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A review by carlyxdeexx
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
5.0
I can see where people are coming from in terms of this book not being all fluffy cuteness as it seems on the cover? It doesn’t take place in a more ideal and accepting world, a la STEVEN UNIVERSE, for example. Sebastian fears others discovering his secret, and we see that his fears are warranted. If you want a purely celebratory tale about cross-dressing and nuanced trans identities, this isn’t that.
I do think this book fills a key niche, though. Often cross-dressing ends up tied to sexuality in various media, and this book doesn’t do that—we see connections between characters form organically, and cross-dressing isn’t seen as a cause or effect of those connections, but an independent joy. It’s nice to see representation for folks who cross-dress alongside depictions of binary trans folks living or transitioning, being able to see the key differences there, because the two are often confused or conflated, or again seen as cause-and-effect. I like that Seb’s gender is his and his alone, too. We’re never told if he’s male or gender fluid, and that’s okay. There are men who cross-dress and gender fluid folks who cross-dress.
I liked the ending. There’s a particular point in which someone uses their power and influence to support Seb and cross-dressing on the whole, and it’s a great reminder that such things do have a powerful effect on changing public perception and promoting acceptance. Frances is wonderful. The art is gorgeous. This is a book I want to own and share. We need more stories about nuanced gender identities and presentation.
I do think this book fills a key niche, though. Often cross-dressing ends up tied to sexuality in various media, and this book doesn’t do that—we see connections between characters form organically, and cross-dressing isn’t seen as a cause or effect of those connections, but an independent joy. It’s nice to see representation for folks who cross-dress alongside depictions of binary trans folks living or transitioning, being able to see the key differences there, because the two are often confused or conflated, or again seen as cause-and-effect. I like that Seb’s gender is his and his alone, too. We’re never told if he’s male or gender fluid, and that’s okay. There are men who cross-dress and gender fluid folks who cross-dress.
I liked the ending. There’s a particular point in which someone uses their power and influence to support Seb and cross-dressing on the whole, and it’s a great reminder that such things do have a powerful effect on changing public perception and promoting acceptance. Frances is wonderful. The art is gorgeous. This is a book I want to own and share. We need more stories about nuanced gender identities and presentation.