I think one of the things which tips it a bit for me is that she doesn't just crossdress on stage, but also in public, which is an incredibly risky move (and one that could lead to arrest in many places, followed by physical examinations and all sorts).
And I think that, yes, it's partly a game to her, albeit a dangerous one. That doesn't actually preclude other motivations alongside. Then there's the statement that Irene Adler has "often taken advantage of the freedom that it [men's clothing] gives," which is open to all sorts of interpretations - certainly including though not limited to ones linked to a kind of emerging lesbian or female invert subculture. My point here is basically that I think crossdressing actually says as much as a portrayal of a loving relationship with a woman would have, or even more, because in that context loving relationships between women were far more normal, and considered quite pure and acceptable (admittedly more often between fairly upper class or upper middle class women), while the crossdresser was often linked to some kind of sexual deviation. Crossdressing is often the only way in which some kind of queer female identity can become historically visible, so I'm disinclined to let go of it as a marker, despite the inherent complications.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-05-15 08:53 am (UTC)And I think that, yes, it's partly a game to her, albeit a dangerous one. That doesn't actually preclude other motivations alongside. Then there's the statement that Irene Adler has "often taken advantage of the freedom that it [men's clothing] gives," which is open to all sorts of interpretations - certainly including though not limited to ones linked to a kind of emerging lesbian or female invert subculture. My point here is basically that I think crossdressing actually says as much as a portrayal of a loving relationship with a woman would have, or even more, because in that context loving relationships between women were far more normal, and considered quite pure and acceptable (admittedly more often between fairly upper class or upper middle class women), while the crossdresser was often linked to some kind of sexual deviation. Crossdressing is often the only way in which some kind of queer female identity can become historically visible, so I'm disinclined to let go of it as a marker, despite the inherent complications.