Diapermania (re-post)

[Les Lea]

Diapermania

 At this moment Michael de Vie is probably the most famous seventeen year-old in the world. His six number one records and two best-selling albums of the past two years have rocketed this sweet natured, blond-haired, blue-eyed, good-looking, talented young singer into mega-star status.

His two sell-out world tours were seen by an estimated audience of three million, whilst any magazine or newspaper that carries his photo or a story (true or false) has the same effect on its sales. There is no doubt about it, this nice young lad from the mid-West, is the most bankable piece of pop merchandise to come along for many years.  

Not for Michael the pouting brat that has earmarked other young performers, nor the cavorting in semi-pornographic videos to promote each new song. No, Michael’s image is not only that of a clean-cut teenager but one who respects his peers, adults and the world in which he lives.

This is down to his family.

His interviews always site the influence of this very important part of his life. His mother Jean is his manager, his eldest sister Ba–Ba (Barbara) is the keyboard player and leader of his backing band (The Protectors), his middle sister Mu (Muriel) is his PA and his other sister JJ (Jean Junior) runs the fan-club. Mother Jean is a ‘no messing’ type of lady who knows what she wants and generally gets just that. All her daughters are older than her son who was the last of her litter separating the first and last by thirteen years.

The girls were all products of Jean’s husband George Clarkson, Michael was the off-spring of a drunken one night stand with someone Jean couldn’t remember having sex with. In fact, it wasn’t until she was almost five months pregnant that she realised what the result of that misguided sexual encounter had generated. The unplanned foetus growing in her womb had passed the abort stage, and, with no option, she eventually looked forward to the birth of her son. George Clarkson had died two years before that drunken night and Jean had been in grieving for quite some time before the ill-conceived romp took place.  However, it was George’s name that appeared on the birth certificate and not the real father’s.

So, that drunken need for sex, though for some time appeared to be the stupidest thing to have happened, now appeared to be the best. The family, thanks to Michael’s all-encompassing talent and appeal, are sitting pretty on a fortune that their bastard son and sibling has generated.

However, it isn’t all down to Michael of course. No one could have achieved what he has done without superb management. His family were quick learners, smart at what they did and their talented brother was indebted to his family for the success he was now reaping.

The baby of the family was kept just that way. All decisions were taken by the women in his life; all he had to do was perform. Even when not on stage it was his family that surrounded him and they wanted to look after that asset by making sure no one else got a look in. Little Mikey (as he was affectionately known to his family) had to adhere to some very strict rules that had governed his life since he was a born: Do exactly as told, argue and a spanking follows, diapers to be worn at all times.

This last rule started as just a way to enforce the female domination of his life. However, Jean soon noticed how keeping her son in protection made him incredibly obedient and endearingly docile, so much so that now that sweet touch of childish purity was what made Little Mikey different. His stage clothes were solely for that because once the performance was over and the well-wishers had gone, one of the females took charge and returned Little Mikey to what he was, the baby of the family.

Ever since he was an infant, that’s how the family had treated him. Mainly his young life consisted of being bottle fed, plain food, diaper changes, early nights, cartoons on TV, bedroom and bedding covered in cute animals and the constant love and attention from his ever caring family. Once out of the spotlight his diaper was checked and changed, he was put in a onesie or footed pyjamas and told to go to sleep.  Mikey didn’t complain, why would he he’d never known anything different?

As he grew up he was still kept in diapers and plastic pants “For your own protection” he was always told. Even at school, when his peers were moving into briefs and boxers he was wearing thick diapers under his school uniform. Once he returned home he was immediately changed out of that and into something deemed more suitable; cute romper pants or shorts. This regime was easy to maintain because since he was a babe in his mother’s arms all his sisters loved dressing him up. No sooner had one got him dressed to her satisfaction, than one of the others had a different idea and he would be stripped where ever he was, powdered, changed and slipped into something equally sweet but undeniably babyish. This continues to this day and Michael appears quite content with the situation, well, at least he’s never complained.

His connection with anyone outside of his family is fleeting and supervised. Fans say ‘Hello’, want photographs, scream for him and at him but they only got near him when he’s on stage. Once he’s left the ‘performance’ area (as his family called it) he is theirs and the public are not allowed into that intimate and very private inner-sanctum. Little Mikey feels he’s special but not because of his undeniable talent but the love and attention of his family who do everything for him.

*

Michael had won a local TV talent show when he was ten. The song he sung was a self-penned little tune about his love for a cat. He never mentioned the word cat in it so it sounded just like a love song and people adored it. For a short time the local press hailed this ‘Small Town Boy’ as the next big thing. Alas, his fame never spread beyond the county although, from then on, people loved his voice and he was in demand for regional concerts and state fairs. The young singer/songwriter performed anywhere and everywhere under the watchful eye of his mother. From the family home she directed his burgeoning career and made sure at all times he had at least two of his family present. She also took the opportunity to home-school him, especially as demand for his shows was increasing and travelling meant he couldn’t attend a regular class. As he grew up and was influenced more and more by things, stories and people around him, his song writing got stronger and stronger.

However, Jean wanted to keep her boy just that, a boy. She didn’t want him in a rush to grow up and saw that his appeal was down to his childlike looks, unsophisticated attitude and general sweet demeanour. He was so unlike anyone else performing at the time; ‘innocence’ was not what the public wanted, or so it thought. However, a spot on national TV raised his profile and his self-penned and self-released single “Too Good” was an instant success on download, which in turn grabbed the attention of the big record companies. Michael was still only fourteen when it went on general release. Accompanied by a video which showed him working on a farm in a pair of dirty shorts and ripped t-shirt surrounded by loads of cute animals, proved a clever move and the public loved it. YouTube went berserk and suddenly he had a massive hit on his hands. Despite loads of tempting offers from International agencies, it was his mother’s planning and strict supervision that made it all work. She took complete command and steered her young son’s career to the success it is now.

*

He’s happy in the care of his family; the regular diaper changing and dressing up only reinforces that bond. He’s never worn anything but a diaper so other types of underwear for a boy have never been offered. He’s reasonably potty trained but is just as happy to use his diaper as use the bathroom and certainly it doesn’t seem the most important thing to change that dynamic. His mother, when thinking it all through, decided that part of her sons appeal is his naivety. She is of the opinion that wearing diapers and depending on them, gives him an unconscious vulnerability that people find very appealing. Not that they planned on telling anyone. In fact, it is a family secret, which they are all involved in maintaining and all take a share in the responsibility of keeping Michael clean, dry and well padded.

Now here’s a little fact; when his sister put together his backing band for tours, she picked all-female musicians and named them ‘The Protectors’ in recognition of her brother’s dependency on diapers. Clever eh?

There is purity to Michael’s voice that a studio doesn’t need to fix or mix with electronic gadgets and that had an appeal right across the board; kids and adults love him. Most boys his age hated him for his success but that still didn’t stop his first ‘star’ calendar selling millions and featuring on as many boys’ bedroom walls as it did girls.

In interviews he never tries to be clever. If the journalist or TV personality tries to ask him an embarrassing question he is simply embarrassed; he giggles, shakes his head and states publicly he didn’t have an answer. More often than not it goes in his favour; the public like his honesty, they like his unworldliness, they like him. Jean is not immune to overprotecting her baby boy and if she is crossed or thought that the questioning has been too intrusive, she happily confronts the perpetrator and takes them to task, often very publicly. Her fierce defence of her boy is seen as a positive by the public but hated by the media who see no limit to how insensitive they can be. The fact that they can’t find any dirt or humiliating little secret on this ‘little goody-goody’ is driving them nuts. They print lies and then, in huge headlines say that “… they refused to deny…” such and such. It sold newspapers and magazines but a photo shoot, organised by Jean, of her clean-cut boy, loving his family and actually helping out on a farm for injured animals, proved a better selling point.

*

However, just before Michael’s eighteenth birthday, Jean got wind that there was going to be a photo expose. The photographer on one shoot had caught Michael bending over and his diaper was clearly visible. There were several images that made the evidence irrefutable and the photographer had sold them to the highest bidder and raked in an absolute fortune for himself. The story was scheduled to run in the biggest circulating Sunday newspaper in the world so Jean, ever on the ball, decided to do a couple of things. First was not to deny or comment on it, the second was to quickly tie up a deal with a maker of teenage diapers.

De Vie Diapers; colourful, absorbent, fashionable.

Every photo and video that had ever featured Michael suddenly was doctored and had him wearing diapers. Some got very close to the type and style he actually wore but in general, they just wanted to humiliate him… but it didn’t. The more they pushed the diapers angle the more the YouTube clips were viewed. The brighter the diapers and frilly the plastic pants, the more hits and ‘Likes’ the image received. Suddenly, diapers were everywhere and embraced by a huge section of the youthful populace.

Yes, the hoped for backlash didn’t happen, instead fans bought diapers and pull-ups and wore them to his concerts. Those who had to wear them were suddenly released from their guilt. Letter after letter, interview after interview, were all supportive and damning of the shady and sensationalistic way the newspaper had treated the subject, which in turn led to a campaign so virulent that it cost them half their readership. Michael De Vie and his diapers were everywhere. Kids were wearing them in the street as a fashion statement and the headlines around the world were – DE VIE’S DIAPERMANIA.

Jean simply refused to enter into any conversation about why he still wore diapers and this led to a mass of speculation in the press. Late night TV programmes brought in ABDLs, as well as those who actually wore them for medical reasons, to discuss the pros and cons of this phenomenon. Of course everyone wanted to hear from Michael himself but, as he couldn’t see what all the fuss was about, he never made any statement or participated in a debate on the subject. Jean thought that his face on the diaper packaging and his latest single ‘Hug Me’ (his 7^th Number One) was enough involvement for her son. He quite liked the fact that he now had an array of colourful printed animals on his diapers (Jean had been keen to direct the profits into an animal charity) and continued to wear them with all the special diaper covers that companies sent him for approval in the hope of adding his name as a sponsor.

Pretty soon he was engulfed in hundreds of such items; ruffles, lace, frills, silk, satin, plastic, rubber, you name a material, he received something made in it. Little Mikey loved these new additions to his wardrobe and, as long as it fit over his diapers, he wore with pride simply because he’d never known anything else. His mother and sisters took great pleasure in keeping their baby boy dry, clean and happy, while he in turn loved the tight loving hug his protection, and protectors, constantly gave him.

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Part 2

Mikey loved his life; he loved his mother and his sisters.  He loved to perform and sing. He thought he was the luckiest boy in the world to have all these amazing things happening to him and he loved that his family were all there to enjoy the experience with him.

It was JJ who first got the idea that her baby brother would make a great toy. She was ten; Muriel was eleven, whilst big sister Barbara was a teenager, but only just. JJ had heard her baby brother crying and mom just wasn’t in the room at that particular moment so, being a fairly active girl, she had taken it upon herself to soothe the troubled tot. She smelled what the problem was and quickly stripped him, cleaned him up, applied the various creams to his diaper area and fitted him in a clean one, pinning it into place like a professional. Once that was done she really wanted to play with him but he wasn’t at the age for reciprocal games, so she got out all his baby clothes (and some that had been kept from when she was young) and played dress-up with him. He was in no position to object and, as he smiled and giggled and made what noises he could, she realized that it kept him from crying and he seemed to enjoy it.

Of course it wasn’t long before her sisters noticed she appeared to be having fun and that their baby brother might offer more than long spells of crying interspersed with smelly diapers. In fact, once JJ started dressing and playing with him his crying stopped and he appeared to be taking an interest, well as much as a few month old baby could. Soon her sisters were involved and they all took it in turns to change and dress their brother from then on. Mom was delighted that her daughters had taken so well to this ‘late delivery’ (as she called him) and soon realized that what she thought might be a burden, wasn’t. He was cute, he was engaged and having a boy around was no different from having girls, well apart from one major fact and that was hidden under his diapers soooo… out of sight and out of the way.

As he got slightly older the girls loved to see Little Mikey running around the house in just his protection and it appeared that he preferred to be dressed that way. Perhaps as an unconscious protest to all the previous dressing up he’d had to endure, no matter what clothes he was put in, as soon as he could he’d pull them off and he’d be back to his diapers and plastic pants. It became a regular sight, his padded plastic covered bottom getting into all kinds of mischief, his body smeared in dirt and dust as he chased an animal to give it a cuddle. He loved animals. The family cat was constantly being picked up and hugged, stroked or involved in whatever game he’d thought up.

Something else he liked to do was sit on the floor and listen to Barbara practicing on the piano. When her lesson was over Mikey would crawl onto her lap in just his protection and sit watching what she did and attempt to do the same. She actually quite liked her little brother’s silky bottom sitting in her lap and, as he wriggled around, she began to get the first stirrings of womanhood. Also, to her surprise, he picked up playing the piano almost as quickly as she did even though he was still only a toddler. Something else he picked up from a very early age was his padded comfort. When he’d been diapered for bed and with the plastic protection in place he was always left on his tummy to sleep. He’d found that by gently rocking himself against the mattress made him feel happy and it was only a few minutes before he was comfortably fast asleep. His diaper gave him comfort and that was another reason why he never wanted to lose it.

*

Jean had re-named her son De Vie for that first TV programme for two reasons; the first was that there was already a singer in their county called Michael Clarkson, and the second was because in her own, quaint, Mid-western way, she thought a slightly exotic sounding name would attract attention and help his career. She’d settled on Vie because it was French for life (she added the ‘de’ because she thought it sounded ‘real foreign’) and in a vote between her daughters that name stuck.

To begin with it was Jean and Barbara who chaperoned the talented youngster. Mainly Jean would drive him to his shows and if she couldn’t Barbara would take on the responsibility, although this was a point of contention between mother and eldest daughter.  Ba-Ba (as Mikey called her) had become quite a good musician in her own right. She’d formed her first band whilst still at school and had played a few gigs locally but had never broken through to gain any real following. She was about to get engaged and give up music when Mikey became ‘in demand’ after his local TV appearance and her mother had requested that she help her baby brother’s blossoming career. Reluctantly she agreed (such were the powers of persuasion by Jean) but under her influence also helped him structure songs and improve his musicianship. The rest as they say is history. Soon the entire family were working hard to make Little Mikey a star but Jean knew there were many other talented youngsters desperate for the big time and she needed to make sure her son, her sweet little baby boy, stood out.

*

His diaper regime had been in existence since he was a baby. His sisters had all been late to potty-training and Jean was taking no chances with him. Also there was no denying that each of his sisters loved looking after him where keeping him clean and tidy had become a game of one-upmanship between them. They competed to see who could make him wear the sweetest outfit, the prettiest bonnet, the bulkiest diaper etc., their amusement at this never stopped; even as he grew up, the competition simply increased. With mum leaving him in diapers until he was ready to be potty-trained the girls made sure their game wasn’t spoiled, so made certain he never was. It was only later, once his fame had begun to spread that Jean wondered about the ‘diaper situation’ (should her boy still be wandering around in them?). However, she realised that they had ‘something’ special in Mikey. That ‘something’ special was innocence, something that was so obviously missing from all the other wannabes and something, she appreciated, which was helped by his reliance on diapers. The decision was made for him that, in the foreseeable future anyway, the diapers would continue.

Unlike his sisters, who were always arguing between themselves and with their mother, Mikey was spoken of, but not included in, any ‘discussions’. Despite the company name that Jean had set up to look after his interests, ‘Famille de la Vie’, it was agreed that they knew what was best for him and he’d only complicate things if he got a say in proceedings. As far as they were concerned (and it was agreed between all the females) Little Mikey was at his best when he was dependent on his family for everything and that included organising each and every aspect of his life; from the moment he got up (and his diaper changed) to the time when he was put to bed (in a fresh thick diaper to help him sleep). His mother and sisters knew best and he obediently did as he was told.

As his fame spread and the demands for appearances grew more and more Jean tightened her grip on those she let near him to avoid any outside influences. Even record company execs, TV producers and other celebrities, were all given scant access to him without her being around.  A nod from her would have at least one of the girls interrupting any chat he may be having, whisking him away to an important ‘phone call’, ‘meeting’ or ‘photo opportunity’. No one got to know anything about him other than what was in Jean’s press releases, the occasional photo piece she used to update his website or the ‘Mikey Messages’ she sent out to his legions of fan club members. The money that was now coming in to the business ‘Famille de la Vie’ made it possible for them all to move to a ranch out in the countryside. It was also an opportunity for Mikey to indulge in his favourite pastime, animals. The place was filled with all manner of livestock; a couple of exotic monkey’s and llamas but mostly cats, dogs, sheep, goats, chickens, a couple of rescue donkeys and horses. Each member of the family had their own horse, which had been a dream for the girls since they were tots themselves.

*

However, now that Diapermania had set in, the diaper company was happily having trouble keeping up with demand because, it would seem, everybody wanted diapers with cute animals printed all over them.  Certainly the rustle of diapers and crinkly plastic pants could be heard everywhere. Some kids thought it was a badge of honour to have the noisiest and bulkiest protection in tribute to their hero. ABDL groups were overrun with new members and those who couldn’t get in created their own.  ‘Diaper Lovers of the World Unite’ was a chant that someone set to one of Michael’s early hits and the video on YouTube became the fastest and most viewed clip. Intercut with images of the lad himself, there were shot after shot of young diaper lovers enjoying their love of diapers in different locations in countries all around the world.

The other strange thing that happened was that parents were writing to Mikey, and perhaps more so his mother, thanking both for the opportunity to return their kids to Pampers or indeed any other brand of diaper. It seemed that the wearing of diapers by some (though not all by any means) had improved their child’s behaviour. Some, who had been terrifying teens, had actually regressed to a time when mom and dad would look after them, nurture them and be pleased to have them around. This had always been the case with Mikey but for some parents it was a complete revelation and one that they found difficult to deal with… at first. Over time mom and dad saw the plus side to this strange cultural return to the more innocent attitude that was taking place.  Mikey’s diapers had proved a way for parents and children to re-start some shattered relationships, well, so the letters explained. It wasn’t all positive though; a British newspaper complained of the ‘Rise of the Incontinent Kid’ and blamed an upsurge in doctor visits to treat ‘ultra-nappy rash’ and the return of ‘stinky teens’ causing a smelly problem to the ‘…beautiful backwaters of the British Countryside’. Just how many people took these reports seriously is hard to know but most thought it was just a typical response of a press with nothing better to do. Meanwhile, Japan had a diaper festival, Brazil had a 'de Vie Day' and even the President had made a humorous passing comment about diapers in a speech to congress.

*

Whilst all the madness was going on around him, Little Mikey had been in the studio recording his third album. He’d written ten new songs whilst Barbara had contributed two of her own and the ‘unofficial’ word was that it was a completely different direction to his previous offerings. The public wondered if there would be any reference to diapers, especially after the phenomenal success of ‘Hug Me’ and a great deal was being made of the proposed title ‘Wrap Me In Your Love’. If the cameras that had requested the opportunity to cover the album’s creation had been admitted, which they weren’t, they would have seen a very relaxed young man, wearing his now recognisable t-shirt and well-padded shorts, singing and effortlessly hitting the peak of his creativity. His ideas for the arrangement of ‘Wrap Me In Your Love’ involved a large choir and full orchestra, neither of which he’d used before.

The song itself would prove to be the most successful of his career, winning him awards, critical acclaim, multiple cover versions and the knowledge that its ambiguous lyric had pleased both musical purists and diaper lovers equally.

Throughout the entire recordings Mikey would parade around the studios wearing just his protection whilst singing his heart out. Now his diaper wearing was out there his mother saw no problem for him to wear just that in private and there was no doubt, diapers and plastic pants appeared to release any restrictions he may have previously had whilst recording. His ideas flowed and Barbara was playing catch up to his ever growing need for bigger production and more complicated arrangements. He may well have been full of ideas but when either his mother or sisters told him it was time to stop, or to take a nap, or have some food, he did as he was told. He never let, or was allowed to let, his ego rule; he was a little boy who had to obey the rules not set them. The album was completed quickly and the record company, fearful of this proposed ‘new direction’, was in a rush to release it and capitalise on their best-selling artist. They needn’t have worried.

Jean was already busy organising some early promotion and had decided to release one shot from his new star calendar that she was sure would whet his fan’s appetite. The photoshoot had taken place on the family ranch on a wonderful, clear, sunny day. The photographer merely had to follow him around taking only candid shots and, at Jean’s instructions, wanted “nothing posed”. However, the photographer had posed a few of the shots and one in particular, which Jean thought would make the cover of the calendar had been stunning. Mikey had never been happier or healthier, having had a couple of months off and be with his animals. However, one of the final shots, just as the sun was setting saw him riding his horse over the countryside. When he finally arrived back at the ranch he and the horse were both sweating and looked elated from their gallop. The photographer had greeted them on their return and took several shots; Mikey was naked apart from his usual diaper, which was covered by a new pair of plastic pants. They were a new design that had been sent to him in the hope of receiving some kind of endorsement; they had quickly become his favourite. The designers had made them from a thick, plastic material that was supple, looked like a pair of shorts and had horses embedded in the design. The shiny material shimmered in the dipping sun and caught the rivulets of sweat on both horse and rider. The sweetness of a young blond-haired boy and a particularly great looking horse with their faces pressed close to each other was magic and later became the album cover.

Demand for that image was astronomical. There was no doubt that Mikey’s all but naked slim physique, tanned and slightly dusty body together with a very attractive horse were just the perfect combination. Those stylish plastic pants went on everyone’s ‘must have’ list. Meanwhile, Jean released to the fan club a thirty second preview of ‘Wrap Me In Your Love’, which was an instant sensation. So much so that demand meant that its actual release had to be brought forward even though ‘Hug Me’ was still doing well in the charts. Advance orders for the single meant immediate Number One status in most countries and the album, to follow later that month, was already set to outsell all other album sales put together.

“Not bad for a diaper wearing boy.” Jean proudly said to no one in particular.

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