• scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
    231·
    4 days ago

    A boy at my kids preschool wanted to be Anna from Frozen. His parents dressed him as Anna. I don’t think they went out of their way to feminize him - he had no wig or makeup, for example. But he was in a dress, because that’s what Anna wears. Was he a “male version of Anna?” No. Was he going as a female? No. He was just the character. Similarly, if a little girl puts on an iron man suit, is she a “female iron man” or some kind of “Iron Woman?” No.

    So when you say “a male version of a character” I hear that you are not just going as a character who happens to be the other gender but you are putting a specific twist on that character. There’s nothing wrong with that necessarily. But it can definitely go wrong depending on the character and how you handle it. We’d just need more information. It’s one of those things that doesn’t have bright line rules. Like all issues of content offensiveness.

  • astrsk@fedia.io
    731·
    6 days ago

    It’s called gender-bending, at least in my local cosplay groups. It’s done frequently and usually turns out great because of the passion and care put into it. Go for it!

    • ObsidianZed@lemmy.world
      16·
      5 days ago

      I’ve also heard it referred to as cross-play, though without the contact of cosplay, can be somewhat confusing.

    • scarabic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      4 days ago

      This is a subtle question, so feel free to answer “none of the above.”

      But in your circles, is this gender bending explicit, as in “I’m a female Wolverine” or is it just someone who’s female going as Wolverine? And in the latter case, I don’t mean that she’s pretending to be a man, just that she’s not changing the character, simply embodying it as, herself, a woman.

      • astrsk@fedia.io
        4·
        4 days ago

        It’s just about playing the character as the persons’ own gender identity. Most common, of course, being video game characters as opposite genders. So like, lady master chief or what if zelda was a man, etc. But I’ve seen an androgynous/enby kratos that was super well done! Gender-bent / gender-bending is just the term that has stuck for that.

  • Phen@lemmy.eco.br
    835·
    6 days ago

    Rule of thumb:

    • are you making fun or otherwise mocking someone?
    • are you doing it for any “bad reason” whatsoever?
    • are you doing something that is/was primarily done by others for “bad reasons”, historically?
    • are you doing something that other groups started doing as a replacement for something else that they were not allowed to (that you are)?

    I’m half asleep so I may have forgotten something but if I didn’t, then answering No to all of those should be the minimum thing you do.

  • neidu2@feddit.nl
    381·
    6 days ago

    With all the Bowsettes last year, I’m tempted to say no in the name of equality.

  • GraniteM@lemmy.world
    5·
    4 days ago

    I’m just having a hard time imagining a scenario in which it would be offensive…

    Plenty where it would be a little confusing. Sandra Dude O’Connor, or Susan Bro Anthony would take some explaining, at the least.

  • infinite_ass@leminal.space
    231·
    5 days ago

    It’s called “genderful appropriation”. I just invented it. All the cool people will be getting offended by it really soon.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
    41·
    4 days ago

    I personally think all gender flip characters are dumb, in either direction, personally. But here’s the thing; it doesn’t matter what I think. Do whatever the hell you want.