Crossdressing: Can it be taken seriously?

In William Shakespeare’s As You like It, many characters are forced to dress as the opposite Gender. Rosalind is disguised as a man as well as Lauren who is forced to also dress as a man under the circumstances of her situation. The play brings up many social issues regarding to homosexuality and gender identity, but one thing that stands out is the crossdressing of the play. Because the play is meant to be a comedy, it is hard to take the roles of the characters seriously when they are dressed as the opposite gender. That being said, can crossdressing be identified or taken seriously for something other than comedy?

Historically speaking, crossdressing has only been used for comedy. Take Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor. In the story, Eddie Murphy not only place obese yet remarkable scientist Professor Clump, but he also play just about everyone in Clump’s entire family, including his own mother. When doing so, Eddie Murphy portrays the mother as a caring if not enabling mother who wants to make sure that her son is well fed and nourished, often offering food as a way of making him feel better. In short, Eddie murphy plays the stereotypical yet loveable mother figure, and goes over the top to do so. In short, it is still a comedy role, and therefore hard to take seriously.

There of course have been roles in which crossdressing is often seen as a serious issue, or at least used to take a look at more serious issues. Take the popular film Franchise of Tyler Perry. In many of Tyler Perry’s movies, Tyler Perry plays an overly active older black woman named Medea. Medea’s attitude and funny remarks make the role one of comedy, yet in many of her movies Medea’s role as a family member allows her to consul her family when things turn for the worst. In turn, Tyler Perry’s movies show good old-fashion family values through a crossdressing effort.

Whether or not crossdressing can be taken seriously remains to be seen. Can it be seen as more than just a role for comedy? Are there case in which characters who are dressed as the opposite gender can be taken seriously?