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Main Wholesome Crossdresser Discussion
- Linetrap. Enough said.
Cleaning up some natter, "Pete Burns" was just two words with no elaboration for someone I'd never heard of. His entry at The Other Wiki doesn't make it entirely clear how he fits the trope, exactly (is it basically just "performance drag?" Something more?) If someone with better knowledge could elaborate on the entry, it'd be appreciated.
I rewrote the trope description to fit with the general plan for Crossdressing tropes outlined in Trope Repair Shop, and to make it less Japan-centric. The text being replaced appears below.
I think there should still be a good paragraph about the Japan-specific elements of this trope, but I don't have the subject matter knowledge to do it well. I did take a stab at it, but someone else can probably come up with a better clear and concise (and less rambling than the original) description for that part.
The polar opposite of the Villainous Crossdresser, the Wholesome Crossdresser is usually well-groomed, compassionate, nice and above all, so convincing that his or her sex is mentioned on occasion just to remind newer viewers. Sometimes the traits aren't flamboyant as much as so very stereotypical compared to the rest of the cast you can make a decent guess. There's a fair chance someone will get a crush on them, although this is usually resolved after The Reveal. Interestingly, the specific source of contention doesn't occur outside the series. Merchandise and other fan stuff will treat the character as 'genuinely' whatever they appear as, especially if the apparent gender is female, and even if the character is only disguising themselves for plot reasons. There's also a good chance that even if this reason is resolved later, the character will usually still keep dressing the same way because of either Limited Wardrobe or Cast Speciation. This is easier to do than it sounds, especially if most of your characters look alike anyway. If your artists also like costumes, the Wholesome Crossdresser is the prime target since you don't have to show the relevant bits. This becomes an easy way to simply tell us that the character crossdresses without ever depicting said character au naturel; sometimes though, artists become lazy with this and draw characters with actual flesh in the wrong places. One slightly controversial element is that most non-plot-related crossdressers tend to fulfill the standard stereotypes, though often in a positively intended way. In a reference to one Admiral Ackbar's line in Star Wars, The Internet usually refers to these overly effeminate guys as "traps". Their female counterparts are commonly known as "Reverse Traps". See also Attractive Bent Gender, Sweet Polly Oliver. Contrast Sweet On Polly Oliver.
The polar opposite of the Villainous Crossdresser, the Wholesome Crossdresser is usually well-groomed, compassionate, nice and above all, so convincing that his or her sex is mentioned on occasion just to remind newer viewers. Sometimes the traits aren't flamboyant as much as so very stereotypical compared to the rest of the cast you can make a decent guess. There's a fair chance someone will get a crush on them, although this is usually resolved after The Reveal. Interestingly, the specific source of contention doesn't occur outside the series. Merchandise and other fan stuff will treat the character as 'genuinely' whatever they appear as, especially if the apparent gender is female, and even if the character is only disguising themselves for plot reasons. There's also a good chance that even if this reason is resolved later, the character will usually still keep dressing the same way because of either Limited Wardrobe or Cast Speciation. This is easier to do than it sounds, especially if most of your characters look alike anyway. If your artists also like costumes, the Wholesome Crossdresser is the prime target since you don't have to show the relevant bits. This becomes an easy way to simply tell us that the character crossdresses without ever depicting said character au naturel; sometimes though, artists become lazy with this and draw characters with actual flesh in the wrong places. One slightly controversial element is that most non-plot-related crossdressers tend to fulfill the standard stereotypes, though often in a positively intended way. In a reference to one Admiral Ackbar's line in Star Wars, The Internet usually refers to these overly effeminate guys as "traps". Their female counterparts are commonly known as "Reverse Traps". See also Attractive Bent Gender, Sweet Polly Oliver. Contrast Sweet On Polly Oliver.
I think Snowflake from Ralph Bakshi's 1973 film "Heavy Traffic" counts, no?