Am I a transvestite?

Question

I am a waitress who has to wear pants, shirt and tie at work. My gf said it is a female version of being a cross dresser. Is that true? If women wear male clothes are we transvestites too?

Answer 1

There is definitely such thing as female transvestites (women who enjoy dressing up in men's clothing). They're a smaller population and less well-known than male transvestites, but I know quite a few of them (some butch lesbians, drag kings, and tomboys all fall within this category, as well as some others, like femme girls who like to butch it up once in a while).

I wouldn't call you a transvestite, however, for two reasons:

1) Male clothing has become a lot more unisex. People don't consider a woman wearing a tie to be crossdressing, and especially not pants! Gone are the days when women only wore skirts- now a woman in a T-shirt and jeans- the same thing a guy might wear- wouldn't get a second glance. In order to really be cross-dressing as a male, you'd need to be wearing something like a full-piece suit or something that could identifiably be male and not just unisex girl's articles of clothing.

2) To be a transvestite, you need to be doing it consciously. If it's for work, you simply aren't a transvestite, because you didn't get to choose it. Now, you might be crossdressing at work (which I don't think you are, see #1), but that still wouldn't make you a transvestites- transvestites are those people who enjoy and choose to dress in the opposite sex's clothing. It's an identity, not a state of being.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Technically speaking, yes.

Women often wear clothing that was originally designed for men. Like pants, jeans, tee-shirts, etc. But to fit the female form, that are cut different. Society openly accepts the fact of women wearing this design of clothing and thinks nothing of it. In fact, it is an openly acceptable manner of dress.

But on the other side of the coin, a man in a skirt and heels gets all kinds of looks.

The long and short of it all, although your friend is technically correct, I wouldn't think twice about it.

Answer 3

Unless you derive some sort of pleasure from this, you are not a transvestite in the true definition. You are merely following the required dress code.

Yes, anyone who dressed as the opposite sex for pleasure purposes is a transvestite, no matter what their gender is.

Answer 4

Transvestites are people who wear clothes of the opposite sex in order to take on the traits of that sex and fantisize. I don't think that describes your situation. You just wear a uniform to work like a lot of people do.

Answer 5

No. I know a woman who wears men's underwear. I wear men's t-shirts and jeans sometimes. I have to buy a lot of my jeans in the men's department to get the length right. I wear boxers.

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life.

Answer 6

The gender lines are getting so blurred anymore. If you really get into the male role at work then you could possibly be a drag king.

Answer 7

I suppose so, but society is more accepting of women dressing like men - just look at those awlful shoulder pads that women wore in the 80s.

Answer 8

those items come in women's clothes... if you select the men's clothes from the men's department I suppose a litteral definition would make it cross dressing, but women are more accepted in that role so actual drag kings also sport facial hair and a "unit"

Answer 9

If a man in a skirt is a cross dresser, than so are you.
However, I think both boys and girls should be able to wear as they please without being labeled and judged.

Answer 10

I think they should have the boys at least the option to wear a cocktail dress. I think that is a fair statement.