Why is crossdressing considered Funny by the media?

[VioletJourney]

You know what I mean. Every time a sitcom involves crossdressing, it's presented as if CDing is a joke in and of itself.

I was watching Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day tonight, and for those of you who are familiar with that movie might remember there's a scene where all the prostitutes are CD'd men. However, none of them are even close to passing, they're fat hairy men wearing dresses that are completely unflattering, intended to be a comedic effect. But the underlying "joke" is that men were dressing like women.

How can anyone take us seriously if the media considers our lifestyle a big joke? (Crossdressing, not prostitution And I'm just giving an example, CDing is almost always a joke on TV or in movies)

(Even worse, I was watching the movie with my dad and my brother, who without hesitation said "oh, that's disgusting" and "that's just wrong"; looks like I'm still deep in the closet for the time being.)

[Amelia]

You have to be able to laugh at yourself...

[Kate Simmons]

Because the Media itself is funny. It takes one to know one.

[KrystalA]

Sitcoms usually go for the cheap laugh, and they figure a guy in obvious "drag" is a funny visual gag. But yes, I feel it is demeaning for those of us who dress this way for the pure joy of it.

[erickka]

That's Hollywood baby! Everything is just a big fat joke to them. I agree that the more we are portrayed in that way, the harder is is for us to crack that nut.

[Gina X]

We have a UK sitcom at the moment that has one of these characters in I do watch it because I like the rest of the programme but the CD character just leaves me cold. It is written by one of those writers that thinks old ladies wetting themselves is hilarious I just don't find that kind of thing funny at all. Each to their own I guess !!

[Amelia]

Everyone gets made fun of at some point and we find it funny unless it hits close to home; then we get offended. Should I be offended by the Big Bang Theory because they make fun of smart geeks? Should I be offended by Community if I attend a community college?

You can't take things so seriously, especially comedy.

[Tina B.]

You watched it with your dad and brother, did they laugh? Most people do! For us it's not so funny, but the rest of the world finds it unusual, and outside of their normal experience, and that helps humor. And as a heterosexual the thought of going to an area looking for a prostitute, and finding nothing but a group of men in dresses, I can see where a writer could find humor in a set up like that. The homosexual used to be the funny little hair dresser, or florist, or what ever comic relief, in the movies, now they are lawyers and businessmen, and are no longer necessarily the comic relief, so They need some one else, I guess it's our turn, maybe in 20 years will be main stream enough to be the doctors and lawyer, instead of the comedy relief.
Tina B.

[divamissz]

Because the general public finds a man in a dress funny. Especially if they look bad in it. The writers don't know anything about crossdressing or drag beyond what they've seen on other shows, or the badly presented transperson they might have run into sometime. It's a self-replicating bias...

And minorities are always being shown as stereotypes in the worst light. The majority always uses the minority as the butt of their jokes-because it's easy.

[Emme]

Why do sit coms make the dentist act like a fool? always

THE ANSWER: people are afraid of the unknown!

enter the Crossdresser

[Wendy_Marie]

Because as the song lyrics state....Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk hand in hand.

People fear that which they do not know and refuse to take time to try and understand. Plus, I think it is in human nature to laugh at or make fun of those things which one may feel uncomfortable with...as if this will in some way help distance themselves from the situation.

[billie earls]

Almost all comedy relies on what they think is funny about each and every group of people and thats okay, the problems lies when people take the stereo-type and believe it's truth. Go to any book store and look for say polish joke books and then look for italian and irish jokes books they are about the same they just change the nationality. When its comedy laughter is the best medicine but when media (news) try and be funny people take it more seriously and as we all know the news on tv can be biased with the slant towards whatever soap it wants to sell.

[Kathi Lake]

I simply have to look in the mirror for my answer. Face it, I'm funny-looking!



Kathi

[docrobbysherry]

Sadly, one word comes to mind, Violet.
IRONY!

[JamieTG]

I guess we'll have to blame Milton Berle and Flip Wilson. Seriously, I don't think its a big deal and a lot of people find it funny. I'd rather have Xdressing used in comedy shows than have us be the serial killer all the time.

[TGMarla]

Once upon a time, Hollywood portrayed gay people as funny little queers. They no longer do so because of several reasons. First off, many of the people in Hollywood are actually gay. Secondly, they now sport quite a bit of political clout. So now, gay is the new normal in Hollywood. Every show has either a gay character or three, lesbian sex (better yet - hetero females experimenting with lesbian encounters), or somehow incorporates the gay lifestyle into their plotlines. And look at the names: Modern Family. Queer as Folk. And on and on.

So since they can no longer ridicule gays, a new foil is needed, and they immediately replaced gay peeps with crossdressers for comedic value. Obviously that's not normal, so it's open season.

[celeste26]

It really boils down to the nature of laughter and historically the visual contradiction that comes to people's minds when they see an obviously crossdressed character is a laugh response. It seems to be wired into our human brains. Ultimately that why "passing" is so important to most of us, it means that the people who see us dont automatically have that response. Imagine what would have happened if a "fear" response was what was wired into our brains, CD's could take over the world.

[Debra Russell]

Funny is as funny does -- now a cat in a dog suit, now thats funny! It's all about the presentation. I wonder about my own presentation when I am dressed and out --! Oh yyyyes it can be funny!!! suck it up and laugh!

[VioletJourney]

I guess we'll have to blame Milton Berle and Flip Wilson. Seriously, I don't think its a big deal and a lot of people find it funny. I'd rather have Xdressing used in comedy shows than have us be the serial killer all the time.

You mean like in Silence of the Lambs

[Frédérique]

How can anyone take us seriously if the media considers our lifestyle a big joke? (And I'm just giving an example, CDing is almost always a joke on TV or in movies).

[SIZE="2"]Yeah – you should be angry about this. Is it any wonder that crossdressers are relieved to meet others on this site, and discover that what they do is NOT a joke? I keep thinking about that recurring motif, in a TV show or movie, when someone realizes that someone’s crossdressing is not for the purposes of laughter, so it immediately becomes a problem, meaning a mental disorder that needs to be corrected as soon as possible. Crossdressing is never just allowed to exist for its own sake – it’s a type of behavior that needs to be explained somehow, yet it is largely inexplicable…[/SIZE]

Even worse, I was watching the movie with my dad and my brother, who without hesitation said "oh, that's disgusting" and "that's just wrong"; looks like I'm still deep in the closet for the time being.

[SIZE="2"]The message is this: DON’T do that, because you’re supposed to follow the path of conformity that has been laid down for you, and any deviance from your expected trajectory may lead to further explorations into deviancy, all of which are not acceptable for one reason or another. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with expression, or curiosity, or experimentation, or deviancy for that matter – you can be outwardly “normal” yet remain deep in the closet, straddling the parameters for reasons of mental health and stability. I can think of many accepted forms of behavior that are “just wrong,” but try telling that to the conformists. Its fun being in a minority, I’ll tell ya…
[/SIZE]

[VanessaVW]

You mean like in Silence of the Lambs

That movie was a serious set-back to me in those days. The movie was before internet days.

[Eloise]

Because its easier to laugh at something you dont understand that take some time to learn about it.

[AllieSF]

Entertainment is two fold, to entertain and to make money. Most television programs and movies make fun of everyone at one time or another. So, once in a while it is our turn in the barrel. Contrary to a lot of members' point of view, I love the free advertisements about the whole LGBT scene, funny or not. Hell, if we ourselves seem to always stay in the closet (the majority of CD's anyway), and we get no press time on the boob tube nor the big screen, how is anyone going to know that we really even exist in any significant number to be taken seriously or humorously? As mentioned above, the gays and lesbians are now being portrayed in more serious situations, as well as, continuing in the humorous roles too. Our time is coming faster than many believe. Many times humor helps set the stage for a more serious understanding of unknown topics. Keep it coming media people. And, fellow members let's get out there more being ourselves and having a good time in the real world so that we can become better understood as having the right to be in this wonderful and diverse world that we live in.

[Jilmac]

I know what you mean Violet, I have often wondered the same thing. Remember The Drew Carey show? His brother on the show was a crossdresser and again very unflattering and unpassable. The tv writers must think we're all buffoons. I'd love to see a prime time show with a crossdresser in a serious situation. I've seen some cop shows where potential suspects or victims were crossdressers but they were portrayed more like drag queens and gay and that's not really who or what we are either. Perhaps some day there will be a transgender writer of producer who will bring the truth about crossdressing to the forefront. Until then I guess we will always be laughed at by the media.

As for the comments from your dad and brother, all I can say is they'll never know the absolute joy we have in pursuing our favorite pastime.

[susand262]

I think it's better that they laugh, then normally how we are portrayed in the news. Their it's always because someone performing a crime or something in public. Stealing or worse. Recently in san Diego their was a story about a man wearing a dress attacked a teenage girl.