![]() Forced or Farce?Stacy Clement, M.A.
In the initial search for information about this anomaly that envelopes us, most, if not all, end up in an adult bookstore. There amid the photo essays about virgins and huge breasts are the selections about men who dress as women. A good many of them are about men being forced to dress like women. The plot generally goes one of two ways: the young man is experimenting with mom's or sis' panties or nylons and is caught in the act; or a domineering mom, school mistress or neighbor uses dresses as punishment for bad male-like behavior. Either way, the woman is shown strong, the man or young boy, weak, and the result is a crossdressed adventure. Inevitably, the crossdressed man learns to sit, walk, and talk like a girl; passes in public; often has an encounter with a man who is unsuspecting; frequently to spend all or part of the remainder of their lives so clad. The stories are predictable and are sold at highly inflated prices (having published a couple of these novellas I can attest to the gap between author and retailer). But they are very popular and sell well. So, why is that? Why do men, especially crossdressers like to read about, and we can assume, imagine and fantasize about being forced to crossdressed? The answers are not simple, there are potentially multitudes of reasons. But clinically, psychologically, the reasons are identifiable. I do not propose these as any sort of diagnosis or judgment, but rather as fodder for the brain. Take from it what you will. Crossdressers are often faced with a mixed bag of emotions with which to deal. Guilt, fear, self-doubt, and so on invade the consciousness and move our actions. In the search for our Holy Grail (understanding, feminity, acceptance???) we seek reasons for the behavior, direction for the future and acceptance from without and within. Discovery of a mound of written matter (at this point in our search it is information about others like us) allows us a starting point from which to build our reasoning. [Humans, above all other creatures, find the need to explain and understand, compelling and often overwhelming.] We look at the racks of books that deal with crossdressing and seeing that forced performance seems to be fairly universal and somewhat accepted, we attach that reasoning to our behavior. I must have been forced into this, beyond my will. The rationale follows that because this is the possible root cause of the behavior, my responsibility for it is lessened considerably. Of course, if I had not been coerced, I would be "normal." Lights go off and whistles sound. This rationale, be it couched in true recollection of personal history or not, serves to lessen our frustration and guilt and may turn out to be a positive experience. If the association with forced initiation is all fantasy, it can provide an insight into a crossdressers rationale for the dressing, for the fantasy, and for the emotional turmoil that accompanies them. It can be surmised the fantasy will give way to acceptance of the true motivation for the crossdressing behavior and we all know that is a many armed octopus. It may be the simplistic gathering of information on the road to admission as a TS, TG, or TV. It may be the road marker that says it is something we need to experience as part of our growth process. Or, it simply may be a pleasant diversion.If, of course, the truth is that the crossdresser was forcibly dressed as the books and magazines suggest, there is a decidedly different pathway that the process takes, than if it is a simple fantasy. The course may follow to participation in S&M activities, maid servitude and any number of other situations. The course may likewise follow to therapy, self-destructive behavior, and what psychologists call acting out. The former may be benign and harmless while the latter may signal the need for psychotherapeutic intervention. Either way, acknowledging that many if not most trans-people participate in or fantasize about forced crossdressing is perhaps the most we can do. Some smattering of research, specifically Ray Blanchard and his recent studies of men who like crossdressers, has begun to uncover the undercurrents in the trans-community. We are perhaps too diverse a population to look at from the macro-community level. Therefore, research on the various diversities within the community may provide the only viable method for understanding the whole. As always, if this or any of my writings have caused you mental turmoil and the need to be counseled, please seek out such assistance. Further, I welcome your comments, input and darn near anything but flames to: tedclem@ix.netcom.com. Stacey Clement holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from U.S. International University in San Diego. She is currently working on her Doctorate. Her dissertation is slated to begin late in 1996 and will focus on the children in transgendered families. ![]() |