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[XxEmo SasukexX]

I can say that a lot of people don't particularly enjoy gender benders.
I can't say much, because I have cosplayed as two versions of Naruko.
(SnJ Naruto.) Or, I suppose I could say three? I did my first interpretation
in 2008 that inspired me from a picture I stumbled across on DeviantART.
In NYAF 2009, I did Sage Naruko, which all I did was simply add on the
coat. And for Otakon 2009, I did a Lolita-ish? style Naruko cosplay. I think
it came out alright, since it was a bit of a rush job, but unfortunately things
were too far chaotic for me to get any pictures of it.

But as a few people have stated, as long as the cosplay is well
executed, then it's alright. I absolutely hate when I see someone
running around in a skimpy outfit saying there "SnJ" It's just trashy
and unappealing when all they have thrown on a small top/bikini top
with some short shorts or a mini skirt, some BS like that. =/ Though I
have seen some really nice female version. A couple of my friends have
done some really nice various interpretations of Naruto and Kakashi.

Here is a picture of my very first SnJ. http://images.cosplay.com/photos/17/1753618.jpg I have gotten a lot of compliments on it. Like it's cute, adorable, etc. It was never my intention to come off as whorish, it was just something I really liked and was inspired by, that I quite frankly ADDED more clothing too. I'm far too insecure about my body to be flaunting it around like that, so the statement milk&honey made is not true. I'd never cosplay her, because I'm just not a stick. She's a cute character, and maybe if I had the body of a model, I might. But it would never be to be slutty, because I quite frankly HATE getting the attention from pervs. Yoko cosplayers probably get more attention than anything because their half naked. Every single one of my cosplays, basically cover my body from head to toe and I feel MUCH more comfortable CROSSplaying than anything, so it's rare to ever find me in a female outfit, and if you do, it's not going to be revealing at all.

[alpha_helix]

Originally Posted by milk&honey

I absolutely detest this. Do the cosplay as it was originally created or move along to Yoko, like you will anyway. :/

Wow, that's a little harsh. It's fine not to like it (nobody is obligated to like anything), but saying that everyone who does genderbent characters is going for the sexy/skimpy factor is a really narrow view of it. I haven't actually done any gender switched characters yet, but I've entertained the idea, and I don't even like the idea of showing leg above my knees, let alone something as scant as what Yoko wears.

When I was planning my Mad Hatter costume my first idea was to do a female version. It was in the same spirit as Colleen Atwood's design--twisted mid-1860s fashion--and very modest by modern standards.

Anyway, I obviously don't mind messing around with the genders of characters. I think a creative twist on a character can be very nice when it's well thought out and well executed. I will say that I'm not crazy for making a femme version just for the sake of wearing a bikini and being sexy, but it doesn't bother me. If it makes somebody happy, it's not my place to piss on their parade.

[NekoMilly]

Originally Posted by SirenaBlack

I read that too fast and thought it said "having one of the girls fall out of your butt" XD lol that's a very strange mental image....Ahem, anyway, I agree.

lol So did I! That's funny.

Originally Posted by SirenaBlack

Hey, I'm working on a femme Ed! Would a femme Roy wear a tiny miniskirt?

For kicks and giggles, yes. For accuracy, probably not. Roy is definitly showy but he doesn't run around with his coat open or anything.
The funny thing is when I asked myself what a female Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang would be called, I decided Ray Mustang sounded good, but then I think of Rei/Sailor Mars. ^^;;


I am guilty of now 2 SnJ style outfits, but the one was aiming for 100% accuracy on Naruto's SnJ. Clouds and all. The second is a joke because I got the bikini for $10 and that was too good a deal to waste. It's fitting the the 4th of July as well.

[jinglebooboo]

i love seeing gender bender cosplays, i tend to like it more if it is done with detail and thought then just a sexy moogle kinda thing, but if you wanna be sexy moogle more power to you. truthfully i have been wanting to do a genderbender kamina cosplay ever since i saw this picture, but i dunno if it is rude to cosplay this picture when it is someone elses art :/
http://jinglebooboo.deviantart.com/favourites/#/d22pq7i

[SirenaBlack]

Message the artist and ask them if they would be OK with it. Lots of times artists love it when people do that.

[Prota-Girl]

Originally Posted by jinglebooboo

i love seeing gender bender cosplays, i tend to like it more if it is done with detail and thought then just a sexy moogle kinda thing, but if you wanna be sexy moogle more power to you. truthfully i have been wanting to do a genderbender kamina cosplay ever since i saw this picture, but i dunno if it is rude to cosplay this picture when it is someone elses art :/
http://jinglebooboo.deviantart.com/favourites/#/d22pq7i

Oh wow, that is a very clever idea! ^^

<3 Thanks for Sharing, jingle!

And yeah, now that I am re-reading it all since I last posted, it doesn't seem like there are that many fans of Gender benders... It's kinda sad.. With most I've seen, i have been able to find a great deal of creativity when it comes to them. I love it when I can tell who they are portraying as well. One that I remember that happened not to long ago.. I took a picture at Metrocon of a one of a kind Female Voldo of Soul Caliber! It was really well done and quite different.

It can be used well, but I can see where it has also been abused and portrayed as "If your stomach ain't sticking out, then it's not a Gender bender!!" I've been yelled that before and it's tiring. Cosplay is fun and is a hobby. If people are having fun in their costumes, let them have fun. I don't see what the big deal is. o.o

Anyhow, people have their options, and that's understandable. ^^; But I like Gender benders. It helps for girls who want to cosplay their fave male characters but don't have the correct ability to do so. ^^;

[UsakoLuna]

I don't have an issue with them, it's not something I'd ever do, but to each their own. I do get a little perplexed by them. At Anime Boston one year I saw girl doing a 'girl' sora with a yellow skirt instead of shorts. She looked cute, but I couldn't figure out why sora was wearing a skirt.
So, do whatever makes you happy, just don't expect people to understand it or reconize it.

[Can not sew]

I'm currently in the planning stages of my female Arthur Dent cosplay. A couple days ago I thought about a somewhat 'sexier' costume, with a long T-shirt as supposed to pajama pants, but after I had slept on it, I realized that my legs are white like paper, so by the end of wakeboard season (when I'll be using the costume) everything above the knee will stay that way, and knee-and-below will be crispy red and peeling skin from the inevitable sunburn. Not sexy. And more plainly, it's Arthur Dent we're talking about, here. It's not in the spirit of the character.

You have to find a line between 'feminising it' and keeping it true to the character. Too far either way and you could look trashy or lazy.

[EgnirysFaye]

I wouldn't do it personally, but I am pretty alright with it.


The only time I would be annoyed (As others have mentioned) is when it is someone obviously trying to be some sort of attention whore, and the costume is more suited for a porno flick than anything.


But aside from that, there have been some interesting ideas - And besides, it is not worth griping at others who want to change genders, whether it is based on personal creativity or if it is just to be more pratical (Because it is true, it can be tricky for girls to play some male characters, and vice versa. My one friend - a girl - wanted to do a female version of Pyramid Head from the movie. To me, that is understandable!)


As long as there is a healthy balance of the new creativity of the cosplayer and the old originality of the character, then it is all good.

(And not ridiculously insulting or offensive, either)

[HMTQ - Madge]

I think they're fun to wear, (I've done one) and good when done right. I'm not really fan of people who make a character more risque for the heck of it, though. It does get a bit annoying because people tend to do this a lot. I can understand someone wearing less clothing if, say, the original male character is shirtless/has an open shirt. I would understand why you would wear only a bikini top then, or a small shirt. Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense to make a cosplay more risque then it was in the first place. Making it more feminine is usually the point, but there are plenty of other ways to do that with out having barely anything on.

Still though, I think even those kinds of cosplays can look nice if done appropriately. And of course, you can always cosplay what you want. I think that's the general conscious.

[Sevvy]

Female versions can be cool if done properly, and recognizable. A skirt and bikini top in the same colours as the original version of the character irks me. It tells me that there was no thought or time put into it, and over half the time I don't even know who they're supposed to be cosplaying. They're just a girl wearing a bathing suit.

Female verisons are cute, unless they're just excuses to do a half assed job.

[Tyblat]

It depends for me. Different genders for things that are animal based, usually that's fine. But I don't like switching up genders on normal human (or humanized) characters. I find it extremely annoying. If you're going to do the character, do the actual character.

There may be times when someone makes an outfit that's extremely well done/tasteful/fits, and then I don't mind so much, but those times are far and few in between.

[Stormraven24]

Feamle versions can be awesome and nifty if done with some thought. Just because you're too lazy to bind does not a gender-bender make I think it was at NekoCon last year, there was a Death Note group where they were all skanky versions of the characters. That was pretty funny XD

Funny I should find this thread now since I've been contemplating whether or not to try a female version of The Mask (Jim Carrey movie, anyone? Anyone? -crickets- -sadness-) :3

[Tenel Ka]

I think it's cute when it's done creatively and not in a skanky fashion ( meaning "I WANT FANBOYS YAYYYY" -- ugh D: ). I've done a couple and it's always fun to think of ways to work the costume and make it into a "femme" version of the character. Hehe~ I always love creativity in cosplay and it's one of my favorite things to see people making things their way and sort of injecting their own personalities into outfits.

(Also, Stormraven24 -- I think a female version of The Mask would be ADORABLE. <333)