Why is female crossdressing such a big thing in shoujo shit?

Why is female crossdressing such a big thing in shoujo shit?

I wish it was bigger.

...

It's not just shoujo, crossdressing is around in most genres.

Reverse traps, though. Highly prevalent in shoujo.

1. In pre-(post)modern society, women generally speaking had a more clearly defined, submissive role. Women who want to break the mold need to assume a male identity.
2. Women dressing like men looks less silly than vice versa, because it's an "upgrade" from weak to strong. Men dressing like women, on the other hand, is a "downgrade" from strong to weak and therefore ridiculed (though in ye olden days reverse traps were looked down on too. Jeanne d'Arc was never conclusively found guilty of heresy so the English, in their endless butthurt, executed her for dressing like a man).
3. Being presented as if she were a man often makes women appear more confident, assertive and powerful. She makes herself, both in dress and in actions, equal to the men around her.

It's not so much about the action of crossdressing as much as it is about what it symbolizes in the narrative.

I want Lady Oscar to grow male genitals so I can mindbreak her by sounding her dick!

While this may be true, I'm not so sure it can be specified as the main reason, wholly, in this situation. They're reasons for doing it of course, but not necessarily the rational behind why it's chosen in the first place, I mean.

Same reason why male crossdressing is such a big thing in harem shit.

Your cause is a noble one.

>but not necessarily the rational behind why it's chosen in the first place, I mean
How else are you going to have a strong female character in a historical setting for a story that's mostly advertised to members of a highly traditional culture?

They're not going to do the Hollywood thing where we're expected to believe that Baroque Europe was full of strong independent womyn who don't need no man.

That, and it's kind of a historical thing. There's Jeanne d'Arc, but also some less famous examples like Hannah Snell (she got shot in the crotch 11 times and nobody figured out she was a woman. Did they just fucking leave her to bleed to death or something?), Joanna zubir and of course the mythical Mulan. Why wouldn't these historical examples inspire fictional counterparts?

This. Reverse traps>traps.

Utena doesn't count, right? Because she still wants to be recognized as a girl?

The last good female crossdresser was this girl

Oscar is so pretty.

Female sympathize with these characters better because it's both the strong handsome woman they want to be and the pretty-boy they want to fuck/be protected by.

Female readers* whoops.

In the specific set of criteria you are describing, yes, those would be the reasons.

Utena counts because she was literally a different person when she was dressed in the girl's uniform, and when she was with Akio.

Crossdressing is done right when there's a legitimate purpose for it, such as in Utena's case, or even Oscar's case.

...

Why do they always have such beautiful yet tragic love lives?

Even if they get happy endings, they need to go through extra shit first.

Male x reverse trap is the best kind of relationship.

>tfw no RoV reboot
though Berserk got me kinda wary of reboots

The first season of the Sailor Moon reboot wasn't good either. But I still want a RoV one anyway.

It'll happen eventually. I'm sure of it.

RoV aged like wine. It doesn't need remaking.

Don't you feel that somewhat more historical correctness and realism in designs would add to it? Or perhaps I just feel this because I'm a big 18th century nerd. And it's RoV which made me this way back in the day, no kidding.

Whew, I phrased it kinda awkwardly. Not only designs, but plot as well could be improved in terms of historical correctness.

Would that add anything though?

Because girls should love boyish girls and boys should love girly boys.

If done right, it could.

Although modernizing the art would be a huge mistake. Even if it's replaced with an objectively better one, it'd still be like Crystal all over again where they take an iconic style and remove it for something else.

It'd make the show more 'serious' and more adult-oriented. Personally I don't see many teenagers watching it ayway, so why not?

Even if there were to be a remake it wouldn't be the same without Dezaki.

Wasn't there supposed to be a movie at least ten years ago

Because reverse traps are perfection.

this it's both empowering and gay, same reason why some of you like traps (supposedly can understand each other better)

What about boyish boys loving boyish boys and girly girls loving girly girls?

Dezaki has heavily influenced generations of directors, though. Especially ones like Ikuhara or Hosoda who use his minimalist, stage-like approach to storyboards when there's a low budget.

>reverse traps will never be as popular as traps
Why, Sup Forums? Every single reverse trap is always great too.

Fag. Boy x boyish girl or girl x girlish boy
Best of both worlds.

the appeal of reverse traps is casting away the masculine exterior to reveal the feminine interior

Boy x boyish girl, girl x boyish girl.

Best world.

If you lack good taste you might see it that way.

>Wasn't there supposed to be a movie at least ten years ago

Toei was supposed to do it and there's an animated trailer but nothing came from it

So?
Just because he's an influence on other directors doesn't mean they'll do as good a job as he originally did.
In fact, I doubt any director would even want to direct the remake considering how much pressure would be on them because the original is such a classic,

Androgyny brings the best of both worlds though.

Yes, that's a better position to take.

What I was trying to get at was that the feel of the original can easily be re-captured and there are plenty of talented directors who can do it.

Yes.

>Because boys should love boyish girls
FTFY

Why the fuck would you want a reboot? It's like asking for a WMT reboot. You'd better off asking for some more historical manga. Hell, just ask for an adaptation of the Scarlet Pimpernel if you love the French Revolution that much.

>Tfw no Napoleon sequal OVA