In an article entitled “Playing the Part of Woman” by Josie Duke, Josie wanted to be Sherlock Holmes and knowing that they were kids everyone probably laughed at her and looked at her funny. Why wasn’t it so funny when Ken volunteered to play the part of a woman, a French maid? Was it because he is one of the most popular kids in school AND he’s an athlete? Is that why they possibly respected him more in his decision? A lot of times popularity and athleticism have a lot to do with the way people treat a person and act around them. It wasn’t just the fact that Ken was a male necessarily. It could have possibly been that he was a male + an athlete + popular. Those other intersectional “ingredients” mattered.
However, why are women expected to play female roles in plays and males expected to play male roles anyway? Why is it so odd when they are switched around? Can a male not play a female part without being considered gay? Can a woman not play a male’s part in a play and not be considered trying to be masculine or trying to be like a man? Why can’t a person just want to play a particular role because they the person’s character?
In Shakespearan era, men played the roles of males and females. In Shakespearan plays, there were no females, just males dressed up to look like girls. They wore wigs and makeup and tights too. I would think that – that is odder than a woman playing a man role. However in this case the period of time and role-playing changes might be underlying factors of why it is so much different now compared to centuries ago.
