What Is Helping the New Generations to Better Understand Cross-Dressing?

Cross-dressing has been a cultural taboo for ages. It’s no secret that people used to be persecuted for doing it.

But nowadays, youth seem to understand better what cross-dressing is and be more open to it.

As such, cross-dressing has become a trend among some teenagers, and lots of people feel safe doing it.

But what made things change so much in the past decades?

Culture changes with time, and sometimes, it changes for the better.

After years of fighting for rights, the LGBTQ community is gaining visibility.

And it reflects on the young people. New generations have more information at their disposal and seem to be pro-diversity.

If you want to understand what has changed, this article might help you.

I’ll elaborate on the aspects of culture and society that made it possible.

1. Shift in the cultural perception of gender

Culture seems to be volatile. It changes with time. In other words, we change culture as much as it changes us.

And much of the taboos we encounter can disappear if we allow ourselves to understand them.

In Western culture, there were a lot of misconceptions and prejudices regarding cross-dressers.

And conservatives tried to ban it several times. But as the years passed, we saw a cultural shift take place.

We began to understand better cross-dressing and saw how harmless it was.

Don’t get me wrong; it is still taboo in many countries.

But things are changing, as are society’s views about cross-dressing as a whole.

And as far as I’m concerned, these are good changes.

2. Improved civil rights

It took some time, but in most Western countries, people now have the right to cross-dress.

For example, in the United States, it used to be a crime.

Because of that, people were afraid of cross-dressing, as they could be arrested or sent to mental hospitals.

Conservatives and religious zealots did everything they could to reinforce this kind of law.

It was an attempt to criminalize our existence. It led to years of ignorance and even more misconceptions.

But then the fights for civil rights came, and politicians had no choice other than decriminalizing it.

This was the result of mixed efforts from the populace, as popular opinion was on the side of those who were being oppressed.

This is a result of the cultural shift discussed on the first topic.

People now feel safe to be themselves and explain to others what cross-dressing is about.

It is a process that takes some time, and there’s still a lot to be achieved.

But we are moving forward on that matter, and some results can already be appreciated.

3. Representation in media

Cross-dressers were always present in media, even in ancient Greece over 2000 years ago.

There were female impersonators in the late 1800s and early 1900s as well, who were quite popular.

And in the early years of cinema, cross-dressing was a common topic.

So, in a certain way, it was always a common trope in media. What has changed, however, is the way cross-dressers are portrayed.

Many years ago, people only brought up cross-dressing as a dark humor joke.

But movies such as “Some Like It Hot (1959),” “White Chicks (2004),” and “She’s The Man (2006)” helped to change some stereotypes.

Other pop culture characters such as Bugs Bunny and Popeye also cross-dressed in a non-satirical way.

It helped improve the common perception of cross-dressers.

Each year, we are better represented by the media, and representation comes with visibility.

The best example might be the now long-running show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

This one brought drag queen and cross-dressing culture to a whole new level of visibility.

This kind of initiative has been helping the new generations to be more open to cross-dressing and other LGBTQ themes.

4. Being a bolder generation

This generation is bolder than the ones before when it comes to expressing themselves.

They defy gender norms with ease and are open about how they feel.

It is less common for them to fear being themselves, let alone talk about taboo themes.

It includes cross-dressing and being trans, for example.

As such, the new generations are better informed about said themes and better understand them.

Many people cross-dress out of curiosity after hearing about it. This kind of thing was unthinkable 50 years ago!

But it’s nothing unlikely by today’s standards, which is a good thing.

5. Access to information

New generations have access to the internet from an early age. They learn fast and are in constant contact with a lot of information.

The first time I heard of cross-dressers was on the internet! Before that, I only knew the expression “To dress up as a woman,” which was quite taboo.

But in the online world, I was able to read more about cross-dressing and became part of online cross-dressing communities.

All of that before dressing up as a girl for the first time! Now, imagine future generations in the age of 5G.

All the information they need will be a single search away from them.

This access to information helps them learn more about our culture. It reduces misconceptions and misinformation.

No one can keep a piece of information out of someone’s reach on the internet, and it’s been destroying taboos.

Cross-dressing is still somewhat taboo in many countries, but newer generations are more open to accepting it.

They are bold and learn fast, which are two characteristics required to break taboos and get real knowledge.

As a result, they understand that there’s nothing wrong with cross-dressers and that our activities are harmless.

This concept is becoming widespread, and no one can stop it now. But there’s still some progress to be made here.

What we have to do is respect each other’s differences and fight for rights and proper representation.

Do you remember how you came to understand what cross-dressing really is?

Each case is unique, so make sure you leave a comment about how it happened to you!

Quiz:

What is the most efficient way of making others understand cross-dressing?

A. Representation in media

B. Internet articles


C. Encouraging them to be bold

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