Earliest Experience With Crossdressing............... Cartoons

[Desirae]

I'm not sure if this post should be here or in the Media section. I'll let the mods decide.

Recently, over the past month or two, I started watching cartoons again. It all started because I couldn't find anything on TV that I wanted to watch, which seems to happen a lot, lately. Anyway, I was channel surfing and I came across the network "Boomerang". What's funny here is that I had this channel, and a lot of other "kids" channels, "blocked out" of my set top box, because I just never watch them, as I have no kids in the house. Well, whatever night that was, I decided to go back into my "controls" for the TV and turn back on the channels that I had blocked in order to see if I could find something to watch. That's how I found Boomerang.

A few weeks ago I was channel surfing and I saw that "The Flintstones" was on. I watched it and it brought back a lot of good memories. These were made in the 1960s. I know I was watching The Flintstones when I was around 2 years. I watched a few more episodes at various times, over the next week or so, when this one episode I was watching had Fred and Barney dressing up as women. Hmmmm. I thought that was pretty cool.

I, also, discovered "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" on Boomerang, another childhood favorite of mine from the 1960s. Sure enough, I watched a few episodes of "Scooby" over the next week or so and then they had an episode where Shaggy and Scooby both crossdressed.

That got me to thinking. First, I realized that seeing Fred & Barney and Shaggy & Scooby crossdressing was my FIRST exposure to crossdressing. I make that statement with a slight caveat; that is unless my much older sisters dressed me up in their baby girl cloths when my mother was at work and they were babysitting me. That I don't remember and I've never been told that. Anyways, these shows were already on for a few years when I was around 2 and I know I was watching cartoons at 2 years old. At 2 years old I highly doubt that I was crossdressing at home personally, be it playing with my mother's shoes or whatever else. I know at 2 that I didn't know what CDing was. I truly think that my first exposure came from watching these cartoon characters crossdressing.

I, also, started wondering if this was an impetus for my crossdressing? A switch that turned on an already there inclination? Or a subliminal message of some kind? There are probably even new, current cartoons, which I haven't seen, that also show crossdressing male characters.

I know crossdressing in TV and movies has always been around, think Milton Berle or Some Like It Hot, but that was geared towards adult audiences. Young kids are impressionable. I just thought of another show geared towards kids where there was crossdressing: Saved By The Bell. Didn't "Zack" and "Slater" also crossdress in an episode? Now that I think of it, didn't "Danny" and "Joey" in Full House also crossdress in an episode?

If crossdressing is so frowned upon by society, why would "they" make cartoons for children that show crossdressing male characters? That really doesn't make sense, does it? And they are still showing them today.

[AnnieMac]

. .. and then there's always that Bugs Bunny thing.

[Donnagirl]

Watch a few episodes of Shezow... A boy who uses his aunts ring and the phrase 'you go girl' to transform into a female superhero. It's all glam and drag queen but designed for the young 8-14 market. It's quite popular... I like it too. There are way to many cross dressing jokes to ignore.

[dana digs sweaters]

Yes Bugs played it for laughs.
As did Flip Wilson, Uncle Milty, Klinger and all the other sitcoms we saw growing up.
Even reruns of older comedians using their craft to make us laugh.
Such as these guys doing an All-Male show straight up.

[Amanda L.]

Bit of a mixed message being sent out to the demographic these shows were intended for. On the one hand crossdressing may be seen as a bit of light, harmless fun but then societies view is a bit darker. It's no wonder we get confused as many of us would have been those impressionable young children.
The future of CDing may however be in good hands when you look at the number of movies/shows that have a men taking on female role element eg Big Mommas House, Hot Chick, that Wayan brothers movie (I forget the title), heck even Big Bang Theory refers to the crossdresser that lived in Penny's flat. Maybe there a thread right ther listing al the CD related shows of the modern era.
As a side issue is it just me or does anyone else find Jessica Rabbit hot?
Cheers
Amanda

[Judith96a]

. .. and then there's always that Bugs Bunny thing.

Go Bugs, go!
Did Daffy not end up in a dress on a few occasions too?

[Confucius]

Desirae asks, "If crossdressing is so frowned upon by society, why would "they" make cartoons for children that show crossdressing male characters? That really doesn't make sense, does it? And they are still showing them today.?

Society has always had a place for cross-dressing as part of our entertainment. Whether it be in church's charity event, or an elementary school talent show, or a high school womanless pageant, or a movie, or cartoon. In every case it is intended to humor us by shocking our sensibilities and placing characters in challenging and uncomfortable situations. I can think of no cases where the characters believed they had a feminine side that needed to -be expressed, or fell in love with their own female alter-ego. So society allows cross-dressing for situational comedy, but not for self gratification.

I do not believe that cartoons or even having elementary schools holding a cross-gender day during spirit week causes anyone to become a cross-dresser. I would estimate that approximately 50% of all males will cross-dress at some time in their lives, however the vast majority will not feel anything but embarrassment. They will cross-dress as part of a dare, or for a joke, or any number of reasons, but they will NOT enjoy cross-dressing nor will it develop into a lifestyle.

So why do 3-5% of the normal, heterosexual, male population become cross-dressers while the majority of the population can be exposed to cross-dressing without any long term effects? The answer has to be our brains are wired differently. Our brains are wired such that our brain interprets cross-dressing as actual contact with a female, and releases the neurotransmitters which produce the sensations we enjoy. Most likely your brain's connections were made during critical periods of synaptogenesis, and neural pruning. Don't blame your cross-dressing on cartoons. I believe that its just the way our brains are hard-wired.

[Desirae]

I don't believe I said, and I certainly didn't mean to imply, that this is the cause of crossdressing. I only raised the question of whether this was a "flip the switch on" impetus if the CD inclination was already present.

But, let me add another element to this conversation.

If our brains are wired differently, or if there is some CD "gene" yet undiscovered, or some other physiological or psychological "difference" (no, I'm not going to use the word abnormality) in us, would a young boy, say around 3 years old, who had this "pre-CD" inclination, who got left on a deserted island by himself, and somehow managed to survive, with no clothing, ever see his CD inclination "switched on"? For the sake of this argument, say he spent the rest of his life on the island until his death when he was 80 years old, with no human contact.

Does there not need to be some type of "nurture" switch?

[Sarah L]

My first time crossdressing WAS the direct result of a male character in a situation comedy dressing as a woman. As I sat there watching the show, all I could think about was what it must be like to wear a dress. I don't even remember laughing at the scene.


As soon as the opportunity arose, I put on my sister's dress. I couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 at the time. I hadn't started school, yet.

[ambigendrous]

So why do 3-5% of the normal, heterosexual, male population become cross-dressers while the majority of the population can be exposed to cross-dressing without any long term effects?

The same reason that some men like football, some like hockey, some like cooking, some like star-gazing, etc. We're each wired according to who knows what and we each have likes, dislikes, needs, desires, etc.

[Eryn]

Well, if the experience of our LGB allies is of any value, they first laughed at the comic gay characters, but to laugh at them they had to subconsciously acknowledge their existence. Once that barrier was crossed the way was opened to more serious portrayals.

Remember that the CDer in TBBT was a well-organized police officer who referred to Sheldon as "The weirdo across the hall." Yes, the scene was played for humor but the CD character herself was not demeaned.

[Beverley Sims]

For young children who think quite differently to us dressing is a comic event.

Remember in cowboy films.... The boring love scenes.

A few Indians and a big punch up.. Great :)

Then ... More boring love scenes.

Now days Maureen Ohara isn't all that bad. :)

All about perception really.

Just because you want to wear Bugs Bunny's frock now. :)

[Wasia]

If crossdressing is so frowned upon by society, why would "they" make cartoons for children that show crossdressing male characters? That really doesn't make sense, does it? And they are still showing them today.I think, you are mixing the audiences.
When crossdressing happens on screen - it is always for fun. When we crossdress in real life it happens because of who we are.

In a sense, people who point and laugh on seeing a CD on the street is just reliving their childhood memories of those crossdressed characters. They are used to see man in drag and that was almost always a comic character in some comedy. Good-bad, kind-mean or other kind of comedy, but it is almost always on screen for laugh.
So, returning to your question: "They" do not make cartoons for children with crossdressing male characters, to promote crossdressing. "Their" message is quite the opposite, "See how funny Bugs Bunny in a dress is? You will dress, you will be funny too."

[UNDERDRESSER]

Watch a few episodes of Shezow... A boy who uses his aunts ring and the phrase 'you go girl' to transform into a female superhero. It's all glam and drag queen but designed for the young 8-14 market. It's quite popular... I like it too. There are way to many cross dressing jokes to ignore.Interesting, I found this on Wikipedia.

The show was considered controversial by several conservative Christian groups for using cross-dressing as a source of humour, with One Million Moms, an affiliate of the American Family Association being one of the groups targeting it. In response, series creator Obie Scott Wade stated, "SheZow is not transgendered. He's a boy, his gender never changes, he's just trapped in a silly costume." He also added that he doesn't find it child-inappropriate at all, because the idea came to him in his youth.

If it pisses off those groups, I will have to give it a try.

[Robbiegirl]

Hard to say but I really enjoyed the crossdressing in Cartoons growing up. My favorite was the Jetsons. They had an automatic clothes changing machine with a his and her button On several shows George hit the wrong button and came out Head to toe in a dress stocking and heels. Another time he pushed the his button but still came out in a cute dress after laughing his wife just calimly said sorry I had no room in my closet. You should really watch the reruns

[Sometimes Steffi]

Even as far as Shakespeare, crossdressing was used as part of the story. Since only men were allowed to act, all the women's parts were played by men. The ultimate in comedy or drama was to invoke a reason why a woman would have to disguise herself as a man. Then you would have a man playing a woman disguised as a man. I suspect the actors could use this format to show how funny it would be if a woman wanted to pretent to be a man.

If I recall, Portia, in "The Merchant of Venice" disguised herself as a man.

[Frédérique]

If crossdressing is so frowned upon by society, why would "they" make cartoons for children that show crossdressing male characters? That really doesn't make sense, does it? And they are still showing them today.

The quick answer is that MtF crossdressing is a guaranteed “comedic situation,” especially the way it is presented for the viewers, in this case young viewers. BUT, they don’t count on the kids seeing this possibility, thinking about it, and then actually doing it. Unintended consequences, I believe – these things must start somewhere, and cartoons can be inspiring…
:praying:

[Adriana Moretti]

i have to see now if i have that chanell ..i miss that stuff....they still do it today... stewie from family guy...and roger from american dad come to mind...bugs takes the cake though...he had nice lashes that episode of family guy was on again tonight too..where they make fun of the movie tootsie...

[Laurie A]

Hard to say but I really enjoyed the crossdressing in Cartoons growing up. My favorite was the Jetsons. They had an automatic clothes changing machine with a his and her button On several shows George hit the wrong button and came out Head to toe in a dress stocking and heels. Another time he pushed the his button but still came out in a cute dress after laughing his wife just calimly said sorry I had no room in my closet. You should really watch the reruns

yes, i remember really really wanting one of those machines, lol

[Robbiegirl]

Yes, if we had the Jetsons automatic dressing machine we could hit the wrong button all the time and have a great excuse ! It was also funny because George would yell while in the machine so you could kind of visualize his horror of bras, panties and stockings being put on him LOL

[Mia27]

I use to go crazy over the episodes of shows when the guy gets to crossdress. My sisters use to watch a show called lizzie maquire i think it was called. It wasnt a cartoon, but a disney show. But my favorite episode was when the brother and sister switched bodys. It was a funny episode. But to me, it was kinda like one of my fantasies, i would of loved to switch bodys and be a girl for a day:) or there was a episode of even stevens. When the sister and her friends captured the brother and dressed him up as a girl for punishment. He was watching there sleep over or something and trying to sabotage it. But i wish that had been me.

[tammie]

HI Everyone : The experience i am about to relate isnt exactly a cartoon but it made me realize where i was at in life,late30s, and more importantly where I was going to go next.

I had been to dinner with my wife (now X) and we went into an avant guarde kind of gift shop to look around
since it was still early . I was looking at gift cards , and some of them were outrageous to say the least .

The one that changed my life or made me aware that my CDing was taking me somewhere ,was a card that was drawn in the style of japanese anime , the subject was a teen boy dressed in lingerie and slip with an older man who was...

holding up his/her slip and feeling the young sissies bottom while displaying a big erection and the caption read "now you will be a young lady when i am finished teaching the ins and outs of womanhood darling" .

It brought so much of me into the picture i was blushing just looking at it knowing anyone looking at me would know immediately what was going on in my mind .

After that i knew i was not just a MM wanting to dress up in lingerie , but a budding sissy who needed to
be with a real man again . I had not been with a man admiring me in lingerie since i was about 14yo

[Badwolf]

There was a show called Lizzie Maquire, but I didn't watch it much. I still had the same emotions though on a lot of shows.


I use to go crazy over the episodes of shows when the guy gets to crossdress. My sisters use to watch a show called lizzie maquire i think it was called. It wasnt a cartoon, but a disney show. But my favorite episode was when the brother and sister switched bodys. It was a funny episode. But to me, it was kinda like one of my fantasies, i would of loved to switch bodys and be a girl for a day:) or there was a episode of even stevens. When the sister and her friends captured the brother and dressed him up as a girl for punishment. He was watching there sleep over or something and trying to sabotage it. But i wish that had been me.

[ElisabethK]

I never made the connection until many years later, but the US adaptation of Robotech was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. The third series had a character (who was my favorite) that was a male who dressed as female frequently for the purposes of spying and such. Realizing that many years later was a bit of a revelation :)

[GeminaRenee]

I recall seeing crossdressing portrayed in cartoons, but not thinking much of it. I'd guess that's probably because it was always portrayed in such a farcical manner. Whatever undercurrents were circulating around in my young mind weren't jokes.

For me, the real triggers in cartoons were the actual female characters. There were several, but the one that stood out for me was Jem, from the show of the same name. Though I could never have explained it at the time, I was fascinated with that show and that characters on it. Talk about a switch being flipped!

[Badwolf]

In movies cross dressing characters have actually made MORE appearances with comedy based situations over MORE time than most of the LGB issues. I think the biggest difference is that a LGB character, people can't deny they're drive. In TG characters, since they are normally based on the idea of situational comedy, not just stereotyped characters. It means there is an exterior motivation so then it is the EXCEPTION to the characters lifestyle, not the rule. In other words if the "comedy" for the LGB characters was that they were acting as such in order to hide from the mob or something, it would be a closer comparison.

The few exceptions that are coming out are movies like Too Wong Foo, and that style of move. Boy's Don't Cry also fits.


Well, if the experience of our LGB allies is of any value, they first laughed at the comic gay characters, but to laugh at them they had to subconsciously acknowledge their existence. Once that barrier was crossed the way was opened to more serious portrayals.

Remember that the CDer in TBBT was a well-organized police officer who referred to Sheldon as "The weirdo across the hall." Yes, the scene was played for humor but the CD character herself was not demeaned.

[Badwolf]

I remember a lot of those! I loved them too.


Hard to say but I really enjoyed the crossdressing in Cartoons growing up. My favorite was the Jetsons. They had an automatic clothes changing machine with a his and her button On several shows George hit the wrong button and came out Head to toe in a dress stocking and heels. Another time he pushed the his button but still came out in a cute dress after laughing his wife just calimly said sorry I had no room in my closet. You should really watch the reruns

[Amber-Sue]

One of Red Skeltons skits was where half of him was made up as a male , the other half was a female. Depending on which side was facing the camera was the part that was talking. I remember thinking how I wished I could be both sides male and yet female when I wanted to be. I believe it was shown in the middle to late 50's Anyone else remember it??

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Desirae, I have always been fascinated with that any time it was on TV or in the movies.

[StephanieR]

Yeah, always loved seeing it on TV. Also movies like "Just One of the Girls."

[Thrymr's Bane]

I think crossdressing traditionally being a mostly farcical thing in American animation is generally true, although not always disparaging of crossdressing, while Japanese animated shows frequently feature characters who's crossdressing is just part of their character, whether it's a comedy or a more serious genre (or child vs adult oriented), in addition to more complicated or fantastical gender bending scenarios. The culture surrounding it is also one of the most tolerant of crossdressing, maybe even more so than the LGBT scene.

I think American cartoons are changing though. I see gender norms challenged or subverted more and more in the shows that are on air right now, as well as other more progressive themes becoming more common. The layering of content making cartoons both enjoyable and appropriate for children and adults has always been around to some extent, but this is also becoming more and more common with some of the better shows, encouraging more complex issues to be featured.

The French also have their own style of animation which has it's own tone, values and ascetics, but unfortunately I'm not as familiar with it as I am with animation from other areas.