History Main / EmbarrassingButEmpoweringOutfit

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', The Armor of Zelderon, from the episode [[Recap/AdventureTimeS2E4BloodUnderTheSkin "Blood Under the Skin"]], grants its wearer flight, protects them from just about anything (even ghosts!), and looks totally "''ker-chick''". Finn and Jake go on a quest to find the armor, but it turns out to be "lady armor"--it's clearly fitted for [[BrawnHilda a very stout woman]], with [[FormFittingApparel indents for large breasts]]. Needless to stay, when Finn has to wear it, he's not happy about it.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', The Armor of Zelderon, from the episode "Blood Under the Skin", grants its wearer flight, protects them from just about anything (even ghosts!), and looks totally "''ker-chick''". Finn and Jake go on a quest to find the armor, but when they do find it Finn refuses to wear it since it's "[[ChainmailBikini lady armor]]".

* ''Videogame/{{Deltarune}}'' has a mild example of this, when you pick up the White Ribbon. It gives +2 to Defense, and Kris can equip it themself, or give it to Ralsei who will ask if it makes him look pretty. Susie however, flat out refuses to wear it if you try to equip it on her, and tells you she's not in first grade anymore.

* Inverted in ‘‘Manga/YuushaGaShinda’’. Yuna has a power up that should come without costume changes, but due to the danger of using it her family decided to discourage her by making it so whenever she accessed this power her outfit would transform into the embarrassing MagicalGirl costume she made when she was ten.

* Inverted in ‘Manga/YuushaGaShinda’. Yuna has a power up that should come without costume changes, but due to the danger of using it her family decided to discourage her by making it so whenever she accessed this power her outfit would transform into the embarrassing MagicalGirl costume she made when she was ten.

* On ''Anime/KillLaKill'', this is a plot point: the Kamui that both Ryuko and Satsuki wear are ''extremely'' [[{{Stripperiffic}} skimpy]] and reveal most of the user's torso (although they do still explicitly protect non-covered areas of the skin). The embarrassment of wearing it causes Ryuko problems early on because you have to wear Kamui without shame or rejection in order to access their full power. The revealing nature of Kamui later gets some justification when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Kamui are sentient aliens and in order to get as much power as possible from them without them overwhelming the wearer's mind they need to be touching as little skin as possible.]]

* Creator/ProZD's skit [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq1tN9jZI80 "picking RPG clothes based on maxing stats instead of whether they match or not"]] is based around this, where the hero arrives to fight the final boss dressed in multiple clashing articles of clothing.

* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'': The costume worn by MagicalGirl Haruna contains lots of ruffles and bows. This isn't so embarrassing for her, but when she accidentally passes on her powers, costume included, to the zombie Ayumu, he is not so amused by the outfit. Unfortunately, in order to activate his powers, the pink bow-covered costume is included. Also when he uses his own LimitBreak abilities while wearing it, ''the costume proceeds to get even girlier''. Complete with commentary on his rising cuteness from whoever's on the sidelines.

* Yuna, the main character of ''Literature/KumaKumaKumaBear'', is almost completely dependent on a set of '[[BearsAreBadNews bear pajamas]]' that boost all her stats, grant her game-breaking OP skills and recover her HP and mana while she sleeps. She is mortified by the reactions that she gets from everyone, but the suit is too useful and it would be too risky for her to take off while traveling around. Plus, being non-transferable, she couldn't get rid of it even if she wanted to.

* Yuna, the main character of ''Literature/KumaKumaKumaBear'', is almost completely dependent on a set of '[[BearsAreBadNews bear pajamas]]' that boost all her stats, grant her game-breaking OP skills and recover her HP and mana while she sleeps. She is mortified by the reactions that she gets from everyone, but the suit is too useful and risky for her to ever take off. Plus, being non-transferable, she couldn't get rid of it even if she wanted to.

* The Armor of Zeldron, from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', grants its wearer flight and protects them from just about anything (even ghosts!). In the episode "Blood Under the Skin" Finn and Jake go quest to find the armor, but when they do find it Finn refuses to wear it since it's "[[BreastPlate girl armor]]".

--->'''Phoebe:''' Why do I always get stuck with the wig?

* In ''Fanfic/WaterAerobicsForTheAquaphobic'', Hermione's Jusenkyō curse (Spring of the Drowned Warrior Goddess) comes with a clothing transformation into a ChainmailBikini, complete with CombatStilettos. While the outfit actually does protect her (notably, it can absorb magic), it also doesn't change back. Asocial bookworm Hermione is not amused about having to wear it in public.

** Phoebe gains genie powers thanks to a BedlahBabe outfit.

* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'': The costume worn by MagicalGirl Haruna contains lots of ruffles and bows. This isn't so embarrassing for her, but when she accidentally passes on her powers, costume included, to the zombie Ayumu, he is not so amused by the outfit. Unfortunately, in order to activate his powers, the pink bow-covered costume is included. Also when he uses his own LimitBreak abilities while wearing it, ''the costume proceeds to get even girlier''. Complete with commentary on his rising cuteness from whoever's on the sidelines.
-->'''Ayumu:''' What? Not this getup!\\
'''Haruna:''' It's gonna make you stronger, and way more brave, so don't knock it you jackass!

* There's a scene in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' where Lina and Amelia put on silly dresses and sing a silly song (in a clear parody of {{Idol Singer}}s) in order to cast a powerful spell and kill a demon that was supposedly guarding a MacGuffin they're searching for. [[SubvertedTrope It produces some lights. The spell was actually for a festival, the Mac Guffin is elsewhere]]. Lina then killed the demon with her classic [[KamehameHadoken Dragon Slave]] as punishment for watching her embarrass herself.
* In ''Literature/KumaKumaKumaBear'', the main character Yuna is gifted a powerful armor set that grants her massive stat boosts and magical powers, but it looks like a onesie pajama costume with a bear's head for the hood, bear paws on the feet, and a pair of bear hand-puppets. She's quite embarrassed about being seen in public while dressed like that and other characters have a tendency to not take her seriously when they first meet her but she quickly earns a fearsome reputation for the sheer amount of damage, destruction, and death she can cause singlehandedly. The adventurers of the Guild don't say the name "Bloody Bear" ''lightly''.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'':
** When Elena hears that FriendlyShopKeeper Shizuka ordered PoweredArmor for Akira, she asks to have hers ordered for her too, even though she doesn’t need the help like the uneducated Akira does. As petty revenge (and due to being TheGadfly), Shizuka, after getting a revealing FutureSpandex suit for Elena, pushes her out in it for Akira to see, embarrassing both of them. The two soon realize that it’s supposed to ''go under'' the user’s regular clothes.
** There is a RunningGag in the franchise about armor that looks like maid outfits. The NinjaMaid bodyguards Shiori and Kanae wear them because they’re the best protection they can get their hands on (due to it being a tradition in their MegaCorp). The concept of buff men running around wearing those outfits is brought up a few times, making a few characters wish for BrainBleach (incidentally, the males working for aforementioned company wear BattleButler themed armor).

* In the short story "Wunderpants" by Paul Jennings, the protagonist David is given pink, fairy-print underwear that give him superhuman strength.

* There's a scene in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' where Lina and Amelia put on silly dresses and sing a silly song (in a clear parody of {{Idol Singer}}s) in order to cast a powerful spell and kill a demon that was supposedly guarding a MacGuffin they're searching for. [[SubvertedTrope It produces some lights. The spell was actually for a festival, the Mac Guffin is elsewhere]]. Lina then killed the demon with her classic [[KamehameHadoken Dragon Slave]] as punishment for watching her embarrass herself.
* In ''LightNovel/KumaKumaKumaBear'', the main character Yuna is gifted a powerful armor set that grants her massive stat boosts and magical powers, but it looks like a onesie pajama costume with a bear's head for the hood, bear paws on the feet, and a pair of bear hand-puppets. She's quite embarrassed about being seen in public while dressed like that and other characters have a tendency to not take her seriously when they first meet her but she quickly earns a fearsome reputation for the sheer amount of damage, destruction, and death she can cause singlehandedly. The adventurers of the Guild don't say the name "Bloody Bear" ''lightly''.

* In ''Manga/TheDemonGirlNextDoor'', Yuko's Crisis Management form is {{Stripperiffic}} to embarrass her to no end, but it does raise her normally pitiful physical abilities as a former IllGirl.

* On ''Anime/KillLaKill'', this is a plot point: the Kamui that both Ryuko and Satsuki are ''extremely'' [[{{Stripperiffic}} skimpy]] and reveal most of the user's torso (although they do still explicitly protect non-covered areas of the skin). The embarrassment of wearing it causes Ryuko problems early on because you have to wear Kamui without shame or rejection in order to access their full power. The revealing nature of Kamui later gets some justification when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Kamui are sentient aliens and in order to get as much power as possible from them without them overwhelming the wearer's mind they need to be touching as little skin as possible.]]
* There's a scene in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' where Lina and Amelia put on silly dresses and sing a silly song (in a clear parody of {{Idol Singer}}s) in order to cast a powerful spell and kill a demon that was supposedly guarding a MacGuffin they're searching for. [[SubvertedTrope It produces some lights. The spell was actually for a festival, the Mac Guffin is elsewhere]]. Lina then killed the demon with her classic [[KamehameHadoken Dragon Slave]] as punishment for watching her embarrass herself.
* In ''LightNovel/KumaKumaKumaBear'', the main character Yuna is gifted a powerful armor set that grants her massive stat boosts and magical powers, but it looks like a onesie pajama costume with a bear's head for the hood, bear paws on the feet, and a pair of bear hand-puppets. She's quite embarrassed about being seen in public while dressed like that and other characters have a tendency to not take her seriously when they first meet her but she quickly earns a fearsome reputation for the sheer amount of damage, destruction, and death she can cause singlehandedly. The adventurers of the Guild don't say the name "Bloody Bear" ''lightly''.

* On ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', when Max's powers fully come in he's unable to truly control or use them. In order to do so, he must wear a huge, gaudy, puffy jester hat. Not doing so would cause events like spontaneous indoor blizzards, but doing so made him the laughing stock of the school.

* ''Anime/ProjectAKo'': B-ko's battle armor, [[ChainmailBikini Akagiyama 23]] enhances her speed and reflexes to match A-ko's. However, [[{{Stripperiffic}} it's basically nothing but a skimpy bikini with boots, gauntlets, and a visor]]. Oddly, B-ko herself isn't at all bothered by wearing it. When A-ko and the other students first see it, they burst out laughing at her. But once the fight begins, A-ko's laughter [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YtBdNrVMGA is short-lived.]] Later in the film, it's revealed that it also has a built-in jet pack which enables B-ko to fly; which she uses during her attempt to rescue C-ko from Captain Napolipolita. B-ko was able to maneuver effortlessly through [[MacrossMissileMassacre a non-stop missile barrage.]] However, the visor's function doesn't become clear until the fourth movie: Final. It [[spoiler: allows B-ko to breathe in outer space. Seen when she flies A-ko into space, to get C-ko back, at 11.5 G's]]! Taken UpToEleven and subverted when her '''father''' steals the design and wears one, and '''she's''' the one embarrassed by it.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' if you make {{Tomboy}} Paine wear the Songstress dressphere, she will complain in battle in spite of the powers it gives her.

* In the short story "Origin Story" by Dwight R. Decker, a spirit who's been out of touch with events on Earth for the past century or so offers the protagonist the empowering (and prominently emblazoned) garb of [[NonNaziSwastika "Captain Swastika"]]. He declines.