I'm extending this question to both cisgender and transgender people. Do you think the whole concept of drag queens, and drag queens themselves, make fun of transgender people, or are offensive in any way?
I believe I've heard a couple of feminists and/or trans feminists who've seen something (as have I) in various media over the years that depicts men dressing up as women, or simply effeminate men, in a humorous light, and question why exactly that's funny. Why would the image of a flamboyant man or a man putting on a dress be so funny for the public, when no-one ever laughs when a woman decides to dress in feminine clothing? Does it potentially imply that society inherently sees femininty as inferior to masculinity, deeming it as trivial compared to the more typically unisex (as determined by society, of course) nature of men's clothing? Is the exaggerated nature of many of these drag queens' clothing and performances poking fun at the way women accessorise themselves, and/or is it an attack on the cosmetics industry? Is it simply because it's "not normal", so it's alright to laugh at people for not conforming to cultural normality?
I don't really know what I think. Personally, I've never found it funny when Bugs Bunny dressed up as a woman and Elmer Fudd tried to hit on him, even when I was younger. But, I guess, since I'm not transgender, I never found it particularly offensive either. But it got me thinking, like how the trope of female-on-male assault or rape (that part in Wedding Crashers springs to mind; it's funny how easily a switching of genders can alter the intent of a scene), or numerous family sitcoms featuring a stupidly incompetent husband and a reliably intelligent housewife, can still be used as a gag in modern television. Or perhaps, at least for the latter, it's just playing on stereotypes (especially when you consider how many of the couple's children in these sitcoms are stereotypical teenagers and/or mirror their gender-matching parent in some way or another), which some would argue there's no harm in because it's effectively self-deprecating humour that is obviously not meant to be taken in factual seriousness.
The reason why I brought this up is because...well, I just find it all so fascinating to think about it. Not to mention I'm studying Sociology at A-Level, so this all ties in and can be used as research for me. So, what are your thoughts?
I believe I've heard a couple of feminists and/or trans feminists who've seen something (as have I) in various media over the years that depicts men dressing up as women, or simply effeminate men, in a humorous light, and question why exactly that's funny. Why would the image of a flamboyant man or a man putting on a dress be so funny for the public, when no-one ever laughs when a woman decides to dress in feminine clothing? Does it potentially imply that society inherently sees femininty as inferior to masculinity, deeming it as trivial compared to the more typically unisex (as determined by society, of course) nature of men's clothing? Is the exaggerated nature of many of these drag queens' clothing and performances poking fun at the way women accessorise themselves, and/or is it an attack on the cosmetics industry? Is it simply because it's "not normal", so it's alright to laugh at people for not conforming to cultural normality?
I don't really know what I think. Personally, I've never found it funny when Bugs Bunny dressed up as a woman and Elmer Fudd tried to hit on him, even when I was younger. But, I guess, since I'm not transgender, I never found it particularly offensive either. But it got me thinking, like how the trope of female-on-male assault or rape (that part in Wedding Crashers springs to mind; it's funny how easily a switching of genders can alter the intent of a scene), or numerous family sitcoms featuring a stupidly incompetent husband and a reliably intelligent housewife, can still be used as a gag in modern television. Or perhaps, at least for the latter, it's just playing on stereotypes (especially when you consider how many of the couple's children in these sitcoms are stereotypical teenagers and/or mirror their gender-matching parent in some way or another), which some would argue there's no harm in because it's effectively self-deprecating humour that is obviously not meant to be taken in factual seriousness.
The reason why I brought this up is because...well, I just find it all so fascinating to think about it. Not to mention I'm studying Sociology at A-Level, so this all ties in and can be used as research for me. So, what are your thoughts?
