They boy in a dress

[Kira]

Hi folks,

I have just finished watching a programme on BBC which was prime-time TV programme on at christmas (clearly) in two parts I think, though I missed the first. It was called "the boy in a dress".

It has confused me somewhat. The storyline is this...

The boy comes from a broken home and is presented as having some issues, not big ones, but loss of mother issues. He likes occasionally to wear a dress, and one day wears one to his school, pretending to be a french exchange student to one of his female friends. He gets caught out and expelled for being a freak, but manages to get back in when he and his friend find out that his headmaster is a crossdresser too and blackmail him. 

It sounds  awful, but it looked like they were trying to present it as a positive storyline, as the boy was accepted by some and focus was given to how horrid it was for him when he was caught out and how important it was that his family accepted him. 

The thing is, it was so poorly done, it didn't get anything right in my eyes, and on of the characters was a flamboyantly gay character of a man that I found quite offensive. 

Also, the guy who wrote it, was the guy who is the 'transvestite' in this quite frankly awful video that was very popular in Britain in their comedy show:



Now, the crossdressing and acceptance is probably a good thing and definitely a surprise to see in such a prominent viewing position, and the message is generally positive, I really don't like it. 

A review of the book and synopsis is here :
the boy in the dress synopsis

Kira xx

[Laura J]

I've never heard of them before, but I can't get british TV, except youtube..

I think it's meant to be more comedy than serve any social purpose or message.? Just the characters and exaggerated lines and movements, seemed like some other comedies I've seen..

Like you Kira, I didn't like it all that much.

[Patty]

I know absolutely nothing about the show and really don't care to from your descriptions.The title got to me though, until I was about 8 I WAS the boy in a dress. We grew up poor on a farm and my mother was a seamstress she would bleach and boil the emblems off the linen feed and seed sacks and make clothes for the other children in our township to make a little extra money. A lot of what she made were dresses and I was her model and loved it.She would rough out the dresses and then put them on me and adjust them with pins as to fit the other children. Somewhere there are pictures of me wearing them I just have not found them yet but someday I will.Everyone shows me with a huge smile ,they made me happy and they were pretty and sometimes I was even able to wear them after she was completed.Then one day my brothers who were 7&8 years older than I came in.They started laughing and pointing and just humiliated me.That was the last time I ever let anyone know how much I had enjoyed wearing the dresses. I still see them today as if it just happened.They taught me a painful lesson that I have never forgotten, and in truth kept me in the closet for 63 years. Patty

[Kira]

Dec 27, 2014 8:45:31 GMT 8 Laura J said:

I've never heard of them before, but I can't get british TV, except youtube..

I think it's meant to be more comedy than serve any social purpose or message.? Just the characters and exaggerated lines and movements, seemed like some other comedies I've seen..

Like you Kira, I didn't like it all that much.

I think it was really destructive to have such a negative and well known 'crossdressing' comedy character. I can only imagine how many people were taunted with her catchphrase - the over exagerated 'I'm a lady' becuase they feel like it is legitimised by a TV programme that says that its OK to laugh and mock crossdressers as they are characatures who are a joke, just like men and should be expected to use mens facilities. 

I just think he was the wrong person to have tried to make something like this, that even though it is trying to be more positive than the Emily sketch, still glosses over the real issues, and completely trivialises and misrepresents children in this situation for real. And to have him win by shaming the crossdressing headmaster, just destroys any good will that it had created. 

[Deleted]

Dec 27, 2014 17:19:39 GMT 8 Kira said:

I think it was really destructive to have such a negative and well known 'crossdressing' comedy character. I can only imagine how many people were taunted with her catchphrase - the over exagerated 'I'm a lady' becuase they feel like it is legitimised by a TV programme that says that its OK to laugh and mock crossdressers as they are characatures who are a joke, just like men and should be expected to use mens facilities. 

I just think he was the wrong person to have tried to make something like this, that even though it is trying to be more positive than the Emily sketch, still glosses over the real issues, and completely trivialises and misrepresents children in this situation for real. And to have him win by shaming the crossdressing headmaster, just destroys any good will that it had created. 

It's so typical of the fallen nature of human beings that even people in the news and entertainment industry can't restrain themselves from every opportunity to rather subtly belittle, besmirch and make fun of those who are different. It is an opportunity for sensationalism to boost ratings and for those who enjoy the suggestion that certain types of people are genetically, spiritually and socially inferior. I think that was the gist behind Hitler's master race!