History Main / OverlyStereotypicalDisguise

** Marty falls into this trap with the "something inconspicuous" outfit he bought with Doc's money in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII''. The leather jacket and SunglassesAtNight would've been conspicuous enough, but then he tops it off with a nice trilby hat, which was not considered casual headwear and normally only worn with a suit in the '50s.
** Marty's flamboyant cowboy attire in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'', which he does lampshade, but (1950s) Doc insists is fine to wear (note that westerns were huge in 1955, but historical accuracy in westerns was not). Marty switches to more reasonable clothes as soon as he can.

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] twice over in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjsoYfTxj4 this video]] from ''Website/TheOnion'', where investigative reporter Gavin Fisher decides the best way to infiltrate the underground Chinese bootleg market is to disguise himself wearing not only stereotypical Chinese clothes but also wearing comically round glasses, donning {{Yellowface}} and fake [[AsianBuckTeeth buck teeth]], and speaking in a [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish a terrible accent]]. Much to his confusion, people are only not fooled for a second, but act scared or even disgusted around him. He then tries [[CrossesTheLineTwice again]] by [[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing]] as a [[AsianHookerStereotype Asian hooker]].

* Gene Wilder's pathetic attempt to pass for African-American in the movie ''Film/SilverStreak''. The script called for a black patron to walk in and be fooled by the disguise, but Creator/RichardPryor wisely [[WagTheDirector convinced the filmmakers]] to show the guy clearly not buying it for a second.

* ''Series/TheSarahSilvermanProgram'' played with this. [[{{CloudcuckooLander}} Sarah]] argued with a black man that being Jewish is harder than being black, and the two agreed to [[BlackLikeMe go through one day as the other ethnicity]] for a day to test it. Sarah dressed up in a [[{{Blackface}} horribly stereotypical and offensive way]], receiving very unpleasant remarks, thinking they actually thought she was black and their responses were genuine racism. When she met the man in the usual spot she and the gang get their coffee and said that she agreed that [[ComicallyMissingThePoint being black was harder]], the black man said he realised being Jewish was actually harder. He was wearing a yarmukle, peot, a long false nose, and a shirt saying 'I <3 Money'. The man left the place as the two exchanged suspicious looks.

** He also acts like a stereotype of retarded people to get into the Special Olympics -- [[spoiler: he [[LaserGuidedKarma loses so badly]] that all he has to show for it is a ConsolationPrize]].

* ''Film/SeventeenAgain'': When Mike is magically transformed into a teenager again, he dresses as a middle-aged man's idea of what a teenager would wear (he saw [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece Kevin Federline wear the exact same outfit]]).

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' has a funny subversion. The main character's job is to infiltrate a Muslim terrorist group. He simply wraps a towel around his head, superglues hair to his face, and says, "Dirka dirka Muhammed Jihad." It works.
[[/folder]]

-->'''Thomson''': Greek costumes? But we specifically ordered the tailor to make us Syldavian ones...\\

** ''Destination Moon'' has them wearing [[http://www.tintinmilou.free.fr/deguisement/moon.jpg traditional ceremonial garb]] while undercover in Syldavia. As it turns out, they're wearing Greek costumes anyway.

** He also acts like a stereotype of retarded people to get into the Special Olympics -- [[spoiler: he [[LaserGuidedKarma loses so badly]] that he's given the MedalOfDishonor for it]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': Raiden's idea of an authentic civilian disguise while in Mexico is a gaudy mariachi sombrero and poncho draped over his completely unaltered cyborg body, not to mention his high-tech car and [[RobotDog Bladewolf]]. The first two locals he sees are more perplexed by the bizarre attempt at blending in than anything.

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] twice over in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjsoYfTxj4 this video]] from ''Website/TheOnion'', where investigative reporter Gavin Fisher decides the best way to infiltrate the underground Chinese bootleg market is to disguise himself wearing not only stereotypical Chinese clothes but also wearing comically round glasses, donning {{Yellowface}} and fake [[AsianBuckTeeth buck teeth]], and speaks in a [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish a terrible accent]]. Much to his confusion, people are only not fooled for a second, but act scared or even disgusted around him. He then tries [[CrossesTheLineTwice again]] by [[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing]] as a [[AsianHookerStereotype Asian hooker]].

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] twice over in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjsoYfTxj4 this video]] from ''Website/TheOnion'', where investigative reporter Gavin Fisher decides the best way to infiltrate the underground Chinese bootleg market is to disguise himself wearing not only stereotypical Chinese clothes but also wearing comically round glasses and a fake [[AsianBuckTeeth buck teeth]], complete with a terrible accent. Everyone is either not fooled or offended by it. When that didn't work, he tries [[CrossesTheLineTwice again]] by [[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing]] as a [[AsianHookerStereotype Asian hooker]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': Raiden's idea of an authentic civilian disguise while in Mexico is a gaudy mariachi sombrero and poncho draped over his completely unaltered cyborg body. The first two locals he sees are more perplexed by the bizarre attempt at blending in than anything.

* ''Film/AdeleHasntHadHerDinnerYet'' has Nick Carter, the most famous American detective, traveling to Prague to solve a case. His attempt to stay under the radar of the local press however fails miserably as he is dressed up in an Bohemian peasant's costume with bagpipes and all which makes him stick out like a sore thumb.

** Marty falls into this trap with the "something inconspicuous" outfit he bought with Doc's money in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII''. The leather jacket and SunglassesAtNight would've been conspicuous enough, but then he tops it off with a nice trilby hat, which was not considered casual headwear and normally only worn with a suit in the 50's.

* In ''Series/FunkySquad'', one of the square cops attempts to pass himself off a hippy by dressing as a cop's stereotype of a hippy. Not helped by the fact that he arrives driving a police car where he has crudely painted over the word "Police" on the door so it reads "Peace".

* ''Series/PrivateSchulz'' is sent to infiltrate Britain wearing plus fours. It's only after he's been put on the plane that his superiors ask if they still wear plus fours in 1940's wartime Britain. This and a few other blunders (like asking for a coffee in a British pub) soon give him away and the police are soon on the lookout for "the man in the plus fours" as a suspected German spy.

* ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' has a funny subversion. The main character's job is to infiltrate into a Muslim terrorist group. He simply wraps a towel around his head, superglues hair to his face, and says, "Dirka dirka Muhammed Jihad." It works.

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] twice over in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjsoYfTxj4 this video]] from ''Website/TheOnion'', where investigative reporter Gavin Fisher decides the best way to infiltrate the underground Chinese bootleg market is to disguise himself wearing not only a stereotypical Chinese clothes, but also wearing comically round glasses and a fake [[AsianBuckTeeth buck teeth]], complete with a terrible accent. Everyone is either not fooled or offended by it. When that didn't work, he tries [[CrossesTheLineTwice again]] by [[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing]] as a [[AsianHookerStereotype Asian hooker]].

** Peter Griffin gets beat up after trying to disguise himself as a Jew, and doing this trope.

** ''Objective Moon'' has them wearing [[http://www.tintinmilou.free.fr/deguisement/moon.jpg traditional ceremonial garb]] while undercover in Syldavia. As it turns out, they're wearing Greek costumes anyway.

* The ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' scene might be based on an incident during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII when two German spies were arrested in Norfolk while dressed in spats and top-hats, both unsuitable to the terrain and hopelessly out of fashion by the 1940s.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePart'':
** Marty falls into this trap with the "something inconspicuous" outfit he bought with Doc's money in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII''.
** Marty's flamboyant cowboy attire in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'', which he does lampshade, but (1950s) Doc insisted it is fine to wear. Marty switches to more reasonable clothes as soon as he can.

* Gene Wilder's pathetic attempt to pass for African-American in the movie ''Film/SilverStreak''.

* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'', ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'':

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* In the [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse]] story "Dalla parte sbagliata", Mickey tries to blend in in a BananaRepublic. Cue a panel of him walking around in a Mexican poncho while spouting stereotypical Mexican phrases, all while passers-by look at him in confusion.

* In ''Film/TheHebrewHammer'', the main character and his love interest try to arrest the BigBad at a Kmart by posing as a Gentile couple, complete with Southern accents, Christian paraphernalia, and American flags.

* Marty's flamboyant cowboy attire in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'', which he does lampshade, but (1950s) Doc insisted it is fine to wear. Marty switches to more reasonable clothes as soon as he can.
** Marty himself falls into this trap with the "something inconspicuous" outfit he bought with Doc's money in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII''.
* Gene Wilder's pathetic attempt to pass for African-American in the movie ''Film/SilverStreak''.
* In ''Film/RevengeOfThePinkPanther'', Inspector Clouseau goes undercover in Hong Kong in {{Yellowface}}, eye makeup for slanted eyes, a Fu Manchu mustache, a rice paddy hat, and a Qipao, while all the ordinary citizens around him wear business suits.

* ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'': The Baron's two spies attempt to blend in as Englishmen by putting on plaid coats, deerstalker caps, holding a pipe aloft, and calling each other "Basil". A nearby family sees them pass and looks at each other in confusion.
* ''Film/AdeleHasntHadHerDinnerYet'' has Nick Carter, the most famous American detective, traveling to Prague to solve a case. His attempt to stay under the radar of the local press however fails miserably as he is dressed up in an Bohemian peasant's costume with bagpipes and all which makes him stick out like a sore thumb.

* ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'':
** Sergeant Colon does this in a downright racist manner (as well as {{Malaproper}}, calling the Klatchians "brothers of the ''dessert''" rather than the ''desert'' and asking "[[IsItSomethingYouEat Had any baksheesh lately?]]"), to the point that onlookers assume he's a spy for a country other than the one he seems to be from, since no actual spy would be so obvious. And ''especially'' Ankh-Morpork, being a ProudMerchantRace run by a MagnificentBastard, would never send such an idiot.
** 71-Hour Ahmed in the same book does this brilliantly. He keeps doing stereotypically "Klatchian" things (like offering to buy someone's wife for twenty camels) and speaking Morporkian badly, with a thick accent. It turns out that not only is he [[spoiler:the police chief of Al-Khali]], he was educated in the Assassins' Guild school and speaks Morporkian perfectly when he wants to. He actually puts on a slight Morporkian accent in Klatchian just to mess with people.
* In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', a prolonged scene with the President and a staff full of political caricatures includes a "Chief Spy" with "a false moustache, a false beard, false eyelashes, false teeth and a falsetto voice" ''while in the office.'' It kind of seems better suited to how the book was eventually adapted as a stage play.

* In ''Series/FunkySquad'', one of the square cops attempts to pass himself off a hippy by dressing as a cop's stereotype of a hippy. Not helped by the fact that he arrives driving a police car where he has crudely painted over the word "Police" on the door so it reads "Peace".
* ''Series/TheSarahSilvermanProgram'' played with this. [[{{CloudcuckooLander}} Sarah]] argued with a black man that being Jewish is harder than being black, and the two agreed to [[BlackLikeMe go through one day as the other ethnicity]] for a day to test it. Sarah dressed up in a [[{{Blackface}} horribly stereotypical and offensive way]], receiving very unpleasant remarks, thinking they actually thought she was black and their responses were genuine racism. When she met the man in the usual spot she and the gang get their coffee and said that she agreed that [[ComicallyMissingThePoint being black was harder]], the black man said he realised being Jewish was actually harder. He was wearing a yarmukle, peot, a long false nose, and a shirt saying 'I <3 Money'. The man left the place as the two exchanged suspicious looks.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** Peter Griffin gets beat up after trying to disguise himself as a Jew, and doing this trope.
** In another episode, Peter infiltrates one of Meg's dates dressed in stereotypical Chinese garb, complete with buck teeth and paddy hat.

* In ''Film/XXx'', a spy dresses up in a tuxedo to blend in at the "Monte Carlo Club" which turns out to be a punk rock nightclub.

[[quoteright:350:[[Recap/TintinTheBlueLotus https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tintinbluelotustt.jpg]]]]

Probably the best-known instance of this: The spy/secret agent who [[ConspicuousTrenchcoat wears a grey trenchcoat and black hat (as an effort to "blend in" with the general populace) decades after these went out of fashion]]. Also [[ThirdLawOfGenderBending frequently occurs when individuals must disguise themselves as the opposite gender.]]

* In the ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' comics, bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson often attempt to go undercover by wearing ridiculously stereotypical disguises of whatever country they're in. One early book has them dress up in garish Qing-era garb (complete with pigtails) on a visit to Shanghai. They end up with a large crowd of pointing and laughing people following them. Another has them wearing traditional ceremonial garbs while undercover in Syldavia. As it turns out, they're wearing Greek costumes anyway.