Men in Dresses - Vernon Coleman

[Tibby]

Has anyone ever read or heard about the book written by Vernon Coleman? He used surveys taken of males who cross dress to form a view of a selection of cross dressers and is a very good read in my opinion. I found it was very informative for both those who cross dress and their partners, especially any person who may feel that cross dressing isn't in the "norm". Information on the book and a large section of the acual survey with results can be found here

http://www.vernoncoleman.com/downloads/mid.htm

Vernon Coleman is a journalist and doctor and also a long term crossdresser.

[Leah Lynn]

I haven't heard of him or his book, but would like to give it a read.

[suzy1]

Thanks Tibby.
I thought that was a very good read and very well done.

And it seemed to almost perfectly reflect the information we find here from members too.

A good read for wives of crossdressers?

[Kaz]

Hi Tibby,

No I haven't read this... yet! Looks like I will be soon! Many thanks for sharing!

[Miriam-J]

I looked this up on Amazon and found that it's available only in Used form, and for $53 - considerably more then the GBP 9.95 (about $16). Then I noticed that it was published in 1995. It's interesting that such a survey was even feasible in that 'primitive time' for CDing, but very cool that he took it on then. The findings, even as summarized in the cited article, are fascinating.

Miriam

[Tibby]

It is a very good read for wives of crossdressers or for any family members who wish to know more. I also found that it helped my husband begin on his journey (which he still travels along) to understand and accept that his crossdressing isn't something wrong or "not normal". How can 10% of the population all be doing the exact same thing be wrong. I love the comment about crossdressers being the most careful of drivers, as we don't want to found with pretty nail polish on our toes. Some points did shock me though, and that was the percentage of supportive partners. I found it to be quite upsetting that someone can find the courage and love to tell a partner but not be accepted for be being honest. The study was done in 1995 so I would expect the figures to have increased dramatically and that 10% now to be much higher. Afterall the percentage of males wearing female clothes even once is likely to be much higher with more and more charity fancy dress taking place, I've lost count of how many male students I've seen wearng dresses and looking rather relaxed whle doing so.

[Tibby]

I looked this up on Amazon and found that it's available only in Used form, and for $53 - considerably more then the GBP 9.95 (about $16). Then I noticed that it was published in 1995. It's interesting that such a survey was even feasible in that 'primitive time' for CDing, but very cool that he took it on then. The findings, even as summarized in the cited article, are fascinating.

Miriam

One of the problems with Vernon Coleman is it can be difficult to get copies of his books as many places won't stock him due to his "non-conformist" views and the subjects he covers.

Edited to add: just been looking round some sites and at the site the link takes you to, it is a medical journal article so appears to be published in full. Also if you click on home at the end of the article it takes you to the vernon Coleman home page, under miscellany there are links to other articles written on the same subject.

[sara_also]

I believe every one should read this. Crossdressers and SO"S alike. Very well done.

[Leila Be]

Thank you for the lead! Will check amazon asap and look forward to the read!

[Tibby]

Thank you for the lead! Will check amazon asap and look forward to the read!

You don't need to buy it hon, the survey and results are all in the link, in the majority anyway :)

[Leila Be]

Just saw that, Tibby. TY

[Abbygirl]

Great read. Amongst the "quotes from crossdressers" in section 2, I found a quote that sums up my feelings perfectly: I like women so much that I enjoy dressing like one. This is the exact sentiment I want to express with my signature.

[Miriam-J]

I just finished reading the article, which does appear to be pretty much unabridged. While I find the "General Conclusion" to reach well beyond the data, the data and comments themselves appear to be quite consistent with what I've heard from the population here (hardly scientific on my part). I do wonder how much bias was introduced by the non-randomness of the responses (apparently was published in a newspaper), but the consistency with my own observations allows me to overlook that and I don't see any other way for it to work (especially in 1995). It would be interesting to see an update, and a parallel study in the US, and how the results compare to the earlier results.

Miriam

[Tibby]

I just finished reading the article, which does appear to be pretty much unabridged. While I find the "General Conclusion" to reach well beyond the data, the data and comments themselves appear to be quite consistent with what I've heard from the population here (hardly scientific on my part). I do wonder how much bias was introduced by the non-randomness of the responses (apparently was published in a newspaper), but the consistency with my own observations allows me to overlook that and I don't see any other way for it to work (especially in 1995). It would be interesting to see an update, and a parallel study in the US, and how the results compare to the earlier results.

Miriam

it would be really interesting to see a more comprehensive study done, one with a much larger subject population which also included some variants, not just those who frequently cross dress but also looking wider, as in those who have crossed dressed for brief periods. I know a study was done in general of males who had worn female clothing in various situations, such as fancy dress etc and 100% of those questioned stated they felt relaxed, at ease and in many cases sexy, while wearing feminine clothing, the majority enjoying the feel of the clothes. I can't remember who performed the study though so can't link to it. With everything, the more which s understood about a subject, the more research made, this can lead to more understanding and societies views can be altered or at least adapted to be more accepting.

[Beverley Sims]

It has prompted me to get the book.