Dolly Cross-Dressing

Hetero or lesbian relationships are less common, but not odd to me. This hobby is mostly female, so the m/m pairing is always going to be more interesting than a m/f or f/f.

Seeing everyone and their grandma have gay crossdressing male dolls have put me off the idea. Some people have done it superbly, others have stuck their doll in a dress because he's a pretty uke.
I read this comment a while ago, on DoA somewhere, and tbh, to me, it sums up the general feeling of crossdressing on this board- "I put him in a skirt, so the other doll has easy access." How charming.

For me, someday I do want to have my girl to be a drag King, because I honestly think it'd be interesting to try and see the other side of crossdressing. That, and I'm probably trying to project my subconcious onto her character

 

Seriously. Everyone has their own set of "cues" for deducing gender on-the-spot. I have long hair and earrings. I'm also 220 lbs, broad-shouldered, and start getting 5 o'clock shadow around 10 in the morning. I've been called ma'am more times than I could keep track of, and you just have to laugh it off. It's usually just a failure of perception on the part of the viewer, and there's really not much you can do about that other than the "I'M A BOY" t-shirts. And you have to acknowledge that the more traditionally feminine cues you add to your boy, the more likely people are to think he's a girl, no matter how you personally may feel about gender roles.

I was surprised to see just how prevalent crossdressing is among BJDs. Not only because real-life crossdressing is not socially acceptable where I am (southern U.S.), but because I've spent a lot of time in virtual and RL communities involving alternative sexuality, and even there crossdressers are generally looked down on. I'm starting to wonder if it's just a generational thing, and that society 20 years from now will be more accepting than society today.

 

I think this topic is interesting. I mean my doll is a he and he does on occasional dress or skirt number. I don't get upset perse that ppl call him a her, but I also just keep saying he until they repeat it. Its annoying the first few times u expreience it I think with a new doll or if u have been around dolls alot. But after a while u just roll with it. Some ppl r just not going to get it, and thats ok.

 

Pardon my long winded reply but this is a topic really close to my heart

I totally agree. I believe it is a generational thing. And the biggest thing to me here is, that a LOT of dolls look like they came out of an anime and are very effeminate (which makes absolute sense considering their origins) and we have to consider the fact that homosexuality or campiness is really popular in anime/manga. Especially now when this generation is all swept up in anime and manga, it does not surprise me in the least.
That and there is a much larger group of people nowadays claiming to be homosexual/queer/gay/bi just to grab attention or appear different. Gay itself has kind of become a trend in some ways.

Honestly, cross dressing is REALLY taboo in the states, so I think it is absolutely fantastic that it is so popular around here.
I have a cousin who stopped cross-dressing for honest to god fear for his life, from his own family. I really personally hate the fact that he must live that way, that anyone has to. But in some places it's just truly not acceptable. And although we are only talking about dolls here, it is some level of acceptance and curiosity that wasn't there before.
Especially MALE cross dressing. It is far more acceptable in real life for females to cross dress, still not 100% okay, whereas males are viciously attacked for it, but here it's everywhere.

I have a firm belief that everyone has their own personal sexuality, and to categorize them so rigidly is just completely inaccurate. So I think people expressing this 'sexual deviance' through their dolls is completely acceptable, and fabulous. Through dolls we can be freer and we could get used to certain trends in a safer environment that may be difficult to accept in real life.

I personally had a teacher once, who I studied queer illustration with, who explained to me this idea that everyone had their own sexuality with one of his previous students.
This student was an ftm, but he did not change his physical sex. He remained purely physically female on purpose, continued to dress similarly, but asked to be referred to as male, and chose a male name.
I could not wrap my head around this for the longest time.
Then I received a free doll head from one of my customers. I'd planned to turn this doll into a really boyish little thing, as I had a lot of more effeminate faceups under my belt and nothing else. I painted him up, put him on one of my other boy's bodies and gave him a wig and eyes. For the first few minutes I felt something was odd. Then I accidentally referred to him as her in my head, and it all clicked. She was perfect just as she was. I put her on a girl body once and it was completely wrong. You just know these kinds of things sometimes.
She is a she, no doubt about it, despite what kind of 'parts' she has.
So in effect, I ended up with a doll very much like that student of his.

I know it seems kind of odd, but through a doll I have come to understand something I had difficulty seeing before.

And I think that could go for anyone

 

Wow Jellyfish, a lot of what you just said sounds like a friend of mine. Cheryl has been MtF trans for about 15 years, is a famous playwright in the Washington and NYS regions, and an all around wonderful person. She also happens to be a Buddhist monk. She and I talked about her transition after I read one of her stories/plays called "Princess in training" and she said some very interesting things. She talked about how gender and sexuality are more fluid than people are willing to accept because of western societal constraints, and that there is nothing wrong with living in total androgyny and identifying as one gender, the other, both or neither.

I think we are lucky that in the doll community we CAN explore this aspect of humanity, through our dolls. Previously I posted here a whole list of questions, designed to make people think. Crossdressing is a societal issue, not a gender issue. Gender identity is a personal gender issue, not a societal issue. People tend to get that confused. Sexuality is a different issue again.

The difficulty is that in westernised society this is such a taboo subject that for a very long time it has been untalked about so for a vast majority of the population there is actually no mental space for these concepts until someone softly and gently applies a mental wedge, and opens it up for them, or gives them enough curiousity to open themselves.

Perhaps BJD are one facet of society, allbeit a subset of society, that can slowly open eyes, and create a wonderful ripple out into broader society.

I also saw a lot of talk about homosexuality and crossdressing, two things that do not necessarily go together. I like Yaoi, Yuri and Hentai, I just do (real life porn does little for me, cartoon does, go figure) but I get very annoyed with these genres as their portrayals, although they are hot, are unrealistic. That is a shame. Homosexuality is also now a "fashion" which is insulting. This aspect of being fashionable makes it HARDER for those of us out there who are genuinely interested in the same, or both genders. It does not make it easier, it makes it laughable.

Something for everyone to think about:

Crossdressing is not a subject that should be instantly related to homosexuality. Most of the women today are crossdressers by the standards of 70 years ago.

Gender is not an issue that should be instantly related to sexuality. There are people born of the gender their hearts and minds believe them to be who are straight, and gay, and bi, and there are people born in a body opposed to their heart and mind gender who are gay straight and bi.

Societal norms dictate how we are TAUGHT to see these things, but we have the choice to be constrained or to step outside the norm. If we step outside the norm we DO have to expect people to not understand, but instead of being offended take a pause and think "is this my chance to lift the veil a little for someone?" don't preach, don't try to convert, just give an opportunity for someone to see the world from a new angle.

 

I think that if a spare doll body cost $10, things might be a little different. If it's easier to adjust your mindset, at least where dolls are concerned (not sure it's safe to assume yet that everyone with a dolly crossdresser would be similarly open minded if their new co-worker liked to cross-dress outside of cosplay or similar, or even particularly comfortable with actual transgendered people, depending on with who they grew up, and where...) than your wallet, well, you adjust.

Of course, there's a lot of historical precedence for cross-dressing in certain situations too, as a job - male performers playing women, women going into battle pretending to be men. So maybe people are mentally filing dolls in as more similar to performers than "Eeek! I just found lacy underwear in my husband's drawer...in his size!" type stuff?

 

I agree with this. Everyone wants their doll to be special in a way. Some people like having "normal" characters, but as evidenced by the abundance of fantasy dolls, a lot of people like these special exceptions. Cross dressing dolls aren't unusual, but cross dressing people are still in the minority, and that's why a lot of people like to do it. A lot of people really could care less about what's trendy in the doll world, and if what they're doing happens to be trendy, they shouldn't have to stop doing it just to look more "sincere" about it.

Besides, you all know you put Ken in a dress at least once.

 

you know... I never put Ken in a dress...I did put my He Man figure in a dress though......

 

There seem to be a lot of coincidental threads (in my case) on DoA (~ouo)~

I don't think I can say anything that hasn't already been said, however when I do see crossdressing dolls, I do like to see the reason behind their crossdressing other than "just because" or because it's something "out of the norm" etc (examples of reasons I've heard~) but at the same time... There doesn't really need to be- it's just how they dress, is it that big of deal? (Besides, if girls can wear pants, why can't boys where skirts? )

Personally when I get my doll, who's male, he will have a few dresses/girly clothes in his wardrobe... mostly because one part is as a homage to Jasmine You, and the other because I REALLY want to try a Dress Tutorial I saw in the Sewing Thread xDD

 

This, really touched me. As someone who doesn't "conform" to gender (for lack of a better word) it just, wow. :3 have a cake.

 

Jellyfish,
I agree a lot what you said. Even though my doll have not come yet. I already know she will be the person I'm trying to be. Even though she will be her own person and have her unique characteristics, I know that when she arrives, she will give me the strength to be who I am. I can express my feelings, my belief though her first more easier than I can myself and as time progress, I hope that I can express myself fully

 

*purrs* thank you for cake. Cheryl touches my heart and mind every time I talk to her. Often I think the whole world would be better off just getting rid of the distinctions and letting people just be people.

 

Agreed

 

I think a lot of people in the hobby have one or more dolls that allow themselves to explore those aspects of their personality they are, perhaps, not entirely comfortable expressing IRL for one reason or another, allowing them to work out in a "safe" situation just how they feel and think.

Obviously not all BJD owners do this - either consciously or subconsciously - but it's a reason for owning BJDs that I've seen crop up repeatedly over the nearly-5 years I've been in the hobby myself.

 

I'm not really into crossdressing my boys (though I don't have anything against other people doing so)... I don't even care much for dressing my girls as girls, with the odd exception that is in-character for in-universe dolls.

Or rather, I wasn't.... until I found out that the CP Yder BW I hadn't really bonded with after 3 years in his boy-form looks FANTASTIC as a girl, so I'm redoing the faceup as straight-up pretty female and letting him go transgender. ^^;; And I'm so excited, it's like getting a new doll! I don't have any desire to swap out the body; the CP Delf boy body is so curvy that it looks great in girl-clothes. And I want to make frilly girl clothes and buy pretty shoes for him/her SO BAD NOW.

So now I DO have a cross-dressing doll. I guess it just happens sometimes, it feels for all the world like Tsubaki is "coming out" as transgender. (Maybe this mirrors some of my RL experiences, I have a couple of friends who eventually came out as transgender, underwent the MTF transition, and became happier as a consequence. Art imitates life?)

 

I love crossdressing dolls. I have never done one that way before--but one of my dolls, a DiM Bbjorn...I am considering crossdressing him.

I like to see them and don't really care why they're crossdressed. Though I certainly enjoy having the owner tell their story--whether it's trandgendered issues or something else completely unrelated. I even enjoy the dolls done just because someone was "into" a gay fad at the moment. It's all good. Truthfully, the "Easy access" explanation cited above would have made me giggle like a pit fiend.


Personally, the only real explanation I would ever offer--if I should crossdress Bbjorn, is "just because I felt like it". I've never felt that a person's choices need validated by explaining them. If someone should see Bbjorn in a dress and knickers one day and think,"A boy in a dress--He must be transgendered or gay" that would be fine with me. But if someone should assume I did it just for shites and giggles, that too would be good. LOL! Laid back much?


So although I am cognizant of all the differing permutations of cultural relevance in crossdressing a doll... I don't worry about the motivations for such a thing. I just appreciate the dolls as lovely.

 

I think a lot of people's lives are ruled by faded traditions and "normalities" that should no longer apply to 21st century society. If one were to step back and look at things from a broader perspective, such as seeing clothes as simply clothes, without any tags attached or cultural implications that should mean nothing, they would be a lot more accepting of things like cross-dressing. But alas, a lot of people still have their minds narrowly sealed shut and take offense to trivial matters, such as an individual's fashion sense, that differentiate from their own.

Regardless, whatever feels natural to you is the direction you should go, imo.^^

 

Nicely said.

 

a] is it unethical/wrong to picture "underage" (that means 21 for me) dolls cross-dressing?

No, not at all. It happens in real life, too and I don't see why it should be wrong for dolls.

b] when cross dressing how far does one go? Does one leave it to feminine clothing/face-up? or does one go all the way?
I never cross dress my dolls and never will. It's a question of taste and I don't see a reason to dress my boys in girl clothes, because it's simply not my cup of tea. I love the very girlish stuff and that's why I have two female dolls. But I don't judge about people who decide to put their boys in female outfits.

c] Is it wrong to post pictures of your cross-dressers?
No, absolutely not. But I'm personally not interested in it and I don't click threads, if I recognize that the content shows cross dressing dolls.

 

I do strongly belive in the DOA mantra "Its your doll, do what you want", but for these explanations I am going to bypass that.

a] is it unethical/wrong to picture "underage" (that means 21 for me) dolls cross-dressing?
Not a chance. At least not to me. As far as I know most people seem to start truely experimenting and come into themselves as adolecents, around the ages of 14-16 give or take a few years either way. So, to me, it seems fairly natural for teens to be seen crossdressing.
I do feel that their should be a reason for cross dressing a doll. I am all for the "Just because" but I find it more...reasuring, to know there is a reason for it. For instance, I cross dress my boy Eitan, because in his story, it was how he was raised(inspired by the background of the main murderer in the story With Red Hands by Stephan Woodworth except Eitan's mother did not mutilate him, and he is not a psychopathic killer)

b] when cross dressing how far does one go? Does one leave it to feminine clothing/face-up? or does one go all the way?
This for me depends on the character that is being portrayed, and their intent. Is the character supposed to be mistake for a girl, because of being a female impersonator, or because they are disguising themselves. Or do they simply feel comfortable with this clothing and makeup. useing my Eitan as an example, he does not go out of his way to look like a girl, I do not have him wearing any makeup, and try to keep his face and body masculin, he feels comfortable in womens clothing.

c] Is it wrong to post pictures of your cross-dressers?
No. If people dont want to see cross dressing dolls for whatever reason, the backspace button is just a click away.


EDIT: I would just like to add that hachimachi makes a perfect point! *applauds*

I do hope I wont get in trouble since Eitan is currently an off topic doll, since was an on topic doll not long ago, and he will be an on topic doll again soon. (he is transitioning between sculpts)