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->''Well you should see Polythene Pam\\
She's so good-looking but she looks like a man''
-->-- '''Music/TheBeatles''', "[[Music/AbbeyRoad Polythene Pam]]"

Masculine female characters who resemble [[{{Bishonen}} pretty, androgynous boys]]. They are ''faux Bishōnen''. Swooned over by [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer 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.

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 [[CluelessChickMagnet mostly oblivious]] to reactions they incite.

The major distinction between them and straight-up {{Tomboy}}s is [[SheCleansUpNicely a direct and neat association with elegance and style]], and they often appear [[YoungerThanTheyLook older than they really are]]. Straight-up tomboys are often associated with playfulness and immaturity but are still clearly female. Bifauxnen have [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak some sense of femininity most straight-up tomboys lack]], though this isn't a requirement. While it is common to have both types of characters in a series, two bifauxnen are less common, and tend to become playful or sexy rivals.

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 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.

[[note]]Bifauxnen, however, do not include trans men, as the latter ''are'' men and not simply "mistaken" for men. Usually, they can be distinguished by how they identify, such as Tetsuo from ''Manga/{{Yuureitou}}'', though it may be {{ambiguous|GenderIdentity}} for some characters. Trans women are included, but examples of transfeminine bifauxnen are rare.[[/note]]

A SubTrope of AttractiveBentGender and LadyLooksLikeADude.The male equivalent is {{Bishonen}}. Not to be confused with SweetPollyOliver, who only dresses like a man to achieve a goal that requires her to seem male. Compare to SamusIsAGirl, where the gender simply isn't discernible until TheReveal. Can also be a case of BifauxnenAndLadette if there's more than one in a particular work. See also TheLadette. May involve a GenderReveal.
----
!!Example subpages:
[[index]]
* Bifauxnen/AnimeAndManga
* Bifauxnen/VideoGames
[[/index]]

!!Other examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Ur Example]]
* The UrExample is ''Torikaebaya 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.
[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Art]]
%%* Many women in the work of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaine_Brooks Romaine Brooks]], particularly the subject of ''[[https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/peter-young-english-girl-2909 Peter, a Young English Girl]]''.
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Happens to Jubilee from ''ComicBook/XMen'' a couple of times.
** In her very early appearances, she had short hair and a flat chest that she could be mistaken as an effeminate boy depending on the art.
** On at least two occasions she was required to go undercover as a delivery '''boy'''. Since the other two women on the team were undercover as hot women in slinky dresses, she found this rather annoying.
** In a side-story in ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, she's fully mistaken for a boy by a tribe in the Savage Land and engaged to one of their princesses. 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.
* In ''ComicBook/StarWarsMarvel1977'', there was a prince who went to Luke Skywalker for help; later in the arc it was revealed that [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Vila this character]] was that prince's twin sister, as the prince himself had died. In order to keep her planet's morale up, she'd needed to keep his death a secret. At the end of the arc the princess also died, and the two of them met Yoda in the afterlife - the princess was clearly shorter and somewhat narrower-shouldered than her brother, but still fairly androgynous. Without looking at the word balloons, it's actually rather difficult to tell that she's female.
* Carrie Kelley, the successor to the Robin mantle in ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', is mistaken for a boy by the police. Somewhat of an inversion on how Robins on New Earth are either mistaken for or portrayed in other media as girls.
* 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/SevenSoldiersOfVictory2005'' and mistaken for a girl in ''ComicBook/DemonKnights''. In the latter case, the truth is [[GenderBender a little more complicated]]...
* Luci (yes, ''that'' [[LouisCypher Luci]]) from ''ComicBook/TheWickedAndTheDivine'', doing a damn fine impression of Bowie's Thin White Duke
* In ''Masqued Mayhem'', one of the ''ComicBook/AdventureTimeGraphicNovels'', Marceline's fancy-dress costume is as a male ClassicalMovieVampire.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie]] and her best friend George are tomboys who could easily pass as boys, with George going out of her way to appear androgynous. They're also both conventionally attractive so far as teen boys go and are well liked at school.
* ''ComicBook/MyVeryFirstVampireBloodDrive'' has Velvet, a gorgeous [[ButchLesbian butch vampire girl]] whom Bunny describes as looking like a "prince from a fairy tale."
* And there's ''ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}'', who wears a very masculine magician's tuxedo and top hat, and looks gorgeous in it!
* A standard design for lesbian characters in the later stories of ''ComicBook/AlanFord'', best seen with tertiary characters who, more often than not, hit on the heroine Minuette.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/{{Camellias}}'': With her dress pants, button-up shirt, vest, and tailcoat, upon meeting Blake, Weiss didn't instantly know she was female.
* Kishimura the dragon-girl in the ''Manga/MonsterMusume'' fanfic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7390630/chapters/16787725 Daily Odd Life with Monster Girls]]'', enabling her to pass as a prince without raising suspicion.
* Dee from ''Fanfic/DJINNWayToHome'' is short-haired and fairly flat (she's only fourteen), so she looks a lot like a boy, albeit a cute one. One of her future teammates teases [[GenderBlenderName Will]] (the woman who plans to adopt her) about her much younger "boyfriend," even when said boyfriend is wearing a short skirt.
* ''Fanfic/FateStayNightUltimateMaster'''s version of Avenger is a female, but dress like a male in her civilian attire, and looks quite good in it if Ben's opinion is anything to go by. Not so surprising considering [[UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc who she is implied to be]].
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' fanfic writers like doing this to Setsuna (see above). ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5699544/1/bSuit_b_bUp_b Suit Up!]]'' (one big ShoutOut to ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'') has her invoke this to such an extent that ''all'' of the girls get hot and bothered around her, while ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4078106/1/Egg_Belly Egg Belly]]'' has her don a tuxedo for her date with Konoka.
* ''Fanfic/OblivionGabrielSeraph'': Marley Flowers, who looks sufficiently male-like that she and her fiance are MistakenForGay at first.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/BelowHerMouth'': Dallas is a very androgynous woman who looks more like a {{pretty boy}} than anything, with short hair, masculine clothing, a slim build and good-looking boyish facial structure. Her actress Erika Linder is well known for her androgyny when modeling.
* In ''Film/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'', Emma at the second part of the film where she has blonde hair and wears more sophisticated clothing that is expected of a well-respected artist. She is very pretty, with short hair and masculine attire which can make her look like a handsome young man at a distance. It also symbolizes the passage of time between the two chapters and how much her character has other priorities aside from her domestic life.
* Missy plays the western, lesbian version of this trope to the hilt, ahead of its time in ''Film/{{Colette}}''.
* In ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', Mr. Rooney finds who he believes is Ferris at the arcade but turns out to be a girl.
* [[spoiler:The lead character]] in ''Film/FrozenDays'' is this [[spoiler:after her TraumaticHaircut]].
* Creator/JudyGarland in the number "Get Happy" from ''Summer Stock'' performs the whole number dressed in a tuxedo, nylons and a fedora, into which is tucked her long hair, making her [[https://touchofretro.com/wp-content/uploads/judy-garland-get-happy-500x435.jpg look like a boy]] wearing the top half of a suit, plus tights. Creator/AlanMoore cited this as the inspiration for the look of the ButchLesbian detective Jackie Kowalski in ''ComicBook/TopTen''.
* 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/Foxfire1996'' 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]].
* Creator/NoomiRapace as Lisbeth Salander in ''Film/TheMillenniumTrilogy'''s adaptation of ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' is another dark example.
%%* Creator/ElliotPage is a [[DarkActionGirl very scary]] Bifauxnen as Hayley Stark in ''Film/HardCandy''.
* Creator/CateBlanchett playing "Jude Quinn" (Bob Dylan) in ''Film/ImNotThere''. Fetish Fuel ensued. Suffice it to say that Cate makes a rather hot guy. The fact that her voice is very much on the huskier end of the scale helped.
* Creator/ChloeSevigny from ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206036/ If These Walls Could Talk 2]]''.
* [[TomboyishName Johnny]] (Jane Birkin) from ''Je T'aime Moi Non Plus''. She ends up giving the gay protagonist Krassky (Joe Dallesandro) a major case of StupidSexyFlanders after subjecting him to an UnsettlingGenderReveal.
* ''Film/{{Morgan}}'': Lee's style is basically this, she wears a suit and rocks the pixie cut, giving her a somewhat androgynous look while also being quite pretty.
%%* Yet another example from Creator/ElliotPage in ''Film/MouthToMouth'', though only after their character shaves her head.
* One of the earliest examples is Creator/GretaGarbo in ''Film/QueenChristina''. Her father King Gustavus Adolphus, lacking a male heir, essentially raised her as a boy, so she acts like a boy and dresses in men's clothes. But she still looks like Greta Garbo.
* ''Film/SomeKindOfWonderful'': Watts is just a raggedly dressed {{tomboy}} for most of the film but becomes this in the last act after donning a male chauffeur's outfit.
* The actress Creator/TildaSwinton, who started her career by ''living'' this trope. She is attractive to both genders, while being androgynous enough to apply for EvenTheGirlsWantHer ''and'' EvenTheGuysWantHim, depending on the character.
** She played the technically sexless Angel Gabriel for the movie ''Film/Constantine2005''.
** Orlando from the film adaptation of ''Literature/{{Orlando}}'', who begins as an androgynous man in the 16th century, becomes ageless, and later changes sex into an androgynous woman.
** The novel on which the film is based was written by Virginia Woolf, writing it as a fictionalised biography for the author-poet Vita Sackville-West, with whom she had an affair. Vita's son would later describe it as "the longest and most charming love-letter in literature".
** Also a feature in many of Tilda's glamour shots. There are several which try to make half of her look like a woman and half of her look like a man. It's strangely attractive.
** Conan O'Brien has said that Tilda should play him in a movie. She said she'd do it.
* Laure from ''Film/{{Tomboy}}'' is androgynous looking. She's able to pass herself off as a boy, and normally she looks like a boy. It helps that she's only ten, so a haircut and boy's clothes is really all she needs to pass as male.
* Imogen Stubbs, as Viola/Cesario in the 1996 adaptation of ''Theatre/TwelfthNight''. Olivia's infatuation is ''completely'' understandable.
* ''Film/{{Underwater}}:'' Norah (played by Creator/KristenStewart) has BoyishShortHair, and when she helps pull Paul out of the rubble, he calls her "You beautiful flat-chested elven creature."
* In ''Film/VictorVictoria'', the title character is played by Julie Andrews. Female both in real life and in the movie, she plays the eponymous Victor, an ostensibly male drag queen. Part of the plot is fueled by various women being very attracted to "Victor" (as a subplot, a few of the male characters have a StupidSexyFlanders reaction to "him.")
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/HalfPrince'' has a variation. The main character is a girl who takes on the role of a male in a virtual reality MMORPG, very few people see through the disguise, and what few do only manage to do so after she gives herself away.
* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'': Ennis is a partial case, being obviously female but prone to dressing and carrying herself like a man in a time period where that didn't often happen. The real Bifauxnen however is Ricard Russo, who's more often taken for a cute little boy than a teenage girl by characters ''and'' [[ViewerGenderConfusion readers]].
* In the world of ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', whores service women. Many of them try to look as much like men as they can, and men in this world are seen as soft, beautiful, graceful creatures. These wear ivory strap-ons [[DoubleEntendre called bones]] at their groins to complete the look.
* ''Literature/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 ''Literature/{{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.
* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'':
** Jame is mistaken for a boy on a regular basis, is declared to be officially a boy in a fair few contexts throughout the books and is mistaken constantly for her twin brother (in low-visibility situations). She's flat-chested and androgynous, though she has very long hair (which she tends to wear hidden under her cap).
*** Subverted at one point in ''God Stalk'': The courtesan Melissand is flirting with her, and Jame assumes Melissand thinks she's a boy. She doesn't--she knew Jame was a girl the whole time.[[note]]Melissand is more than a little gay--as we find out in the next few pages, she was having an affair with a princess.[[/note]]
** Jame, Rue, and Caldance -- a fairly diverse group of people -- all call Brier "handsome", and with her short hair and neat, military dress, she falls right in the bifauxnen aesthetic. She's Jame's NumberTwo, and they have a BifauxnenAndLadette thing going on.
** Kirien is ''almost'', but not quite, a SweetPollyOliver -- she never actually ''claims'' to be male. But she looks (and dresses) like a handsome boy, and lets people go with their assumptions.
* [[spoiler:Kitai]] from ''Literature/CodexAlera'', partly to do with the fact that she's an underage Marat with vaguely boyish features (until they come of age, Marat wear baggy tunics and aren't acknowledged to actually have any biological sex except in the academic sense). Tavi doesn't much care for her initially, because she was kind of hostile for little apparent reason, but once he realizes she's a girl, he starts to notice she's kind of pretty.
* Tzigone, one of the central protagonists of ''Literature/CounselorsAndKings'', is a very slender and flat-chested young woman, and as she's a MasterOfDisguise she's quite practiced at tricking people into thinking she's male. She does female disguises too, though.
* ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'': Eugénie Danglars is all but outright stated to be a lesbian, and dresses up convincingly enough as a man when eloping with her friend and music teacher Louise d'Armilly. She also obtains a passport in a man's name from the Count, explaining that he think it'd be a good way to avoid unwanted attention while abroad.
* ''Literature/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.
* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': In the ''Hawk & Fisher'' spinoff series' book 4 (''Wolf in the Fold''), the Little Lord is essentially a female GentlemanThief; a tall, handsome woman who dresses in slightly old-fashioned upper-class male clothes, complete with short hair and [[HighClassGlass monocle]].
* Protagonist Ryougi Shiki of ''Literature/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 ''Literature/{{Haganai}}'', Yozora Mikazuki is introduced with very long hair, but she later cuts it [[BoyishShortHair much shorter]] after the ends are burned by fireworks. Afterwards, everyone else in the club mistakes her for a boy at first, and it's later pointed out that she looks ''very'' good in the boys' school uniform.
* ''Literature/KinosJourney'' plays with this deliberately, as [[spoiler:the title character]]'s gender isn't made explicit to the audience for a while. [[spoiler:Kino]] seems to be designed as an "everyman" (well, a woman) who everyone can identify with to some extent.
* Both Yayoi and Lin from ''Literature/{{Kurenai}}''. It's no wonder that they always end up fighting each other.
* Kaoru Daichi from ''Literature/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.
* ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'': Rei Hasekura is a subversion. She happens to be a KendoTeamCaptain, tall, and short-haired, but this is the extent of her boyish qualities; [[{{Moe}} her short, delicate-looking]] ''petite soeur'' Yoshino is the actual tomboy of the [[MoeCouplet pair]]. Rei also tends to wear male (or at least male type) clothes when out of uniform, though this could be due to having difficulty find clothes in her size.
* In ''Literature/MonaLisaOverdrive'', Kumiko muses that [[ActionGirl Molly]] greatly resembles the stereotype of the Japanese bishonen: "elegant, deadly and fey."
* Many female fans were ''extremely'' pissed off to discover that Maladict from ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'' is, in fact, a girl. [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer Others were delighted]].
* Played with (and {{subverted|Trope}}) in ''Literature/{{Outlander}}''. Secondary protagonist Bree is a six-foot-plus, strapping Scottish redhead who waltzes around in the 18th century in trousers -- but she only passes for a man if you're really not looking, and is goggled at, flirted with (with cracks about stepladders), and horrifies her father.
* Leisl in the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' novel ''Vampire of the Mists'' is a thief who dresses as a boy to survive better on the streets.
* ''Literature/TheShadowhunterChronicles'': Anna Lightwood is a lesbian woman who loves to crossdress as a man. Although most of her partners are aware of her identity, she cheerfully admits to fooling a few girls into thinking that she is a pretty boy.
* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'': In "A Scandal in Bohemia", Irene Adler admits to Holmes that she frequently dresses as a man to go out in public because of the freedom that male costume allows her. As shown in theatrical versions of the story, the result is apparently {{Bishonen}}esque.
* ''Literature/StrawberryPanic'': Amane Ohtori ("the Prince of Spica"), as well as her [[PsychoLesbian predatory]] EvilCounterpart Kaname, both have very androgynous designs in the novels' illustrations. In an amusing irony during the manga adaptation, Amane is almost railroaded into pairing up with Kaname for the Etoile contest, under the logic that her fangirls would be [[YaoiFangirl less upset about that kind of setup]]. The light novels add yet another bifauxnen, Makoto Kusanagi.
* Nan Astley and Kitty Butler, of ''Literature/TippingTheVelvet''. Both are male impersonators in late Victorian England.
* ''Literature/TheVampireChronicles'': In ''The Vampire Lestat'', the vampirized Gabrielle, Lestat's mom, usually adopts male clothing and hair style to be free to do as she wished. During the time (late 18th century) it was difficult for women to get away with living so independently, so she does this for practical reasons.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In the ''Series/SeventhHeaven'' episode "Don't Take My Love Away", the youngest daughter Ruthie wants to wear a tux to her parents' vow renewal ceremony. In the same storyline she doesn't want her brother Simon to move out of their bedroom.
* ''Series/Batwoman2019'': As an 'out' lesbian, Kate Kane normally adopts a [[ButchLesbian butch]] biker look, but takes on this trope whenever SheCleansUpNicely for formal events.
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'':
** In the first episode of ''Blackadder II'', Bob, Lord Blackadder's page, (who is actually a young woman named Kate) is so attractive she manages to turn the head of the staunchly heterosexual Lord Blackadder even before TheReveal.
** 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 performer.
* {{Zigzagged}} wonderfully by Bellino in episode one of the 2005 ''Series/{{Casanova}}'' miniseries. Introduced as an accomplished singer, she presents herself as a man, albeit a castrato. The decidedly heterosexual Casanova is convinced that Bellino is a woman - and an attractive one at that - so he confronts her. After some intense flirting, he's shocked to find out that she really ''is'' a man, and then surprised some more to realise that he's still attracted to Bellino and wants to pursue a relationship anyway. Finally, convinced that his affections are serious, she admits that he was right the first time: she faked the "evidence", and she really was a woman all along.
* ''Series/ColdCase'': "[[Recap/ColdCaseS2E22BestFriends Best Friends]]" has Billie, who dresses in a lot of sharp men's suits, making her look like a handsome androgynous young man doing so.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** Romana (in both her incarnations) is at times this, most notably in [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/romana_drag_stones_3229.jpg "The Stones of Blood"]], [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/romana_drag_nimon_2304.jpg "The Horns of Nimon"]], and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/romana_drag_decay_5766.jpg "State of Decay"]].
** Ace gets in on the act in [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ace_in_a_tux_5563.jpg "Ghost Light"]], not only wearing a Victorian tux, but convincing her new friend Gwendoline to wear one too.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E1E2Spyfall "Spyfall"]] puts Creator/JodieWhittaker's Thirteenth Doctor in a tuxedo, [[https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/doctor_who_spyfall_cropped-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675 to brilliant results]].
* In the original pilot for the ''Series/GetSmart'' TV show, this was done with Agent 99. When Maxwell Smart first meets Agent 99, she has a pageboy haircut and is dressed in a not-very-flattering chauffeur's outfit. While she actually still comes off as quite sexy and clearly female right from the start... this is Max we're talking about. It takes him most of the episode to realize that she's female.
* ''Series/TheLWord'': Shane has very short, loose hair, wearing boyish clothes with a masculine attitude and husky tone of voice. When she worked as a prostitute, her clients were gay men (Shane didn't engage in anal sex or undress, so they wouldn't notice). Even in the present she's [[LadyLooksLikeADude mistaken for male]] and seen as a [[TheTwink hot young man]] by some gay guys while visiting a gay bar along with a friend (she has to correct them because they can't tell).
* Marcy from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' was often accused of being a boy. Ironically, in one of the final episodes of the series Amanda Bearse appeared as herself (a classic [[TheLadette ladette]]). It was probably the most obviously female she'd appeared through the entire series.
%%* Jade Dimagiba/Yuan Sy from ''Series/MyBinondoGirl''.
* In ''Series/OrphanBlack'', the (not usually very butch) lesbian Cosima turns up to a mock-Victorian dinner party dressed in Victorian male evening dress, in order to troll the conservative values of its villainous host.
* Batchi, in ''Series/TheRichMansDaughter'' has delicate looks and is masculine in appearance but is nonetheless good-looking and fashionable in an androgynous manner effortlessly looking sharp in sleeveless shirts, men's shirts, and is also acknowledged as "handsome" by her colleagues and her LipstickLesbian best friend.
* Anjali Jay as Djaq in ''Series/RobinHood''; the most stunningly beautiful "boy" you've ever seen.
%%* Franky Fitzgerald from the third generation of ''Series/{{Skins}}'', but only in Series 5.
* In the 1986 adaptation of the Literature/LordPeterWimsey novel ''Strong Poison'', the 'anti-man' Eiluned Price dresses in waistcoat, trousers and a bow tie, and cuts her hair short. Given the 1930s setting of the story, it's a strong implication that 'anti-man' is code for ButchLesbian.
* ''Series/TippingTheVelvet2002'': 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.
* ''Series/{{Witchblade}}'':
** "Diplopia": After castigating her younger partner Jake for homophobia while investigating the murder of a gay man, Sara shows up to investigate the victim's bar dressed as a man, just to mess with him a little more.
** "Palindrome": The champion at an all-male underground fight club turns out to be a disguised woman, [[spoiler:specifically a {{Doppelganger}} of Sara herself]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Manhwa]]
* ''Manhwa/BoyOfTheFemaleWolf'' features [[HugeSchoolGirl Eun-soo Cha]], who passes as a very attractive and hilariously vain ("You dare hurt my beautiful face!?") boy and gets into fights -- the difference is she does it 24/7 (going to school as a boy was one incentive to move in with her mom). Her [[FreudianExcuse reason]] is that she sees women as frivolous and weak -- her mom [[ParentalAbandonment effectively abandoned]] her when she married a guy from overseas; her grandma [[spoiler:recovered from a serious illness only to die suddenly, yet another abandonment]], and all those schoolgirls fawning over her doesn't help either.
* ''Manhwa/HesDedicatedToRoses'' features [[{{Meganekko}} Choi Ida]], who masquerades as [[BoisterousBruiser Choi Yodah]] in order to vent the frustrations of being under the thumb of [[ManipulativeBitch Manipulative]] RichBitch Mimi. As Choi Yodah she accidentally attracts a female bully after rescuing her and a {{Bishounen}} named Naru because [[spoiler:she resembles his dead little brother]]. [[PlotHole If Ida's so poor and her room so small, where did she get and stash all those flashy male clothes? And where did she get them to begin with, or is Asian fashion that androgynous?]]
* ''Manhwa/LoveInTheMask'': The heroine is a bodyguard to a wealthy girl and had to become a boy because "a female bodyguard wouldn't be taken seriously" (despite living with her charge there's no chance of BodyguardCrush since they're LikeBrotherAndSister). Apparently it's not too successful since a character who only recently returned to Korea and never met her promptly addresses her with a female honorific and asks if everyone in the entire school is blind.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Annie Lennox of Music/{{Eurythmics}} deliberately plays up her androgyny. Some American audiences were shocked by the video ''Love Is a Stranger'' because they thought that Lennox was a man in drag.
* The dancers in the video for "Blame It on the Girls" by Mika are ''half''-Bifauxnen: their costumes and wigs make their right half look like a girl in a dress with a bob, while the left half looks like a man in a tux with [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] hair. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsO-V6bqiDE here]].
* Elly Jackson, singer of Music/LaRoux, often invokes this. [[BlondieIsABand Yes, she's not the only person involved.]]
* Shirley Manson of Music/{{Garbage}} dresses this way in the video for "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Androgyny]]." Seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVs6Fekh0RY here.]]
* Hitomi Yoshizawa got this treatment during her earlier years with Music/HelloProject. It's especially obvious in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6klago6-xHY this]] video.
** Tenth-generation member Haruka Kudou is currently filling this role, to the point where she refers to herself as a boy in blog posts and interviews.
* Thai singer Zee Matanawee Keenan.
* Played with in girl group Music/{{Mamamoo}}s "Um Oh Ah Yeah" MV which features Moonbyul, Hwasa and Wheein all dressed up and made to look like men. Moonbyul just wears a suit and short wig, and pairing those up with her nice feminine features makes her out to be a typical pretty boy; the other two however wear prosthetic makeup and less flattering wigs, and dress like a 1950's greaser and nerd. [[spoiler:Moonbyul's minimal changes actually make sense, as she is portraying a very androgynous woman, though her admirer Solar fails to notice that at first.]]
* Valshe, known for her roots as an ''utaite'' doing covers of songs featuring [[Music/{{VOCALOID}} Len Kagamine]], has a very masculine voice that's part of her SignatureStyle. Official artwork of her depicts her as a boyish-looking woman with short blonde hair, and this would extend to [[http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/mimi77779/imgs/8/e/8e10b8f5.jpg her real-world appearance]] once her actual likeness started being used in media.
** Speaking of Vocaloid, the GYNOID vocal bank Flower is this in her [=V4=] character design. The bank in general is stated to have an androgynous theme, so her more boyish appearance is better reflective of that.
* Akira from VisualKei band Disacode tends to wear men's clothing in performances and music videos in addition to sporting slightly spiky long black hair with a blonde streak and eyeliner. This helped by the fact that she is also a fashion model, having modelled for ''Kera'' and ''Kera Boku'' magazines along with starring as Narase Kaoru in the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/AiOreLoveMe'' and in a CrosscastRole as Uesugi Kenshin in stage show adaptations of ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''.
* Singer/songwriter/rapper Amber Liu of the Korean girl group [[{{Music/FX}} f(x)]], whose androgynous image has resulted in lots of EvenTheGirlsWantHer among the group's female fans, and a fair share of ViewerGenderConfusion for those unfamiliar with the group. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv-8-EgPEY0 This music video]] is just one example of many.
* Music/JanelleMonae, the [[GenreBusting genre-blurring]] GenkiGirl singer, is rarely seen without her proper tux and a white starched shirt. It also helps her bifauxnen image that she has what can only be described as "epic hair."
* Taiwanese singer Zhang Yun Jing, known for her androgynous image. She has been described as both "handsome" and "beautiful". EvenTheGirlsWantHer, as her a large part of her fandom is comprised of females who take great pleasure in squee-ing over her various attractive features, masculine or feminine.
* Omi, Mally and sometimes Jyou from Music/ExistTrace are considered this, which has caused some ViewerGenderConfusion like for example, someone who isn't familiar with VisualKei will look at Jyou, Omi, and Mally and think "Wait, [[LadyLooksLikeADude the guys in the suits are actually chicks?]]". Bassist Naoto can look quite masculine as well, but not in a bifauxnen-type way, while the odd one out in the band is Miko, who lacks of the bifauxnen aesthetics.
* In March 2017, Chinese BoyBand FFC-Acrush (now called [=FanxyRed=]) [[http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/fast-lane/article/2017/03/31/chinese-boy-band-reveal-theyre-not-boys revealed that they were in fact female]].
* Heloise Letissier, [[IAmTheBand the sole proprietor of]] the French electropop act Christine and the Queens, [[TomboyishName AKA Chris]],adopted this look with her third album.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* OlderThanSteam: Viola in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'' and Rosalind from ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'', both by Creator/WilliamShakespeare. Interestingly, this means the trope is ZigZagged since, in Shakespeare's time, males played ''all'' the roles...[[DudeLooksLikeALady including the female ones]]. Thus, when these plays were first performed, you had [[RecursiveCrossdressing guys playing girls that were pretending to be guys]].
* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' has Anybody's, a short-haired tomboy (sometimes ButchLesbian) who tags along with the Jets and eventually joins them as their sole female member.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'':
** Saber [[spoiler:aka Arturia Pendragon]], having been stopped in her natural growth at around the age of fifteen, had posed as a man, although a very {{Bishonen}} man. This is due to how she easily kept a cold and professional face, in addition to wearing men's clothing. However, she was under a genuine GenderBender spell at one time in her backstory, [[spoiler:which was how her "son" Mordred was conceived]]. She dresses in more contemporary menswear in ''Literature/FateZero'', a sharp, formal black suit with her hair in a short ponytail. Irisviel fixates on what a handsome protector Saber makes, and contemplates what a beautiful couple they make when she's escorted in public by her.
** From ''Zero'' as well, Kiritsugu's partner Maiya also dresses rather austere and masculine, and keeps her hair short.
** In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', one of the Memorial Craft Essences has [[Literature/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"]].
* Chris in ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz''. She not only dresses like a boy, and has the interest of all the girls; she was told she was supposed to be born a boy and [[GenderBender plans to become one through magic]]. Even after she starts [[HGame sleeping with the main character]], her ultimate goal doesn't change. Somehow Chris' gender isn't obvious to Arata after the second chapter. No, not even after seeing her in the bath.
* Saori, the PlayerCharacter of ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'', is one who uses her boyishly good looks to a DeadPersonImpersonation after her brother Kaname's murder, so she can pursue her revenge and become a member of the all-male vigilante group that Kaname was supposed to join.
* Both [[GenderFlip Colonel Sebastian Moran and Henrietta Irving]] in ''VisualNovel/ShikkokuNoSharnoth''. In the beginning, Mary doesn't know the latter's true gender and has a bit of a crush.
* Kriska Stares from ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}''.
* The TwinSwitch plot of ''VisualNovel/LadykillerInABind'' hinges on the fact that PlayerCharacter the Beast, being the [[HalfIdenticalTwins Half-Identical Twin]] of the Prince, is a dead ringer for her brother while wearing one of his suits.
* ''VisualNovel/TheyAreMyNobleMasters'': Averted was Natose, who is a semi-bifauxnen, the only thing is she has boobies (huge ones in fact), and she wears panties under her clothes.
* [[spoiler:Rei Ijuin]], of ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 1'', who has to pose as a boy in front of everybody due to a family custom, and this until her coming of age. It's a well-kept secret the [[spoiler:Ijuin]] family zealously protects, to the point that even her ''little sister'' [[spoiler:Mei]] doesn't know she's actually a girl!
** Yuina Himoo of 1 is also one as well, due to her clothing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Silver from ''Webcomic/TheAngelWithBlackWings'' looks like a handsome young man.
* [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090123 Grantz]] from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Baron Wulfenbach's monster hunter. Especially considering Creator/PhilFoglio's art style...
** While her normal attire is more along the lines of a traditional ActionGirl Zeetha's [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20200520 costume for the royal ball]] gives her a more Bifauxnen appearance. She even dances with [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20200601 one of the princesses]] (and opts to to take the lead when dancing with Tarvek).
* ''Webcomic/{{Building 12}}'', by [[Webcomic/{{Misfile}} Chris Hazelton's]]: [[GenderBlenderName Alex]]. She was selected to an exclusive program to fill a diversity quota because her application was smudged and they thought she was a guy (it gets mostly female applicants), so now she's pretending to be male.
* Part of an InstantCosplaySurprise (sort of) inflicted on [[TomboyishName Alex]] by Lita in ''Webcomic/{{Cheer}}'' for their "date". [[LesYay Don't think she didn't have an agenda there.]]
* In [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=5101 this]] ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' SelfParody, it's PlayedForLaughs:
-->'''Phani:''' Had she the look of a real woman, she sould have been more lucky in love.\\
'''Zala:''' Do not mock her so. It is not her fault if she looks like a man... a very pretty man.
* Brooke Lynn of ''Webcomic/EerieCuties'' is one, complete with a scene with a character referring to her as 'that guy from summer camp.' Cue CrossPoppingVeins and possible BerserkButton.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': A weird example, Tedd accidentally sets off his transformation gun and is turned into a girl. His friend doesn't notice until Tedd points out the twins. Then it overlaps into a weird mix of Real Life and WrongGenreSavvy: he transforms in an [[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/?date=2009-12-15 off-continuity Q&A-style storyline]]. The next strip? 'A ridiculous number of viewers claim they didn't notice I was a girl in the last installment until they noticed ''Grace'' was a guy!'
** Tedd accidentally turned into a girl during a card tournament due to a magical spell and her friends again don't notice until she specifically pointed out her breasts and and her [[ItMakesSenseInContext pink hair was it's natural purple again.]]
* Asha from ''Webcomic/{{Kubera}}''. So much that Ran still thinks she's a guy even though she is wearing a dress. Yes, he thinks of her as some weird guy who dresses up in women's clothing.
* Some female readers of ''Webcomic/TheMeek'' were shocked to learn that Soli was a girl...and more shocked when [[StupidSexyFlanders they realized how little they cared.]] And now she's [[GenderReveal surprised]] at least [[http://www.meekcomic.com/2010/12/30/3-20/ one person in-universe.]]
* Sister Denmark from ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld''. In the comic entitled [[http://www.satwcomic.com/confusion/ "Confusion"]], France (one of the only countries so far primarily personified as female) propositions Sister Denmark believing her to be an androgynous-looking man only to be disappointed and angry when the clothes come off and she discovers her mistake.
* In a few strips in ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', Monique played around with dressing and styling her hair in a very androgynous way to mess with Seymour and have fun with Slick and Squig, but after being exposed to the Patriarchy, she adopted this look as her default appearance.
%%
%% This link is broken due to the Sinfest archives being reformatted. Please find the proper link and pothole it as needed.
%% [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2009-06-20 Androgynique]].
%%
* ''Webcomic/SparklingGenerationValkyrieYuuki'': Die-hard anime fan Yuuki seems to be deliberately aiming for this effect with her boy's uniform but can't quite pull it off due to the MostCommonSuperpower.
* Jihyeon Jung is easily one of the most handsome girls in the cast of ''Webcomic/SurvivingRomance''. Despite being in an all-girls class many readers initially confused her for a male.
* Pieta of ''Webcomic/TheWatcherOfYaathagggu'' due to her fairly androgynous figure, the clothing she wears and the lack of other characters addressing her for most of the first chapter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
%%* [[http://lesbianswholooklikejustinbieber.tumblr.com/ Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber]]. It's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
* ''WebVideo/PiratesSMP'': The Monster Slayer uses feminine pronouns, but looks like and has been mistaken for a LongHairedPrettyBoy.
* 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.
[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Western Animation]]
%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In "Anne of the Year", Anne dons a white tuxedo and slicked-back hair to host her "Frog of the Year" party.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cybersix}}'': The title character's secret identity involves [[ClarkKenting wearing glasses]], recombing her hair and dressing as an English teacher named Adrian, and manages to fool everyone. She dresses in much looser clothes which hide her figure and speaks in a lower voice.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
%%** Pearl wears a tux in the MusicalEpisode [[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E8MrGreg "Mr. Greg"]], and pulls off the look quite well.
%%** In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E23Reunited "Reunited"]], which shows Ruby and Sapphire's wedding, LipstickLesbian Sapphire wears a tux, while ButchLesbian Ruby wears a dress. Their outfits combine once the two have a BigDamnKiss and fuse back into [[FusionDance Garnet]].
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Female {{crossplayer}}s are a particular real-life version of this trope, as groups will often pick their most masculine-looking female friends to cosplay {{Bishonen}} characters. This will often lead to bizarre situations occurring at anime conventions, though people have generally learned not to question the gender of those entering bathrooms.
%%* ''Otokoyaku'' (boy role) actresses in Creator/TakarazukaRevue. Often leading to copious amounts of EvenTheGirlsWantHer.
%%* In Andrew Loomis's ''Drawing the Head & Hands'', he talks about how artists have more leeway in drawing masculine-looking women than [[DoubleStandard feminine-looking men]] (this was in the early 20th century, before {{Bishonen}} characters became popular).
%%* Genderqueer androgynous model [[http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/13-reasons-rain-dove-is-the-androgynous-model-of-your-dreams Rain Dove]].
%%* Swedish model Erika Linder. She is a model for both women's and men's fashion.
* 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.
* UsefulNotes/JulieDAubigny, 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.
* Adah Isaacs Menken, bisexual actress, equestrienne and poet in the Victorian era, was known for playing men's roles and was this when she did. Fittingly, she dated perhaps the most notable androgynous LongHairedPrettyBoy of the era - fellow bisexual Creator/AlgernonCharlesSwinburne.
* Creator/CaraDelevingne is gorgeous but could pass for a feminine guy sometimes.
* Creator/SophiaLillis, sometimes, but especially in this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgQrZR14GEo Magic: The Gathering Arena tráiler]]
[[/folder]]
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