Transvestitism has a long history, ranging from mythical figures to medieval saints who cross-dressed; from the many instances of berdache in anthropological literature to historical figures such as the most famous eighteenth century French transvestite, Chevalier d'Eon (Bullough, 1993). There are countless examples of this in Greek Theater; the public theater of England, including Shakespearean plays; Kabuki and Noh theaters in Japan, and the Chinese opera. For years, it was considered immoral for women to act in theater, so men assumed the roles of female characters. Even after it became acceptable for women to enter acting, there are many cases of crossdressing in film.

Female Transsexuals, and Male Homosexuals" 1993.

Garber (1995) believes that transvestitism has become more prevalent in the media because "the current roles of men and women in society, maleness and femaleness and personality, are all very much under question." More women are "wearing the pants" in the family, and more men are becoming more hand on with child rearing. Although this may be true, it does seem as if a woman assuming characteristics of a man is much more accepted than that of the reverse. In the 1950s, Mary Tyler Moore caused much controversy by wearing Capri pants on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and even then was allowed by the studio to wear them during only one scene per show. In the 1970s, women rebelled from typical gender roles by burning their bras, often seen as a symbol of gender restraint. These are just two examples of how women have changed views enormously over the years. It is now common for women to adopt traditional male clothing for everyday wear. It is a rare double standard, with women being accepted in this behavior, and often even encouraged for breaking gender barriers, whereas men still are not.

URL: http://www.tgguide.com/Library/Psych_Abstracts/tvwomen.txt.

There appears to be several facets to transvestitism that may be overlooked at first glance. It is the subject of much controversy, and conflicting viewpoints. Throughout history, society has embraced cross-dressing in the form of art, however, shunned it in everyday life. This may be viewed as hypocritical, especially with today's more "liberal" and accepting attitudes. Transvestitism seems to be an unobtrusive way of life, yet is still viewed as a whole as deviant behavior. Practicing men often still feel the need to keep it secret from even those most close to them, so as not to risk ridicule and possible destruction to their business and personal lives. Lack of understanding and compassion may be at fault, and it looks as if time has done little to change this. It seems as if the old adage "live and let live" is quite appropriate for this lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of society has yet to adopt this view.

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon donned full women's garb in Some Like It Hot (1959), Cary Grant, in Bringing Up Baby (1938), and Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1983). Women have been known to get into the crossdressing act in film and theater as well, with the role of Peter Pan traditionally played by a woman. Marlene Detrich and Josephine Baker were also known to occasionally dress for the stage in full tuxedo, top hat and tails included.

URL: http://www.tgguide.com/Library/Psych_Abstracts/comparst.txt.

Mainstream?" Boston Globe 21 March 1993. URL: http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~mberz/ttt/articles/what-a-drag.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dr Stoller, Dr Rudd's, Peggy Rudd, According Garber, , Matthew Gilbert, Share Lives, Van Dyke, Marjorie Garber, Crying Game, rudd 1995, crossdressers share lives, peggy rudd, sexual pleasure, women wearing, everyday life, prince 1971, 1993 url, pleasure wearing, share lives, dr peggy, dr peggy rudd,
Approximate Word count = 2075
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)