Annie's blog-

[During my research for this topic, I conducted interviews both through e-mail and over the phone. So far I haven't gotten to use them much, but it feels like such a waste not to include them in this blog. This post draws most of its support from those interviews. I sent e-mails to three participants who were all asked the same questions. I was able to interview another over the phone, also asking the same or very similar questions.]

A decent majority of people have their own sense of fashion and personal style, something they experiment with and use to present themselves in a specific and meaningful way.  A fairly good indicator of a person’s personality can be conveyed through clothing.  American culture encourages people to be unique and independent.  However, despite this constant mantra of “being yourself” and establishing your own identity, society has a bad habit of hypocritically judging and looking down upon people who wear clothing of the opposite sex.  This is stupid.  This is frustratingly stupid.  This is false-advertising stupid.  Transvestism should be more widely excepted as it is an expression of personal identity and comfort.

Transvestites are often mistaken for gay men or women, when very few actually dress for sexual reasons.  Rather, they find comfort and a new sense of self within clothing of the opposite gender.  When asked of his reasons for his hobby, one middle aged man under the persona of “Lisa” stated that his attraction toward wearing women’s clothing had more to do with “softening” himself and giving himself a sense of beauty “as only a woman is allowed to have” (Lisa).  Another transvestite, a young  woman calling herself “Jackie”, given the same question said her reasons were purely for comfort and to help her blend in better with the boys of her neighborhood so that she could play sports with them (Jackie).  Both Lisa and Jackie attested that they were straight, but that they each had at least one cross-dressing friend who was not.

Generally, homosexual men and women do have a somewhat more sexual motive for cross-dressing.  Another interviewee, a young drag queen by the stage name of “Lady Mist”, says that he enjoys the feel of soft materials and heels.  He enjoys going to clubs to find someone who likes seeing him in that soft material and heels and states that it “brings intimacy to a whole new level like you wouldn’t believe,” to which he adds a wink-face (Lady Mist).  “Tristan”, a drag-king, admits that she does get a little hot under the collar when a young beauty comments on her pin-striped vests and fedora hat.  She confides that is gives her a sense of “being man enough to attract her and being woman enough to know how to show her a good time.”  She asserts, however, that it’s not always about sex, but also about the “shock and awe factor” she inspires in people who see her walking down the street and have to do a double-take (Tristan).

There is nothing wrong with any of these individuals.  It is unfair to call them deviants or perverse.  They are simply exercising their desire to feel comfortable and connect with different side of themselves.  When society proclaims that everyone is free to express themselves and be unique, but fails to follow through, that is called hypocrisy.  The line of closed minded thinking does no favors for anyone, on either side of the issue.  Transvestism is the perfect opportunity for Americans to live up to our pretty words and idealistic phrases.  If we can embrace transvestism with open minds, we can progress as a culture.

Works Cited

“Lisa”, “Jackie”, and “Lady Mist” E-mail interview. 3 Feb. 2010.

“Tristan.” Telephone interview. 29 Jan. 2010

[This is a rewrite of the original blog post I wrote and, soon thereafter, lost. The original was ten times better. Just saying.]

The transvestite community is far more interactive than I believed at first.  Through the wonder that is the internet, I’ve managed to find several websites, communities, and blogs in the few weeks that I decided to research the topic of gendered clothing.  These resources have aided me not only in my effort for an A in my English class, but also in a personal goal to understand more things about myself.  There are two blogs in particular that I have found that have proved very useful for newly inspired transvestites and crossdressers, as well as being a fountain of personal experience and stories.

There is a community on the free blog-site LiveJournal where several men and a few women (of all sexual orientation) gather to share pictures, ask and receive style tips, and to generally interact with others like themselves.  The community, simply named Crossdressing, has a very simple layout, choosing a pastel color scheme with easy to read black text and easily distinguishable in-text links.  Unfortunately, the community does not include tags, which can make browsing the nearly 2,500 entries a tedious venture.  The posts themselves are often show-and-tell, a member posting a picture or series of pictures of their recent collection of outfits or styles.  Others concern everyday crossdressing details such as, “Where can I find men’s shoes that fit my small feet?” or “Is shaving my beard really nessecary? I like my beard” (Crossdressing)  The Community Profile makes it clear that the community is for everyone who dresses as the opposite sex, but also that it is just about crossdressing.  The founder, lovesodivine, states that they “could not find an existing LiveJournal community which already addressed specifically this topic, and only this topic” and so they made one themselves (Community Profile).   LiveJournal has several other communities that were created especially for the transgendered and transsexual and the issues they face.  Crossdressing , however, is exactly what it says on the tin.  This community is very friendly and quick to be supportive, but it doesn’t always offer a sense of one-on-one interaction.  For that, sometimes it is better to look to a single individual.

This brings me to my second blog of interest.  Beckysweb is the personal blog of Simon and his alter-ego Becky.  Becky’s blog has a simple, yet pleasing layout with easy to read text and side-links to photos, an “about me” page, and quick links on the other side to previous posts.  The background is a sensual red that compliments the white background of the text quite nicely.  Becky does not necessarily posts on a schedule (Alternative Service), but there are plenty of back-posts that go all the way to 2005.  Posts range from outings in heels to everyday life to Simon even getting married back in 2007.  It really is interesting to glimpse into the day-to-day life of a transvestite.   When Simon talks about his family (his wife and son) a reader can honestly connect on a familiar level.  It helps segue into the life and style of Becky.  The “about me” section is very detailed, divided into phases of Becky’s creation.  To explain his desire to dress in opposite gendered clothing, Simon simply says,

Why do I want to feel girly? Because I’m a transvestite. Why am I a transvestite? Because I like feeling girly. Circular logic, I know, but who said it was anything to do with logic? (About Me)

Both blogs are very useful in delving into the world and mindset of transvestism.  Men, women, and those in between are welcome to browse and learn.  These two sites, community and individual, are inviting and eager to help those wishing to learn more.

Works Cited

“Crossdressing.” Community Center. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. <http://community.livejournal.com/crossdressing/>.

“Crossdressing – Community Profile.” Community Center. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. <http://community.livejournal.com/crossdressing/profile>.

Simon “Becky” “About Me…” Web Log post. Becky’s T*Blog. Beckysweb. Web. 2 Feb. 2010 <http://www.beckysweb.co.uk/aboutme.asp>.

Simon “Becky” “Alternative Service.” Web Log post. Becky’s T*Blog. Beckysweb, 25 Jan. 2010, Web. 1 Feb. 2010. <http://www.beckysweb.co.uk/beckysblog/>.

If there’s one hip and groovy transvestite that most people are aware of, it’s one Mr. Eddie Izzard. Mr. Izzard’s habit of wearing women’s clothing on stage during his comedy routines has been considered a “gimmick just barely toeing the line of effing ridiculous,” as my uncle has said. However, Eddie Izzard doesn’t just crossdress for the stage as some sort of publicity stunt – oh no! His impeccable sense of lady-fashion is a part of his everyday life. In the video above, Mr. Izzard makes a brief distinction between transvestites and drag queens, categories the populace at large tends to blend, much to the chagrin of the transgendered, transvestite, and gay communities.

The common misconception that all crossdressers are homosexual has made it difficult for transvestites (more often than not straight men and women) to feel totally comfortable with their choices of alternative attire. This is especially true when people like Dr. Claude Mariottini, a Professor of the Old Testament, perpetuate this incorrect notion that transvestism is more often than not a “manifestation of homosexuality (Mariottini).” From my own experience, I feel I can say that, for me, it’s all about comfort. That is what many fail to understand. Sometimes it’s about wanting to feel good about oneself, to look what one may deem pretty. Sometimes it’s to feel more at ease and comfortable in one’s own skin. While some men I’ve conversed with have confessed a more sensual desire to their transvestism, it’s usually something they share with their girlfriends or wives. Yes, Dr. Mariottini. Heterosexual partners. I would ask you to check your facts, good sir. In his video, Eddie Izzard himself that he’s more of a “male lesbian”, that he’s attracted to women… and possibly their shoes (Dress to Kill). Would you really judge a man with a fine taste in shoes, Dr. Mariottini?

Now, drag queens and kings are what most people think of when the term “crossdresser” worms its way into conversation. They are the homosexual sub-genre of crossdressers. Even though I consider myself a transvestite on my better days and more often than not bi-sexual, I had little experience with the drag world until I made friends with one. One particular drag king (who wishes to retain their anonymity and will from here on out be referred to as “Tristan”) describes his experience with drag and sexuality as thus:

It’s about sex some of the time. Honestly, it’s definitely sexy when a girl comes up and wants to play with my pin-stripped vest and tie, no doubt about it. But really it’s… It’s about putting on a show- or at least it is for me! I love that bratty feeling I get when people have to look at me twice. I stand up straighter, put a little swagger in my step, and can confidently say, “Screw what you think- I know who I am, and I love it.” (Tristan)

There is nothing wrong with using one’s sense of fashion and comfort in a sensual way, whether hetero- or homosexual. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable and confident with oneself and there sure as hell is not anything wrong with being who you really are. Remember, also, that not every guy you see in lipstick is looking to kiss all the boys. Never make assumptions, lest you wind up being the fool.

To learn more about Eddie Izzard, check out his site here.

(Check out Amy’s blog to learn how she’s doing with her hands-on look at the exercise portion of our topic.)

Works Cited

Dress to Kill. Dir. Lawrence Jordan. Perf. Eddie Izzard. WEA Corp., 2002. DVD.

Izzard, Eddie. “Eddie Izzard: Army” 07 November 2006. YouTube. 15 February 2010

Mariottini, Dr., Claude. “Transvestism in Ancient Israel.” Web log post. Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament. 26 Jan. 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. <http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2009/01/transvestism-in-ancient-israel.html>.

“Tristan” Telephone interview. 29 Jan. 2010.

Bibliography

Izzard, Eddie. Eddie Izzard. Eddie Izzard, Feb. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. <http://www.eddieizzard.com/>.

In the article “Deviant Dress,” Elizabeth Wilson discusses feminism, lesbian fashion, and the world’s reaction to those who dress in what society may deem inappropriate.  She acknowledges that most everyone likes to feel good about how they dress and mentions the ways that we attempt to project who we are through what we wear. As my dad says, “Look good, feel good; feel good, do good.” However, she also states that how people dress and what they wear is strictly monitored. Her example is that children are immediately identified as being a boy or girl and just as quickly assigned the proper attire. Wilson attests that this leaves people without a chance to decide for themselves whether or not a certain gender style of clothing suits their own personal identity.

She goes on to states that people consider “high fashion” to be for rich women, when really things made by hot designers eventually trickle down into everyday department stores and common magazines (68).  Fashion is something that goes through phases, recreation, and revivals. The wool hat that I sometimes wear? Vintage. Vintage is cool, apparently. Woe to the innovative mind that brings back the side ponytail (seriously, I will physically harm this person; there will be no place they can run to, no place they can hide).

Wilson also says that the flux of fashion is not just a phenomenon isolated to women, but that, for men, “styles change much more slowly” (68). She points out that, today,  masculine attire is more acceptable and expected to the point that feminine dress has become something of a novelty. She uses Madonna as an example, as Madonna tends to over-emphasize that which is considered girly, i.e. bold make-up, radical skirts (68). As this is a twenty-year-old article, I will also supply examples of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga (both of whom I love, do not misunderstand me).

The article continues to discuss the movement of male attire, pointing out that by the nineteenth century, men started to drop the fop (say that out loud; it’s fun) and threw out the tights and the pretty shoes and donned leather and boots. It eventually got to the point that if a man wore something even slightly effeminate, harsh opinions about their sexuality would be made. Even women who dared to dress outside of their gender suffered in the same way concerning love interest, and were even considered to not be a real or proper woman. However, many lesbians did wear men’s clothes “as a badge of sexual identity” (69). By the 1920s, though, a tomboyish look became acceptable.
Wilson says that,

Mainstream fashion certainly continuously changes its own definitions of masculinity and femininity and plays with gender all the time. This must inevitably influence the way in which lesbians and male homosexuals can and will represent themselves and inscribe their deviant sexual identity on their bodies (69).

Certainly this has some element of truth, as short hair used to be considered something only a lesbian would do in order to give herself a sense of masculinity. Now, however, short hair is a widely acceptable cut for any woman.

Wilson’s article contains far more examples of the way fashion has changed and how it influences someone’s opinions of people, but I will stop here and begin to flesh out the first half of her article with some of my own personal experience.

I myself have never been entirely comfortable in feminine clothing. I prefer loose T-shirts and jeans when I can get away with it, and I tend to wear slacks and jackets rather than dresses. For a good portion of my pre- and early teens, I would often be confused for a boy. I was always okay with it as I had short hair and have never been built with a very girlish figure. My jawline is pretty square, so there’s not a lot in my facial features that immediately labels me as a girl. However, public school is a pressure cooker of peer pressure and prejudice, so eventually the teasing and mocking got to a point where I could not take it anymore.

I began to wear tighter jeans, prettier blouses, eyeshadow, and grew my hair out. It was incredibly awkward for me. Only after speaking with some friends in the transvestite community did I realize that, to me, dressing in my own gender’s preferred clothing made me feel as though I was crossdressing. If you ever see me in a dress and makeup, it will be because I am feeling particularly puckish that day and want to experience that thrill of crossdressing – even though I’m a girl. I have a very distinct girly side and a very distinct boyish side. Most of the time I try to appease each side by dressing in fairly unisex style clothing. This certainly seems to satisfy my father and grandmother who tried for years to get me to dress “more appropriately.”

My older sister has always been the girly one:

I on the other hand…

Feel free to explore other androgynist pics right this way.

For an interesting look on what the color of the clothes may say about you, GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE!

Works Cited
Wilson, Elizabeth. “Deviant Dress.” Feminist Review, No. 35 (Summer, 1990): pp. 67-74

Bibliography
“Crossdressing.” v 60.6 LiveJournal. 5 February 2010 http://community.livejournal.com/crossdressing/

Senelick, Laurence. The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and Theatre. New York, NY: Rouledge, 2000.

Everyone, meet Dante.

Dante is the alter-ego of one Julie Pearce. Julie’s journey to discover herself began in 1998 when she moved from her home of Central California to Minnesota. Julie is a very active woman, whose hobbies include an array of athletic activities that she participates in when she is not working and going to school. She began cross dressing in 1999 and developed the persona “Dante.” Dante enjoys performing in local (and-not-so-local) clubs and drag shows where he found a home on stage (Pearce).

Contrary to some belief, crossdressing does not stop with men. Julie is merely one out of an entire population of woman who find comfort and belonging in the appearance of the opposite sex. In my initial research, I have had a difficult time finding even a fraction of material for the male impersonators as compared to the female impersonators.  However, in my brief discussions with those in the crossdressing community, it is not a case of there being more men as opposed to women consistently putting on clothes of the opposite gender.  I am intrigued as to why female impersonators and drag queens seem to get more press than the women. Laurence Senelick, author of “The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and Theatre”, may have a point on the topic when he says,

Unlike the ancient and sanctioned practice of men portraying woman on stage, female assumption of male identity appeared in the theatre as a novelty… Glamour drag and male impersonation evolved as forms of entertainment at about the same time and in the same milieu of populer entertainment, but the former was the more prevalent and more conspicuous.Theatregoers were rarely confronted with a woman plausibly playing a man’s man. The male impersonator of the 1860s who did set out to convey a convincing impression of the opposite sex was embarking on a risky enterprise (326).

My assumption is that women, due to being held down as second-class citizens with few rights and fewer liberties in dress, have a smaller history and background (with the exception of a handful of daring ladies history has chosen to acknowledge such as Hua Mulanand Joan of Arc). With so few inspiring figures in history and harsh laws dealing with what a woman could wear in the past, it’s no wonder as to why people seem to forget that women crossdressers are, in fact, a subgroup and community all their own.

The reasons for their crossdressing varies just as the men’s reasons do, ranging from comfort to something more sexual to an acquisition of “power.” Vern Bullough states,

Changing social conditions had loosened some of the hierarchical ties and made it easier for women to escape some of the confines of the female role by dressing and passing as a man (94).

Whatever their reason, there are just some women out there who are far comfortable and feel more like themselves in a pair of loose jeans, boots, and sporting a short haircut than heels and a fancy dress.

For a further look into crossdressing community (complete with pictures!), feel free to follow the this link. HOWEVER, if the subject of crossdressing offends you, I ask that you exercise a little human decency by not saying anything if you have nothing nice to say at all.

(Julie Pearce is an athletic woman enthusiatic in exercise. FOLLOW the scary capped letters to experience the return to an exercise routine vicariously through Miss Amy.)

Works Cited

Bullough, Vern L. Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania, 1993.

Pearce, Julie. “Dante’s Bio.” 25 January 2010 http://www.dantedifranco.com/BioDante.htm

Pearce, Julie. “Dante Difranco.” Photograph. Dantedifanco.com25 January 2010 http://www.dantedifranco.com/DanteStudio5.jpg

Senelick, Laurence. The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and Theatre. New York, NY: Rouledge, 2000.

Bibliography

Bloom, Amy. Normal Transsexual CEOs, Cross-dressing Cops, Hermaphrodites with Attitude. New York: Knopf Group, 2003.

Boylan, Jennifer F. She’s Not There : A Life in Two Genders. New York: Broadway, 2003.

The other day I received a picture text from a close friend of mine. Upon opening the text, I am treated to the sight of a young man, slender, clean-shaven, and in a short-skirt, sailor style, one-piece dress complete with red neckerchief and cover. Allow me to be subjective for a moment: it was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen. I “fangirled” over the picture for a good ten minutes before I gathered enough of my wits to ask my friend about the situation in which the picture was taken.

It would seem this brave young man, a classmate of my friend, is fighting his own personal war for Equal Clothing Rights. She asked him what he meant by this, and he responded in this sense: women fought for equal rights, the right to vote and no longer be considered second-class citizens, and in that movement, gained the “ability” to wear men’s clothing (i.e. suits, jeans). This freedom, however, is not the same for men. If a man wears a dress or some other style of clothing considered feminine, he is ridiculed either by being verbally attacked, physically assaulted, or heavily looked down on. This particular young man has been randomly wearing fabulous dresses and skirts his entire college career thus far and intends to do so even when he graduates and enters the workplace.

The only other person I can recall taking part in this war for “Equal Clothing Rights” is a comedian by the name of Eddie Izzard. Mr. Izzard is a transvestite and does several of his stand-up routines in feminine clothing, though he doesn’t always talk about his clothing choice in his shows. He is often questioned about his reasons for dressing as such to which he replies,

To be honest, I’m just working the ‘bloke wearing skirts’ look half the time. I believe in equal clothing rights.

As a transvestite, his sexuality is also questioned quite often, but Mr. Izzard assures people that most transvestites are, in fact, straight. There seems to be a fundamental difference between transvestites and drag queens and kings. My friend tells me that there are communities online for men and women in which they share photos and tip and experiences with one another. If all goes well, I plan to ask people from these groups what it is that drives them to dress in such a way and how it makes them feel about themselves in general.

While Eddie Izzard and the young man’s courage are to be applauded, I’m betting it is not a sense of courage necessarily typical of the cross-dressing community. I plan to dig deeper in this subject as well as others concerning people’s comfort zones when it comes to what they wear. Here’s hoping to a successful venture!

(Slightly unrelated) Check out this link here for a look on exercise and emotion.

Works Cited

“Q&A with Eddie Izzard.” Now Magazine. AuntieMomo. 20 January 2010 http://www.auntiemomo.com/cakeordeath/nowmagazine.html.

Bibliography

Eddie Izzard. “Biography/Eddie Izzard.” Eddie Izzard. 19 January 201o http://www.eddieizzard.com/eddie/biography/

“Crossdressing.” v 60.6 LiveJournal. 20 January 2010 http://community.livejournal.com/crossdressing/

“The Gender Trust.” The Gender Trust National Help Hotline. 20 January 2010 http://www.gendertrust.org.uk/

Michala Rolle. Telephone interview. 15 January 2010.

Yeeeaaah, gotta say that I prefer LiveJournal. Bit more user friendly.

Just saying.

(Oh, and Henry says hi.)

XOXO,

Annie.