(no subject)

[skygiants]

rymenhild asked me for my top five feisty cross-dressed girls, because Rym knows me very well and is aware that I collect cross-dressed girl narratives like some people collect stamps. Which, again, makes these decisions very difficult!

5. Djaq, BBC Robin Hood



See, the thing is, if you weren't aware, the BBC Robin Hood series was kind of ridiculous. And I watched the first two seasons enjoying everything pretty much 100% ironically . . . EXCEPT DJAQ. Djaq, I loved with a whole heart: yes, she was the most hilariously obvious girl-disguised-as-a-boy I've yet seen on TV (for which I blame the series' costumer, but then, I blame the costumer for a LOT OF THINGS) but she was awesome and sarcastic and sensible - whenever she got lines, which admittedly was increasingly less common as the series got increasingly more focused on Robin's manpain - and when she left the show, I quit it. I mean, there were other reasons. But mostly it was Djaq.

(It was a fight for this slot between Djaq and Cecily, the cross-dressed girl from Robin McKinley's Outlaws of Sherwood, but Djaq won because thre are actually images of her, and I am shallow. But Cecily was also pretty awesome, and a large part of the reason that McKinley's is still my favorite adaptation.)

4. Rosalind, As You Like It



Rosalind is the reason that As You Like It is my favorite Shakespeare play. She's funny, she's clever, she totally passes the Bechdel test and hilariously stomps up and down on tropes of romantic tragedy; I don't blame Celia for being totally in love with her. I am totally in love with her, although, as I actually read the play before I ever saw it, I've never yet seen a version that did justice to the one in my head. But this is the first image I found when I went google searching, and I quite like the looks of this Rosalind, so she stays. (Let's not even talk about the Branagh version. Even aside from the racefail, how do you make As You Like It, which is an incredibly sparkling play, feel slow?)

3. Kurai, Angel Sanctuary



Only Kaori Yuki could come up with Kurai: super-adorable adolescent crossdressing demon princess who will totally eat human beings she doesn't like, on a mission to rescue the badass lady angel of her dreams, who subsequently has to deal with confusion about her sexuality when the lady angel turns out to have been reincarnated as a dorkfaced teenaged boy. I knew I loved Kurai with all my heart from the moment when she gave God the finger and told him he'd be sorry for messing with a bunch of stubborn idiots like them!

2. Mulan, Disney



I know Disney's Mulan is far from perfect or faithful to the original story, but . . . Mulan! She's so sensible and determined and heroic, and I love her kind of a lot, even if she does have the magical property of instantly growing out her eyebrows when she changes into boy's clothes. This is one of those movies I have to see about once a year just to watch Mulan kick ass or I start feeling like something is missing in my life.

1. Alanna, Song of the Lioness Quartet, and Jacky Faber, Bloody Jack



Yes, I am totally cheating here with a tie, but given that I wrote my thesis on THESE VERY LADIES, I think I am allowed! I could not choose just one. ;_; One's an awesome lady knight, the other just wants to run a merchant trading company if circumstance and various antagonists would only stop trying to make her be a schoolgirl pirate ballerina deep-sea-diver spy, and both of them are awesome examples of the way that gender fluidity interacts with coming-of-age narratives in a liminal [insert academic mutterings here] ANYWAY I LOVE THEM. These days Jacky is a bit more central to my heart, but I loved Alanna first.

All right, flist, your turn! Who is your favorite fictional cross-dressed lady? Bonus points if it's one I have not read or seen (because that means I can go hunt it down and make my collection grow. >:D)

Comments

[nevacaruso.livejournal.com]

Yay for Rosalind, Mulan, and Alanna! Naturally, I would also add Tenjou Utena to the list.

[skygiants]

The only reason I was able to eliminate Utena from this list with a clear conscience is that I will be talking about the show in several other Top Fives . . . and also, now that I have gotten, uh, some very close experience with Utena's outfit over these past few weeks for cosplaying purposes, I can firmly say that however she may think of it, that is not a boy's uniform.

[redbeardjim.livejournal.com]

Tossing in a vote here for Eowyn/Dernhelm, from [i]Lord of the Rings[/i]. It was a temporary disguise thing, but she's an awesome badass regardless.

[indy-go.livejournal.com]

Have you read Spindle's End? Rosie isn't exactly a cross-dresser, but is definitely disdainful of all the normal trappings of girlishness. It's an integral part of her ability to hide from Pernicia, who's after someone she expects to be a Pretty Pretty Princess. Anyway. It's a lovely story.

[catslash.livejournal.com]

Charlotte Doyle (http://www.amazon.com/True-Confessions-Charlotte-Doyle-rpkg/dp/0380728850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282923864&sr=8-1)! She doesn't actually try to pass as male, but giving up her proper lady's attire for a sailor's outfit is how she rejects her "responsibility" to take the corrupt captain's side in the face of his cruel treatment of his crew. Instead she takes the crew's side and joins them, putting herself in a dangerous situation that she could escape from simply by resuming her position as lady passenger, but she won't do it. She risks being hanged as Mister Doyle rather than betray her morals by becoming Miss Doyle again. It isn't about gender fluidity so much as it is about doing the right thing, but it's also about a sheltered girl who becomes someone she never could have dreamed possible, and she starts the journey by changing one set of clothes for another. This was one of my favorite books when I was younger and just talking about it makes me want to read it again.

[themadpoker.livejournal.com]

-finally delurks because crossdressing girls are my absolute favourite thing-

Corinna from The Folk Keeper and Eun Chan from Coffee Prince are both pretty great. I also have a neverending love for Sarasa from Basara.

Also your post has finally talked me into watching Robin Hood when several instances of seeing my flist talk about it couldn't. =DDD Someone should have mentioned to me there was a crossdressing girl!

And umm hi. I've been lurking around enjoying your book reviews for awhile (ever since I found your Demon's Covenant review after I searched through the Internet when I finished), would you mind if I friended you? You have great taste in books, my to read list has increased exponentially ever since I found your lj.

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

I really need to get those fansubs of Dårfinkar och dönickar och Flickan vid stenbänken done, those are excellent crossdressing girls. :-)

I also have a soft spot for Lou in The Young Riders, but that might be just childhood nostalgia. And of course Viola, but I'll grant you Rosalind is more fun. (I just fell SO IN LOVE with Imogen Stubbs as a teen.)

[skygiants]

Eowyn was probably my very first crossdressed lady, and I suspect is one of the reasons I fell for the trope so hard. She's so incredibly awesome! The only reason she's not on this list is because I already put her on my Badass Ladies list. (And because 'feisty' is probably not the right adjective for her.)

[skygiants]

I have read it, but it was many many years ago and I've sort of forgotten which bits belong to Spindle's End and which to Beauty and which to Rose Daughter. Which clearly means I need to reread all three! :D

[skygiants]

Oh man, I've been meaning to read Charlotte Doyle for years, ever since jothra brought her into Milliways. Thanks for reminding me to push it up my list!

[gramarye1971]

I'd assumed that you didn't include Utena in this list because she doesn't really actively try to pass herself off as a boy, Japanese pronouns and talk of princes notwithstanding. Even in the movie, where she has close-cropped hair and clearly is wearing the male student's school uniform -- when Saionji is shocked during the duel after he finds out that the new student is a girl, Utena snaps back, 'I never said I was a guy.' So Utena's not quite on the same level with, say, Oscar from Rose of Versailles, who definitely does cross-dress and was effectively raised as a guy (though even Oscar is pretty open about being female).

Or at least that was my train of thought. ^^;;

[skygiants]

I keep seeing excellent things about The Folk Keeper, so I am thinking I should put it on my list! I have seen Coffee Prince and I do kind of love Eun Chan, who gets bonus points for being one of the most legitimately convincing girls to play a guy on TV . . . which is extra impressive given what Yoon Eun Hye usually looks like.

Hahaha, I'm not sure I would actually recommend Robin Hood, though it is totally lolarious. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes . . . less intentionally. But Djaq is really legitimately awesome. When they remember to give her lines.

And man, way to stroke my ego! I would in no way mind, I always love having more people around here to talk about books with. :D

[bravenewcentury.livejournal.com]

As someone named after a cross-dressing Shakespearean lady (and who has, in fine tradition, cross-dressed herself in two Shakespeare productions), SO MANY HEARTS for Rosalind. I really need to re-read As You Like It.

Hmm, there are many cross-dressing ladies of whom I thoroughly approve, but the first one that comes to mind is Elizabeth Swann. There are a heck of a lot of things wrong with the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but she is one BAMF whatever she wears.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, Rosalind.

What, you wanted more coherent commentary?

[skygiants]

Well, you can rest assured that if you sub, you will have at least one viewer.

Hey, childhood nostalgia is totally a legitimate reason. And it really is hard to pick between Viola and Rosalind! Oh top fives, why do you make me choose between awesome and awesome. ;_;

[skygiants]

That is the other reason! Although - well, I could justify including her, I think, based just on the Japanese pronouns, now that I have a better idea of just how masculine they are. But yeah, she never actually does try to pass; her mantra is always "I'm just a totally normal girl! :D" You keep on telling yourself that, Utena.

I really do need to watch Rose of Versailles.

[skygiants]

Cross-dressing Shakespearean ladies make for extremely excellent namesakes! (Oooh, which parts have you gotten to play? I have only cross-dressed for, uh, ridiculous Newsies cosplay. Which is slightly less dignified. Maybe. A little.)

Elizabeth Swann is totally a BAMF, and Keira Knightley pulls off the cross-dressing with excellent aplomb. And bonus very fine hats, which are always a good addition, I feel.

[skygiants]

I accept your input as valid and appropriate. *serene*

[indy-go.livejournal.com]

I know, Robin McKinley's fairy tale adaptations tend to run together for me too. I remember reading Beauty and not liking it as much. Haven't read Rose Daughter, though. Will have to put it on the list.

[deutscheami.livejournal.com]

I am cheating, but my favorite (non-fictional) cross-dressing heroine is Deborah Sampson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Sampson), who fought in the American Revolution!

[bravenewcentury.livejournal.com]

I played one of the murderers (and a couple of other background roles) in Macbeth and Prospero in (a heavily bowlderised version of) The Tempest- I was eleven at the time and the only member of the cast who still got to have a speech!

[skygiants]

I thiiink I liked Rose Daughter more than Beauty, but . . . given the givens, that may be a total lie. *sheepish* Usually I can remember which Robin McKinley is which! It's just the fairy tale ones that confuse me. (As opposed to Patricia McKillip, whose books I can never remember anything about after reading them.)

[skygiants]

Oh man, awesome! Also, I think that means that Helen Mirren is officially following in your footsteps, which is something not many people can say.

[skygiants]

Oh dude, I totally read a book about her! One of my favorite things about this whole cross-dressed badass lady trope: how awesome it is when it happens in real life.

[peroxidepirate.livejournal.com]

It doesn't get any better than your #1 spot!

But, I also recommend the movie Sylvia Scarlett -- see icon? Katharine Hepburn in convincing drag! (Like this. (http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/images/directors/04/33/sylvia_scarlet_hepburn.jpg) And this. ()) Cary Grant before he got too serious! It's all win until the WTF-romance (between Hepburn and someone else) starts up; after that, I usually wander away. But the beginning is worth watching.

Also, Queen Christina, (http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/images/directors/07/42/queen2.jpg) starring Greta Garbo (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_el0B2jjUqi0/SiQYhS-j-VI/AAAAAAAAA0U/gwV19ldAmT8/s400/Queen_Christina__1933__kiss+2009-06-01+21_03_54_984.jpg): as herself, she kisses one of her ladies in waiting; in cognito as a man, she flirts with John Gilbert. I could watch it every day.