Word Count: 2074
Transvestitism
In the last few decades, there has been a rapid change in social attitude towards so-called
sexual problems. There has been a call for the freedom to live in the style of which one
chooses, so long as no one else is harmed in the process. One area that appears little
understood, however, is transvestitism, or cross-dressing. In order to gain some
knowledge about this phenomenon, there are many aspects of transvestitism that should
be examined, some being: history, societal views, the gay versus straight issue, and
women dressing as men.
Transvestitism has a long history, ranging from mythical figures to medieval saints who
cross-dressed; from the many instances of berdache in anthropological literature to
historical figures such as the most famous eighteenth century French transvestite,
Chevalier d’Eon (Bullough, 1993). There are countless examples of this in Greek
Theater; the public theater of England, including Shakespearean plays; Kabuki and Noh
theaters in Japan, and the Chinese opera. For years, it was considered immoral for women
to act in theater, so men assumed the roles of female characters. Even after it became
acceptable for women to enter acting, there are many cases of crossdressing in film.
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon donned full women’s garb in Some Like It Hot (1959),
Cary Grant, in Bringing Up Baby (1938), and Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1983).
Women have been known to get into the crossdressing act in film and theater as well,
with the role of Peter Pan traditionally played by a woman. Marlene Detrich and
Josephine Baker were also known to occasionally dress for the stage in full tuxedo, top
hat and tails included.
More recently, cross-dressing has been seen in popular culture, with, among many
others, drag diva RuPaul, the movie, The Crying Game (1992), and, as an example of
female to male crossdressing, singer Madonna. This gives a sense that transvestitism and
performing are interrelated, not merely “historically” or “culturally,” but
psychoanalytically, through the unconscious and through language. (Garber, 1992) To
Marjorie Garber, this represents a notion that there is a naturalness to this behavior, since
the common theme crosses so many boundaries, including time. It does seem as if society
is tolerant of the idea of cross-dressing for art’s sake. However, what about crossdressing in everyday life?
Webster (1972) defines transvestitism as “the adoption of the dress and often behavior of
the opposite sex.” Seems harmless enough. Why, then are most cross-dressers secretive
about their affection for this? According to Dr. Peggy Rudd (1995), most are secretive,
because they have many fears related to the consequences of having their “big secret”
discovered. In general, non-participants do not consider transvestitism, socially
acceptable. Many cross-dressers fear the detrimental effects upon other family members,
and many are concerned about the possibility of losing their job as a result of “coming
out.”
Some cross-dressers feel guilty because society has placed them into stereotypes,
including the incorrect assumption that all cross-dressers are gay, or that all transvestites
are potential transsexuals. To the contrary, while some are gay, most cross-dressers want
to share their life with a woman, and the number of gay males is far less among
crossdressers than among the general population (Rudd, 1995). Most identify primarily
as a male who has, and retains, male gender identity. Often they are married, and the
father of children. (Prince, 1971) This in itself presents the question of whether or not to
tell spouses, and/or, their children about this. Many do not, out of fear of being seen as
deviant, and perhaps losing those most dear to them. It is a natural thing for crossdressers to want to share all of themselves with those they love, but as there is risk of
rejection, many choose to wait until they feel comfortable that the risk has lessened, or
keep it a secret forever.
Fear is not the only reason for the secrecy exhibited by transvestites. Many have feelings
of shame. According to Garber (1992), many cross-dressers start early in life. Often they
are told it is wrong to express feminine characteristics as a male, no matter how natural it
may seem, and thus begin to mask the behavior. Many people convey the belief that the
cross-dresser is in need of counseling or psychiatric treatment to find a “cure” for this
aberrant behavior (Rudd, 1995). Due to this, the dominant judge and jury is frequently
found from others rather than from within the individual.
Cross-dressers may become confused because they feel a high and perhaps erotic
pleasure from wearing women’s clothes. Many do seek psychological help to
understand the emotions of both guilt and pleasure that tend to accompany this.
However, good counselors and psychiatrists realize that there is not, or even necessarily
need be, a cure. They, therefore, provide help not to change the person, but to change the
cross-dresser’s way of adjusting to a possibly hostile social environment. Ideally, after
examining these feelings, the cross-dresser will begin to develop a self-awareness and
become comfortable with their true self, despite social opinion. This self-awareness and
acceptance is the most important hurdle to overcome before letting others in on this way
of life (Garber, 1995).
Dr. Peggy Rudd, author of Crossdressers: And Those Who Share Their Lives (1995) is
also the wife of a crossdresser. Upon first learning of her husband’s secret, she admits to
feelings of resistance and negativism. She did not relish the idea of spending the rest of
her life with someone who went against social norms and her own social conditioning.
As she had no knowledge of his crossdressing prior to marriage, she felt resentful of what
she perceived as “an unwelcome, and uninvited dilemma.” Rudd had to make the
conscious decision to look beyond outside influences, and her ideology, and thus finally
leaned toward empathy and compassion. She soon came to realize that her husband had
not chosen crossdressing either, and also felt pain. With this realization, Dr. Rudd was
able to view crossdressers as a group of people who deserved respect and understanding.
Despite the possibility of losing one’s spouse as a result of sharing this lifestyle, there are
several cases, as in Dr. Rudd’s, where spouses not only accept cross-dressing and the
associated behavior, but claim the relationship with the husband has grown more strong
and connected upon learning of it. They believe the man can more relate with their
feelings, and enjoy the feminine traits that may come about, such as compassion,
tenderness and nurturing, often not expressed by men. Once the barrier of his secret life is
lifted, a more open and honest relationship ensues. Some women not only accept
crossdressing and the associated behavior but also seek out males having those needs and
traits and actively participate in the “game”—sometimes with each partner reversing
roles in both social and sexual situations.
Many transvestites describe the longing to dress in a feminine way as the ultimate way to
emulate and, thus, express their love and appreciation for women. They see themselves as
a group of normally heterosexual men who admire and envy women so much that they
greatly enjoy the opportunity to temporarily leave their everyday masculinity behind and
“enter the fascinating world of femininity” (Prince, 1971) It is not unusual for the
transvestite to use items of women’s apparel as aids for sexual gratification in the early
stages of sexual awakening (Bullough, 1993). The apparel becomes a symbol of the
longed for female sex partner. This practice may continue into late adulthood, with an
item such as a bra or panties becoming a fetish item required to be worn for, or at least
close by, during completion of a sex act.
Sex, however, is just one aspect of the pleasure derived by transvestites, either gay or
straight. Many cherish the escape from their expected gender role just as much. In an
article by Matthew Gilbert (1993) RuPaul stated: “It is not a sexual fetish for me. Drag is
the ultimate in power dressing. When you’re in drag, any drag, you become the God of
your imagination, and that’s powerful medicine, baby. With my drag, I encompass both
male and female. I become a microcosm of the whole universe, the yin and the yang, and
people pick up on that and are enthralled by the power. That’s what got me addicted in
the first place.”
Garber (1995) believes that transvestitism has become more prevalent in the media
because “the current roles of men and women in society, maleness and femaleness and
personality, are all very much under question.” More women are “wearing the pants” in
the family, and more men are becoming more hand on with child rearing. Although this
may be true, it does seem as if a woman assuming characteristics of a man is much more
accepted than that of the reverse. In the 1950s, Mary Tyler Moore caused much
controversy by wearing Capri pants on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” and even then was
allowed by the studio to wear them during only one scene per show. In the 1970s,
women rebelled from typical gender roles by burning their bras, often seen as a symbol of
gender restraint. These are just two examples of how women have changed views
enormously over the years. It is now common for women to adopt traditional male
clothing for everyday wear. It is a rare double standard, with women being accepted in
this behavior, and often even encouraged for breaking gender barriers, whereas men still
are not.
Fetishistic cross-dressing in women, however, is so rare it is almost nonexistent (Stoller,
1992). Dr. Stoller did extensive research on the subject, and was able to site only one
case study in which Gutheil (1930) reported of a woman who admitted deriving sexual
pleasure from the wearing of male apparel. The woman claimed that: “Simply putting on
my suit can provoke an orgasm… The transvestiture has a far greater pleasure-value in
my eyes than any intercourse, and I could easily forgo the latter in favor of the former.”
As previously stated, this case is a rare documentation of such. Most women studied
sited comfort as the main reason for preferring male clothing to female (Stoller, 1992).
Sexual pleasure was seldom a factor. This may be one of the reasons for the before
mentioned double standard. People generally do not view women wearing men’s
clothing as sexual in nature, thus it is not considered deviant, and therefore more
accepted.
There appears to be several facets to transvestitism that may be overlooked at first glance.
It is the subject of much controversy, and conflicting viewpoints. Throughout history,
society has embraced cross-dressing in the form of art, however, shunned it in everyday
life. This may be viewed as hypocritical, especially with today’s more “liberal” and
accepting attitudes. Transvestitism seems to be an unobtrusive way of life, yet is still
viewed as a whole as deviant behavior. Practicing men often still feel the need to keep it
secret from even those most close to them, so as not to risk ridicule and possible
destruction to their business and personal lives. Lack of understanding and compassion
may be at fault, and it looks as if time has done little to change this. It seems as if the old
adage “live and let live” is quite appropriate for this lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of
society has yet to adopt this view.
Works Cited
Bullough, Vern. “A Comparative Study of Male Transvestites, Male to
Female Transsexuals, and Male Homosexuals” 1993.
URL: http://www.tgguide.com/Library/Psych_Abstracts/comparst.txt.
Garber, Marjorie. (1992). Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing &
Cultural Anxiety. New York, NY: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.
Gilbert, Matthew. “What A Drag: Is Cross-Dressing Crossing Over to the
Mainstream?” Boston Globe 21 March 1993. URL:
http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~mberz/ttt/articles/what-a-drag.
Merriam-Webster. (1972) Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary.
Springfield, MA: G & C Merriam Co.
Prince, Virginia. (1971) How To Be A Woman Though Male. Princeton,
MA. Chavalier Books.
Rudd, Peggy J., Ed.D. (1995) Crossdressers: And Those Who Share
Their Lives. Katy, TX: PM Publishers, Inc.
Stoller, Robert J, M.D. “Transvestism in Women” FEMINET, 1992.
URL: http://www.tgguide.com/Library/Psych_Abstracts/tvwomen.txt.
Keywords:
word count transvestitism last decades there been rapid change social attitude towards
called sexual problems there been call freedom live style which chooses long else harmed
process area that appears little understood however transvestitism cross dressing order
gain some knowledge about this phenomenon there many aspects transvestitism that
should examined some being history societal views versus straight issue women dressing
long history ranging from mythical figures medieval saints cross dressed from many
instances berdache anthropological literature historical figures such most famous
eighteenth century french transvestite chevalier bullough countless examples this greek
theater public theater england including shakespearean plays kabuki theaters japan
chinese opera years considered immoral women theater assumed roles female characters
even after became acceptable women enter acting many cases crossdressing film tony
curtis jack lemmon donned full garb some like cary grant bringing baby dustin hoffman
tootsie have been known into crossdressing film well with role peter traditionally played
woman marlene detrich josephine baker were also known occasionally dress stage full
tuxedo tails included more recently cross dressing seen popular culture with among
others drag diva rupaul movie crying game example female male crossdressing singer
madonna this gives sense that performing interrelated merely historically culturally
psychoanalytically through unconscious through language garber marjorie garber
represents notion naturalness behavior since common theme crosses boundaries including
time does seem society tolerant idea sake however what about everyday life webster
defines adoption dress often behavior opposite seems harmless enough then most dressers
secretive about their affection according peggy rudd most secretive because they have
fears related consequences having their secret discovered general participants consider
socially acceptable dressers fear detrimental effects upon other family members
concerned possibility losing their result coming dressers feel guilty because society
placed them into stereotypes including incorrect assumption transvestites potential
transsexuals contrary while want share life with woman number males less among
crossdressers than among general population rudd identify primarily male retains male
gender identity often they married father children prince itself presents question whether
tell spouses children fear being seen deviant perhaps losing those dear them natural thing
want share themselves those they love risk rejection choose wait until feel comfortable
risk lessened keep secret forever fear only reason secrecy exhibited transvestites have
feelings shame according garber start early life often told wrong express feminine
characteristics matter natural seem thus begin mask behavior people convey belief
dresser need counseling psychiatric treatment find cure aberrant rudd dominant judge
jury frequently found from others rather than within individual become confused because
feel high perhaps erotic pleasure wearing clothes seek psychological help understand
emotions both guilt pleasure tend accompany however good counselors psychiatrists
realize even necessarily need cure therefore provide help change person change dresser
adjusting possibly hostile social environment ideally after examining these feelings
dresser will begin develop self awareness become comfortable true self despite social
opinion self awareness acceptance important hurdle overcome before letting others peggy
author crossdressers those share lives also wife crossdresser upon first learning husband
secret admits feelings resistance negativism relish idea spending rest someone went
against norms conditioning knowledge prior marriage felt resentful what perceived
unwelcome uninvited dilemma make conscious decision look beyond outside influences
ideology thus finally leaned toward empathy compassion soon came realize husband
chosen either also felt pain realization able view crossdressers group people deserved
respect understanding despite possibility losing spouse result sharing lifestyle several
cases where spouses only accept associated claim relationship husband grown more
strong connected upon learning believe more relate enjoy feminine traits come such
compassion tenderness nurturing expressed once barrier lifted open honest relationship
ensues only accept associated seek males having needs traits actively participate game
sometimes each partner reversing roles both sexual situations transvestites describe
longing dress feminine ultimate emulate thus express love appreciation themselves group
normally heterosexual admire envy much greatly enjoy opportunity temporarily leave
everyday masculinity behind enter fascinating world femininity prince unusual
transvestite items apparel aids sexual gratification early stages awakening bullough
apparel becomes symbol longed female partner practice continue into late adulthood item
such panties becoming fetish item required worn least close during completion just aspect
pleasure derived either straight cherish escape expected gender role just much article
matthew gilbert rupaul stated fetish drag ultimate power when drag become your
imagination powerful medicine baby encompass both microcosm whole universe yang
people pick enthralled power what addicted first place believes prevalent media current
roles society maleness femaleness personality very much under question wearing pants
family becoming hand child rearing although true does seem woman assuming
characteristics accepted than reverse mary tyler moore caused controversy wearing capri
pants dick dyke show even then allowed studio wear them during scene show rebelled
typical gender burning bras seen symbol restraint these just examples changed views
enormously over years common adopt traditional clothing everyday wear rare double
standard being accepted encouraged breaking barriers whereas still fetishistic rare almost
nonexistent stoller stoller extensive research subject able site case study which gutheil
reported admitted deriving apparel claimed simply putting suit provoke orgasm
transvestiture greater value eyes intercourse could easily forgo latter favor former
previously stated case rare documentation studied sited comfort main reason preferring
clothing stoller seldom factor reasons before mentioned double standard generally view
clothing nature considered deviant therefore accepted appears several facets overlooked
first glance subject controversy conflicting viewpoints throughout history embraced form
shunned viewed hypocritical especially today liberal accepting attitudes seems
unobtrusive still viewed whole deviant practicing still need keep close risk ridicule
possible destruction business personal lives lack understanding compassion fault looks
time done little seems adage live live quite appropriate lifestyle unfortunately adopt view
works cited bullough vern comparative study transsexuals homosexuals http tgguide
library psych abstracts comparst marjorie vested interests cultural anxiety york routledge
chapman hall gilbert matthew crossing over mainstream boston globe march http ezinfo
indiana mberz articles merriam webster webster seventh collegiate dictionary springfield
merriam prince virginia though princeton chavalier books peggy lives katy publishers
robert transvestism feminet http tgguide library psych abstracts tvwomen
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