Izzard - womanhood not a 'mode'

And, yet again, having read tinsel's words I am so very bloody glad I am not the naive 20 something I was back then.

It's one thing considering cross dressing in isolation, but it's quite another, when you realise it utterly relies on the concept of what constitutes womanhood for it to exist. And then the concept is fetishised.

This is why I maintain that AGP can never be victimless, even when women talk about not caring what goes on "behind closed doors". (Putting aside that trans widows will generally be being coerced into participating behind said doors)

It is a fetish which relies on the subjugation of women. If the AGP was not able to play act at being what they see as weak/ inferior, there would be no turn on.

Which mode was he in when he scared the crap out of those schoolgirls in women's loos? What mode when he took to Twitter to crow about it?

He was once gloriously funny, but now his 'man's dress' is firmly 'her dress' he's just sad and fucking frustrating.

So I think it's possible to mourn the EI that DID challenge the status quo of male identity expression while still understanding that he misled us all for a very long time.

Yes, for me, the realisation that I was probably being duped, in hindsight, is what pisses me off.

He was, like Grayson Perry, entirely upfront about his cross dressing, but, unbeknownst to me, had already wondered whether he could be a lesbian and availed himself of female facilities to the detriment of young girls.

It's one thing considering cross dressing in isolation, but it's quite another, when you realise it utterly relies on the concept of what constitutes womanhood for it to exist. And then the concept is fetishised.

Not something that would have crossed my mind when I was laughing at Eddie the clever comic wearing nail varnish.

But understanding how these things work and escalate, and the rank sexism involved in underpinning them has changed my mind.

It looked like he was gender nonconforming, but in reality, he was vehemently conforming to male gender stereotypes. Self entitlement, centring his sex drive to the detriment of women and girls, whilst still retaining all the power of a man in show business.

it doesn't get more stereotypically male.

^^ This.

What I want to say but said clearly.

Brilliant post Morris!
A short back and sides miraculously becomes a pixie cut. And in pink for extra girly points.

Haven't read the whole thread and am very critical of EI these days. But in EI's defence nothing new has actually happened or been said here. The Mail just needed to pad out the copy to go with the pap shots and wanted to take the piss while they were at it.

@ZaraSizeMedium - absolutely, his revelations in recent years have been horrible and reveal his absolute male privilege and sense of entitlement. The story about the two teen girls and the women's toilet just left me open-mouthed at what he considered to be showing "bravery".

I guess what I and other women mean when we refer to EI previously expanding the bandwidth of male identity, was the person that he seemed to be. In the early days - and actually for many years - there were no stories like this. Instead EI was insistent that he was just a man who liked to wear a dress and he was very resistant to anyone who suggested that it affected his masculinity.

Now the social landscape has claimed and he's coming out with lots of very uncomfortable stories which completely contradict everything that went before.

So I think it's possible to mourn the EI that DID challenge the status quo of male identity expression while still understanding that he misled us all for a very long time.

Thanks for explaining @TinselAngel. I will take a look at your blog. I do know that you (and other transwidows) understand this issue far better than I can.

I lost all respect for EI when the tale about him chasing young teenage girls out of a women's public loo came out. My daughters are around the same age and I'd be livid if a man scared them like that in a supposedly all female space.
In fact I don't understand why he wasn't spoken to by the police as men chasing and scaring children isn't usually socially acceptable behaviour.

Eddie revealed she was a transvestite nearly four decades ago, before considering herself as trans.

That's transgenderism in a nutshell.

And yes, it's given Eddie enormous power. Eddie can now indulge his transvestism, whilst getting back slaps for it, which relies, entirely, on the existence of the female sex for it to be possible, whilst simultaneously maintaining his lucrative acting career which relies entirely on him being male.

It's such a number being done on women, it's difficult to believe.

And if there is one thing that Eddie isn't, it's stupid.

I’m so over the narrative that EI used to be an amazing person expanding the bandwidth of what it means to be a man.

Hes always been an arrogant entitled male and this account of his first day “out” (with additions made in block capitals) is perfection for showing him for exactly what he was back then and still is now.

manatwork68.medium.com/my-first-day-out-by-eddie-izzard-c8ff9bcae245

But to answer the question why would men like him not jump on the bandwagon (or in reality escalate) when it gives them so much power?

No he isn't. This is what he's always been. He's just revealed it gradually, as our exes do to us trans widows.

I used to think he was funny. The skit he did about American vs British pronunciations was gold.
Now I can't stand him.

I used to like him but all this has put me off. He’s basically a non gender conforming heterosexual man. Why the need to jump on this bandwagon?

No boners for emotional labour.

Gawd's sake. He s a middle-aged man who's rummaged in the drama department's wardrobe and nicked a costume he liked the look of! If he'd chosen a tutu, sparkly wand and a pair of wings, would he be telling us he could fly? I'm off to find my astronaut's outfit so I can go walking on the moon.

Izzard can suck up the dog whistling misogyny from the D Mail as women have for decades. Fake gushing while printing clearly ghastly, unflattering photos? In depth analysis of clothing and hair? Age mentioned in the first paragraph? Enjoy it chaps, hope it makes you feel valid. The sidebar of shame forgives no woman.

The man's a twat.

I'm so disappointed. As others have said I admired EI for being a 'non-conforming' man and pushing the boundaries. That admiration has gone. Completely. So, so disappointing.

This. He rocked my world 20 years ago. Bold, funny, intelligent and I loved the phrase 'these aren't women's clothes, they're my clothes'.

Increasing the bandwidth of man now seems to be 'this dress makes me a woman'. He can fuck off. Such a disappointment

Why is wearing a dress the symbol of 'woman mode'? Why not doing the emotional labour?

Maybe that’s what you meant. I don’t always understand people’s tone on message boards!

Sorry what I meant is that all the women who wish to display their support for gender non conforming behaviour, by saying "wear what you want men, just don't say you're a woman", often say this as part of an attempt to show that its appropriating womanhood and using our spaces that they object to, whereas GNC clothing / behaviour is something to be encouraged.

The problem with this is that it relies on an extremely naive view of what motivates men to wear women's clothing. AGPs are sly and will tell you "they're not women's clothes they're my clothes etc" whilst all the while really having a sexual motivation for doing so.

This leads to women who are directly involved in this (eg trans widows) having their very real concerns minimised by other women.

I wrote more about this here if anybody is really interested:

www.womenarehuman.com/these-chains-that-have-no-name-interview-with-trans-widows-voices/

Why do women relentlessly try to give these men the benefit of the doubt?

Why indeed Tinsel, when it can plainly be seen who they are.

They're fucking shameless.