History Main / IncrediblyConspicuousDrag

[[quoteright:300:[[SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s-ROBERT-DOWNEY-JR-SHERLOCK-HOLMES-DRAG-large300_212.jpg]]]]

-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''' on [[{{Series/Friends}} Matt LeBlanc]] in ''All the Queen's Men''

* In ''PenguinRevolution'', the talents and managers of Peacock are required to dress in drag for a publicity event. Most of the actors pull it off remarkably well, but Kaneda, one of the managers, just looks like a man in a dress.

* The Beagle Boys in ''DonaldDuck'' comics. They still wear their masks, and don't shave.

* A number of the ''CarryOn'' films involve Sid James or Bernard Bresslaw (or another similarly unmistakeably masculine cast member) wearing a dress, and the authority figure they're trying to evade falling instantly for him, despite the fact that he's clearly Sid James or Bernard Bresslaw wearing a dress. (The fact that the authority figure was frequently Kenneth Williams may add a bit of subtext to this.)
* PlayedForLaughs in ''GangsOfNewYork'' when an incredibly obvious transvestite (stubble and all) shows up to a dance where males are paired with females. He, of course, goes to the "female" side.
* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''. Frank N. Furter doesn't really try to pass off as a woman yet Brad [[FanNickname (ASSHOLE!)]] [[EvenTheGuysWantHim ends up falling for his seductive charm anyway]].
* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''SomeLikeItHot''. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis actually walked around the studio lot in drag in order to make sure they could realistically pass for female. The scene were they try using mirrors in the public ladies' room in order to fix their makeup is based on something they actually did while on the lot.

* ''SororityBoys'' is a textbook example. Back to RogerEbert:

* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by DustinHoffman in ''{{Tootsie}}''. He might not be an ''attractive'' woman (a fact [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] several times in the film) but he at least ''looks'' like one. That Oscar nomination was well-deserved.
* The failure of ''WhiteChicks'' is generally considered to be a combination of this and [[UncannyValleyMakeup disturbingly unconvincing makeup]].
* In GentlemenOfFortune, the crooks end up escaping in drag. Not only it's incredibly conspicuous, one of the crooks still tries to hit after girls and tries to use the men's bathroom.
* Averted with Zahara in 'Film/BadEducation'', who makes an effort to adopt feminine mannerisms, hair, and makeup on top of the women's clothing. And then played straight with the real Ignacio, who has stubble and an extremely deep voice.
* ''[[Film/SherlockHolmes A Game of Shadows]] had Holmes disguising himself as a woman. Since it was a last minute disguise, it wasn't one of the better ones.

* Averted/Lampshaded in ''TheAdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'', Huck goes into town disguised as a girl, but a woman he encounters immediately tells he's just a boy in disguise.

* ''DaveBarry's Only Travel Guide You Will Ever Need'' recommends that airline passengers who might fit the profile of a terrorist ("Sex: Male; Age: 15 to 74; Looks Suspicious: Yes") to draw away the attention of security personnel away by wearing a dress and "periodically remarking out loud to nobody in particular: 'I certainly have a lot of body hair, for a woman!'"

* ''BosomBuddies'' ran on this trope.

* Conan wore pearls, lipstick and a wig to try to pass himself off as Callista Gingrich in {{Series/Conan}}.

* There is a Norse story in which Thor must disguise himself as Freya in order to trick the giants. The giants fall for every one of Loki's excuses about why "Freya" looks so haggard and has such a big appetite and can drink so much.

* The character The Old Snatch in the musical ''MeAndMyDick''-- there are other cross-dressing roles, but this one is played by a man with a gravelly voice and a beard.
* The original stage version of ''{{Hairspray}}'' cast gravelly-voiced Harvey Fierstein as the mother, Edna Turnblad. The original movie and movie-musical also have the role played by a man, but they attempt to make the mother somewhat feminine and are not examples.

* Happens in ''TheNoob'', when [[TheBrute Your Name Here]], a large man with the FaceOfAThug, dresses up in drag for a story arc.

* In an episode of ''BobsBurgers'', Bob makes friends with some fairly successful transvestite hookers, who look exactly like men in spandex dresses.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s-ROBERT-DOWNEY-JR-SHERLOCK-HOLMES-DRAG-large300_212.jpg]]

* There was a ''ThreeStooges'' short where Curly dressed like an Indian maiden and a mountain man fell in love with him. Guess it's been a really long time since he last saw a woman.

** {{YMMV}}, some viewers thought the obviousness made it more funny.

* In ''VideoGame/SNKGalsFighters'', [[spoiler:Iori Yagami]] has disguised himself as "Miss X" by wearing a SailorFuku and a mask and insisting he's a girl. Nobody who sees him believes it.

-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''' on [[{{Friends}} Matt LeBlanc]] in ''All the Queen's Men''

-->-- '''RogerEbert''' on [[{{Friends}} Matt LeBlanc]] in ''All the Queen's Men''

Somebody passing for the other gender is a common trope in comedy, [[TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples all the way back to]] [[WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]]. However, it usually works only if the actor in question actually makes an effort to look and behave like a member of the opposite sex, otherwise the audience's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief is broken and instead of being about, say, a man trying to pass as a woman, the work becomes about [[IdiotPlot how a group of morons didn't realize they were trying to pick up a drag queen]]. Occasionally it works, if applied side by side with RuleOfFunny.

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Mythology ]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Aversion in a Don Martin cartoon for ''MadMagazine'': Men looking for an escaped convict at a train station see a hairy-armed, tattooed, stubble-faced person in a dress walk by. One of them pulls off the person's wig and they jump on the presumed escaped convict... but let her go with shamefaced apologies.

* In ''SNK Gals Fighters'', Iori Yagami disguises himself as "Miss X" by wearing a SailorFuku and a mask and insisting he's a girl. Nobody who sees him believes it.

* About half of the ''CarryOn'' films involve Sid James or Bernard Bresslaw wearing a dress, and the authority figure they're trying to evade falling instantly for him, despite the fact that he's clearly Sid James or Bernard Bresslaw wearing a dress. (The fact that the authority figure was frequently Kenneth Williams may add a bit of subtext to this.)

* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''SomeLikeItHot''. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis actually walked around the studio lot in drag in order to make sure they could realistically pass for female. The scene were they try using mirrors in the public ladie's room in order to fix their makeup is based on something they actually did while on the lot.

* All the crossdressers from ''OnePiece'' are incredibly ugly and clearly don't shave, though they still behave much like women. The only exception so far is the secondary character Izou: The only thing that gives away his sex is his lack of a cleavage.

* ''MadBull34'' takes the cake, here. The "Mad Bull" himself, an eight-foot-tall muscular behemoth of a police officer with a full beard and mustache, goes undercover as a nun and as a female prostitute. He somehow expects this disguise to work.

* Hilariously [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in the ''{{Discworld}}'' novel ''MonstrousRegiment''. Blouse takes the guise of a woman and is ridiculously bad at it, to the point where all the washerwomen notice right away but don't say anything because they think it's entertaining. But while the women aren't fooled by his awful, extremely stereotypical act, the male guards buy it completely. The funniest part is when the female soldiers masquerading as male soldiers decide to don women's clothing to also infiltrate enemy lines, they're immediately accused of being this trope, saying that they're obviously male and it's the worst attempt at drag they've ever seen.

* ''AbenobashiMahouShoutengai'''s Crossdresser "Ms." Aki. is never outed, but is rather obvious -- so much so that it seems the rest of the cast is aware of it and just treats him/her as a lovable eccentric.

* ''MadBull34'' takes the cake, here. The "Mad Bull" himself, an eight-foot-tall muscular behemoth of a police officer with a full beard and mustache, goes undercover as a nun and as a female prostitute. Yes, he somehow expects this disguise to work.

* The failure of ''WhiteChicks'' is generally considered to be a combination of this and [[UncannyValley disturbingly unconvincing makeup]].

Somebody passing for thje other gender is a common trope in comedy, [[TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples all the way back to]] [[WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]]. However, it usually works only if the actor in question actually makes an effort to look and behave like a member of the opposite sex, otherwise the audience's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief is broken and instead of being about, say, a man trying to pass as a woman, the work becomes about [[IdiotPlot how a group of morons didn't realize they were trying to pick up a drag queen]]. Occasionally it works, if applied side by side with RuleOfFunny.

* In ''TakingWoodstock'', Liev Schrieber plays Vetty von Vilma, a transvestite woman. In the part he's very muscular and has an apparent deep voice, in addition to very visable facial hair.

* The character The Old Snatch in the musical ''MeAndMyDick''-- there are other crossedressing roles, but this one is played by a man with a gravelly voice and a beard.

->How it [[PassFail becomes clear that he is not a woman]] is not nearly as interesting as how anyone could possibly have thought he was a woman in the first place. He plays a woman as if determined, in every scene, to signal to the audience that he's absolutely straight and only kidding.

[[AC:{{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

* All the crossdressers from ''OnePiece'' are incredibly ugly and clearly don't shave, though they still behave much like women. The only exception so far is the secondary character Izou: The only thing that gives away his sex is his lack of a cleavage.
* In ''PenguinRevolution'', the talents and managers of Peacock are required to dress in drag for a publicity event. Most of the actors pull it off remarkably well, but Kaneda, one of the managers, just looks like a man in a dress.

[[AC:{{Comic Books}}]]
* The Beagle Boys in ''DonaldDuck'' comics. They still wear their masks, and don't shave.
* Aversion in a Don Martin cartoon for ''MadMagazine'': Men looking for an escaped convict at a train station see a hairy-armed, tattooed, stubble-faced person in a dress walk by. One of them pulls off the person's wig and they jump on the presumed escaped convict... but let her go with shamefaced apologies.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* As the page quote indicates, the WWII comedy ''All the Queen's Men'' (allegedly BasedOnATrueStory) completely destroys any possibility of seeming authentic because the actors (including EddieIzzard) make absolutely no attempt to be believable as women.

* In ''TakingWoodstock'', Liev Schrieber plays Vetty von Vilma, a transvestite woman. In the part he's very muscular and has an apparent deep voice, in addition to very visable facial hair.
* There was a ''ThreeStooges'' short where Curly dressed like an Indian maiden and a mountain man fell in love with him. Guess it's been a really long time since he last saw a woman.
* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by DustinHoffman in ''{{Tootsie}}''. He might not be an ''attractive'' woman (a fact [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] several times in the film) but he at least ''looks'' like one. That Oscar nomination was well-deserved.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* Hilariously [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in the ''{{Discworld}}'' novel ''MonstrousRegiment''. Blouse takes the guise of a woman and is ridiculously bad at it, to the point where all the washerwomen notice right away but don't say anything because they think it's entertaining. But while the women aren't fooled by his awful, extremely stereotypical act, the male guards buy it completely. The funniest part is when the female soldiers masquerading as male soldiers decide to don women's clothing to also infiltrate enemy lines, they're immediately accused of being this trope, saying that they're obviously male and it's the worst attempt at drag they've ever seen.

[[AC:{{Live Action TV}}]]
* ''BosomBuddies'' ran on this trope.
* Done on purpose in the short-lived series ''The Ugliest Girl in Town''.

[[AC:{{Mythology}}]]
* There is a Norse story in which Thor must disguise himself as Freya in order to trick the giants. The giants fall for every one of Loki's excuses about why "Freya" looks so haggard and has such a big appetite and can drink so much.

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
* The character The Old Snatch in the musical ''MeAndMyDick''-- there are other crossedressing roles, but this one is played by a man with a gravelly voice and a beard.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In an episode of ''BobsBurgers'', Bob makes friends with some fairly successful transvestite hookers, who look exactly like men in spandex dresses.
----

Somebody passing for another gender is a common trope in comedy, [[TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples all the way back to]] [[WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]]. However, it usually only works if the actor in question actually makes an effort to look and behave like a member of the opposite sex, otherwise the audience's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief is broken and instead of being about, say, a man trying to pass as a woman, the work becomes about [[IdiotPlot how a group of morons didn't realize they were trying to pick up a drag queen]]. Occasionally it works, if applied side-by-side with RuleOfFunny.

* ''AbenobashiMahouShoutengai'''s Crossdresser "Ms." Aki. is never outed, but is rather obvious - so much so that it seems the rest of the cast is aware of it and just treats him/her as a lovable eccentric.
* All the crossdressers from ''OnePiece'' are incredibly ugly and clearly don't shave, though they still behave much like women. The only exception so far is the secondary character Izou: the only thing that gives away his sex is his lack of a cleavage.

* Aversion in a Don Martin cartoon for ''MadMagazine'': men looking for an escaped convict at a train station see a hairy-armed, tattooed, stubble-faced person in a dress walk by. One of them pulls off the person's wig and they jump on the presumed escaped convict... only to let her go with shamefaced apologies.

* About half of all ''CarryOn'' films involve Sid James or Bernard Bresslaw wearing a dress, and the authority figure they're trying to get past instantly falling for them, despite the fact they're clearly Sid James or Bernard Bresslaw wearing a dress. (The fact the authority figure was frequently Kenneth Williams may add a bit of subtext to this.)

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''. Frank N. Furter doesn't really try to pass off as a woman yet Brad [[FanNickname (ASSHOLE!)]] [[EvenTheGuysWantHim ends up falling for his seductive charm anyway.]]

* ''SororityBoys'' is a textbook example. Back to RogerEbert:

* There was a ThreeStooges short where Curly dressed like an Indian maiden and a mountain man fell in love with him. Guess it's been a really long time since he last saw a woman.

* In an episode of ''BobsBurgers'' Bob makes friends with some fairly successful transvestite hookers, who look exactly like men in spandex dresses.

* The character The Old Snatch in the musical ''MeAndMyDick''-- there are other crossedressing roles, but this one is played by a man with a gravely voice and a beard.
* The original stage version of ''{{Hairspray}}'' cast gravely-voiced Harvey Fierstein as the mother, Edna Turnblad. The original movie and movie-musical also have the role played by a man, but they attempt to make the mother somewhat feminine and are not examples.

* Happens in''TheNoob'', when [[TheBrute Your Name Here]], a large man with the FaceOfAThug, dresses up in drag for a story arc