Are there any examples of transvestites in ancient culture?
Numerous, especially if you look to mythology. Thor dressed up like a woman to reclaim his hammer from some giants who stole it.
And don't get me started about Loki - he gave birth to an 8-legged horse.
Though I'm not sure that's quite what you're after. To be fair, though, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot of difference between men's and women's clothing way back when anyhow. Really, it wasn't until we started developing very very gender-specific clothing that dressing as the other gender became noteworthy.
Are you counting men that played women in ancient theater? I don't, but it's good to set terms.
How about women who play Peter Pan now?
I would assume both of these cases count as cross-dressing, just like how we term cosplayers who dress as a character of the opposite gender "crossplay." I do feel that "transvestite" implies more a lifestyle as opposed to merely donning clothes in the course of your profession to play a role. I really can't say for sure. I will grant you that these words are often kind of difficult to define.
Are there any examples of transvestites in ancient culture?
Totally. I know there definitely were transvestites in Asia. (Mulan springs to mind as a legendary figure, as well as there being many Japanese boys who would dress as women.) There must have been tons of transvestites in Rome, too, but I don't really know. I am just guessing.
It's difficult to find examples of transvestites as we understand them (since the surgery really didn't exist outside of castration), but here are some examples of gender digression.
It's difficult to find examples of transvestites as we understand them (since the surgery really didn't exist outside of castration), but here are some examples of gender digression.
Transvestites and Transgender are different things. Also, you don't have to have surgery to be either. Transvestite means that you wear clothes you identify with the opposite gender, Transgender is that you feel like you are more comfortable as the other gender, transsexual means that you get your body altered to be the shape of the other's sex characteristics. A person can be a transsexual transgender transvestite, but transvestites are often not interested in becoming transsexuals or getting gender reassignment surgery. Edit: What WUB said.
To be fair, they also extensively cover Hitler's connection with the alien conspiracy. I seem to remember a show with a massive CGI reconstruction of a Nazi drill. I don't know what the context for this was, as the sound was off.
Comments
Not fighting this one again, guys.
Also, one likely example.
And don't get me started about Loki - he gave birth to an 8-legged horse.
Though I'm not sure that's quite what you're after. To be fair, though, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot of difference between men's and women's clothing way back when anyhow. Really, it wasn't until we started developing very very gender-specific clothing that dressing as the other gender became noteworthy.
A person can be a transsexual transgender transvestite, but transvestites are often not interested in becoming transsexuals or getting gender reassignment surgery.
Edit: What WUB said.