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oh girl, same for me! I recall often seeing them on those same shows when I was a young teen and just being enthralled. I wanted so badly to be just like them and also dared not get caught being fascinated by them! haha
I recall taping an episode once with CDs (I think it was Maury's show) and then hiding the tape but watching it over and over and over again.
As a child, back in the 60's and 70's, I used to sit and watch the drag performers here in the U.K. These were odd times as drag artists were revered and openly accepted in society. Unfortunately crossdressers weren't.
It was on our little black and white telly I sat ogle eyed loving the glamour of the gowns worn. Even the films of the time at the cinema had me wanting to wear the dresses worn by the ladies. My admiration did stir those feelings to dress that were already there. I always enjoyed watching the variety shows and sat in awe of the beautiful gowns and dresses the women wore. The fact that there were Drag artists that could look as glamorous made me realise that men can wear womens clothes. I knew then that I would prefer to dress as a girl than a boy.
I was lucky as a child as I had access to clothes to wear and, on occasions, I could dress openly in play. My mother liked the theatre and dressed me up as well. I am sure that if I were to have aspired to being a drag artist I would have full approval of my mother!
Although I loved the glamour and gowns I liked to wear every day clothes and be an ordinary girl. Sadly it wasn't to be as it wasn't a good time to admit you were a crossdresser. All I could do is dream.
Many years later that dream came true...
I remember Hinge and Bracket
Not drag queens at all but rather elegant elderly ladies which appeals to an elderly girl like me. I think they must have been influential although at the time I didn't't realise it.
HRx
Can't believe that the 3 or 4 times a similar topic has come up that I have never heard anyone mention the TV show 'Bosom Buddies' with Tom Hanks. It's about 2 young men who can't find an apartment in NYC that they can afford except in a hostel for women only. Loved that show.
Sandy
I remember being shooed out of the living room when I was a little kid. It was the early 70's and a night I'll never forget. The whole family was watching the Ed Sullivan show. Jim Bailey came on and impersonated Judy Garland with "The Man That Got Away". I was fixated for about a minute before my parents noticed and rushed me and my sister to bed. I'd already tried on a bra at that point. About a year later I started dressing every chance I got.
I think my first TV exposure to crossdressers was Flip Wilson's Geraldine character. Then came Monty Python and Busom Buddies. But these all treated dressing as a woman as something to be laughed at. For a young person trying to figure out the why and how I was, I really didn't think I was someone to be laughed at, even though it was accepted as okay to dress. Very confusing to say the least.
Then came the talk shows. Donahue, Geraldo, Maury and others started showing the human side of what I was experiencing, along with some of the drag stuff and even having the audience try to figure out which ones were men, like it was a game show.
Yes, I watched them all. Enlightened by some of it, PO'd by some of it too. But I survived, and slowly began to figure it out and began to accept that I wasn't deranged or mentally ill. I met Vincent about that time in my life then too, and his influence on me was astounding, and I really began to accept who I was and who I was becoming.
Growing up I was always stuck to the tv when crossdressers or drag queens appeared. I didnt admit it to anyone but knew in my heart I wanted to try it too. Later I got hooked on jerry springer show who interviewed many girls of both groups and loved to hear their stories
When I was really little it made me super uncomfortable, probably because I was just figuring out that I wanted to do it! Around someone - I think one of my parents suggested me dressing as a girl for some reason - a school event or maybe Halloween and my grandmother told this story about a boy she knew doing that and getting arrested. At the time I didn't realise how different the 40s were so that scared me a lot!
Later on though, after trying some things on I was addicted, but would not want to be in the same room as my family while that was on. I would change the channel any time a man was in drag, even when they started playing Flip Wilson re-runs. However, whenever I was home sick I would scour all the daytime talk shows for it like crazy. It all started with a Jerry Springer called "Men Who Work as Women," and I have had that fantasy ever since. I watched everything I could as long as no one was around.
I remember when I was 12 though watching something on E! about a place in Vegas called Club Makeup which had a lot of crossdressing. This would have been 1999 and terms weren't given the spotlight they are today so let's just say there was a musician who was biologically male but seemed to present as a woman all the time. That really appealed to me so it was uncomfortable to watch that with my parents. A lot of the other aspects weren't as much my thing, but I really envied that person and was attracted to the whole thing.
Now I still love it but I avoid it with my wife now that she knows. Haven't even watched much Drag Race since then, but our interest in that always comes and goes.
I'm sort of getting on in years, so I distinctly remember Milton Berle (Uncle Miltie) in drag. He was followed by Flip Wilson as Geraldine, then Bosom Buddies. I would only watch these if someone else had the TV on, and then show as much nonchalance as possible, pretending to be almost bored. Far be it from me to let on that I was fascinated by it, trying to watch intently to see how they were handling it, how they were dressed, make-up, hair styles. A real trick to appear bored yet inwardly heart rate increasing.
The show I did watch a little more intently was 'Kids In The Hall' the Canadian originated ensemble comedy. All five guys would cross-dress at times, but Bruce McCulloch was by far my favorite. Scott was openly gay but when he or the others dressed, you could tell they were doing that Berle impression (basically greatly exaggerated mannerisms) , but not Bruce, he went way further and I loved it.
