Chicago Gender Society Library

Transformations
Mariette Pathy Allen 1989
ALL TR 1989
Three to five percent of the adult male population of
  the United States feels the need, at least
  occasionally, to wear women's clothing.  From
  corporation presidents to workers, musicians,
  policemen, and bus drivers, these men represent the
  full range of American society.  They live in the
  fanciest suburbs and the toughest barrios:   they
  teach Sunday school, lead Boy Scout troops, and
  are members of the Kiwanis Club.  The majority of
  these men are heterosexual, a higher percentage
  than the national average, and are husbands,
  fathers, and grandfathers.

  Transformations is a book of photographs and
  interviews with these men who depend on feminine
  imagery to reach full personality expression.  The
  crossdresser often sees his femme creation as his
  better half - the kinder, more charming person who
  has greater access to feelings and a greater ability
  to enjoy life.  In the desire to find release from the
  straightjacket of a strictly defined masculine role,
  some may adopt an equally defined feminine
  stereotype.  Others may reach a synthesis of the two.
    This is a radical subculture dressed in fifties
  apparel.

  The book features both color and black-and-white
  photographs depicting these individuals and their
  relationships with family members and others of their
  community.   These images are as tender as they
  are powerful, and this provocative study reveals a
  fascinating subculture that challenges the concept of
  male identity.
After a wonderful two-page introduction, and an
eighteen-page photo essay showing the diversity of
crossdressers, there are 32 personal profiles with both
 text and photos.

Gloria Steinem, author, feminist, and co-creator of Ms.
magazine says "Anyone concerned with human
 wholeness as a goal and the sex role prisons that still
 fragment both women and men should be fascinated
with Transformations: Crossdressers and Those Who
Love Them."