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Cross Dressed Trending in Japan

Perhaps if Gerard Butler was Japanese he might take up cross-dressing as a strategy for staying youthful instead of appearing in L’Oreal ads. And if you think it might harm his action hero career it doesn’t appear to have held James Franco back — reportedly he’s been offered the role of Jason Bourne in the Bourne series, replacing Mutton Damon.

From last week’s Japan Times about the rise in popularity of cross-dressing there — male and female:

‘He’s a 52-year-old medical doctor who goes by the name Ayaka Ogawa when living out his cross-dressing fantasies of being a woman in her mid-40s.

“As you see from my (cross-dressing) age, I look young when I disguise myself as a woman,” the doctor, who only wanted to be identified as Ogawa, said in a recent telephone interview. “I feel good being told I look young.”

He takes care of his skin because he wants to keep being praised, and says he looks more youthful during his cross-dressing (“josou”) life.’

The piece tends to gloss over the MTF cross-dressing and concentrates instead on the various reasons for the popularity of the FTM variety, which is, let’s face it, what usually grabs people’s attention. Besides, the slightly Beiber-esque FTM cross-dressers in the pic are overshadowed by the MTF’s headgear.

Tip: Daniela K

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7 thoughts on “Cross Dressed Trending in Japan”

  1. Hello Floyd. I suppose beauty is in the eye of the (self) beholder, Naomi Woolf notwithstanding. Also, it may be that when he cross dresses he gets lots of compliments, partly because people think he wants them and partly because of course he has made an effort to look like that and it would be embarrassing or just rude not to say something. Or it may just be that he does look younger. We don’t see the ‘before’ pics, unfortunately.

    Not quite the same thing as cross dressing, but there is a phenomenon in the UK of middle-aged men who have led fairly stolidly heterosexual lives, often in ‘macho’ professions, having sex change ops. Whatever their past psychic history, it’s difficult not to wonder whether it’s some kind of new form of mid-life crisis. ‘Glamour’ is of course more conventionally attached to women – even women of a certain age.

    Though sometimes it is a little difficult not to think of Walliams in ‘I’m a lady!’ mode….

  2. I love this article. It put a smile on my face. The idea of dressing as a woman to appear younger makes me laugh, but who am I to judge?

    I think it’s great if, in actuality, cross dressing is becoming somewhat popular or “normal” in Japan. Why shouldn’t it be? What is the big deal?

    For me, this article is good news. I am a big fan of gender and sexuality existing on a spectrum. Regardless of my own opinion, dressing however you want and not being tormented about it sounds like a good thing to me.

  3. This article sounds as if this is a new thing in Japan. Visual kei has existed for both males and females since the early 80s. Goo look up BUCK-TICK, Malice Mizer, or early Dir en Grey. And Kabuki theater has existed far longer.

    I do know that as Japan becomes more open they are recognizing that females cross-dress as males more and more; especially with the Ikke-men being very popular (mostly Johnny’s entertainment group.) I’ve noticed though that there tends to be no problem with it as long as the individual is still heterosexual though.

  4. The article mentioned that “Cross-dressing is not necessarily a reflection of sexuality”. Does this make them “Metrodressers” or Transmetroites possibly 🙂

  5. I don’t think cross dressing will be a passing fad . . . Matt Damon will need to look younger to play Scott Thorsen, Liberace’s boy toy — Matt is 39, Scott was 17 – 22 years old when they were together.

    Michael Douglas is going to need special help from the make-up department as well — he is 67, Liberace was in his 50’s when he was with Scott. Rhinestones make you look better, but they don’t necessarily make you look younger.

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