Shormita analyses why it’s not proper for men to crossdress like women. An exclusive for Different Truths.

Have you heard about crossdressers? Crossdressing is an act in which a person takes up the attire and behaviour of the opposite gender, to embrace other gender’s emotions. Some men disguise themselves in the attires of women, by wearing saree, salwar-suit, and skirts. People make fun of them. They are a matter of ridicule. Some males at the age of five or six love to wear saree or other female attire, why is it so? This is because in some males there is a need to satisfy their femininity, which is suppressed within them.

Also, it is important to point out that not all crossdressers turn into transgenders. It is true that after a certain age some crossdressers turned completely into trans person. But some crossdressers only enjoy dressing up in female attire. So, this concept of men wearing women’s dress is a matter of fun and jest. But women’s wearing pants, shirts, t-shirts, or jeans have been accepted by society. Nobody glares at a woman if she crossdresses up like a man. Why is it so?

The answer is quite clear that the pressure of performing gender is behind this mindset. Men always have to limit their boundaries or behaviours within a certain attribute of the male gender. They have to restrict their expression and emotion according to the gender role assigned to them by society. That is why men are not allowed to cry, be emotionally weak, wear female attires, like pink or violet colour, or even do household chores.

There are several examples in the society from which we may get a glimpse of how males are being suppressed for their gender expression. India Times reports, Asha (crossdresser) a businessman, says that initially, she tried to suppress her feminine attributes or desire. Even she visits a doctor to cure her want of being dressed as a woman, as society sees it as a gender dysfunction. This shows that how heterosexual men deal with the norms of society to represent their gender expression according to the male gender.

On the contrary, there are exceptions in society that show us the flexibility of gender expressions. In an article, in Insider, a young couple Benjamin and Nastia, who have been dating for two years, Benjamin crossdresses and Nastia loves to embrace the feminine side of her partner. This could be seen as the fluidity of gender roles. Crossdressing helps to explore the gender identity of an individual; it is an attempt to escape from the reality. Moreover, some crossdressers simply enjoy it because it makes them happy for a moment or two.

Works Cited  

* Lopez, Canela. ‘A Woman’s Boyfriend has been cross-dressing for over two years, and she says she loves his alter ego.’ Insider.com: 12th Dec, 2019, 3:37 p.m.

* Parthasarathy, Sindhuja. ‘Here’s A Glimpse into the Dual Lives of Indian Cross-Dressers.’ Indiatimes.com: 4th July, 2017, 14:29 IST.

*’The Psychology of Cross-dressing.’  The School of Thoughts. www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/the-psychology-of-cross-dressing/

Visuals by Different Truths

Shormita Bose

Shormita Bose, is pursuing PhD in English literature from GLA University, Mathura. She has completed her M.A. & B.A. from University of Allahabad. She has contributed her research article in the edited book- Human Rights: Issues, Challenges and Present Status and also written an article in the anthology -Words That Stay Forever. Currently, she is working on her own edited book- Women and Queers: The Marginalized Gender.