How Long Has It Been?

[Jennifer_Ph]

Do you ever wonder how long crossdressing has been around? I mean at one point, cavemen wore skirts basically. Then pants came along eventually I suppose. One guy said, "No. Me no like pants." Or did ir take until the 20's when womens clothing really became decidedly feminine, even spectacular. Is that when one of our ancestors said, "I wish I could look like that." So has it been since the beginning of time, or since they day mens and womens clothing took that glamorous split? Were there cowboys dressing in petticoats? I dunno.

[Jillcder]

Can you imagine back in the day being surrounded by petticoats, corsets, lacy dresses and frilly umbrellas on a daily basis. I need a time machine.

[Cheryl T]

Actually I never thought about it.
it would be interesting as Jill said to be in the days of all those lovely dresses women wore. The days when you dressed to show your status. Oh to be Lady Cheryl and have a staff to serve me, dress me. Bring my carriage around Jeeves I need to see the haberdasher.

[Michaela Jane]

There is an interesting, lengthy, article named, "history of cross-dressing" which can be found on wikipedia. I glanced through it, but there is a lot to try and take in, going back centuries.

[docrobbysherry]

I tend to look forward rather than backwards, Jenn.:daydreaming: |

Altho I won't live to see it, I believe binary crossdressing as we know it will disappear in many countries by 2100 if not before!:battingeyelashes:

Replaced by androgenous clothing across the board!:eek:

[KrissyTN]

Definite examples of crossdressing during the Civil War. A man named Frank Stringfellow, a Confederate, dressed in a ball gown to attend Union held celebratory dances. The story goes, he was so convincing, several Union officers spilled the beans about various plans! In addition, at West Point and on campaign, since women were not allowed, when they put on skits - many times one of the men would dress up and act the women's part. On the other hand, there are stories of women, sometimes wives, who would dress as man and enlist and serve.

I would love to time travel back to that period of corsets and ball gowns!
Krissy

[Kayy]

It’s an interesting question. There’s a book called ‘Fanny and Stella’ by Neal McKenna, which is a true story about two crossdressers who scandalised late Victorian Britain which tells us a lot about attitudes of that time. I suspect it’s been around for a long time. I’d also be interested in how it is and has been perceived in other cultures too.

[sara66]

It was not called crossdressing, but it is mentioned in Leviticus in the Old Testament. I would think the minute that there were separate clothes for men and women. So, for thousands of years.
Historically it was more common for women to wear men's clothing. Joan of arc is one such example.
Sara

[kimdl93]

I suspect that for the majority of human history the primary focus was on avoiding being eaten for long enough to find the next meal. Maybe things changed around the time of the first cities. And it?s very likely that some gender variant individuals were present in most cultures, like the two-spirit individuals in Native America cultures. I might guess that cross dressing was otherwise an activity available mostly to the most affluent in any society.

Remember that line from Monty Pyton and the Holy Grail? ‘Must be a king……?

[Rhonda Darling]

Sherry: I envision all of us in 2100 wearing Star Trek uniforms like 5 of 9 wore in, I think it was, Deep Space Nine.

[Genifer Teal]

Depending on your opinion of the origin of the human race. It was back in that garden when we started covering up the spicy bits. One could say that's when clothing started to matter.

[DianeT]

Frilly bras and panties, long scruffy wigs, silicone forms, garter belts and stilettos were the rage to go and cut a steak in a mammuthus primigenius by -40 F? (-40 C?). Stilettos had a way of punching holes in the ground that guaranteed total adherence in the most icy surfaces! If the bow's rope broke at the worst moment, when the furious animal was charging, the bra, or a garter's belt came as a handy replacement! In case it came a tad too late and the 8 tons of dead meat ended their course a bit too far, what other bumpy airbags than these silicone forms could save your bacon! And if you missed, shaking your head with your scruffy wig tips flying around in the air would make the beast stop abruptly and burst in hysterical laughter, giving you a short window of opportunity to put it out of its misery while it rolled on the floor laughing (which made a kind of funny trumpet noise interrupted by sniffles, that can't be easily described in writing).

[Raychel]

My question to this would be.

When did it become crossdressing?

Men have been dressing in skirts and dresses as far back as history goes.
They also have worn wigs as well.

When did it become taboo to dress in womens clothes.
It is the social taboo about How a man should dress and what he should wear,
This in terms of history is pretty new. Not until the 1900's did it really become unacceptable
for a man to wear a skirt or a dress. Until the true separation of mens and womens clothes.

Just my thoughts.

[BrendaPDX]

I think crossdressing has been around since the manner of dressing moved from functional to social status. Just a funny. We had a friend that thought she wanted to be back in the western migration of the US like "Little House on the Prairie", until my wife pointed out no "feminine hygiene products".

[Claire M]

I'm with Raychel! I think people have been crossdressing for as long as there have been clothes. But when did it become taboo???

[Fiona_44]

I agree with Brenda on this. Once social status became more predominant, human creativity kicked in and men and women discovered how to create looks and garments that distinguished one from the other. Women's clothing evolved to be much prettier and softer than the more utilitarian drab men's clothing. It's interesting to see how many males have the desire to return to that prettiness and softness by crossdressing or living a trans life.