Cross-dressing

Belle Glamour, a cross-dresser

Sakurazuka, a Japanese comedian

Cross-dressing is when someone wears clothes that are commonly associated with the opposite sex.

Cross-dressing is often done to create a transgender identity. It has also been used for disguise, comfort and in the performing arts in modern times and in history. In theatre, a male role played by a woman is called a Breeches role.

A Japanese term and subculture for men who cross-dress as women is otoko-no-ko. In the west, young men who do this are sometimes called femboys.

Cross-dressing is sometimes viewed negatively due to going against gender norms, especially in regards to men. Drag queens and kings use cross-dressing to make fun of this.

Cross-dressing Media

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  Frances Benjamin Johnston (right) poses with two cross-dressing friends; the "lady" is identified by Johnston as the illustrator Mills Thompson c. 1890.

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  Lady Murasaki's classical novel The Tale of Genji from 1008 demonstrates the transgression between masculine and feminine beauty with characters that have no clear gender differentiability.

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  Comedian Dan Leno as Widow Twankey in the 1896 pantomime Aladdin at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London

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  Some male crossdressers seek a more subtle feminine image.