Drag and Drab

[Josi]

:mad:

Have to say I have an instinctive negative vibe about both expressions. It may have been an acronym for DRessed as A Girl and DRessed as A Boy, but they have attracted other perceptions and meanings and even subliminal messages.

For me Drag implies something more than dressing. By that I mean Drag = "over the top" (nothing wrong in that ... just isnt my thing). You know the kind of thing, 1 inch eyelashes, mega lips, 6" heels ... and a "look at me" persona.
I repeat, nothing wrong with that choice, but thats what Drag means to me.

CD is more understated. I would rather meld into the scene than be looked at.

DRAB .. urgh .. what an undermining word. It implies negativity to being dressed as a male.
I like my maleness and enjoy my masculinity - I dont decry it or feel negative about it.
I realise we dont all think that way.

So, I dont "do" Drag or Drab. I just dress - sometimes feminine and mostly male.

Whats your view? :thumbsdn: or :thumbsup:
Josi

[Marla S]

Well, you always will get the same problem with labels. There is always room for interpretation. As long as a group means about the same using these labels, I see no problem. To others, you have to explain it anyway, whatever label you use.

[Kimberly]

It think it's true what you've said: Drag implies a humoured dressing in female attire - often satirising, camp and most importantly: Gay. Something most in the Transgendered community is not. This is where I believe the confusion lies when we are asked the sexuality question by anyone who doesn't know us well enough - mostly people we have come out to.

Drab describes this style of dressing perfectly for me, however, but this might not be to everyone's taste. I feel empowered, feminine, (strangely enough) stronger than when in male mode, and much more sexier when dressed as a woman than dressed as a man.

This thread just goes to show that words are always wasted and the least able of our many communication skills to actually articulate a wider feeling for something. Words can hold many connotations, and are easily misinterpreted.

[Lawren]

Very interesting point of view, Josi. I never thought of it like that but I quite agree with you.

[CharlaineCadence]

I find the word DRAG to be wone of the most insulting words that ever could be assocated with us to me it deals with homosexual men who dress as over excentric women to have fun or put on a show. It also is use as a term to make a mockery to our community in some areas. So for me drag is very insulting. drab i brally dont have any feeling for i never use it

[Teresa Amina]

Agree with you about Drag. It implies a farce- an Uncle Miltie stage or screen performance, obviously not what's going on with most of Us! But Drab doesn't bother me at all. I've always been partial to good ol' Olive Drab military surplus coats and shirts in my day to day Drab life so it fits unusually well in describing me.

[Josi]

but .. there is nothing WRONG with "homosexual men who dress as over excentric women to have fun or put on a show."
Gay is fine
Straight is fine
Dressing over the top for entertainment or fun is fine
Its just that .. I dont want others to "see" me or think of me that way: it doesnt describe ME !

[Sharon]

To me, "drag" and "drab" are just words. I have sometimes heard genetic women say they are going in drag when they dress to the nines for a special occasion. But I never use the word myself, as it seems too closely related to show-business and performing to entertain, while what I do is real life, this-is-who-I-am stuff. Drab? That's just a quick and easy way to describe when someone wears male clothing -- no insult intended. And when compared with the female clothing many of us prefer, "drab" is usually an appropriate word. :)

[Casey Morgan]

Very interesting post Josi. And I had no idea drag and drab were acronyms.

The way it's currently used, drag doesn't describe me either. And you're right about drab. The way I've been using it, it's a synonym for "the plain old boring usual". I like who I am in male mode. I really shouldn't put me down like that.

[sharifemme]

Josi

I know what you mean, especially about DRAG. I tend to use that word sparingly - only within the Community to describe quickly how I would be dressed, say if we were going to meet(ie. I will be coming dressed drag.) It does have a definite connotation of being an over-the-top outrageous and gay . That would be OK, but it's not who I am so I don't use it much.

DRAB usually seems to be less disturbing to me because I believe most men's clothing is drab, drab, drab. Also, there are drag queens but no drab kings. FtoM performers in drab usually prefer to be called drag kings!

Sharifemme



[quote=Josi]:mad:

Have to say I have an instinctive negative vibe about both expressions. It may have been an acronym for DRessed as A Girl and DRessed as A Boy, but they have attracted other perceptions and meanings and even subliminal messages.

[Amelie]

In my circle of friends, any guy who wears women's clothes are called drag queens, except for She-males and TS's. Sometimes CDs are also called just queens, but this term is also sometimes applied to guys who don't dress as well.

The word drab is never used among my friends, I first heard this term on this forum.

I guess it all depends where one lives and who they associate with.

People will always associate CDs with drag queens, because people see more drag queens than CDs, So if this perception is to be changed, then straight CDs have to come out of the closet more often so the public knows that they exist.

[DawnRodgers]

Heck, words are what you make them. They have no special connotation unless you let them. Would I feel bad about myself if someone mentioned that I was in drag. Frankly no. or in drab, No again. Certainly drab fits because that's what most mens clothes and accoutrements are - drab. There is nothing that makes you feel so good as having bold colors, swirly skirts, the click of your heels as you walk down the street, your earrings hitting below your ears, shiny red nails, strappy sandals with your res toenails showing, your smooth nylon clad legs. Say I'm in drag. I don't care. To say that all people in drag are homosexual is giving the word a meaning that may not be true but I would think that if you can freely dress whenever you want (Iknow I would never dreess any other way if I could) it is just possible that you would start to feel differently about your sexuality. Maybe some of you do even in the instances when you dress. Imagine, every day you present as a woman. Working, playing, going sopping. Getting glances from men (They do look at good looking women a lot, you know). It might start to change your point of view. We mostlylove to dress attractively. Not just sneakers and pants and a sweatshirt. But a dress, a skirt and blouse, heels high or low, makeup. Hey - these are all things women wear to look good and even, heaven forbid, attract a man. As far as I know dressing totally as a woman doesn't tend to attract to many other women.
Just my two cents.
Dawn

[Yes I am]

I'd never heard "drab" used in the context that it's used on here until I saw it used, on here. I never, ever, look "drab." "Drag" I don't like because I never understood what that verb had to do with crossdressing. But for most people drag queens are all they know about crossdressing, so if someone calls me one out of ignorance I just let it slide. I like to tell people I'm a "gender bender" because that's my style of crossdressing, I like mixing up my masculine traits and my feminine traits and making it look good. The term is pretty familiar to most people, and it helps me avoid confusing the uninitiated by explaining the definitions of every transwhatever word there is for folks of our persuasion.