How long will the current Transgender Fad last ?????

[Kelly DeWinter]

For the last few months the increased cultural interest has culminated in an explosion of Transgender / Crossdresser "awareness" . Some in the form of '"Reality Shows" are looking for ways to cash in (no hopefully not Bruce), where as others such as Television are creating shows "Becoming Us" abut TG parents. Others including Salons are offering "Life Experience" packages to see what it's like to be the opposite sex (You Tube is exploding with do it yourself TG/CD How to videos).

Is that what being Transgendered or a Crossdresser is becoming in our society a Fad or a way to Cash In ?

Does anyone else see it ? or am I totally off base ?

[LucyNewport]

Hard to say - I'm still waiting for skinny jeans to go out of style...

Srsly tho, we are enjoying a bit more exposure than usual. It's the curiosity factor that is driving it, and television producers are nothing if not bandwagon jumpers. My guess is in a year or so most of the hype will die down and the trans will just be another bucket for basic cable to dip into periodically like hoarders, hillbillies and megalomaniacal brides.

[AllieSF]

I like that all this is happening, so fad or not, it is good for us over the long run, more exposure, more awareness, more knowledge and maybe a few laughs and tears along the way. Gays had a similar media coming out and now they are starring in movies, coming out in professional sports and so on. I think it is just a way that we can get more exposure, which hopefully will move on to bigger and better things. Or .... we could go back to the way it was and no one knows that we exist except for all their previous erroneous ideas??

[Robin414]

It won't move back, it WILL move forward! It's simple evolution people!!!

[Adriana Moretti]

It could be a fad....or it could be that the TG Community is now starting to be recognized as real people.I was kinda siked when I saw Laverene Cox presenting at the Billboard Awards last week and walking the red carpet....thats a BIG step. I like what Robin said too it is moving forward. Enjoy the exposure...whats the alternative ??? No exposure? No education? Continued ignorance ? go back to hiding in the closet ? Fight the good fights.....

[docrobbysherry]

That was a post I read on FB today. Posted by a T girl "Friend".

I asked her why would anyone pretend to be trans?:brolleyes:

R trans so much in the public awareness now that some folks r pretending to be one?:eek:

[Badtranny]

R trans so much in the public awareness now that some folks r pretending to be one?:eek:

Maybe, but certainly not in real life.

There have been proven internet fakers, but I guarantee these pretenders aren't doing the hard stuff.

What irks me are the dudes that want to hang out with 'us' on Saturday nights and talk a big game about being one of the girls but when I run into him at Starbucks he's all mister macho man. ...bitch please.

[Donnagirl]

Nooooooo... Don't tell me I'm fashionable all of a sudden. I hate being trendy...

But, seriously I think this is more an evolutionary step than a 'fad'. It will plateau but never drop back. Gone are the days of closeted youth thinking they are the only ones in the world with these 'weird' compulsions. The internet was our educational tool, public awareness and knowledge will be the next generations. And that's a good thing!

[Eryn]

Persephone saw it coming, and had T-shirts made for us:

246034 246035

I think that the TG fad will last about as long as the gay fad. It'll never go away, but it will become less prominent with time as people accept us as part of a diverse society.

[PaulaQ]

I think that the TG fad will last about as long as the gay fad. It'll never go away, but it will become less prominent with time as people accept us as part of a diverse society.

Actually, it'll really fade out when this is treated as it always should've been treated - as a childhood condition. The children who so transition will simply be for all intents and purposes not much different than cisgender folks, at least socially. We exist in such numbers now, and are so noticeable when we show ourselves at all, because society has forced us to seek treatment only after we've taken terrible damage from this condition.

For the CDs here, I think it'll only be after enough of y'all come out for there to be a fad...

[Marcelle]

Hi Kelly,

I think the hype for some of the media attention will wane. Indeed, you don't see too much about Bruce J in the tabloids these days. However, I also believe this "blip" on the trans radar has helped to put us out there a bit more. People are becoming more tolerant but that does not always equate to "acceptance". However, I believe we will march forward in tiny steps and who knows one day it won't be trendy it will just be normal every day boring, and that will be the "big win".

Hugs

Isha

[Vickie_CDTV]

Probably when it ceases to make money for those in the media... or, on the other hand, if it becomes profitable to hate on trans people for some reason.

Years and years ago I remember a period when crossdressing was a bit of a fad in the media, nowadays ordinary occasional dressing probably isn't "sensational" enough to give us occasional dressers any press.

[MonicaMarie]

I really don't see it as a profitable venture, given the relatively small percentage of the population we comprise. After all, ratings and selling ads is what drives content. Perhaps it is more of something of a public relations maneuver by media outlets looking to appeal to the wider group of supporters, especially the rapidly-growing number of marriage equality supporters. Would FOX News, for example, ever have anything positive to say about marriage equality or transgender rights? I seriously doubt it. They have a niche audience and pandering to that niche is what they do. If you don't win hearts and minds, no matter how wrong-headed, you will lose viewers, which translates to decreased revenue. This is ultimately what it is all about.

[CynthiaD]

Lots of TV shows want to be edgy and avant-garde. That used to mean having gay characters or exploring gay issues. But gay has become pretty ho-hum these days, so everyone is moving on to trans issues. Of course, with its usual utter lack of perception, the media focus is on transsexuals, completely ignoring the remainder of the TG spectrum, but I'll take what I can get.

[Kate Simmons]

Who knows? Profiteers are always out looking to make a buck on the "in" thing. Once the hubbub dies down they are off on another quest. :)

[STACY B]

Maybe, but certainly not in real life.

There have been proven internet fakers, but I guarantee these pretenders aren't doing the hard stuff.

What irks me are the dudes that want to hang out with 'us' on Saturday nights and talk a big game about being one of the girls but when I run into him at Starbucks he's all mister macho man. ...bitch please.

Come onnnnnnnnnn ,lol,, They wouldn't do that, To find a real one Roll up on Um when there hanging out with all there good time Buddy's drinking Beer and ask them if they Took there Pills Today. Run across one in Walmart an see if you get the traditional female welcome Hug ? Call them by there girl name out in public an see how fast they Run,,lol,, There is no committing to this Half ass in Denial. If so it's just a game and your always leaving yourself an escape exit. Anyone can Tip toe around town an in and out of retail stores and dark places like clubs, Pull it out in the Middle of Real world an see.

That's why I say CD's have it made an I envy them, To be able to go back an forth at will is a great thing in my book. Best of both worlds but trans chix don't have that luxury. It's not the clothes or how much makeup you put on or pretending to be someone else for a short while. That is the very thing that we hate. It's waking up in the morning and looking at the real you no matter what you have an just getting on with the day as normal as possible. Having to go back an fourth is pure hell with little satisfaction and feeling more and more empty on each return trip like you left something or a big part of you behind an can't get it back.

There is no way to describe the feeling of this, Why do people think you go through all the pain an humiliation and ridicule for? Nothing wrong with playing a part but own what part your playing and try not to be a poser of something your not.
I would respect someone a lot more if they said Hey I am CD an play dress up when I am out, But after this I have to go back to my real world so if you see me some where don't be surprised.

[melanie206]

I don't think we should gauge our progress by the amount of attention we get from reality television. Just like the emergence of gay people into the main stream, our struggle is a long slow but inevitable progression. Civil rights is not a fad. Except maybe on Fox News.

[I Am Paula]

Well, this certainly is not a bubble that will burst, and then numbers will go back down. We are certainly more visible, more talked about, and more in the media, but a fad...No.
Are reality shows trying to cash in?...Absolutely. If not, Bruce Jenner would have done his show on Lifetime, not piggybacked to those despicable Kardashians. This week on About Bruce- The Kardashians make Bruce balance a ball on his nose, while they dangle a sardine above him...I'm gonna puke.

"Civil rights is not a fad. Except maybe on Fox News." Melanie206

[Princess Chantal]

Hey-o Stacy,
Me wants your respect! I answer to both names (Chantal or Jeff) whether I am prettied up or in dude mode in any public or private situation! Geez since getting my hands on this crossdresser t-shirt, I have been proudly wearing in guy mode and next week in gal mode when I dress casual for my monthly pedi & eye brow waxing. Actually thinking of it, the peeps that do my pedi only know me as Jeff and I have been going there mainly in gal mode.
As a crossdresser I really do got it made, get all prettied up for the awesome things and a avoid spending blah time in gal mode. Got no sad violins playing, like the transfolks have to struggle thru!
Anyhoo fad or not? I don't know, but it sure does seem like it is!

[Pat]

I think the question of if this is a fad or a cultural change depends on us. We have some spotlight now -- if we scatter like roaches, it will fade away and we'll have lost the opportunity. If we treat it the way the gay/lesbian culture did, we can use it as a springboard to new cultural understanding. The odd thing is all we have to do to take advantage of it is to do the thing we keep saying we wish for -- get out there and be normal. ;)

How long will it last? Depends -- there's going to be a scandal somewhere sometime: a TG mass murderer or paedophile or (shudder) investment banker. Finger-pointing will start, intolerant people will say this is what comes of welcoming Them into polite society, the J. Edgar Hoover cartoons will come out. If we haven't achieved society's respect by then it will be over. If we have crossed the threshold we can survive it.

[suchacutie]

Increased awareness can only be positive in the long run. New common ideas need to be talked out so even if some of the "press" is less than accurate, it will eventually work it's way through the mainstream and some other "new" social issue will take the place of how trangenderism fits into our society. The more trangenderism is on people's minds the better!

[Jaylyn]

For me I could really care less how far it goes.. Fad or fashion. I'm mid sixties and married and I've been doing this nearly all my life. Maybe I'm not TG but I enjoy wearing my dresses n heels, hose n panties. I started at a very early age. Hiding and enjoying this all the while having what I'd call a normal conservative lifestyle, working, raising kids, and all in an hostile environment part of the country toward any thing of the sort that I enjoy. Would I like going out dressed only in my fantasies maybe. I'm too muscular to pass and have way too many manly passions also. I still enjoy at the end of the day getting into my dress and pretending. I believe we all have degrees of this CD thing that can satisfy us. Mine is being relaxed after a hard days work. A class of wine and a smooth silky or nylon dress can help with that. Don't say I'm not TG but i don't really believe I am. Just a crossdresser who enjoys wearing and walking the walk. If masculine clothing was made that felt this good I guess I wouldn't even be considered a crossdresser. Just my thoughts.

[LilSissyStevie]

The Romans called it panem et circenses - bread and circuses. Take your EBT down to the quickie mart and get some cheese doodles and watch TGs in ring number 3. :straightface:

[Meg East]

TG & CD has become so popular the New York Times ran a section called "Transgender Today".

All this attention is making me feel uneasy.

[Melissa in SE Tn]

CD evolution: " The times they are a changing " . It 's going to be a more enjoyable ride into the future.

[Tracii G]

Stacy B summed it up pretty well I think.

[Beverley Sims]

It is not a fad, but a progression, like everything two steps forward and one step back.
I expect the back step will happen shortly.
A period of adjustment and acceptance and then another two steps forward.
There was a political ploy that used the same principle some years ago.

[bimini1]

I dunno. I think we are right smack in the middle of some real societal paradigm shift. Even if it dies down I don't think the world will be the same afterwards.

[msniki48]

Paula,

I have to agree with you. As soon as parents deal with their children's gender. the better for the child.... eventually we may even become a thing of the past....

hugs

niki

[Sarah Doepner]

It is not a fad, but a progression, like everything two steps forward and one step back.
I expect the back step will happen shortly.
A period of adjustment and acceptance and then another two steps forward.
There was a political ploy that used the same principle some years ago.

I look at it as a series of rising waves on a graph, think the stock market over years, generally trending up with more and more being in view each time. When the negative response comes, the bottom should be just a little higher than the last time. The next crest should be higher as well, it's just so hard to figure out what the time range is on these waves.


I think the question of if this is a fad or a cultural change depends on us. We have some spotlight now -- if we scatter like roaches, it will fade away and we'll have lost the opportunity. If we treat it the way the gay/lesbian culture did, we can use it as a springboard to new cultural understanding. The odd thing is all we have to do to take advantage of it is to do the thing we keep saying we wish for -- get out there and be normal. ;)

How long will it last? Depends -- there's going to be a scandal somewhere sometime: a TG mass murderer or paedophile or (shudder) investment banker. Finger-pointing will start, intolerant people will say this is what comes of welcoming Them into polite society, the J. Edgar Hoover cartoons will come out. If we haven't achieved society's respect by then it will be over. If we have crossed the threshold we can survive it.

Jennie has a good point there. Something has been offered up and we can take advantage of the opportunity or not. With luck there will be many others emboldened by the positive notes and when the negative examples rise up, they can be shown to be isolated examples, not the general population. Regardless, we aren't going the way of the "Pet Rock", now that was a real fad.

[Amy Fakley]

I suspect the only "fad" is among television writers, journalists, and click-bait buzzfeed bloggers.

Nobody decides to become trans, just like nobody decides to be gay. You were always that way. Maybe it took you a while to untangle the mess in your head, or whatever but still ... we were always here, we will always be here and if increased exposure in pop culture means that fewer of us will cower alone in our closets, convinced that we must be awful people with no place in this world, then great!

There will be a symmetrical backlash.

Polling (in the US anyhow) seems to have made it clear that gay rights issues are no longer a reliable tool for dividing (and conquering) the electorate. Sure there are a few hate mongers out there still doing their thing, but they haven't got the traction anymore, because the public, by and large, doesn't buy it. Quite a large percentage are actually offended by it (yay progress).

Be aware though, that the extremely well funded practitioners of hateology need a new boogeyman. If they don't find new ones, they go out of business.

hint: they're not going out if business, and we're a real visible soft target.

brace yourselves, the moral majority and fox news are coming.

[Eryn]

The Romans called it panem et circenses - bread and circuses. Take your EBT down to the quickie mart and get some cheese doodles and watch TGs in ring number 3. :straightface:

You're somewhat correct, but remember that at the end of the circus the persons in power decided the fate of the players. They were often influenced by the cheers or boos of the rabble.

For those in other places, "EBT" is a debit card for welfare recipients.

[Lorileah]

I asked her why would anyone pretend to be trans?:brolleyes:


why do people use words or sayings of ethnic groups? why do people put on accents? I can see how it would become "hip" in certain groups to "drag out". The people in Clockwork Orange come to mind with the makeup. Remember Ghetto Pimp looks in the 70's?

I do think we are the current fad right now. Like when people used to say "my brother is gay" like that made them privy to inside information

[LilSissyStevie]

Eryn, Did something change?

This is nothing new, by the way, TG/TSs have been in the news since like forever. Does anybody remember Renée Richards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards)? People act like this Bruce Jenner thing is some great breakthrough. Renée Richards came on the scene 40 years ago.

[gailbridges]

It is not a fad, but a progression, like everything two steps forward and one step back.

Agreed. As trans folk, I do think we benefit from the acceptance of homosexuals, and their (our) struggles over the last 50+ years.

I often wonder why the fashion industry doesnt court us more. Far more sales and fewer returns.

[Rhanda]

I'm a conservative politically. Believe in the constitution of the United States and the bill of rights. I believe that that gives me the right to dress any way I please as long it doesn't break the laws of exposure. When some one asks me about my style I answer with the question, "Why, am I breaking the law?"

I came to this forum because I wanted to have some input and discussion about Cross Dressing and I have not been judgmental of anyone. Please don't judge me.

I am not cross gender or trans gender and find no argument with those who are. I just like to dress stylishly and like to be considered a beautiful man.

Rhanda

[Tina_gm]

A fad in terms of subjects regarding TG issues being front page news.... a little while. There have been some cracks in the glass ceiling of transgender. Some schools are now recognizing TG kids and giving them certain options of dress and use of restrooms. Some schools are now teaching TG issues, talking about the different gender variety of people, that not all fall directly into the male/female binary. Then of course we have people like Bruce Jenner who are making headlines.

Whether there is any real truth to this.... but I imagine that a lot of us who are in the transgender camp feel it is the LBGt. Now it appears that the T may start to become capitalized as well.

[flatlander_48]

KDW:

No, it isn't a fad. It is just a spike of information until the next spike comes along. The same thing happened during the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Movement, for example. We went through periods of high visibility much like what we have seen with the last few years for the Gay Rights Movement. No one asked them if it was just a fad and we shouldn't either...

DeeAnn

[kimdl93]

Fad might be a bit trivializing. Pet rocks were a fad. Awareness and media attention to transgendered people really si something more....akin to the movements sited above. So long as we are marginalized by a significant part of society, and so long as some parts of society find us scandalous or titillating, we will still garner media sensational attention. As we are more tolerated in the mainstream, that sensationalism will fade.

Remember when it was a big deal that Elton John was gay? Now any number of celebrities are openly gay and it's hardly newsworthy. We can hope for the same.

[Eryn]

Eryn, Did something change?

This is nothing new, by the way, TG/TSs have been in the news since like forever. Does anybody remember Renée Richards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards)? People act like this Bruce Jenner thing is some great breakthrough. Renée Richards came on the scene 40 years ago.

Renee Richards was an relatively obscure doctor and talented amateur tennis player who transitioned. The only reason that the media took notice is because she demanded to be allowed to play tennis as a woman and ultimately won that right in court. She wasn't in the news before that controversy. She is viewed as a transwoman who played sports.

Bruce Jenner was already well known to the public before trangenderism entered the picture. He's an athlete that happens to be transgendered.

Richards herself acknowledges this difference:


Richards, now 80, also said that the former Olympian's status as a television personality made his situation far different from the one she experienced. "You have to realize that somebody who is an entertainer, or even like with Bruce Jenner – a person like that can have a sex change and be just as accepted as an entertainer or a TV star or something like that afterwards," she said. "But if you're talking about someone who's a surgeon or a physician of any kind and bringing your child to see that person, it's a whole different matter." http://www.people.com/article/renee-richards-bruce-jenner-transgender-interview

[PaulaQ]

He's an athlete that happens to be transgendered.

Pet peeve: It's transgender, never, ever, transgendered.

I'm not transgendered. I'm a transgender woman.
My friend Roger isn't gayed. He's a gay man.
My friend Deidre isn't lesbianed. She's a lesbian woman. (Um, ok, in this case it's possible Deidre is, in fact, lesbianed! If you'd ever met her, you'd understand...)

Sorry for the grammar police moment.

[Mink]

you say potato I say tomato!

[kkaye]

A fad is a fad. Something that has been around is not going to change. Only people's opinions.

[Pat]

Here's an interesting site from a group that wants to keep the "fad" going -- they're trying to map out next steps after marriage equality.

www.shareourtomorrow.org

"Our Tomorrow is a campaign by more than 100 LGBTQ nonprofit organizations and foundations to engage our community in a conversation about our future. Your ideas will help build a bigger, bolder movement that leaves no one behind."

I got a pointer to it from an email from the National Center for Transgender Equality, which I don't think I belong to, but probably got on their list via the Human Rights Campaign when I checked "yes" on their "Do you consider yourself transgender?" box. Anyway -- maybe some would like to go add their hopes and fears to the list...

[Dana44]

I do not think transgender is a fad. In fact, the moral majority has really changed their view by the information that has come out. I do think many believe that the governments should not be involved on who gets married. It's the people. Sure there is a few hate mongers in society. By and large many people let us do our thing as long as we do not bother others on purpose. Like stuffing it in their face. We mind our own business and people seem okay with that. I do think that it will come yet, for many not in time. We all should support the LBGT in all of us. Although many of us are heterosexuals. We should all support it.

[cheryl reeves]

i remember reading about renee richards and the hardships she endured while transitioning,thats what made up my mind not to transition. then i later found out after puberty that i relate towards hermorphidites,for im both a male and female,took me yrs to find a balance for there isnt much literature on this,for most hermorphidites hide this part of themselves. all i can say is be the best person you can be.

[Beverley Sims]

Has anyone considered that we are actually flavour of the month? :)

[flatlander_48]

Pet peeve: It's transgender, never, ever, transgendered.

I'm not transgendered. I'm a transgender woman.
My friend Roger isn't gayed. He's a gay man.
My friend Deidre isn't lesbianed. She's a lesbian woman. (Um, ok, in this case it's possible Deidre is, in fact, lesbianed! If you'd ever met her, you'd understand...)

Sorry for the grammar police moment.

Thank You! I have often thought about pointing this out, but never got around to it.

I would also posit that adding "ed" to a verb signals past tense. However, transgender is not a verb. It is an adjective and transgenderism is a noun. Anyway, no verbs in the house...

DeeAnn

[Rogina B]

TG & CD has become so popular the New York Times ran a section called "Transgender Today".

All this attention is making me feel uneasy.

It is all good! Just go with it! And...Please contribute what you are willing to educate people about us..

[donnalee]

An interesting comment; when i came out to my lesbian cousin 3 months ago, her comment was "Oh, that's very popular now!"
Just think; when this fad (if it is a fad) more or less runs it's course, we will become boring; too ho-hum to elicit any comments or reactions - I can hardly wait!

[Krististeph]

I remember reading decades ago that CDs were thought to occur at about the rate of between one in a thousand to one in ten thousand. Now if that were the case, then I could see transgenderism falling from the limelight at some point. But honestly, it seem this occurs at about one in several hundred.

Regardless of the numbers, there are a lot more CDs TGs and TSs out there than the public imagined. And given the openness of gender exploration today, a lot more people are experimenting and finding out they do not fit into the bi-polar gender scheme.

As gay rights and awareness increase, so does gender variation awareness increase.

To answer the question- it is new, and it will cause controversy for years to come. The "fad" of course is a media fad. The sensationalism will last a few more years, then the reporting of TG rights and struggles will fade in this country as we settle down. Then it gets to be addressed in other cultures- middle east, etc.

Ultimately, it will be like a facet of global culture- such as how asian or middle-eastern cultures meld with western. But instead of being geographically different, it is a personality culture that was basically in a hidden dimension throughout all geographically defined cultures.

It is integrating faster than I thought it would, and I am personally really happy to be witnessing this change in society. there will be ups and downs for sure- but as a kid growing up in the 70's, i would not have thought it possible to change so quickly.

Global communication and socialization is the advocate here: people talking like right here and now- communicating to people all over.

The media started it, but it has a chokepoint of the editors/owners/advertisers. Social media does not have that, and the commercial media will be strongly influenced by this.

It is pretty neat to watch it happen.

[Gwinnie]

I don't even see it as a fad. I see people still making fun of Bruce Jenner or any other crossdresser. I certainly don't feel any more comfortable when I'm out in public. I don't see that anything has changed in any way.

Gwendolyn

[Kelly DeWinter]

I have to agree with so many of the posts here. I guess the things that got me wondering was that for so many people I know personally who are TG/CD and who have,are,and will deal with all of the issues involved with BEING CD/TG. And now there are a whole slew of people who are jumping on the TG/CD bandwagon for acting roles, 'reality' tv shows, tableau art projects, etc, then they go back to their regular lives. So I think at times it almost feels like people are doing 'black face'. Maybe I'm over thinking things.

[Badtranny]

...then they go back to their regular lives.

The irony is so thick I can barely see through it.

Is this not the exact same point I've been making about part-timers for a couple of years now?

[kimdl93]

Let's distinguish between an actor portraying a character and the black faced minstrels presenting invariably demeaning representations of black people. And then let's distinguish between the frequency of theatrical portrayals of transgendered characters and real life. I honestly cannot accept the idea that real people, living with the very real risks and consequences, would be so easily influenced.

In my own life, if anything, every representation, real or fictional, elicited fear in me. Fear that I was like them, and fear that other people would notice. And my response was not to jump on the TG bandwagon, but to reinforce the masculine facade to the best of my ability. Do some part timers just play at this...sure...just as fetish dressers go back to their daytime identities. And others are teetering on a balance point. I doubt that fashion or fad have much influence on our actions.

[Kelly DeWinter]

Badtranny , We are talking about two different things, There are many CD/TG who do not have the option to express their gender full time, either because of relationships,family,work situations,mentaly,emotionally,financialy prepared etc. The reasons are many, and these people men and women, need to take things at their own pace.

The people whom I'm referring to are the opportunists who see that being "CD/TG" is not the "in" thing, the "flavor of the month", the ones who are jumping on the band wagon for the purpose of cashing in, with no real gender issues.

Do you know there are two television shows in the line up about transgender family's (which may or may not be real) AND the 3 other networks are scrambling to create shows of their own. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.

[Eryn]

If you want to make TG acting and blackface comparisons few of the current TG portrayals on TV will fill the bill. They are all quite respectful of both TG people and of women.

Closer to the mark was Flip Wilson's Geraldine, Milton Berle's female characters, Eddie Murphy's Rasputia, and Shawn and Marlon Wayans characters in the movie White Chicks All of these characters were primarily designed to mock women.

The last is particularly bad because the movie had black actors in whiteface portraying white women, thereby offending both races and both genders simultaneously!

[Mia001]

I had noticed this as well but wondered if It was more because I have an interest. I have seen a few news articles dealing with Transgender issues and also there seem to be a few TV programmes coming through.

Even if this is just a media fad I think it will leave a cultural footprint behind when the media move on to their next big thing.