History Main / ClarkKenting

* {{justified|Trope}} in ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh'': the Galfa have seen the pilots of [[HumongousMech Dendoh]] from day one, but, being a race of robots that have great differences between each other, the general characteristics their agents have to identify them at home are height (around 1.41 m), primary constitutive elements (water and proteins), and optical devices (two lenses. Also known as ''eyes''), like ''hundreds'' of grade school student (they gave up on the 143rd one). The agents later meet the pilots and stay around them for a while, but can't recognize them.

* {{justified|Trope}} in ''Anime/PowerpuffGirlsZ'', as anyone wearing the clothes one of the girls gets during her TransformationSequence will appear to be that girl implying that the clothes have some kind of [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman disguising power]].
** However only six girls in the entire series wear that style of belt buckle.

* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': {{Subverted|Trope}} during the attack to the school when Kazuki tries to disguise himself with a scarf covering his face but it doesn't work as his friends have known him so long they can recognize him from afar just by the way he walks and don't even need to see his face. Tokiko's disguise during the same attack is a straighter, if [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] example. She's just wearing Kazuki's uniform jacket over her usual look, but being a very recent transfer student her unusual uniform is her most distinguishing feature anyway and covering it up does a good job hiding her identity alongside the artificial fog that's blanketing the school.

** {{Justified}} in ''Anime/CuteHighEarthDefenseClubLove,'' an AffectionateParody of Magical Girls ([[GenderInverted with boys]]): the alien technology that makes them Magical Boys also makes it so that people see their faces blurred out and their voices altered. Their [[DarkMagicalGirl villainous counterparts]] have similar abilities.

* Justified in ''Anime/PowerpuffGirlsZ'', as anyone wearing the clothes one of the girls gets during her TransformationSequence will appear to be that girl implying that the clothes have some kind of [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman disguising power]].

** {{Justified}} in one occasion in the anime for Sailor Moon: Kaolinite ''had'' guessed that Usagi was Sailor Moon, but as soon as she shouted it Sailor Venus (whose job description in the manga and live-action includes being Sailor Moon's BodyDouble) showed up in disguise and fooled everyone. [[PaperThinDisguise It wasn't really a good disguise]], but [[LargeHam Sailor Venus]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvALBIfDB9c hammed it up enough that Kaolinite and the Outers fell for it anyway]]. There is also a season 1 episode where Zoicite is disguised as a fake Sailor Moon - and saves an innocent. Usagi is among the crowd of people that sees this, which could throw Naru off the scent... At least until R, when she all but admits to Usagi she guessed it.
** Also {{Justified}} in an incident in ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'': police inspector Wakagi sees Minako and ''does'' associate her to Sailor V, but ''immediately'' chastise himself for it because lately he's grown so obsessed with Sailor V he ''mistakes for her every single girl who wears a ribbon in her hair''.

* In ''Manga/PenguinRevolution'', actor Ayaori Mashiba conceals his identity from the public by using the stage name "Makoto Ayaori," and by wearing NerdGlasses and leaving his hair in a disordered mess when he's not on the job. The only person shown to ever see through this is the heroine, Yukari, who recognizes him only thanks to her unique ability to perceive star talent in the form of visible wings. The trope is justified in that Ayaori is an incredibly talented actor (although you'd think someone would at least notice the name).

* {{Justified}} in ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh'': the Galfa have seen the pilots of [[HumongousMech Dendoh]] from day one, but, being a race of robots that have great differences between each other, the general characteristics their agents have to identify them at home are height (around 1.41 m), primary constitutive elements (water and proteins), and optical devices (two lenses. Also known as ''eyes''), like ''hundreds'' of grade school student (they gave up on the 143rd one). The agents later meet the pilots and stay around them for a while, but can't recognize them.

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'': Even as a {{master of disguise}} who regularly employs LatexPerfection, the titular thief often relies on a pair of glasses and/or a change of clothes for a disguise. Sometimes justified in that most people don't know what he looks like.

* Splendid from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' is a Superman parody, so naturally he indulges in this in one episode. His disguise consists solely of [[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal a tie]] and a pair of glasses. He doesn't even remove his mask.

* Parodied in the College Humor video where Batman meets Superman. Commissioner Gordon and Batman mock Superman for thinking putting on glasses fools anyone, and Gordon says it's as stupid as saying that by just taking off his glasses he'd be unrecognizable. And when he takes them off...

* ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'' plays this straight with Emily Kaldwin, Empress of the Isles, who is on the lam in the city of Karnaca following a coup. Unlike Dishonored 1 protagonist Corvo Attano, whose disguise features a full face mask, Emily's disguise consists of nothing but a bandana covering the lower part of her face. Her eyes, hair, and entire outfit from the neck down remain unhidden and unchanged from her canonically very well-publicized appearance (in-game dialogue explicitly states that her face appears minted on every coin in the empire, and she appears on wanted posters all over Karnaca). Despite this, only a few major characters among the countless characters that can be interacted with throughout the game ever seem to recognize her.

* ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'' plays this completely straight with Emily Kaldwin, Empress of the Isles, who is on the lam in the city of Karnaca following a successful coup in the capital city of Dunwall. Unlike Dishonored 1 protagonist Corvo Attano, whose disguise features a full face mask, Emily's disguise consists of nothing a bandana covering the lower part of her face. Her eyes, hair, and entire outfit from the neck down remain unhidden and unchanged from her canonically very well-publicized appearance (in-game dialogue even explicitly states that her face appears minted on every coin in the empire, and she appears on wanted posters all over Karnaca). Despite all this, and the fact that she frequently goes out on missions into the city over the course of several weeks or months, only a few important characters among the countless characters that can be interacted with throughout the course of the game ever seem to recognize her.

* ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'' plays this completely straight with Emily Kaldwin, Empress of the Isles, who is on the lam in the city of Karnaca following a successful coup in the capital city of Dunwall. Unlike Dishonored 1 protagonist Corvo Attano, whose disguise features a full face mask, Emily's disguise consists of nothing a bandana covering the lower part of her face. Her eyes, hair, and entire outfit from the neck down remain unhidden and unchanged from her canonically very well-publicized appearance (in-game dialogue even explicitly states that her face appears minted on every coin in the empire, and she appears on wanted posters all over Karnaca). Despite all this, and the fact that she frequently goes out on missions into the city over the course of several weeks or months, only a few important characters among the countless NPCs that can be interacted with throughout the course of the game ever seem to recognize her.

* ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'' plays this completely straight with Emily Kaldwin, Empress of the Isles, who is on the lam in the city of Karnaca following a successful coup in the capital city of Dunwall. Unlike Dishonored 1 protagonist Corvo Attano, whose disguise features a full face mask, Emily's disguise consists of nothing a bandana covering the lower part of her face. Her eyes, hair, and entire outfit from the neck down remain unhidden and unchanged from her canonically very well-publicized appearance (in-game dialogue even explicitly states that her face appears minted on every coin in the empire, and she appears on wanted posters all over Karnaca). Despite all this, only a few important characters among the countless NPCs that can be interacted with throughout the course of the game seem to recognize her.

* "VideoGame/Dishonored2" plays this completely straight with Emily Kaldwin, Empress of the Isles, who is on the lam in the city of Karnaca following a successful coup in the capital city of Dunwall. Unlike Dishonored 1 protagonist Corvo Attano, whose disguise features a full face mask, Emily's disguise consists of nothing a bandana covering the lower part of her face. Her eyes, hair, and entire outfit from the neck down remain unhidden and unchanged from her canonically very well-publicized appearance (in-game dialogue even explicitly states that her face appears minted on every coin in the empire, and she appears on wanted posters all over Karnaca). Despite all this, only a few important characters among the countless NPCs that can be interacted with throughout the course of the game seem to recognize her.

* "VideoGame/Dishonored2" plays this completely straight with Emily Kaldwin, Empress of the Isles, who is on the lam in the city of Karnaca following a successful coup in the capital city of Dunwall. Unlike Dishonored 1 protagonist Corvo Attano, whose disguise features a full face mask, Emily's disguise consists of nothing a bandana covering the lower part of her face. Her eyes, hair, and entire outfit from the neck down remain unhidden and unchanged from her canonically very well-publicized appearance (in-game dialogue even explicitly states that her face appears minted on every coin in the empire, and she appears on wanted posters all over Karnaca). Despite all this, only a few important characters among the countless NPCs that can be interacted with throughout the course of the game seem to recognize her.

* Creator/ReneeZellweger worked undercover at a British publishing house for months to prepare for her role in ''Literature/BridgetJones''. She wasn't recognised, even when she kept a framed picture of then-fiancee Creator/JimCarrey on her desk. Her co-workers merely thought it was odd but didn't say anything out of fear of upsetting her.

Clark Kenting is the process by which a SecretIdentity (public or private) is maintained through what appears to be a PaperThinDisguise, but is instead surprisingly effective and may persist with little trouble for a long time. This [[FridgeLogic becomes a question]] of the other characters ''in'' the story who cannot see through it with no excuses, basically asking everyone to “just go with it.” For the most part, it’s a way to make it clear to the audience that the two identities are the same person, but people in-story can’t tell them apart. It's often explained or justified through a combination of additional quirks beyond cosmetic appearance including body language, vocal pitch and overall demeanor making them BeneathNotice.

Clark Kenting is the process by which a SecretIdentity is maintained through what appears to be a PaperThinDisguise, but is instead surprisingly effective and may persist with little trouble for a long time. This [[FridgeLogic becomes a question]] of the other characters ''in'' the story who cannot see through it with no excuses, basically asking everyone to “just go with it.” For the most part, it’s a way to make it clear to the audience that the two identities are the same person, but people in-story can’t tell them apart. It's often explained or justified through a combination of additional quirks beyond cosmetic appearance including body language, vocal pitch and overall demeanor making them BeneathNotice.

* Tom Cruise prepared for his role in ''Film/{{Collateral}}'' by taking a job as a [=FedEx=] courier, which he worked for weeks while secretly filming himself. The video shows Cruise interacting with customers, walking around in broad daylight and even having protracted conversations with people on his lunch break, and going totally unrecognised because he was wearing sunglasses and a hat.

* Mocked by ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' in their spoof of the ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' movie. April: "Why do you wear a mask?" Raphael: "So no one knows I'm a turtle, of course!" The turtles' masks are doubly silly because they don't have a secret civilian identity: if anything, their masks exist to reveal their identity, not to conceal it.

** She also thinks that Spider-Car (a family minivan wearing a Franchise/SpiderMan costume) might be Amber, but definitely not Ultra-Car (who at that time was a [[SnarkyNonhumanSidekick artificially intelligent minivan]])

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/39998556 The Best Part of Waking Up is Pranking Your Kids]]'' Present Mic’s hero costume needs repairs so Aizawa uses this sort of thing as a test for class I-A. Mic pretends to be a substitute teacher in his civilian clothes and some of the students start to suspect he’s actually Present Mic but by the time someone actually starts to ask if he’s Present Mic, the bell cuts them off. His face looks the same but his hair is down, his tattoos and piercings are more visible and he has red contacts (a nod to the manga vs anime eye color difference). Aizawa was illustrating how heroes could take advantage of civilian outfits making them harder to identify.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoysRealJustice'': The Trope Namer does this to both Billy Butcher and Homelander, with none of them being the wiser. Justified since Clark makes his posture as clumsy as possible. Butcher, due to his prejudices as mentioned above, instead thinks Superman is having an affair with Lois Lane behind Clark's back. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Whereas, Homelander would never believe Superman has a civilian life.]]

The trope is named after Clark Kent, the human persona of Franchise/{{Superman}}, who basically looks like Superman in a suit and glasses. However, Superman can actually pull it off to great effect, leading to the idea that sometimes the best way to maintain a SecretIdentity is to [[HiddenInPlainSight hide it in plain sight]]. After all, if you're not wearing a mask, you have nothing to hide, right? Still, the trope generally makes a lot more sense if both identities don't hang out with the same people, aren't famous in different ways or even have a LovesMyAlterEgo scenario going on with them (like, you know, Superman). Seeing someone flying in the sky and later seeing someone with technically the same face in a crowded street is a bit different from routinely looking someone in the eyes with and without glasses.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfics, the Miraculous bearers are typically protected by some sort of identity protection magic keeping people from noticing the obvious clues.

* Reportedly, Creator/MarilynMonroe would employ this with a curly black wig, a pair of sunglasses, and some loose-fitting clothes. She was also apparently very good at [[http://designyoutrust.com/2012/11/marilyn-monroe-in-new-york-by-ed-feingersh-1955/ changing her body language in public]], to the point where she was able to walk completely ignored in a crowd -- until she fluffed up her hair and struck a pose, and was instantly swarmed.