Or "colouring book," if you’re from the UK (or former possession)...
Life is like a coloring book. You’re supposed to stay within the lines when you fill in the colors, and everyone might have the same book, with the same outlines, and the same implements to color with. Some stay within the lines, while some others, namely the expressive types, may balk at such ridiculous restrictions. I’ve seen some children color violently OUTSIDE the lines, often laughing as they do so – they are consciously making their own path, because they must...
The MtF crossdresser is DEFINITELY operating outside the lines, as provided by the “rules” of society. In this context, I think the coloring book is a thinly-veiled exercise or litmus test – will you OBEY, and stay within your boundaries? More importantly, will you accept the confines of your birth gender, wear the clothes appropriate to your sex, and be a GOOD boy? The flimsy scaffolding of civilization, as well as the future of the human race, depends on you staying within your allotted space, forever, and never venturing forth beyond the provided line(s)...
If you wear the clothes you’re NOT supposed to wear, you are effectively traipsing outside the lines, and everyone gets nervous, even if your personal journey is really something beautiful. There seems to be this stigma about “doing the right thing,” and this involves some real sacrifice, for the good of everyone except you. Oh, you may eventually make peace with your boundaries, even though you dream about exploring beyond the lines, perhaps even expressing the REAL you, namely the “you” who has been suppressed since childhood...
Of course, I know why everyone would prefer that you stay within the lines, both in a coloring book and in the real world. On one hand, people are trying to help. They want the “best” for you, perhaps something they could not achieve, and staying within certain confines gives you the best chance of success, a straight line from A to B. If you stay within bounds, you will quickly come up with something that is beautiful (to others) and pre-approved. On the other hand, going outside the lines leads to chaos, uncertainty, and consternation for all. Going outside of the provided boundaries means you’re OUT OF CONTROL, and people wish to control you...
I really think that innocuous things like coloring books shape little minds, and, I admit, I used to color within the lines as neatly and cleanly as possible – going outside the lines never crossed my mind, so to say, but I saw coloring as a skill, or a challenge. I eventually became an artist, and I still work very closely with outlines, but the lines I adhere to these days are my own invention, and not the work of others. Even so, crossdressing represents my little foray into forbidden territory, albeit with the goal of hedonistic enjoyment, an antidote to restriction in all its myriad forms. I could not bring myself to stray over the lines with my wax crayons, but I can certainly dress up, play as a girl, and laugh like a happy child as I go forth beyond the boundary...
Are you drawn (pardon the pun) to do things you’re not supposed to do, like crossdress?
PS – This was inspired by two unrelated events. One, I saw a Crayola commercial on TV, with several kids working on coloring books (all of them staying within the lines, I might add). Two, during the recent baseball suspensions I heard one analyst say that players who accepted their punishment “stayed within the lines,” i.e. agreed to be controlled, while one player chose not to. The latter got all of the attention. Go figure...