Strange thing to notice

[aquaeri]

I just now realised that the danish word for a costume or outfit, dragt is very similar in look, and somewhat in meaning, to drag, in the sense of "clothes of the opposite gender". And also, that I've always been vague on where that particular meaning of drag came from

Comments

[king_tirian]

I googled expecting to see too much about DRessed As Girl, but knowledgable people seem unanimous that it refers to the sensation of dragging a long skirt, which would have been a noteworthy sensation to 19th century male actors portraying Victorian women.

[aquaeri]

That makes a lot of sense (dress dragging) - it's been much the same experience for me the few times I've tried wearing floor-length or near- dresses.

Thanks for filling me in. I really dislike all those acronym etymologies; I hadn't heard that one before, but it made me roll my eyes.

[elissaann]

DRessed As Girl

ROFL

[lilairen]

And I, of course, am reminded of:

"You're born naked. After that it's all drag." --Ru Paul

[aquaeri]

Actually, that's how I made the connection. I was having this conversation with curlygrrl about beading, and I was googling for a picture of the bead collars that are part of traditional Greenlander costume, and having not much luck in English, I thought I'd try some Danish key words.

And one of the pictures that came up when I googled on "dragt" was Ru Paul.

[ruth_lawrence]

:::laughs:::

The collars are stunning!

And I refer to all clothing that isn't scuffy casual as Drag, myself.

[aquaeri]

The collars are stunning!

It got me thinking. I mean, growing up in Denmark, these collars are the definitive example of beadwork. You learn beading, not to imitate them, but with them as a picture of where the skills can take you. And I just don't remember ever seeing them mentioned outside Denmark.

And I refer to all clothing that isn't scuffy casual as Drag, myself

I feel a bit like that sometimes. If I'm thinking about what I'm wearing, if I'm making any kind of decision, it is a kind of drag.

[ocean_state]

I really wish that my ex-girlfriend had not run off with my copy of The Alyson Almanac, because IIRC, it had a discussion of the origins of the word "drag," meaning to dress as a member of the opposite gender. I vaguely recall some fascinating history tracing the word to Victorian England, when it simple meant dress or costume, like the Danish meaning that you cite.

P.S. If I could speak Danish, I would visit Greenland ASAP! :)

[aquaeri]

P.S. If I could speak Danish, I would visit Greenland ASAP! :)

From what I understand, what you really need to learn to speak is Greenlander (an Eskimo/Inuit language). I've got a Danish friend who's been several times, but for most Danes, Greenland is about as far away and exotic as, well, Australia :-).