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Passing, in regards to gender identity, refers to the ability of an individual to be successfully accepted by others as belonging to a gender opposite to that of their biological sex.[1] Typically, passing involves a mixture of physical gender cues (e.g. hair style or clothing) as well as certain behavioral attributes that tend to be culturally associated with a particular gender.
Irrespective of a person's presentation, many experienced crossdressers assert that confidence is far more important for passing than the physical aspects of appearance.[2]
Related terminology
Gender attribution
Gender attribution is the process by which an observer decides which gender they believe another person to be.[3] Once an observer makes an attribution of the gender of a person, it is often extremely difficult to make them change their mind and see the person as the opposite gender.[4]
Read
The failure to pass as the desired gender is referred to as being read.[1] In this context, read is used as a verb.
The event of being read is known as "a read". In this context, read is used as a noun. It can also be called "being clocked".[5]
A person is far more likely to be able to read someone of their own race but less likely to read someone of a different race. It is generally accepted that this is because gender cues within one's own race are more readily recognised than gender cues of other races.
Depending upon a person's presentation, anybody may read them. What is more important than whether a person is read or not is how others react if they do read that person. It is suggested by some researchers that many transgendered people who believe that they are passing are in fact being read by many observers, but the observers do nothing confrontational and hence the transgendered person is not even aware that they were read.[4]
Stealth
The term stealth is used to refer to a person who passes as their desired gender at all times, and who has broken contact with everybody who knew their gender history. Thus, everybody around them is unaware that they were not always of the gender presented, and they are effectively invisible within the population of their current gender. In order to live in stealth,[5] an individual has to be extremely passable.
History
Historically, there have been circumstances wherein people have impersonated the opposite gender for reasons other than gender identity. The most common other reason was for women disguising themselves as men in order to become soldiers.
Reports exist of women doing this in both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. Examples include Mary Anne Talbot and Hannah Snell.
Two of the most famous examples of women who disguised themselves as men to fight in battle are Joan of Arc, who fought for France against the English during the Hundred Years' War, and Hua Mulan, who, according to legend, took her elderly father's place in the Chinese army.
Modern context
In modern times the endeavor of trying to pass is most often practiced by cross-dressers and transsexuals. Because most performers, drag queens, and drag kings are often open about their natal sex and are not actually trying to appear to be the opposite gender, they are not typically referred to as passing, even though some may be able to do so. Similarly, while many cross-dressers who venture out into public areas do try to pass, unlike transsexuals, they do not (usually) undergo any permanent physical alterations or attempt to live full-time as their adopted sex in order to make passing easier.
Conversely, almost all transsexuals will attempt to live and work as their preferred gender and be fully accepted as that gender rather than their natal sex. Therefore, passing is not just an option but is seen as a necessity by many. The majority who have undergone gender reassignment surgery or who are past the transition stage do not usually refer to themselves as passing, since they now consider themselves to actually be that gender. Those who are completely accepted after transition often choose not to disclose their natal sex and instead live in stealth.
Transgender people who do not describe themselves as either cross dressers, transvestites, or transsexuals may have different attitudes towards passing. For example, they might not try to pass at all, they may send consciously mixed signals, or they might be able to pass but do not hide the fact that they are transgender. Personal views on passing and the desire or need to pass are independent of whether an individual has had medical treatment or has legally changed their gender.
In the transgender community, those that cannot pass may sometimes view those that pass with jealousy. Because of this, there may be a tendency for some of those who pass to avoid those that are easily read. There is the perception among many that when one person is read, anyone with that person will be assumed to be transgender by association. This is one reason why people living in stealth rarely if ever associate with other transgender people.
Methodology
Persons seeking to pass as the opposite gender to their natal sex will, by necessity, seek to hide or disguise features that are specific or more common in their natal sex while emphasising or artificially creating features that are indicative of the gender that they seek to present.
Passing as female
For natal males passing as female, this will typically involve wearing of a wig or styling their hair in a manner usually specific to females, removing or disguising facial hair and wearing makeup to make their face appear female, altering their body to resemble that of a female, wearing female clothing and accessories, speaking in a voice that fits their presentation and adopting female mannerisms.[6]
Passing as male
For transmen, drag kings, or any female-bodied person trying to pass as male, this will usually involve binding the breasts to create a flat-chested appearance, altering the voice to sound deeper and more male, and wearing male clothing. Baggy or loose clothing is usually preferred because it hides female characteristics such as breasts and rounded hips. Often, a "packer," a false penis worn at the crotch to approximate the shape of male genitalia, will be worn.[7]
References
- ^ a b http://www.cornbury.org/?q=node/4
- ^ http://www.gendercentre.org.au/63article7.htm
- ^ http://www.symposion.com/ijt/gilbert/kessler.htm
- ^ a b Jennifer Anne Stevens. From Masculine to Feminine and All Points in Between, Different Path Press, 1990. ISBN 0-9626262-0-1
- ^ a b http://geekbabe.com/annie/feature/gloss.html
- ^ http://www.masstpc.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=MTF_passing_tips
- ^ http://www.geocities.com/ftmPass/passing.html
See also
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
