Crossdressing

Crossdressing is a theme in fanworks and in canon Women dressing as boys is a common device in Shakespeare's comedies. wherein a character dresses as a member of a different sex or gender.
In canon, it is often used comedically, as a plot device and as a kink, both sexualized and not. It can be used for comedy or for kink in fanworks as well, but can also be portrayed seriously as an aspect of a character's gender identity or expression.
In some cases, a character is actually trying to pass as a member of the other sex and fool people. This is often seen in stories of women dressing as men to take a job or take part in some adventure that would otherwise be denied them. Coffee Prince uses the trope as its main plot device, as does Ouran High School Host Club, Princess Princess, and a lot of Shakespeare comedies. In other cases, the character crossdresses only occasionally, either for some plot-related reason or as part of kink play. 
The phrase cross-dressing for justice usually refers to works in which the character is undercover as a woman in order to FIGHT CRIME. It may have originated in DC Comics fandom, where people cross-dress for justice a lot.
In anime fandom, a crossdressing character is sometimes called a "trap", especially for males dressing as female. A female dressing as male can be called a "reverse trap". There has been some backlash against this terminology, as some people say it is transphobic.Traps are not necessarily Transgender, Anime-Traps wikia, 2017"Why aren’t problematic translations fixed?", Amelia Cook, AnimeFeminist.com, February 4 2017Gender Identity in Convention Culture, Lauren, Anime Boston blog, April 4 2015
==Examples==
===Fanfic===
====Buffy the Vampire Slayer====
* Mascara by Sharkbait. Dark, angsty character study in which Jonathan puts on his mother's makeup
====My Chemical Romance====
* Catholic!Frank and Artist!Gerard Not!Fic by Sena. Frank Iero/Gerard Way not!fic in which Mikey Way happens to be a crossdresser.
* This Never Happened by bexless. Frank Iero/Gerard Way not!fic where Gerard crossdresses, including taking Frank to prom in drag.
====Harry Potter====
* Schoolgirl Fantasies, by mothproof-ammeh. A prank goes wrong, because that's not cliché at all, and Remus ends up dressed like a schoolgirl. Rampant sexing ensues. (Prompt was "Sirius walks in on Remus wearing a skirt and stockings" or something.). Pairing: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
====The Hobbit====
* Lady In Red by windchijmes. Thorin dresses as a woman; Thorin/Dwalin
====Merlin====
* Disguises and Imposters by Corona. In which Merlin is in disguise, and not happy about it. Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
* Gifts by entangled_now. In which Arthur gives Merlin a gift. Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
* The Main Reason A Knight Might Buy A Dress by chicgo_ruth and jelazakazone. Gwaine steels his nerves to give Merlin a present. Words: 1472. Pairing: Gwaine/Merlin
* Privilege by entangled_now. Morgana and Arthur are going to be the death of him. Words: 1800. Pairing: Merlin/Morgana, implied Arthur/Merlin
* That Thing by teprometo. Arthur cannot imagine Merlin in a dress. This is the problem. Words: 10,838. Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
====Naruto====
*The Saki-chan series. fic and fanart by Asuka kureru and others, in which Sasuke starts off crossdressing for a mission but develops an alter ego called Saki-chan. 
====Star Trek: TOS====
* Crossing the Line by Kathy Stanis (1995), James T. Kirk, "He pulled the delicate silk up slowly; the feel of it whispering against the smooth skin of his legs emptied his mind of everything else." 
====Teen Wolf====
* Of Lace and Werewolves by Mandibles. Or the Adventures of Jackson's Frilly Pink Panties and Its Cousin Lacy White Panties. It all starts when Lydia buys the panties for him. Things go downhill from there. Words: 14,288. Pairings: Jackson/Lydia, Derek/Jackson, Jackson/Lydia/Stiles
====Torchwood====
* It Creeps Up On You by pocketmouse. She finds it hard to flat-out ask, out of nowhere. It reduces her to stammering and stuttering, and she hates that. The easiest way is to just trick herself into saying it, make herself believe it’s something casual, when really she’s going to say “I want to see you in a skirt.” Words: 11,558 Pairing: Owen/Toshiko
====Twelfth Night====
* The First Twelve, by thingswithwings -- genderbending & crossdressing
====X-Men: First Class====
* Any Day Now by entangled_now. Raven's smiling so hard her face has to hurt, and he can feel the wash of her amusement. It's mildly humiliating. Words: 3800. Pairing: Charles/Erik
===Fanvids===
* I'm Your Man, a 2008 vid featuring women in men's clothes from a variety of movies and TV shows
=== Fanart ===
File:Slippery Slopes Fanmade Cover by delightfully-deranged-dagur.jpg|Fan-made cover by delightfully-deranged-dagur for courtney-deserved-better's fanfic Slippery Slopes. Features Alejandro from Total Drama crossdressing.
=== Other Resources ===
Fictionmania - an archive for fiction about themes of gender-changes, cross-dressing, and transgender characters
==References==
Category: Glossary