I recently read "Self-Made Man," a book written by a female LA Times columnist who took time off to spend a year dressed as a man. She received makeup tips from a pro, voice tips from a Julliard coach and worked out her upper body to give her broader shoulders. The book really wasn't what I expected. In the company of these men, the woman found a vulnerability that men very seldom show in front of women. In her experience, men want to show emotion, they want to connect, but they can't. All of the social norms that tell them to be strong are also making them weak.
I didn't love the book the whole time. But I was fascinated by her guts to try the experiment. Talk about first-hand reporting.
2 comments:
I think it's great, because I've been dressing as a woman for years. Also for... experiments.
Have you read Nickeled and Dimed? It's not quite the same-no costume involved-but the author takes 4 or 5 low-wage jobs in different cities across the country and exposes how people are barely getting by in these situations. It's a good read.
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