Recursive Crossdressing: Difference between revisions

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* Played with in [[Family Compo]]: for Masahiko's entry ceremony, he asks his [[Cross Dresser|crossdressing]] [[Nephewism|aunt and uncle/adoptive parents]] to dress according to their biological sex. [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/family_compo/v01/c004/10.html The result] [[Hilarity Ensues|isn't what he expected]]. They look like genuine crossdressers, but are in fact Recursive Crossdressers.

* In ''[[Nononono]]'', Nono is a girl who pretends to be a boy to continue ski jumping. After she's caught in her underwear by the [[Alpha Bitch]] Kourogi but mistaken for a crossdresser, she's forced to be Lourogi's slave, including wearing a maid's outfit.

* [[Wholesome Crossdresser|Minoru]] in ''[[~~AKB~~ ~~49 Renai~~ Kinshi Jourei ~~(Manga)~~|AKB 49 Renai Kinshi Jourei]]'' claims to be working in a crossdressing café when he was caught by his senior in his normal male self. Luckily for him, she was convinced and was even impressed by the perfectness of his "disguise".

* [[Wholesome Crossdresser|Minoru]] in ''[[AKB49: Ren'ai Kinshi Jourei|AKB 49 Renai Kinshi Jourei]]'' claims to be working in a crossdressing café when he was caught by his senior in his normal male self. Luckily for him, she was convinced and was even impressed by the perfectness of his "disguise".

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* This is the main concept of ''Connie and Carla''. The two ladies, a performing duo, witness a murder and go into hiding by pretending to be drag queens.

* In Polish film ''Poszukiwany, poszukiwana'' (''Man or Woman Wanted'', a title hard to translate into English) by Stanisław Bareja, the main character, an art historian, has to hide from the police, wrongly accused of stealing a (godawful) painting. Therefore he disguises himself as a woman and takes up a work as a daily help. At one time he accidentally shows up to be more competent in certain area than one of his employers, so the latter decides to make the former his consultant. But the consultant [[God Save Us From the Queen|should be a man, so that people treat him seriously]], so the main character has to change once again but gives up job shortly afterwards.

* In ''[[Victor ~~Victoria|Victor/~~Victoria]]'', Julie Andrews plays a woman who masquerades as a man who works as a drag queen. The film was later adapted for Broadway (see Theater, below), and is itself an adaptation of a 1933 German film, ''Viktor und Viktoria''.

* In ''[[Victor Victoria]]'', Julie Andrews plays a woman who masquerades as a man who works as a drag queen. The film was later adapted for Broadway (see Theater, below), and is itself an adaptation of a 1933 German film, ''Viktor und Viktoria''.

* In the final scene of ''[[The Birdcage]]'', the senator's wife and daughter must pretend to be drag queens to escape the drag club without being noticed.

* At the end of ''[[Mulan]]'', Mulan does this in order to fight [[Big Bad|Shan Yu]] and save China.

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* Similarly, there's a Black Lace "novel" about a young woman who wants to be an artist, so she disguises herself as a boy to enter the all-male art academy and is later picked to play a girl in a parade. Many, many interesting situations later she's no longer sure ''who'' she is.

* [[Discworld]]:

** In ''[[Discworld ~~(Literature)~~/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]'', protagonist Polly Perks {{spoiler|(along with her fellow women-disguised-as-men from the squad)}} dresses up as a washerwoman to sneak into an occupied fortress. Which, as she points out, means she's a woman disguised as a man disguised as a woman. True to the trope, their "disguise" as women is immediately caught when they try to enter, and one of their number (who is with child) winds up having to prove her gender in the most obvious way possible. Meanwhile, the actual man who disguised himself as a woman gets in without a hitch, which irks Polly to no end. This is even more convoluted at the end, when {{spoiler|the entire squad is discovered to be actually female, brought up on charges for dressing like men, which is illegal, and their lawyers point out they are actually dressed as washerwomen.}} Polly turns down an offer of male clothing because "Then I'd be a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman dressed as a man," which would be too confusing even for ''this'' book.

** In ''[[Discworld/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]'', protagonist Polly Perks {{spoiler|(along with her fellow women-disguised-as-men from the squad)}} dresses up as a washerwoman to sneak into an occupied fortress. Which, as she points out, means she's a woman disguised as a man disguised as a woman. True to the trope, their "disguise" as women is immediately caught when they try to enter, and one of their number (who is with child) winds up having to prove her gender in the most obvious way possible. Meanwhile, the actual man who disguised himself as a woman gets in without a hitch, which irks Polly to no end. This is even more convoluted at the end, when {{spoiler|the entire squad is discovered to be actually female, brought up on charges for dressing like men, which is illegal, and their lawyers point out they are actually dressed as washerwomen.}} Polly turns down an offer of male clothing because "Then I'd be a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman dressed as a man," which would be too confusing even for ''this'' book.

** Likewise in ''[[Discworld ~~(Literature)~~/The Last Continent|The Last Continent]]'' there is a woman who filled in for her brother in his friends' drag act after a nasty surfboarding accident, but after her fellow drag queens get into yet another fight, she decides "Being a female impersonator is no job for a woman."

** Likewise in ''[[Discworld/The Last Continent|The Last Continent]]'' there is a woman who filled in for her brother in his friends' drag act after a nasty surfboarding accident, but after her fellow drag queens get into yet another fight, she decides "Being a female impersonator is no job for a woman."

* In ''[[Tipping the Velvet]],'' Nancy is deemed not to make a good male impersonator because she looks too much like an actual boy (this makes perfect sense in a setting where the point of male-impersonation acts is to be daring and transgressive rather than completely realistic). She becomes much more successful when her male costume is modified to look a little more feminine.

* [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s Lythande is a woman pretending to be a man, since women are not allowed to be Magi. At one point, she has to pose as a female dancer, prompting comments of how realistic the costume is.

* Naomi Kritzer's ''Turning the Storm'' features a lesbian disguised as a man who dresses up as a woman...and then gets hit on by a gay man.

* The YA novel ''Flipside'' begins with the members of a high school drama department discussing ''As You Like It'', a play listed below. The casting director decides to make it one level more recursive by casting a guy as Rosalind and a girl as Orlando. Then the guy turns out to [[Wholesome Crossdresser|like wearing a dress]], the girl turns out to [[Conveniently-Common Kink|like guys who wear dresses]], and things get really weird. (And no, this ''isn't'' porn.)

* Played with in ''[[Garrett PI|Deadly Quicksilver Lies]]'', in which {{spoiler|the drag-queen villain is reputed to have posed as a call girl and had assignations with unsuspecting men in his feminine guise. It's eventually revealed that the villain is ''genuinely'' female, who'd created a sadistic crossdresser persona to pose as her own pimp, rather than be bullied into working for a real one}}.

* Played with in ''[[Garrett P.I.|Deadly Quicksilver Lies]]'', in which {{spoiler|the drag-queen villain is reputed to have posed as a call girl and had assignations with unsuspecting men in his feminine guise. It's eventually revealed that the villain is ''genuinely'' female, who'd created a sadistic crossdresser persona to pose as her own pimp, rather than be bullied into working for a real one}}.

* In ''Cue for Treason'' by Geoffrey Trease, one of the main characters is a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to become an Elizabethan-era actor, and naturally ends up playing all the female parts onstage.

* Referenced when discussing Shakespeare in ''[[Horrible Histories]]'', describing Elizabethan casting as "women pretending to be boys pretending to be women pretending to be boys."

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== [[Live Action TV]] ==

* In ''[[History Bites]]'', one episode has a fan of Shakespeare who dresses up as her favourite character. This means she's dressed as a boy, who was actually a woman, who is played by a man, while wearing her own clothes.

* A slight twist occurs in the ''[[~~Star Trek the Next Generation|~~Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "The Outcast'': an actress plays an androgynous alien who finds itself becoming female due to its attraction for Commander Riker, and has to cover this up because of societal taboo.

* A slight twist occurs in the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "The Outcast'': an actress plays an androgynous alien who finds itself becoming female due to its attraction for Commander Riker, and has to cover this up because of societal taboo.

* In ''[[Blackadder Goes Forth]]'' the character Bob, a [[Sweet Polly Oliver]], steps in to replace a drag performer. {{spoiler|The General who had become [[Attractive Bent Gender|attracted to the previous drag performer]] refuses to believe that Bob is female and loudly criticises "That disgusting drag act." It's even funnier if the viewer is aware that [[Reality Subtext|Stephen Fry, who plays the General, is gay]].}}

* ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'' sends up this trope in "Drew's Inheritance," centered on the [[Hilarity Ensues|wacky hijinx]] resulting from the [[On One Condition|eccentric will]] of the Careys' late eccentric television-and-movies-obsessed relative. His condition for Steve Carey-- a [[Wholesome Crossdresser|heterosexual cross-dresser]]-- receiving his share was to dress like a recursive crossdresser, with a male layer of deception on top. Wearing a suit for such a formal occasion, Steve remarks that he can just dress as he is, and the executor realizes that Uncle Cecil didn't think that one through very far.

* In the Japanese TV show ''[[Journey to ~~The~~ West|Monkey]]'', the male Buddhist monk Tripitaka is [[Crosscast Role|played]] by a female actor (Masako Natsume). In one episode, Monkey disguises Tripitaka as a woman, so that he can be sneaked through the Land Of Nightmares. Crossdressed Tripitaka is so beautiful that both the lustful Pigsy, and the King of the Land of Nightmares become infatuated with him. [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* In the Japanese TV show ''[[Journey to the West|Monkey]]'', the male Buddhist monk Tripitaka is [[Crosscast Role|played]] by a female actor (Masako Natsume). In one episode, Monkey disguises Tripitaka as a woman, so that he can be sneaked through the Land Of Nightmares. Crossdressed Tripitaka is so beautiful that both the lustful Pigsy, and the King of the Land of Nightmares become infatuated with him. [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* In the Japanese drama remake of [[Hana Kimi]], during a talent show, Ashiya's clothes were stolen, so "he" could walk onto the stage [[Shirtless Scene|shirtless]]. Fortunately, the doctor (who knew who she was) came along and slipped her a dress, along with a wig. The audience, mainly guys, were stunned that the cute classmate of theirs made such a pretty girl. One of Ashiya's friends, a playboy, promptly got a nosebleed and mentally berated himself for having such thoughts towards a "guy".

* In a ''[[Wings (TV)|Wings]]'' episode, Brian and Helen are stranded in New York with no money, and a drag contest seems to be the only way to finance their way home. They agree that Brian would never make a convincing enough woman to win, so they pretend that Helen is a transvestite male and enter her in the contest.

* In a ''[[Wings (TV series)|Wings]]'' episode, Brian and Helen are stranded in New York with no money, and a drag contest seems to be the only way to finance their way home. They agree that Brian would never make a convincing enough woman to win, so they pretend that Helen is a transvestite male and enter her in the contest.

* ''[[Glee]]'' has a rather odd example. Although Kurt does not have the same clothes, in the "Duets" episode he does "Le Jazz Hot" from ''[[Victor ~~Victoria|Victor/~~Victoria]]''. This makes him a man paying homage to a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman.

* ''[[Glee]]'' has a rather odd example. Although Kurt does not have the same clothes, in the "Duets" episode he does "Le Jazz Hot" from ''[[Victor Victoria]]''. This makes him a man paying homage to a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman.

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'''Jesse''': Oh, you mean like that weird show we saw in Vegas?<br />

'''Joey''': You might want to stay away from Shakespeare. }}

* The play ''[[Victor ~~Victoria|Victor/~~Victoria]]'', an adaptation of the original film (see above), is about this. A down-on-her-luck opera singer named Victoria (Julie Andrews in the film) can't find work, so a recent acquaintance and homosexual talent agent convinces her to pretend to be Victor, a drag queen who presents himself as a woman named Victoria. A confused mobster falls in love with her/him/her.

* The play ''[[Victor Victoria]]'', an adaptation of the original film (see above), is about this. A down-on-her-luck opera singer named Victoria (Julie Andrews in the film) can't find work, so a recent acquaintance and homosexual talent agent convinces her to pretend to be Victor, a drag queen who presents himself as a woman named Victoria. A confused mobster falls in love with her/him/her.

* Happens quite frequently in [[Opera]] -- particularly when a female singer plays a guy who dresses as a woman at some point.

** The most famous example is probably ''[[~~The Marriage of Figaro (Theatre)|~~The Marriage of Figaro]]'', which was written just late enough that this sort of role would go to a woman rather than a castrato.

** The most famous example is probably ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'', which was written just late enough that this sort of role would go to a woman rather than a castrato.

** This variant occurs in ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'', with Christine playing the pageboy, who is dressed as a maid because he's having an affair with the lady of the house and wants to be discreet. In the (thankfully brief) scene we see of this opera, the husband is completely fooled and hitting on the 'maid'.

** Another famous operatic use of this trope is ''[[~~Der Rosenkavalier (Theatre)|~~Der Rosenkavalier]]'', where Octavian disguises himself as the maid Mariandel and fools the Baron completely.

** Another famous operatic use of this trope is ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'', where Octavian disguises himself as the maid Mariandel and fools the Baron completely.

* The [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] operetta ''[[Princess Ida]]'' has men all-too-ready to crossdress as women, in order to slip into the women's college, where most of the opera takes place. In Gilbert's original play, ''The Princess'', the men were played by women actresses, and after the recursive crossdressing, then spent most of the play dressed as women.

* In ''Moby Dick! The Musical'', the Headmistress in the framing device is played by a man in drag. She then crossdresses (and goes back into a tenor/baritone range) to play Captain Ahab.