In any society, the perception of femininity and masculinity is not
necessarily dependent on female or male genitalia. Cross dressing,
gender impersonation, and long-term masquerades of the opposite sex
are commonplace throughout history. In contemporary American
culture, the behavior occurs most often among male heterosexuals
and homosexuals, sometimes for erotic pleasure, sometimes not. In
the past, however, cross dressing was for the most part practiced
more often by women than men. Although males often burlesqued women
and gave comic impersonations of them, they rarely attempted a
change of public gender until the twentieth century. This
phenomenon, according to Vern L. Bullough and Bonnie Bullough, has
implications for any understanding of the changing relationships
between the sexes in the twentieth century. In most Western
societies, being a man and demonstrating masculinity is more highly
prized than being a woman and displaying femininity. Some
non-Western societies, however, are more tolerant and even
encourage men to behave like women and women to act like men. Cross
Dressing, Sex, and Gender not only surveys cross dressing and
gender impersonation throughout history and in a variety of
cultures but also examines the medical, biological, psychological,
and sociological findings that have been presented in the modern
scientific literature. This volume offers the results of the
authors' research into contemporary gender issues and the search
for explanations. After examining the various current theories
regarding cross dressing and gender impersonation, the Bulloughs
offer their own theory. This book, widely deemed a classic in its
field, is the culmination of thirty years of research by the
Bulloughs into gender impersonation and cross dressing. Their
groundbreaking findings will be of interest to anyone involved in
the debate over nature versus nurture, and have implications not
only for scholars in the various social sciences and sex and gender
studies, but for educators, nurses, physicians, feminists, gays,
lesbians, and general readers. This work will be of more personal
interest to anyone who identifies as a transvestite or transsexual
or who has been classified by medical and psychiatric professionals
as suffering from gender dysphoria. Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender
covers a wide range of cultures and periods. As the first
comprehensive attempt to examine the phenomenon of cross dressing,
it will be of interest to students and scholars of social history,
sociology, nursing, and women's studies.
General
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