male impersonator

Woman playing man

A male impersonator is a woman who performs as a man, typically in theatrical or musical contexts—the counterpart to a drag queen.

The term dates to vaudeville and music hall traditions, where women in men's suits sang and performed comedy.

Less common today than female impersonator or drag king, though the practice continues: She made her name as a male impersonator in the 1920s.

drag

drag king

Female masculine stage performer

genderbendingTransgressing conventional sex categories
cross-dressingWearing another gender's clothing
masculinityMale gender characteristics

androgyny · butch · queer · genderfluid · genderqueer · subversion · transformation · binding · packing · swagger

vaudeville

music hall

Venue for live entertainment

cabaretLive entertainment venue
burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
varietyState of being diverse

revue · showbiz · pantomime · sketch · troupe · headliner · billing · footlights · spotlight · circuit

illusion

disguise

Identity-concealing alteration

masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
deceptionIntentional misleading of others
transformationThorough change in form

pretense · charade · facade · costume · makeup · prosthetics · contouring · binding · passing · convincing

performance

characterization

Describing distinctive qualities

mimicryAdaptive resemblance to another
tributeOffering of respect
parodySatirical imitation

satire · caricature · lampoon · send-up · comedian · monologue · one-woman show · timing · delivery · swagger

Opposites

gender of performance persona

male impersonatorfemale impersonator

Male performing as woman

Family

male, males, maleness, impersonate, impersonates, impersonated, impersonating, impersonation, impersonations

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated PG