Did you have any famous crossdressing inspirations when growing up?

[DanielleDubois]

As a young teen in the early 70's my most memorable crossdressing inspiration was the fabulous Jim Bailey when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show several times. His female impersonations of Judy Garland and Phyliss Diller were excellent but it was his transformations to Barbra Streisand and Peggy Lee that totally amazed me. The attention to detail, the extra long fingernails, thin eyebrows, and cleavage was extremely intriguing and I found it exciting that a male could convincingly present as female. Of course, the slight problem was when I was watching was not to look too interested to my parents.

[Patience]

Growing up in Latin America, there always was a great emphasis on machismo, even though there was a strong undercurrent of homosexuality.

I was too caught up trying to fit in to even think seriously about cross dressing seriously. I couldn’t let go of it until two years ago, even though I had been living in an LGBT friendly area for two decades.

[jacques]

hello Danielle,
my mother was fond of watching Danny La Rue on the television; she thought he had lovely legs.
stay healthy,
luv J

[Robertacd]

The only regular character I can recall seeing is Flip Wilson and of course Geraldine Jones.

[GracieRose]

No real inspirations come to mind. But I did like to watch Bosom Buddies, and thinking about how I could get myself into a situation like that.

[DanielleDubois]

I guess I should have explained that Jim Bailey was the first female impersonator I had seen. I'm not counting Milton Berle because he was very much a man in a dress characterisation. Many of the others mentioned in this thread were also favourites and inspirations. The wonderful Christopher Morley (he did a great pictorial in Playboy magazine) and Bosom Buddies, I watched them all trying to learn makeup secrets etc.

Theresa, I saw Danny LaRue a few times but being British we didn't see much of him in Canada. If you aren't aware he was featured in a movie called Our Miss Fred ( parts are found on YouTube) where he was disguised as a woman in WWII Germany. Not a great movie but in one of the last scenes where he models several beautiful gowns in a fashion show is amazing.

Leslie, I rented that VHS tape Dream Boys Revue and almost got caught at the school I taught at dubbing it from one VHS recorder to another. Excerpts of it can also be found on YouTube. And you are right Dave Foley made a very passable female on Kids in the Hall but probably his best was on an episode of NewsRadio where at a Halloween party his girlfriend was jealous because he looked better in one of her dresses. But Tommy Sexton in Codco could be truly beautiful in his female roles. His Linda Evans in a spoof of Dallas stands out in my memory.

[Pixie_94]

No, I don't think there was anyone that could have counted as inspiration.

[Meeshell]

I'm not sure if they were inspiring, but Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari's situation, in Bosom Buddies, was a dream of mine.

Hugs
Meesh

[Taylor186]

In my mid teens The Ugliest Girl in Town TV series premiered (1968). I remember it in that it featured someone crossdressing in a, more or less, normal everyday way, and seemingly passing. It was a comedy, so passing was in the eye of the beholder. It lasted two seasons and was later ranked by TV Guide as one of the 50 worst TV shows of all time, but there I was in front of our portable B&W kitchen TV watching it every week while the rest of my family watched TV in the living room. My mom had to wonder what had gotten into me (or maybe she knew).

ugliest girl in town.jpg


[edit] You can find the premiere episode in decent quality on YouTube along with three or four later episodes, in really poor resolution.

[Stacy Darling]

UMM? Candy Darling MY IDOL!

[Sally Paradise]

I never had any real life inspirations, but I was a huge comic geek growing up and I?m sure seeing that type of femininity and costumes and things like thigh high boots had some effect on my psyche at an early age.

[candice.aihara]

Aspirations, no. However, I do recall watching old Looney Toons episodes where Bugs Bunny would wear women's clothing.

[Sometimes Steffi]

My mother's younger sister was a real fashionista. I always wanted to wear what she was wearing.

[Denice]

I wouldn't say it was an inspiration but I loved watching Monty Python's Flying Circus when I was a kid. Still watching it.

[Asew]

The only ones I knew were crossdressers on talk shows like Maury or Jerry Springer which actually were part of the reason I pushed away my crossdressing and stopped for nearly 20 years.

[SaraLin]

Thinking back to my formative (childhood) years, about the only crossdressing incidents I can remember encountering were in cartoons.
Most of THOSE were where the character fell victim to another. (such Foghorn Leghorn being tied up and made up to look like a hen, or George Jetson falling victim to the clothing machine dressing him wrong.) USUALLY the message was that this was to embarrass or even outright shame the victim.

BUT -then there was Bugs Bunny.

He was the only one I can think of that WILLINGLY dressed up as the opposite gender (and did a good job at it too!)
He wasn't ashamed of it, wasn't a victim of it, and (usually) flirted with male characters - who were fooled by the change.
I envied him that ability - secretly, of course.
One interesting side thought: I remember him planting a kiss on male characters when he wasn't dressed, but always resorted to the old plunger gag when dressed up. Because of the times, I guess?

[jamienoir]

There was also Chris Morley. He was in that episode of "Too Close for Comfort" when Monroe fell in love with her (this is a looooong time ago lol). He was also in an episode of Vega$ and many other things too. I couldn't wait to see that episode in syndication lol.

I remember Entertainment Tonight did a segment of drag queens in the mid 80's - that almost blew my mind.

[steffigirl37]

Christopher Morley in "Freebie and the Bean". I love the dress he wore.

[HelpMe,Rhonda]

Christopher Morley on some show called Partners in Crime. A rare thing back then, multiple amazing oufits, somewhat sympathetic character, not a murderer or murder victim.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I totally forgot, but Lauren Bacall taught me how to put on stockings.

I was watching a movie, and she pulled up her stockings by rolling them up and pulling them up her legs slowly.

I just had to try it!

[KeiraKeane21]

Same for me Josie. GG's were always more of an inspiration to me. Admittedly, Britney Spears was definitely a huge influence on me growing up. She was kinda both my first crush and an inspiration haha. I know there were many more influences, but my thoughts always go back to her first.

As for crossdressers, I never had any one in particular as idols, but more of the whole cosplay community who crossplay. I always admired how much they could transform themselves to fit a character. Being an anime nerd also helped haha.

[NancySue]

I, too always envied Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies. Not that it matters at all, but he did such a great job, I?ve wondered if he isn?t one of us. Same with Tony Curtis in Some Like It Hot. Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. I loved his last comment in the movie.
There was another movie where guys dressed up to get into a sorority. I would have done that while in college...but...

[April Rose]

When I was very young female singers often performed in long gowns. It seemed fascinating and yet completely forbidden at the same time.

[KarenSusan]

Christopher Morley was hands down my favorite.

[susan jackson]

There was another movie where guys dressed up to get into a sorority

'Sorority Boys' from 2002?