History Main / ThirdLawOfGenderBending

* ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'': deconstructed, along with most GenderBender Tropes. Ash ''never'' acts or dresses like a girl beyond some minimal concessions that are either enforced biologically (periods, bras) or culturally (bathing suits, a bridesmaid dress). He doesn't hesitate to complain about it, either, in ways that make it plain it fuels his fear of assimilation, and he maintains his interest in his main "masculine" pursuits, electronic gaming and amateur street racing. Ash's mother, however, [[WantedAGenderConformingChild is doing her utmost to enforce this trope]], including roping Ash into a modeling event. Ash referred to seeking her help picking out a bridesmaid dress as "a deal with the powers of darkness."
* ''Webcomic/MSFHigh'': Surprisingly, generally averted. The only part that's played straight are the outfits, and at present, there have been no mental changes. Subverted, in fact, with Victoria.

* Zig-zagged in ''Kimo-Ota, Idol Yarutteyo'': Yousuke, a teenage IdolSinger FanBoy, [[JustWokeUpThatWay wakes up one day]] [[GenderBender as a girl]] named Yoko (which is how everyone else remembers "her" always being), and decides to use their [[AttractiveBentGender now-good looks]] [[AscendedFanboy to become an idol themself]]. However, despite having such a girly career goal, [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak Yousuke/Yoko is just as masculine as when they were male]]. Off-stage, they never even wear any feminine clothes besides a school uniform, not even at auditions or training (which makes performing in a short skirt and heels [[DifferentForGirls notably awkward]]).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', when Timmy wishes to be a girl to be able to hang out with Trixie and find out what she wants, he gets the irresistible urge to watch soap operas and buy shoes--although he already did that first one ''before'' the gender-bend. He also maintains his urge to read comic books like "Skull Squisher". ...because of the FanService. "Muscular guys in spandex fighting crime, cool!" Timmy also makes Cosmo and Wanda switch sexes while he's out, which turns Wanda into a surly FatSlob makes Cosmo [[VanityIsFeminine obsessed with his looks]].

* Inverted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' where Batwoman switches her mind with Batman's. Switch into a ''man's'' body makes Batwoman go from somewhat feminine to ''absurdly'' {{Camp}}y and effeminate (Batman's act the same in either body).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', when Timmy wishes to be a girl to be able to hang out with Trixie and find out what she wants, he gets the irresistible urge to watch soap operas and buy shoes.
** Although he already did that first one ''before'' the gender-bend and after said gender-bend, he still has the urge to read comic books like "Skull Squisher". ...because of the FanService. "Muscular guys in spandex fighting crime, cool!"

* Not actual gender-bending, but in ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'', a faulty DNA test has Skipper convinced he's a female. At first, he thinks it won't interfere with his job, but then he does things like wait for the others to open the door for him and - horror of horrors! - ask for directions. So he quits the team, [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics puts on a pink bow]] and moves in with Marlene, who is not amused with his outdated ideas of femininity.

** {{Discussed|trope}} when Shirogane first [[AdoptedToTheHouse moves in to the Kazamaki household]] and see Matsuri serving breakfast:

* Zig-zagged in ''Kimo-Ota, Idol Yarutteyo'': Yousuke, a teenage IdolSinger FanBoy, [[JustWokeUpThatWay wakes up one day]] [[GenderBender as a girl]] named Yoko (which is how everyone else remembers "her" always being), and decides to use their [[AttractiveBentGender now-good looks]] [[AscendedFanboy to become an idol themself]]. However, despite having such a girly career goal, [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak Yousuke/Yoko doesn't act any more feminine than when they were male]]. Off-stage, they never even wear any feminine clothes besides a school uniform, not even at auditions or training (which makes performing in a short skirt and heels [[DifferentForGirls notably awkward]]).

* Downplayed in ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Despite pretending he was always a girl, Matsuri's behavior remains brazenly masculine overall ([[OreOnna he doesn't even change his first-person pronoun]]), but that makes the few feminine traits he displays more noticeable:

* ''Manga/SekainohateDeAimashou'': Despite a brief initial attempt to pass as a boy It's pretty much all skirts and dresses for Ryouma, and everybody seems to accept it without comment.

Since most GenderBender characters are male-to-female, this frequently results in scenes where the newly minted girl is confronted with all of the requirements of his new sex, which can include [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics skirts, hose, makeup, high heels and other trappings of femininity]]. This can result in a FamilyUnfriendlyAesop reinforcing stereotypical behavior. Some people may find the notion of underlying biological imperatives enforcing such behavior offensive or simply ridiculous, as nothing about being a woman inherently results in a need to wear the stereotypical outfit.

* Sort of a ZigZaggingTrope in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}},'' where fembot!Bender embraces ''his'' idea of what a woman should be---basically, [[MyGirlIsASlut slutty]]---but Calculon recognizes this as making her "one of the boys." Interestingly, he finds this attractive and falls in love with "her," while Bender becomes more "feminine" and worries that his scam will hurt Calculon.

** Ranma quickly becomes willing to pretend to be feminine, either as part of a disguise or to take advantage of people who don't know his true nature. He [[OverlyStereotypicalDisguise he typically overdoes it]], becoming a loud FakeCutie, implying that he's consciously trying to act out stereotypes. When he hits his head in one episode and thinks he was always a girl, he becomes the ''epitome'' of this trope.

* Played with in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': Ranma's ''actions'' are typically the same regardless of his form, but his ''reactions'' are often stereotypical, especially in responses to "perverted" behavior from the likes of Kuno or Happousai. In those cases, his reactions usually differ very little from any of the real girls in the series.[[note]]Mind you, this is perfectly justifiable, since, even without "girly instincts", Ranma is a vehemently heterosexual guy being ogled or sexually molested by a DirtyOldMan or a CasanovaWannabe; it's no wonder he gets disgusted[[/note]] Also, whenever Ranma is in "disguise" as a female he typically overdoes it, implying that he's consciously trying to act out stereotypes. When he hits his head in one episode and thinks he was always a girl, he becomes the ''epitome'' of this trope.

* ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'': deconstructed, along with most GenderBender Tropes. Ash ''never'' acts or dresses like a girl beyond some minimal concessions that are either enforced biologically (periods, bras) or culturally (bathing suits, a bridesmaid dress). He doesn't hesitate to complain about it, either, in ways that make it plain it fuels his fear of assimilation, and he maintains his interest in his main "masculine" pursuits, electronic gaming and amateur street racing.
** Ash's mother, however, is doing her utmost to enforce this trope, including roping Ash into a modeling event. Ash referred to seeking her help picking out a bridesmaid dress as "a deal with the powers of darkness."

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutron'' Episode "Trading Faces", Jimmy and Cindy trade bodies through a freak accident and Jimmy has this start to happen him.

** Subverted and then reconstructed in the sequel ''Kanojo Ni Naru Hi Another'' when Sagara, who has not publicly re-identified as a girl, is pleased by the effect his schoolgirl "disguise" has on his former rival/newfound love interest Narumi. Be it as a boy or girl, looking attractive to Narumi is uppermost in his mind, though he tries to play it off in classic {{tsundere}} fashion by telling himself it's only because skirts are cooler in hot weather.

This trope, where the characters acts and dresses to match their biology instead of their mind, is subverted in real life by people who are [[Transgender]] and often dress according to their mental image of themselves. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Many transgender people]] ''do'' tend to wear outfits and adopt mannerisms (along with other [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics Tertiary Sexual Characteristics]]) of the gender they transitioned to, but even this generalization is not universal.

This trope, where the characters acts and dresses to match their biology instead of their mind, is the opposite of being [[Transgender transgender]]. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Many transgender people]] ''do'' tend to wear outfits and adopt mannerisms (along with other TertiarySexualCharacteristics) of the gender they transitioned to. Of course, in real life this is because the transgender individual ''chose'' to act or dress that way. Since this is because of personal choice, some transgender individuals choose not to follow this trope.

This trope can often be TruthInTelevision. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Many transgender people]] ''do'' tend to wear outfits and adopt mannerisms (along with other TertiarySexualCharacteristics) of the gender they transitioned to. Of course, in real life this is because the transgender individual ''chose'' to act or dress that way. Since this is because of personal choice, some transgender individuals choose not to follow this trope.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[spoiler:The Master]], after regenerating into a female incarnation, changes her name [[spoiler:to "the Mistress" (Missy for short)]] and insists upon on being addressed as Time ''Lady'' rather than Time Lord, explaining that she considers herself old-fashioned. She also proceeds to dress like a gothic Mary Poppins and plays up her high heels and frills for everything they're worth, including a {{Yandere}} attitude towards the Doctor that would make most yanderes blush. Then again, considering the long, long HoYay and FoeYay history of the characters in question, some of her behaviour might just be trolling an old frenemy.

->''What? I'm wearing a skirt, and I have boobs. I'm not going to start worrying about my manly image ''now!

Characters who change sex typically adopt--or be forced to adopt--gender appropriate dress and behavior. Most of the time this means dresses and makeup for a man turned woman and aggressive and macho behavior for a woman turned man. Frequently rationalized as being due to the ''characters'' having stereotypical views of gender roles, particularly when the character in question is depicted as being in need of a [[{{Aesop}} lesson]] in gender equality.

Since most GenderBender characters are male-to-female this frequently results in scenes where the newly minted girl is confronted with all of the requirements of his new sex, which can include [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics skirts, hose, makeup, high heels and other trappings of femininity]]. This can result in a FamilyUnfriendlyAesop reinforcing stereotypical behavior. Some people may find the notion of underlying biological imperatives enforcing such behavior offensive or simply ridiculous, as nothing about being a woman inherently results in a need to wear the stereotypical outfit.

This trope can often be TruthInTelevision. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Many transgender people]] ''do'' tend to wear outfits and adopt mannerisms (along with other TertiarySexualCharacteristics) of the gender they transitioned to. Of course, in real life this is because the transgender individual ''chose'' to act or dress that way. Since this is because of personal choice some transgender individuals choose not to follow this trope.

--> '''Motoko''': ''[looming over a prostrate Megumi]'' ...sooner or later, you're going to be looking up at someone '''like this'''.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[spoiler:The Master]], after regenerating into a female incarnation, changes her name [[spoiler:to "the Mistress" (Missy for short)]] and insists upon on being addressed as Time ''Lady'' rather than Time Lord, explaining that she considers herself old fashioned. She also proceeds to dress like a gothic Mary Poppins and plays up her high heels and frills for everything they're worth, including a {{Yandere}} attitude towards the Doctor that would make most yanderes blush. Then again, considering the long, long HoYay and FoeYay history of the characters in question, some of her behavior might just be trolling an old frenemy.

* Gene/Jean, the supposedly male/female "transmute" in ''Series/{{Quark}}'': the whole transition from "Gene" to "Jean" consisted entirely of a shift from masculine stereotypical behaviors to feminine stereotypical behaviors, since no visible physical transformation actually took place.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Finally, the recent Marvel Comics graphic versions of the novels take advantage of the graphic format to deconstruct this trope a bit within the art while the script hews closely to the original text. Some of Ozma's expressions are just priceless.

This trope can often be TruthInTelevision. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Many transgender people]] ''do'' tend to wear outfits and adopt mannerisms of the gender they transitioned to. Of course, in real life this is because the transgender individual ''chose'' to act or dress that way. Since this is because of personal choice some transgender individuals instead choose to [[SubertedTrope subvert this]] trope.

In real life this trope is [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]]. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Many transgender people]] ''do'' tend to wear outfits and adopt mannerisms of the gender they transitioned to. Of course, in real life this is because the transgender individual ''chose'' to act or dress that way.

Characters who change sex typically adopt--or be forced to adopt--"gender appropriate" dress and behavior. Most of the time this means dresses and makeup for a man turned woman and aggressive and macho behavior for a woman turned man. Frequently rationalized as being due to the ''characters'' having stereotypical views of gender roles, particularly when the character in question is depicted as being in need of a [[{{Aesop}} lesson]] in gender equality.

Supertrope of TransgenderFetishization, where the third law intersects with RuleThirtyFour. May result in BecomingTheMask or GoingNative depending upon surrounding circumstances. Often precedes the SecondLawOfGenderBending which may stem from this trope, and may result in a ShoppingMontage and/or MakeoverMontage as the new boy or girl (willingly or not) gets "geared up" for life in their new sex.