Introduction
One
of the plot twists that I find most interesting comes when women—for whatever
reason—perpetrate masculinity. The ability of a story to develop intriguing
plot twists is by no means found singularly in character cross-dressing. Yet,
when characters find themselves in a position where cross-dressing seems to be
the only resort, audiences then find themselves waiting anxiously for the
moment of disclosure; such a moment seems not only plausible, but inevitable.
One reason for the inevitability of disclosure lays in the expectations of the
heterosexual social construct: it is expected that regardless of the reason for
cross-dressing, the time will come when the cross-dresser must step into the
socially accepted world by donning the proper gender specific attire and
accepting the social role assigned to their sex. However, history has revealed
many women and men who have challenged genitally assigned social roles without
ever accepting heterosexual expectations.
