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LadyboysMay 17, 2009
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When I was a young boy I remember a guy on television called Danny La Rue who was what was called at the time a "female impersonator". He was always dressed up in frumpy dresses, but his behaviour is best described as "camp", in that even though he was dressed as a woman you knew he was a man. I also remember Dick Emery sometimes dressing up as woman, but again such that you knew that he was a man under all of the makeup. I guess the same can be said of Barry Humpries as Dame Edna.
I went to an all boys school, and I have to admit that at one of our school plays I dressed up as the Princess Sabra, replete with full length dress and long blond wig. I seem to remember it was fun (more for the audience than for me), but not something I wanted to pursue as a career.
I read a web story recently that says that 2009 will be the year of "men in drag" - in movies, videos and on Broadway. Some of our most famous male actors are queuing up to wear dresses and make-up.
Which, in case you are getting worried, brings me on to the Ladyboys of Pattaya, Thailand, as shown in the attached pictures. All of the people in the these photographs are men. But you have to admit that you would not be able to tell this unless you knew otherwise.
Ladyboys in Thailand are pretty well an established third sex. Many have made careers for themselves as top performers and televsion celebreties, and are famous across Thailand. In my time in Malaysia we would occasionally, during major drinking sessions, run into and chat with ladyboys, but I can tell you that the show at Tiffany's in Pattaya - which has been going now for 30 plus years - takes this to the highest level. Entertainment as good as it gets.....whatever your viewpoint.......
