It is called cross-dressing or transvestism if a man dresses like a woman. It is called feeling free to wear what one pleases if a woman dresses like a man. This gender difference indicates two things. First, it is a telling metahphor for the many ways in which men are widely scorned when they choose to live outside of steretypically male customs. Men are the gender that should "know its place." Men's place is to have a body that is not to be used for fun and decoration but to be sacrificed in the brutality of war and in all of society's most dangerous physical occupations (firemen, construction workers, garbage collectors, and so on--all those jobs that are so injurious and dangerous to male bodies and that few women are waiting in line to join). Males learn early on that their bodies are to be rigidly USED, not enjoyed, for the benefict of others, especially for the benefit of the women and children for whose sake men must learn to willingly sacrifice their bodies, the health of their bodies, and the playful enjoyment of their bodies. The second thing we infer, from observing this gender discrimination with respect to attitudes toward what clothing men versus women wear, is the infantilization of women in that it doesn't matter much what women wear. Few persons become exercised by the clothing choices a woman makes. In fact, should she decide to dress in men's clothing, it may be seen as her personal fashion statement and a worthy and proud expression of her individuality. Thus women can do as children might do and not be concerned about their social roles while feeling free to playfully experiment with a very wide range of tastes in fashion. Women are not to be taken seriously enough to become much concerned with their clothing choices.
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