Ineke, I think they HAD those thoughts long before donning the dress for the pageant.
Maybe they didn't. We don't know for sure unless they came out.

Those kids aren't trans or harbouring nascent CD tendencies (well, maybe about 0.3% of them might be...) - this is seen as part of 'rites of passage': proving your manliness by being able to look female without giving up your male side...
Exactly, just what I thought. Arround here, people seems to think that crossdressing is like some kind let out only for those that are trying to express gender in some way, while actually it is not this way.

Crossdressing is called "crossdressing" because it means dressing with clothes a certain society associates with one gender, but not all people who like dresses or wear one and trying to look good wearing them (including make up and esentially everything women are associated to do) are trying to express anything gender related. They just like it or how it looks.

I'm a good example, I am not gender variant in any way (sorted out after years of confusion, but hey I finally got it), yet I adore how women look anatomically and how they dress, but I'm perfectly a male, I don't want to emulate women in any other way than that. I don't even use a "enfemme" name. There are more like me, and I know some (who I thank much for helping me in my confusion).

I dont think this is a case for making comparisons with me or anyone here or anywhere, but one can like something usually associated to the other gender without it becoming a gender variant thing.