Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. Socialization establishes social norms among the people of a particular society. With regard to the social aspects of clothing , such standards may reflect guidelines relating to the style, color, or type of clothing that individuals are expected to wear. Such expectations may be delineated according to gender roles.
Cross-dressing involves dressing contrary to the prevailing standards or in some cases, laws for a person of their gender in their own society. The term "cross-dressing" refers to an action or a behavior, without attributing or implying any specific causes or motives for that behavior. Cross-dressing is not synonymous with being transgender. The phenomenon of cross-dressing is seen throughout recorded history, being referred to as far back as the Hebrew Bible. Its connotations largely changed in the 20th century as its use was more frequently associated with sexual excitement, otherwise known as transvestic disorder.
In , Havelock Ellis used the two terms "cross-dressing" and "transvestism" interchangeably. The earliest citations for "cross-dress" and "cross-dresser" are and , respectively. It is used in the transgender and crossdressing community to describe the act of wearing feminine clothing or expressing a stereotypically feminine personality. The term is borrowed from the modern French phrase en femme [ 12 ] [ 13 ] meaning "as a woman", Most crossdressers also use a female name whilst en femme ; that is their "femme name".
In the cross-dressing community the persona a man adopts when he dresses as a woman is known as his " femme self". Between and , JoAnn Roberts and CDS published a magazine called "En Femme" that was "for the transvestite, transsexual, crossdresser, and female impersonator ", [ 15 ]. Most crossdressers also use a masculine name whilst en homme.
Cross-dressing has been practiced throughout much of recorded history, in many societies, and for many reasons. Examples exist in Greek , Norse , and Hindu mythology. Cross-dressing can be found in theater and religion, such as kabuki , Noh , and Korean shamanism , as well as in folklore, literature, and music. For instance, in examining kabuki culture during Japan's edo period, cross-dressing was not only used for theater purposes, but also because current societal trends: cross-dressing and the switching of genders was a familiar concept to the Japanese at the time which allowed them to interchange characters's genders easily and incorporate geisha fashion into men's wear.
