Book Review
May. 1st, 2022 12:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariJust One of the Boys: Female-to-Male Cross-Dressing on the American Variety Stage
by Gillian M. Rodger
This book looks at male impersonators in America during the last half the of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. The book mainly focuses on two of the most successful performers, Annie Hindle and Ella Wesner, possibly because they were also the best represented in the surviving record. Even with that focus, Rodger is thorough, packing a lot of information into a relatively short book. It was fascinating, as Rodger delves into not just the performers and their careers but also how they and their acts reflected changing ideas about class and gender roles. I was aware of male impersonators from that era, but didn't know very much about them, and I very much enjoyed digging deeper into the topic.
by Gillian M. Rodger
This book looks at male impersonators in America during the last half the of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. The book mainly focuses on two of the most successful performers, Annie Hindle and Ella Wesner, possibly because they were also the best represented in the surviving record. Even with that focus, Rodger is thorough, packing a lot of information into a relatively short book. It was fascinating, as Rodger delves into not just the performers and their careers but also how they and their acts reflected changing ideas about class and gender roles. I was aware of male impersonators from that era, but didn't know very much about them, and I very much enjoyed digging deeper into the topic.
