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Transformations
Gathers photographs of crossdressers, and shares interviews in which they explain their compulsion to adopt a feminine alter ego
- GenresLGBT
174 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
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June 12, 2023
Man. You ever read a little book that fills you with love, joy, peace, and a renewed faith in humanity? I think this might be my favorite photobook I currently have in my possession, which is starting to say something, LOL.
I'm on this kick where one of the things I want to acquire for my LGBT library is photobooks, particularly if I can get vintage ones. This one was published in 1989, and it captures people born and living in various stages of the 20th century. There's a lot of things to love about this photobook. It's a lot of portrait photography, yes, but with each set of photographs comes also an interview with the subject matter, and sometimes their close (accepting) family members and lovers/girlfriends/wives. I also really enjoy the diversity in their opinions and perspectives. For some crossdressing is play, it's sometimes a fetish; other times it's for fun and freedom and getting to be someone else; other times it's a gender thing, and an expression of the true self; other times it's just getting to experience the fullness of humanity, getting to have a greater diversity of experiences, to "see both sides" or explore their own masculine and feminine aspects. I also love these vintage photobooks and their documentation because of all the places people mention going, all the groups they joined or started or were involved in, etc. I love getting to see how people have lived their lives; I love getting to see the way queer people used to live. (Whether or not they thought of themselves as queer or simply a visitor.)
There are two forms of diversity-lack that I otherwise would have loved to see more of in these portraits. With rare exception there are next to no interviews that has one of these folk with a male partner, it's them with a lot of women, so that's one mark against it (although some of these crossdressers/transexuals/transvestites--I'm using their words--also remark upon prior male partners or experiences being with men.) There's also only three crossdressers pictured here of color, and of those three, only one is interviewed, which is a damn shame. Really hoping I can find something like this photobook that accomplishes some of the same things without being so heinously white. And then with this third thing, I don't really regard it as a lack of diversity per se, it's just a feature of this photobook and the type of people it captures, but--this book captures crossdressing, but specifically of the MtF persuasion. There's one time where a FtM crossdresser/transsexual is mentioned, and that's because he's the partner of one of these persons pictured. If you were looking for people of a transmasculine expression, this isn't the book for you--this is all transfemme stuff!
All in all, a great read. Per usual, I am astounded by people's complicated views on gender and society that gets unearthed as soon as people start getting genderqueer about things, and these well-dressed gals are no exception. We've got some real philosophers amidst their girdles and satin slips and evening gowns. You go, girls!
I'm on this kick where one of the things I want to acquire for my LGBT library is photobooks, particularly if I can get vintage ones. This one was published in 1989, and it captures people born and living in various stages of the 20th century. There's a lot of things to love about this photobook. It's a lot of portrait photography, yes, but with each set of photographs comes also an interview with the subject matter, and sometimes their close (accepting) family members and lovers/girlfriends/wives. I also really enjoy the diversity in their opinions and perspectives. For some crossdressing is play, it's sometimes a fetish; other times it's for fun and freedom and getting to be someone else; other times it's a gender thing, and an expression of the true self; other times it's just getting to experience the fullness of humanity, getting to have a greater diversity of experiences, to "see both sides" or explore their own masculine and feminine aspects. I also love these vintage photobooks and their documentation because of all the places people mention going, all the groups they joined or started or were involved in, etc. I love getting to see how people have lived their lives; I love getting to see the way queer people used to live. (Whether or not they thought of themselves as queer or simply a visitor.)
There are two forms of diversity-lack that I otherwise would have loved to see more of in these portraits. With rare exception there are next to no interviews that has one of these folk with a male partner, it's them with a lot of women, so that's one mark against it (although some of these crossdressers/transexuals/transvestites--I'm using their words--also remark upon prior male partners or experiences being with men.) There's also only three crossdressers pictured here of color, and of those three, only one is interviewed, which is a damn shame. Really hoping I can find something like this photobook that accomplishes some of the same things without being so heinously white. And then with this third thing, I don't really regard it as a lack of diversity per se, it's just a feature of this photobook and the type of people it captures, but--this book captures crossdressing, but specifically of the MtF persuasion. There's one time where a FtM crossdresser/transsexual is mentioned, and that's because he's the partner of one of these persons pictured. If you were looking for people of a transmasculine expression, this isn't the book for you--this is all transfemme stuff!
All in all, a great read. Per usual, I am astounded by people's complicated views on gender and society that gets unearthed as soon as people start getting genderqueer about things, and these well-dressed gals are no exception. We've got some real philosophers amidst their girdles and satin slips and evening gowns. You go, girls!
Displaying 1 of 1 review