The last few days we have been in a whirlwind of Old Spanish Days – it has been Fiesta Time here in Stepford – and Two has celebrated in style by stepping out in drag.
He point blank refused to wear his gaucho shirt and insisted on wearing a twirly dress like his sister which was very funny at home, so I aquiesced, liberal parent that I am, but found that it was less funny when given ‘bad mamasita’ stares by a hundred macho Mexican men in the streets.
My boy is rather scrumptious, if I do say so myself, but there is no way that he can pass for a girl, even at twenty six months. He looked a trifle, shall we say, lumberjack?
The next Fiesta day he chose one of his sister’s white smock tops over his own jeans which looked less peculiar than the dress, but he had insisted on having a large black curly moustache drawn over his face at nursery which left him looking like a crazed blonde toddler version of Toulouse-Lautrec. All we needed was a beret and a few paintbrushes and we’d be away, especially as he was quite good at endearing himself to young senoritas in full flamenco garb.
His first three word sentence: Viva la fiesta!
I did tweet about Two’s crossdressing the other day and someone very kindly sent me a picture of her sons dressed in tutus so I felt slightly better.
Did any of your boys go through a dress phase?
I’m trying to be relaxed about it – I thought I was SO cool until my boy put a dress on and stepped out in it himself.
Turns out I am a closet reactionary and I am worried about what the neighbours will think. Oh GOD! I”M GOING TO HAVE TO PUNCH MYSELF ON THE NOSE!
We are heading up to Monterey in the morning to look at the aquarium, the sea otters (the cutest mammals in the ocean) and footle about as a family before coming back for the big countdown to Kindergarten (WAAHHHH).
I am not taking my computer (gasp!) so I will not post for a few days. This might kill me.
Of course if I get really desperate I might do a really crap, misspelled one from my iPhone. That would be bad.
However, I’ll be checking back for succour in the form of comments and I promise I’ll respond so please tell me your best boys in a dress tales.
Mothership xo
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Two sounds ace. I approve of his outfits. As for mine, not a dress, but an all-consuming obsession with pink. Everything had to be pink, including a pink potty that was ceremoniously brought to nursery and fought over by all the girls. Also, at nursery he often came back with bunches or a ponytail and sparkly hair accessories, presumably stolen from small girls. We did also have to buy him girls shoes with flowers on from a surprisingly non-judgmental sales assistant in John Lewis.
As soon as he reached school pink was history. I mourned a little.
Little boys in dresses raise eyebrows (not in Queen Victoria’s day when the frillier and prettier the better); but little girls in blue jeans and a t-shirt are cool? Hmmn…Macho Still Rules? We still bow to male hegemony? Weep.
My 20 month old enjoys camply draping a purple feather boa around his shoulders and dancing :-). Apparently, if we let them do it in boyhood, less likely to do it in secret as adults. x
When I was a toddler they put me in a wig my mother had and took a photo. I looked like Marc Bolan.
My boys have just never been interested in clothes. Full stop. So dress up was never something they did, whatever was on offer. Except the Spiderman costume – that’s always been a favourite.
I have a 15 yo who dresses androgenously most of the time. He does like to wear skirts, and has borrowed mine on occasion for special dos. So far, I have managed to generally channel him into fairly socially acceptable skirts (kilts), although, since we’re in Texas, that still brands him a tad.
He is routinely confused for a girl anyway, even when wearing jeans, because of the long hair and earrings. Apparently the stubble just doesn’t attract as much notice.
Here’s the thing–I really don’t care. He’s comfortable with himself and his sexuality (and yes, 15 yos do have it). I can’t complain.
Oh, we’ve been there with Boy #1. And no doubt we will again with Boy #2 (although with his philosphical objection to pink in any form, maybe not). I have some lovely photos of Boy #1 at a play centre dressed up as a fairy that I will pull out to embarass him in years to come. And I suggest that this is how you view this experience too; a flash in the pan – and ammunition for when he’s an unbearable teen…
No cross dressing, but you know about the obsession with mannequins. Enough said.
An excellent tale! Don’t worry – you are not alone. My young man has been through a distinctly girlie phase on and off for as long as I can remember. When he insisted on being Stephanie from LazyTown rather than Sportacus my husband got the biggest fright of his life! My blog post ‘Boys with be Girls’ should reassure you! http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2009/06/boys-will-be-girls.html
My friend’s son was 7 years old and dressed up as Snow White to go to a party. Some of the parents there where a bit shocked but that’s what he wanted to wear.
I wouldnt worry, its probably a phase, mind you, your son is still only a baby.
I live in the gay capital of England – I we see grown men dressed as women all time! I dont even notice them anymore.
RMxx
Oh, you’re all so LOVELY, thank you. I promised to comment while I was away, and, well, I didn’t. There was no internet and the iPhone is TOO HARD for my big-ass hands. And as most of you will know. ‘Family holiday’ is an oxymoron. There was no holiday. It was very, very hard work. Fun, but very, very hard work.
Jaywalker. He selected a Tonka digger t shirt the next day and like you I felt a little stab of sadness.
Shrinkrap. Why is it that girls look so adorable in boy clothes? I think it’s just because we’re cuter all around. But you could have a point that is going over my pretty blonde head…
All grown Up. You’re right. We let him. I’m fine with dress up. I just got a bit funny when he wanted to do it in front of the macho Mexican men at Fiesta. I didn’t mind what they thought of Two, it was what they thought of me. I’m SO NARCISSISTIC
Rodney. Post a pic. We demand it!
Iota: Spiderman counts as dressup. Definitely. It’s just very easy to explain dressup.
The Mother. A 15 year old I could totally handle. At that age they’re expressing themselves and they’re teenagers. Supposed to and all. But the trannie toddler was hitting me with that stuff just a bit before I was ready for it!
Potty Mummy: Very comforting. And you know, Two has a friend (boy) who routinely dresses up as Snow White at preschool every single day. I’ve just never seen any of them out in their costumes. Maybe none of their mothers are as cool as me? (desperately tries to shore self esteem)
Jessica. Um. Yeah. I think your boy is going to be ambushed by real babes before he gets a chance to develop a full scale relationship with a doll, though 😉
Hot Cross Mum; Thanks for the reassurance and I’ll pop over to read your post asap!
Rebel Mother: What a strong character to want to do that at 7, despite the peer pressure! I’m impressed. I think these kids (and men and women) are very strong people. The weak ones, or the ones who have to deal with their crap are the ones LIKE ME. Clearly I have issues I have to work through. That’s what you lovely people are here for; )
I don’t have a dress story, but I do have a nail polish story. When B was in school in London – age 5 and an independent boys’ school in our neighborhood – he was desperate to wear my nail polish. Needless to say, this was not something condoned by the headmaster. So after school on Fridays, B would come home and I’d paint his nails. He’d very happily wear the pink, or red, or whatever, all weekend, and on Sunday night we’d take it off.
He asked me every weekend why boys couldn’t wear nail polish to school like girls could, and I never had a good reason beyond that while I was perfectly fine with it, there were those who didn’t consider it acceptable for boys to do. He was fine to wear his shirt and tie, so it wasn’t about cross-dressing or drag – he just liked nail polish. I’m wondering if, now that he’s in college, the nail polish will make a return :).
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