ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Female-to-Male crossdresser escorts in contemporary Japan who identify as dansō. The word dansō literally means ‘male clothing’ and it refers to women who crossdress, presenting as masculine in their private and/or working lives. The phenomenon gained the spotlight in Japan in the mid-2000s, when three main forms of FtM crossdressing-related entertainment appeared: dansō working in show business as models or idols; dansō working in dansō cafes (that is, concept bars where the staff is entirely comprised of crossdressing women); and dansō escorts – FtM crossdressers offering dates (but not sexual services) to a mostly female clientele. Focusing specifically on the latter phenomenon and drawing on data gathered through my ethnographic fieldwork in Tokyo, I demonstrate that dansō represent a new gender embodiment as well as a site of resistance for a sector of Japanese women who wish to negotiate their need for self-expression against the constraints of Japanese society.
