CNN does a really interesting article on the reasons people have crossdressed throughout history, and, I have to say, they do a damn good job.
Their top five reasons are...
1. To serve in the army -- they quote a number I have never heard, that they had over 400 women serving in the Civil War dressed as men. The most famous, they mention, is Sarah Edmonds/Frank Thompson (pictured below).
2. To maintain royal harmony -- that is, not to cause a scandal or in fighting. Apparently Phillipe I, Duc of Orleans, brother of Louis XIV, was raised as a girl so there wouldn't be any ambition in him. The CNN article does a lot of weird gender stuff with language at this point -- including referring to him as a "girly man" but whatever.
3. To win in the Olympics -- apparently this happens a lot? Controversial gender testing still goes on today, and in the case of Stanis Walasiewicz, she would have been disqualified had they done the testing them. Apparently, she was actually intersexed -- had "ambiguous genitalia." She would not have been allowed to compete.
4. Espionage -- Truly, the story behind the opera, M. Butterfly, about the French diplomat falling in love with a Chinese opera singer who is actually a male. I think it's funny, though, that the opera singer, Shi Pei-Pu (pictured below) named their child "Shi Dudu." LOL Dudu. Sorry, it's late.
5. Fun and Rowdiness -- Apparently there's some "Festival of Fun" in Jodhpur where the women get to "act like men." Unfortunately, I can find almost nothing about it.
I would recommend two more, especially since the last one on the list is lame: religion and dogma, and the theatre! Think Shakespeare!
It's not a bad article, and it's from the excellent website, Mental_Floss which I recommend to all of you as a daily read.
No comments:
Post a Comment