Annie Lennox on the Today Show 11/25

[caroline_cd_99]

I was watching the Today Show yesterday and Annie Lennox was the musical guest. I was amazed to see her in her "menswear" suit and necktie singing her songs (I must admit she looked great in the outfit). She is a very beautiful woman, but it seems to me she crossdresses at least 50% of the time! No negative consequenses for her!

Just another example of the wardrobe double standard in the world.

My wife didn't even blink an eye when she saw Annie in the suit, I can only imagine her reaction if it would have been a male singer in a dress.

Happy holidays everyone.

Caroline

[Eileen]

Yes it is Caroline. T-girls are just the reverse of the scarlet woman. You never heard of a scarlet man and yet you can not have one without the other.

[TGMarla]

Annie Lennox is not attempting to pass herself off as a man. She doesn't flatten out her chest, isn't wearing something stuffed into her pants to emulate a "package", and she isn't wearing a false beard or moustache. She's probably still shaving her armpits and her legs, isn't growing chest hair....it's just not the same thing.

Just be glad she promotes a bit of androgyny. But her "crossdressing" and mine are not the same.

[Eileen]

Marla even if a guy were to put on a dress and not present as a woman, he would still be considered crazy. Yet a girl can were a mans suit and tie and hardly an eyebrow is raised.

[DanaJ]

I thought she always dressed like that, I don't ever remember her in a dress....

[Shannon]

I think Annie's androgynous look is part of her image -- something she's been since the 80's(?). I'm so accustomed to her look that I'd be shocked if she appeared really femme.

Is it a double standard? You can go way back to Marlena Deitrich http://pop-arts.com/ArtGallery/Detail.asp?ImageID=RWP018.

I'm trying to think of male entertainers that have an androgynous look -- and David Bowie, in his Ziggy Stardust days, comes to mine.

[Tamara Croft]

I thought she always dressed like that, I don't ever remember her in a dress....She has always dressed like that..... short hair... etc... although.... she has dressed fem http://www.annie-lennox.net/annielennox.jpg

[JMO2]

I remember her commenting on one of her videos saying she was trying to portray a crossdresser rather than herself. I think it was the "Missionary Man" video but don't quote me on that...........:D

[crossing_over]

a relative of mine plays in a band in which i fill in for him if he's sick.... the drummer jason has an androgynous appearance..... he has a very feminine hair style, wears tight flare like jeans and what appears to be women's blouses.... yet he does not try to appear to be a woman so is accepted... that's how i generally dress (except for the hair trying to grow mine back)... it is not looked down upon to dress in a feminine manner.... it is however looked down upon to try to appear to have breasts, femme curves etc...

my point being u can dress as feminine as you want as a male but not try to be a woman... u can dress femme enough to be mistaken as a woman and it is not looked down upon by many people... especially the younger generation

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

Well it goes back to the (unfortunately) still unequal social statuses of men and women.

Women dressing like men (whether just men's style or actual crossdressing like Marlene Dietrich) take on a higher status. It's the reverse for men, which is why although it's been common in entertainment for decades, if not centuries, it's usually played for laughs. (Think of "Some Like it Hot.")

Which is why Ziggy Stardust etc. were quite controversial in their day -- since it was be done seriously. Interestingly, I remember hearing an interview with the lead singer of Aerosmith, in which the interviewer pointed out his often feminine appearance on stage. The singer replied to talk about how he felt he had a strong feminine side to him that he draw on for his songs. Of course the fact that the songs were typically very "maculine" probably made it acceptable for him to do this sort of gender bending -- just as with a lot of the hard metal "hair bands" later on.

OTOH, Annie Lennox has also gotten away with gender bending because she despite her butch haircut and behavior, she's got feminine face and figure (albeit a slender one). Plus she usually was wearing dramatic "evening" make-up. In other words, she's sending signals that she's "still a woman" even though she may have been wearing a suit and tie.

[Jesse69]

Is Annie Lennox known to be a lesbian or not?

[Joanie B]

Annie Lennox is not attempting to pass herself off as a man. She doesn't flatten out her chest, isn't wearing something stuffed into her pants to emulate a "package", and she isn't wearing a false beard or moustache. She's probably still shaving her armpits and her legs, isn't growing chest hair....it's just not the same thing.

Just be glad she promotes a bit of androgyny. But her "crossdressing" and mine are not the same.

Marla,
I agree with the gist of your post, however:

Altho she normally does not present a full "Drag King" image on stage, I do vaguely remember a video from the 80's in which she had what appeared to be a fake beard and/or mustache as well as the typical suit and tie she ususually wears....maybe it was her reply to Ziggy Stardust or just being campy....

Joanie B.

[Sarahgurl371]

Annie Lennox is a wonderful and talented signer. Thats about all I care about. But. Did you ever the video she did in the 80's where she had a Long Blonde Wig on. What a knock out!

[Helen MC]

Annie Lennox made a video of "Whiter Shade of Pale" when she was in masculine clothing, a man's pinstripe suit I think, but there were three or four male dancers in dresses in the background. I'll see if I can find a copy.