My friend KRM sent me a link that didn't seem to work, but I think she wanted me to see this piece of sheet music. Seems to be from 1926 or so. Thanks, KRM! It appears to be all over the interweb, but I thought the rest of you might enjoy seeing it. Here are the lyrics:
Masculine women, feminine men,
Which is the rooster, which is the hen?
It's hard to tell 'em apart today! And, say!
Sister is busy learning to shave,
Brother just got a permanent wave,
It's hard to tell 'em apart today! Hey, hey!
Girls were girls and boys were boys when I was a tot,
Now we don't know who's who, even what's what!
Knickers and trousers, baggy and wide,
Nobody knows who's walking inside,
Those masculine women and feminine men!
YouTube also has this (rather boring) video of a player piano reel playing the song.
For those who keep track of my whereabouts, I'm subverting gender identity from a glass box in midtown Manhattan. A couple nights ago was the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and I had a rather scary encounter with a police barricade and a swarm of tourists when, with no coat on, I stepped out for a cup of coffee around 6 p.m. Luckily (I suppose), I got back into the building. I had to work way, way into the night, so I never had to face the remnants of the Britney-hunting mob. There were lots of cops still around, though.
It's been a long week. Thanks to KRM and EDB for letting me crash on their couches.
UPDATE, 6 Dec.: KRM sent me the real link. Go to Out History's Wiki and click on the Masculine Women, Feminine Men postcard exhibit.
2 comments:
Ooh, I really like the dark silhouettes on that cover. You can't tell if they're men & women acting backwards or men & women in drag (especially the top left couple looks like a woman in a suit and a dude in a dress).
I like the one on the upper right, where their legs seem to merge...
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