History Main / Bifauxnen

* Happens to ComicBook/{{Jubilee|MarvelComics}} of the ComicBook/XMen a couple of times.

* Fey Truscott-Sade, an androgynous action hero companion from the Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine comics. The writers describe her as "an androgyne"; she has a feminine body, presents with masculine clothing and hair, and uses feminine pronouns. And she's a badass bisexual 1930's spy.
* Sir Ystin, the Shining Knight, was mistaken for a boy in ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers'' and mistaken for a girl in ''ComicBook/DemonKnights''. In the latter case, the truth is [[GenderBender a little more complicated...]]

* The UrExample is ''Toribakeya Monogatari'', a late Heian Period tale of a brother and sister who are naturally more alingned with roles assigned to the other gender. They switch places at the Heian court and drama ensues.

* Julie d'Aubigny, more famously knows as La Maupin, was a real life example from 17th century France. The daughter of the secretary of Louis XIV's Master of Horse, she grew up learning to ride and swordfight, and dressed as a boy from an early age. Later on, she ran off with her swordfighting instructor and made a living as a cross dressing fencer. She later joined the Paris Opera where her singing voice and androgynous looks made her quite popular, especially with [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer the ladies]]. This actually got her in trouble when she defeated three noblemen in an illegal duel when they challenged her after she kissed a lady they were courting, forcing her into exile in Belgium. Later in life, she had a relationship with Marie Louise Thérèse de Senneterre, la Marquise de Florensac, and was devastated when she died, retiring from the opera and entering into a convent, where she died at the age of 33.

This type of character in Japanese media often prompts [[WildMassGuessing speculation]] from Western fans that she's either a UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} man or a lesbian, particularly the latter, since in much of European and North American works in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, having a female character wear men's clothing is a common way of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar implying that she's not heterosexual]] when open acknowledgment and depiction of her sexuality, even in a negative way, would have been forbidden by taste-and-decency standards. In reality, the ubiquity of the Bifauxnen archetype in Japanese media can likely be traced back to the influence of the Creator/TakarazukaRevue.

* Dacey Ashcroft of ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' version 3 is described as being very ambiguous in gender -- especially since she is very tall for a girl and in general, just doesn't act 'girly'. That she deliberately perpetrates this charade doesn't help matters for the confused.

* Inverted with Pete Burns, bisexual lead singer of Music/DeadOrAlive. He had been cosmetically changing his appearance to resemble a woman before he married his wife of nearly 30 years. So feminine was he in his appearance already that when they applied for a marriage license, the clerk snarkily asked which one was the bride. Burns was not amused, recalling it as a "feeble joke" and the only thing that ruined such a perfect memory for him. In general, he was known for passing off a feminine look very well, at least until his surgery money ran out and he encountered one botched operation after another - his hobby was going under the knife to change his style whenever he felt like it, but that all changed when he met the wrong doctor. Sadly, he was unable to repair the damage before he died.

* Creator/AngelinaJolie in ''Film/GirlInterrupted'' was wonderfully Johnny Deppish. She was also androgynous in her role as [[http://www.proyouthpages.com/jolie-foxfire.jpg Legs]] in ''Film/FoxFire'' and spends the last act of ''{{Film/Salt}}'' with a short haircut, wearing men's clothes [[spoiler:while she's in disguise as a man, complete with facial prosthetics which she removes, while keeping the hair and clothes]].

Masculine female characters who resemble [[{{Bishonen}} pretty, androgynous boys]]. They are ''faux Bishōnen''. Swooned over by [[UnsettlingGenderReveal confused females]] as much as outright lesbians. Sometimes in the episode they're introduced, they're confused for men until the other characters recognize and treat them as girls. Occasionally, it's also a roundabout way of adding a stereotypically "male" role to a show that doesn't have (or [[ImprobablyFemaleCast want]]) one. Frequently subject to at least one StupidSexyFlanders gag, sometimes even after TheReveal of their sex.

* ''Fanfic/{{Oblivion}}'' has Marley Flowers, who looks sufficiently male-like that she and her fiance are MistakenForGay at first.

* The UrExample is ''Toribakeya Monogatari'', a late Heian Period tale of a brother and sister who are naturally more alingned with roles assigned to the other gender. They switch places at the Heian court and drama ensues.

* Happened to ComicBook/{{Jubilee|MarvelComics}} of the ComicBook/XMen at least once. In a slightly odd turn of events, the dinosaur-riding tribe who made the mistake actually had her half-way to the altar with a choice bride standing by before the misunderstanding could be cleared up.

Interestingly, most versions are PrinceCharming types and overwhelmingly [[WholesomeCrossdresser good characters]]. Bifauxnen are -- from an artistic standpoint -- everything that is positive about masculinity while not losing anything fundamentally female. Many characters, in fact, simply associate with traits typically praised in men; the appearance is just another path to that. Most of the time the bifauxnen is ''not'' a ButchLesbian and is [[ChasteHero mostly oblivious]] to reactions they incite.

* ''Series/TippingTheVelvet'': Nan can easily pass for a pretty young man-so easily that her first proper costume as Rackity Jack had to be altered so she'd be ''less'' convincing.

* ''LightNovel/FamiliaChronicleEpisodeLyu'': While undercover at Orario's largest casino, Lyu Lyon dresses up as a young male Elf noble with Syr as her escort and easily passes through without arousing suspicion. Bell and his companions only recognized her because the former is a regular at the Hostess of Fertility along with their prior adventure together in the Dungeon and the latter were once beaten by her.

* Both Yayoi and Lin from ''LightNovel/{{Kurenai}}''. It's no wonder that they always end up fighting each other.

* ''Film/BelowHerMouth'': Dallas is a very androgynous woman who looks more like a {{pretty boy}} than anything, with short hair, masculine clothing, a slim and good-looking boyish facial structure. Her actress Erika Linder is well known for her androgyny when modeling.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. As an 'out' lesbian Kate Kane normally adopts a butch biker look, but takes on this trope whenever SheCleansUpNicely for formal events.

** Another incarnation of Bob appears in the ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' episode "Major Star", having lied to British Army recruiters and joined as a boy. This time Captain Blackadder isn't fooled for a minute, but lets it slide. The same episode features General Lord Melchett falling in LoveAtFirstSight with George's drag act, and then thinking RealityIsUnrealistic when the unit fakes "Georgina's" death and substitutes Bob as the drag perfomer.

* ''LightNovel/ByTheGraceOfTheGods'': in vol 5, Eliaria Jamil meets Michelle, who quickly becomes part of her training squad and friend group. Michelle keeps her hair short, wears boy's pants with girl's shirts and in a later scene is mistaken as a boy by some jealous boys who think she's 'hogging all the girls'. Michelle tells Eliaria her hair and clothing is simply a matter of practicality (she's a magical researcher who spends lots of time doing physical things like crawling around on the ground and grinding up crystals). In fact, she actually lost all her initial friends in her first weeks at the academy when she revealed she ''wasn't'' a crossdresser.
* Kaoru Sayanomiya of ''LightNovel/{{Campione}}'' is a powerful miko, head of the Tokyo branch of the History Compilation Committee, and heir to her powerful family. Her only flaw is her tendency to wear men's clothing, even at formal events where she's known to be a woman. Many of her female classmates have fallen in love with her and she makes no effort to correct them on her gender or discourage their attempts to win her over.

* Kaoru Daichi from ''LightNovel/LadiesVersusButlers'' is both Akiharu's roommate and a girl crossdressing as a boy. Given what type of series this is, this makes for some awkward tension.

* Protagonist Ryougi Shiki of ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' is a subtle example, as there are few extraneous characters to comment on her handsomeness. In the first chapter, every phrase concerning her was [[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns written so that her actual gender was not mentioned]] until the second-to-last line. This probably has to do with her (originally) having two personalities, one male and one female. Though by episode 4 (chronologically 2) [[spoiler:SHIKI (the male personality) sacrifices himself in the Void for Shiki (the female personality) to live on, wakes up from her coma, and gaining the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]].

** In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', one of the Memorial Craft Essences has [[LightNovel/FateApocrypha Saber of "Red"]] dress up in brown suit that lets her look ''very'' much like a "bad boy" version of Saber, [[spoiler:which is quite fitting since she's Mordred, Arturia's aforementioned "son"]].

* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'' plays with this deliberately, as [[spoiler:the title character]]'s gender isn't made explicit to the audience for a couple of episodes. [[spoiler:Kino]] seems to be designed as an "everyman" (well, a woman) who everyone can identify with to some extent.

* The title character of ''Fanfic/IryaSheenAceAttorney'' notes she used to wear pants, but after being mistaken for a boy enough times, she settled on a skirt.

* Halfway through ''Literature/{{Haganai}}'', the protagonist Kodaka Hasegawa was surprised to find out that his long forgotten male childhood friend "Sora" was not only a girl, but Yozora Mikazuki, who he met at the start of the story. While she's introduced with very long hair, she later cuts it much shorter after the ends are burned by fireworks, and it's later pointed out that she looks ''very'' good in the boys' school uniform.