Basic Trope: Heroes wear modest outfits while villains wear revealing clothes.
- Straight: Alice the hero wears clothes that cover her midriff and legs (such as a Battle Ballgown), while Carol the villain wears a bra, shorts and nothing else.
- Exaggerated: Alice's clothes cover her so much we can't see her (occasionally causing a few Samus Is a Girl moments), while Carol never wears anything.
- Downplayed:
- Alice and Carol both wear gowns, but Carol's are slightly tighter/more revealing.
- Alternatively, Alice and Carol are both always wearing revealing clothing, but Carol's is slightly more provocative, even if they show the same amount of skin.
- Justified:
- Alice comes from the cold northern continent, while Carol hails from a Hungry Jungle. Dressing sensibly for Alice means covering up so she isn't Exposed to the Elements, but dressing sensibly for Carol means wearing as little as possible so as not to overheat.
- The heroes dress appropriately for local temperate climate where wind or rain can ruin their day if they are unprotected, the villains are succubi and incubi immune to the local climate variations.
- Inverted:
- Barbarian Hero Alice goes for a Fur Bikini, Carol is an old Wicked Witch who thankfully goes for the classic Black Cloak.
- Alternately Alice is a Hero in skimpy clothing while Carol is in full armor complete with a helmet, which goes in another trope.
- Shabby Heroes, Well-Dressed Villains
- Dark Queen Alice wears a form-fitting black dress that combines a Navel-Deep Neckline with a Showgirl Skirt, and is the heroine; while Princess Carol wears a conservative white dress and cape and is the villainess.
- Subverted: Alice at first is wearing modest clothing but ends up taking them off to show a more revealing outfit when it's time to fight Carol.
- Double Subverted: She’s stripped so that she can change in to more powerful full battle gear.
- Parodied:
- People dictate who's a hero and a villain by what they're wearing and how much skin they're showing.
- Carol is a Reluctant Fanservice Girl who was struck by The Nudifier and is unable to put on any clothes at all.
- Carol really hates walking in high heels, she's cold all the time, and her bikini gives her the worst wedgies, but she can't change to a more practical outfit because her evil overlord contract dictates that she has to dress skimpily. She takes out her frustration on heroes who are allowed to dress comfortably.
- Alice decides not to do a Heel–Face Turn because that would mean getting skimpy outfits that show off an embarrassing scar or birthmark.
- Zig Zagged: Alice goes to fight the villain wearing full clothes, but along the way she suffers a few Clothing Damage that bares more of her skin, but later she gets herself some new clothes. Carol, meanwhile, spends her early screen time in Stripperiffic outfits, but covers up because she's going to or through a place with hostile weather, and tosses her baggy outfits for the showdown with Alice at the end.
- Averted: Everyone's clothes are roughly the same in terms of sensibilities/skimpiness.
- Enforced:
- Lampshaded: "Carol, if you want people to stop calling you a villain, get a new wardrobe!"
- Invoked: To show off her Face–Heel Turn, Carol picks out her skimpiest outfit for the occasion. Same with Alice, who shows her Heel–Face Turn by ditching her stripperiffic outfit for a more modest one.
- Exploited: On her attempt to infiltrate the bad guys' base, Alice deliberately dresses skimpily so that the Big Bad's henchmen mistake her as their own. Conversely, Carol covers up because she is also trying to sneak into the good guy's base, and dressing sensibly will make it easier for the good people to mistake her as a potential heroine.
- Defied:
- Alice is just as Skimpy as Carol and to show that even the heroes can be just as skimpy as the villains.
- Carol picks out more sensible clothing in order to keep people from assuming that she is evil.
- Discussed: "Look at Carol. She must be a bad girl considering how little she wears, unlike Alice."
- Conversed: "And yet again, Dead Horse Studios dresses the villains skimpily!" "And I'm betting the heroes will die of heatstroke in those outfits..."
- Deconstructed:
- Carol's skimpy attire does little, if anything, to protect her from the heroes' attacks. She doesn't last long against them.
- Wearing a Stripperific outfit is now a criminal offense, and anyone seen wearing less than required is automatically assumed to be a villain and treated accordingly.
- Reconstructed:
- Carol is a Non-Action Big Bad Succubus relying on manipulation, seduction and misdirection to oppose the heroes. When (or if) the heroes finally reach her after going through her much stronger minions, she goes down easily due to being the power in the shadows. Getting there though, will be a long, hard, bloody slog.
- Alternately, Carol is Made of Iron and Nigh-Invulnerable so even if she wears fewer clothes, her skin will have little to no scar whenever she is attacked.
- The Extremist Was Right- everyone they kill turns out to be evil.
Back to Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains
