘makeup’. As Public Hygiene Regulations require of BC-B citizens, I have no facial hair. This was remarked upon as being a “smooth shave” so I advised that I’d had the hair removed, though I did not elaborate upon the process because I was aware that it was not something that became common until the time of attire standardisation, many years hence for these citizens. The makeover consisted of the application of creams and lotions and finally a powder that enhanced the appearance of my facial skin. Veronica applied specific products that coloured my eyelids, she used fine black ink to outline elements of my eyes and separate products to outline and colour my lips. Throughout the makeover I asked many questions which she answered readily. She quickly deduced that I’d never had such services performed before, though she did appear to believe that I’d performed such topical applications upon myself in the past.
At the end of the makeover she assembled for me a number of the products that she’d used and gave me the details of other service providers that would supply me with attire and other relevant products. I took her comment that I “Should probably lose the beige dress” to mean that it wasn’t as appropriate for females of the period as I believed, so I undertook to follow her advice and consult an appropriate attire vendor. Finally, with the whole process recorded by aural and optical implants for future reference I was ready to depart. The visual results of the makeover were certainly pleasing to my eye and I was amused to have her advise that “Alf is now Alice”. Alpha 236 sounds rather boring by comparison and I quite like the concept of unique, if somewhat random, designations rather than one allocated at birth in accordance with location numerical protocols.
For the rest of the day I travelled about the city. I obtained suitable attire from one of the ‘stores’ (as I was told they were called) that Veronica recommended. They too accepted me as a transgender female and were most helpful. My beige tunic was easily discarded and I was shown a striking red dress with black trim that had expressive visual appeal. When endeavouring to replace my footwear however the first options were rather strange, having a high rear elevation. These proved extremely difficult to walk in so I obtained instead a pair of shoes that were much lower and easier to manage. The shiny black shoes complemented the red dress and accessories well.
By the time I returned to my lodgings I had much to catalogue and report upon. To some degree it was disturbing that in only a few days I had come to believe that there was actually valid public psychological value in allowing citizens to vary attire based on personal choice. It would actually make identifying citizens easier and perhaps there is no social harm in permitting them to dress themselves in an individual manner. It might however be necessary to allow a return to a system whereby these various individual items of attire are produced by non-Government manufacturers.
For the rest of my time in 2016 I undertook further in-depth research in a functional public library. These buildings, of course now quite obsolete, were then repositories of thousands of paper-product books, such as we now only see in museums. I was also able to download voluminous data from the library data storage system onto a small portable device I brought back with me. For now the data can only be retrieved from that device. Unfortunately for me it was my approach to our FDR staff for assistance in transferring that data to a more appropriate device that initiated the sedition proceedings against me. I was accused of writing seditious words after they retrieved not only the data I recorded but also my draft report that I had foolishly written on the 21st century device for my own amusement. Coupled with my return to current time attired not in my Pattern S tunic but in another variation of ‘female’ attire, my initial comments that having such attire should not only be permitted but is something the Executive should consider seriously, were understandably seen as seeking to cause public disorder. My incarceration was assured as soon as I tendered my finished Report to Executive. My recommendations, especially those that advocated permitting individual choice and variation of attire, were considered not in keeping with the aim of my mission. My conviction was rapid.
In my last hours before sentence is carried out I have much to ponder. I imagine a society where individuals, of any ‘gender’ are free to dress in whatever attire they desire to. I see no harm in allowing any of those citizens the right to adorn themselves with appearance-enhancing treatments involving cosmetics and similar products. Particularly I would love to see a society where one’s appearance is not dictated by fertility or anatomical status but by personal choice.
Perhaps I will be able to secure this document in a manner that will enable me to read it after I am returned to my duties. Though I won’t recall any of the events herein described I hope they will be enough to prompt me to contemplate working for social change in a more discreet manner for I now believe that there is no folly in “free choice” of public attire, though I do not believe any specific attire should be restricted based on Breeding Class (or even the ancient concept of ‘gender’). Such matters should be the responsibility of individual citizens.
Alpha 236, formerly Alice.
Story? I don’t remember writing a story.
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