So my girlfriend and I are disputing the differernce between doing drag and crossdressing. What do you all think?
So my girlfriend and I are disputing the differernce between doing drag and crossdressing. What do you all think?
I'm not completely certain about the semantics of all these terms, since I take it that the proper meanings tend to be largely determined by current usage. Here's what I understand:
"drag" can be a pejorative term, but it certainly need not. 'Drag' seems to have a kind of performative aspect to it, or a sense of heightened flamboyance in appearance and demeanor (a kind of extravagant look). 'Crossdressing' seems more to do with simply dressing in the clothing of the opposite sex. While 'crossdressing' is usually used to describe a male who dresses in female clothing, it need not (it can equally apply, I believe, to women who dress in men's clothing). 'Drag', however, seems fairly exclusive to males who dress in women's clothing (with a flair or panache).
When I think 'drag', I automatically think of some of the characters of the movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert. 'Crossdresser' doesn't conjure up such images.
I think, however, in the popular mind, 'drag' and 'crossdresser' tend to be blurred together. For example, someone might say "Did you see so-and-so last night? He was totally in drag" and here, 'drag' seems to be used in way that's fairly interchangeable with 'crossdressed'.
Sorry if this isn't much help.
Personally I think the difference is drag you do for someone elses enjoyment or entertainment and crossdressing is for your own enjoyment.
For a loose generalization, "drag" is primarily meant for performance , and the outfits & clothing are intentionally over-the-top (and often an exaggeration of women) as part of the act, while crossdressing is just simply dressing the way a woman does.
Since I see myself as both genders in one person, Nathalie is the female half of me.
Drag is a part of gay culture that deals primarily with subverting gender stereotypes and roles and relies heavily on camp and glitz. Cross dressing constitutes its own culture and has more to do with one's personal feelings about gender identity.
"None is more cruel and violent than the coward"
-Italian economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto-
On one hand the term "dressed in drag" is used most often to describe a man dressed up in womens clothes. But drag is also used in the term "drag queens" which makes me think of the over the top, flamboyant look which is more for show. I don't know if that helps settle the dispute.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Of course these definitional discussions are full of land mines, but I generally think that those doing "drag" are doing it for performance reasons and crossdressers are doing it to fill some inexplicable personal need. Of course, some, like me, combine the two.
Well the formal definition is, Drag - DRessed As Girl from Shakespearean times. But today it has become more of a description of performance based activities, Drag Queen, Drag show, etc.
No matter how hard u try, I WON'T let any of u CROSSDRESSERS DRAG me into this discussion!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
A drag queen is a performer (and usually gay.) Some DQs I have known are also TS and do drag for a living or for fun. A DQ could be a CD as well I suppose, though I have not met any personally.
i like Jill CD's answer the best, but everyone gets an honorable mention.
I get a real chuckle out of the DQ acronym, it just makes me think of Dairy Queen....
I think you've all pretty well summed it up. To me, drag has pretty well become synonymous with drag queen thanks to Ru Paul. Not necessarily a bad thing with his Drag U, etc. All those folks are blinged up to a pretty high and exaggerated degree. I wouldn't consider myself one of them, but rather a crossdresser maybe bordering on transgender aspects.
ChanDelle
Back when I was in high school, "drag" was when you took a date with you to the dance, as opposed to "stag."
Oh, language is such a slippery thing!
Eryn
"These girls have the most beautiful dresses. And so do I! How about that!" [Kaylee, in Firefly] [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"What do you care what other people think?" [Arlene Feynman, to her husband Richard]
"She's taller than all the women in my family, combined!" [Howard, in The Big Bang Theory]
"Tall, tall girl. The woman could hunt geese with a rake!" [Mary Cooper, in The Big Bang Theory]
And the word "drag" also meant a sad state of being, as in the song with the lyrics
"Kind of a drag ...
When your baby don't love you."
I agree with all of you! Thanks for setting it straight for her!
Simple really. If you get tips from watchers for being en femme dancing and/or performing it's considered "drag", if you don't get tips it's not.
Second star to the right and straight on till morning
This is another one of those stupid "labels" that has been slapped on us. It used to be that "drag" meant being flambouyant and waaaaay over the top, even making a mockery of females in general, and crossdressing meant trying to emulate a woman in her everyday life as closely and respectfully as possible.
When I hear the term "drag", I immediately think of Milton Berle on his old TV show. Rather demeaning to a crossdresser.
[SIZE="3"][/SIZE]Life is what happens while you're making other plans
Yes, I think of comedy too when I hear "drag". Do you remember Monty Python's "drag races"?
The main thing to remember when it comes to Drag, VS Cross Dress, they both have to do with a man wearing a dress! So there different, but the same.
Tina B.
Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.
Drag is sometimes used as shorthand for dressed. SO says, "If you go to support group in drag Tuesday, you cannot stay out late at the gay bar afterwards." (Finally sounds like acceptance. ) "Oh, Ok, I can go in drag."
"No I said DRAB, not drag." And no hiding a wig in the car. Sigh...
The very simple answer is that "drag" is what RuPaul does and "crossdressing" is what Tootsie did. A difference in presentation and flamboyance.
And now, my personal, not-so-simple answer (agree or not, it's up to you)...
Crossdressing is about looking like your typical woman-blending in for the most part. Drag is about looking like a very flamboyant, larger-than-life, stylized woman. Crossdressers will try to emulate what they believe "normal women" do-how they walk, gestures, speaking, etc. Drag queens* develop a character or an attitude that reflects their appearance; to be the center of attention both on stage and off.
But there are places where the lines blur. What about the crossdresser who goes to a nightclub in an animal print minidress, six inch stiletto heels, dramatic makeup and hair? Or, the drag queen who is out with friends in jeans, print top, sandals, makeup and hair that's not so dramatic?
It's more often believed that crossdressers are either heterosexual or bisexual; drag queens are gay. But there's crossdressers that are gay, and drag queens who are straight-though both are far less common than their counterparts. Transsexuals often begin exploring their gender identity as crossdressers-or drag queens.
There's a belief on the part of some crossdressers that drag queens don't like them-and vice versa. Crossdressers see a drag queen's attitude, their confidence and persona as being totally opposite from what they are; drag queens see crossdressers as repressed, looking down on them because they they can be what they want to be. But both are wrong-and right. Crossdressers need to see drag as legitimate an expression of gender as what they are doing; drag queens need to realize that crossdressers want to be "just another girl" and maybe that's a good thing.
Personally, I like crossdressing and I like drag. I'll borrow from both, because while I like blending in, being noticed ain't a bad thing, either. I've met some drag queens who were total bitches-in and out of a dress. But most were just people who could be kind, sweet, generous and supportive. In other words-they're people.
*For simplicity, I'm using the term "drag queen" to refer to men who do drag, performers, female impersonators, etc. There's differences but as Alton Brown would say, that's another show...
Two Jamie's agree - I think the distinction made here is a good one. I think "in drag" is practically a synoynm for "en femme," although the latter has classier connontations (perhaps, the instant "French effect"). Drag queens are about performance, and most can't wait to get out of the skirts and heels once the performance is over. Note, there are also drag kings (women who perform as over-the-top stereotyped men). They often go with the boy band or gangsta image.Originally Posted by JamieTG
Pinky both of those terms are "general in meaning" but certain groups have taken them and used them for special purposes and as you can see from all the previous posts it means what you put into them, not what's in them to begin with. Some of us grew up in a certain way and they feel one or the other is more appropriate but in fact neither is anything but the most general expression. People go on and on about using Transvestite vs cross dresser and those two again, mean exactly the same thing and what a person brings to the discussion will determine how they see each of the words.
In a way it is far less important which word is used than how you feel about them. Also we need to get over any issues we may have about "words" anyway, since we are human beings not words
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Mark Twain
[SIZE="2"]I don’t wish to hurt the feelings of those few proponents of DRAG that may exist on this site, since this topic has been discussed several times in recent memory, but, to be blunt, when I hear the word DRAG used in place of crossdressing, I wince…
To me, DRAG is an exaggerated form of crossdressing that has its origins in the theater. It has little or nothing to do with passing, since the idea is to draw attention to oneself by wearing the “wrong” clothes. Laughter may ensue, unless you’re a crossdresser actively trying to pass. Speaking from a position that some may interpret as arrogance, I don’t see anything funny about crossdressing, and DRAG has done nothing to foster understanding about what we do. DRAG may be the acceptable face of MtF crossdressing, so any attempt to seriously crossdress is seen as some kind of joke. It makes everything more difficult, especially if you’re trying to explain why you need to express yourself in this manner to someone who only knows crossdresing as DRAG...
I know there are all variations of DRAG, just like more serious crossdressing, but I’m talking about what is seen in the media, then remembered, accepted for what it is, and thought about no further. Case closed, which is unfortunate – we MtF crossdressers deserve better. That being said, rather than endlessly split hairs over terminology, I think we should all simply enjoy crossdressing… [/SIZE]
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