The recent Chinese drama “The Legend of Jin Nanhua”, starring Ju Jingyi, has been the hottest topic recently. Her ancient costume in the drama sparked a lot of discussions. The ‘cross-dressing as a man' was so beautiful that it was ridiculed by netizens, saying that she obviously looks like a woman, where is the ‘man'? ‘Cross-dressing as a man' is a common cliché in ancient costume dramas, but it's often used to fool the audience. It's clearly a woman, yet they insist on portraying her as if everyone treats her as a man. Below are some examples of ‘ineffective cross-dressing as a man' in ancient costume dramas: Zhao Liying and Tang Yan use ‘mustaches' to make a perfunctory effort, while Ju Jingyi and Yang Mi's facial features don't look anything like a man!
Once, Kang Wei and his fellow Hanfu enthusiasts appeared collectively wearing Hanfu at Tianfu Square, when a middle-aged man asked, “Are you doing Cosplay (character portrayal) or performing in an opera?” The middle-aged man's tone carried confusion and mockery, so Kang Wei stepped forward to explain. Both cosplay enthusiasts and Hanfu enthusiasts under the subculture know that cosplay focuses on character settings, while Hanfu is traditional ethnic clothing. However, communication with the middle-aged man did not go smoothly, and Kang Wei became a bit angry, so he retorted, “If I'm doing cosplay, then I'm cosplaying your ancestors.”
‘Cross-dressing as a man' is a cliché seen in many ancient costume dramas, and there were quite a few in 2020's ancient costume dramas, such as “The Lady's Gambit”, “Sweet Doctor's Wife”, and “Pretty Book Boy” which all revolve around the theme of ‘cross-dressing as a man'. However, most of them are obviously women, only the male attire of the female lead in “The Lady Prince” truly made people think she was a ‘man'. Below are 9 examples of female leads ‘cross-dressing as men' from 2020's ancient costume dramas! Ju Jingyi in “Pretty Book Boy” looks extremely fake, while Tammy Tan in “Under the Power” is both handsome and cute!
We can recall the models and promotional materials we've seen, almost all featuring young boys and girls. With this impression, many middle-aged groups may be interested in Hanfu but shy away due to concerns about being ‘inappropriate', ‘pretending to be young', or ‘not fitting their age'. Most people who get into Hanfu see images of influencers, gorgeous, and cute styles. They only learn about less ‘influencer-like' shops with solid colors and textures after being in the hobby for some time. Middle-aged groups may not even know these exist. Hanfu suitable for middle-aged groups does exist, but there's indeed a market gap [tear]. How to change this,
Geminis are naturally versatile and enjoy trying out different styles, which is also reflected in their ancient costumes. Gemini women can choose luxurious court attire, simple Hanfu, or attempt unique styles such as dressing up as a man or wearing ethnic costumes of ancient women. The versatility of Gemini women gives them more options in ancient costumes and makes it easier for them to express their individuality. The characteristics of Gemini women's ancient costumes: a lively temperament.
Female cross-dressing as a man is a common cliché in many ancient costume dramas, and there were quite a few in 2020's ancient costume dramas, such as “The Lady's Gambit”, “Sweet Doctor's Wife”, and “Pretty Book Boy”, which all revolve around the theme of female cross-dressing as a man. However, most of them are obviously women, only the male attire of the female lead in “The Lady Prince” truly made people think she was a man. Below are 9 examples of female leads cross-dressing as men in 2020's ancient costume dramas! Ju Jingyi in “Pretty Book Boy” looks extremely fake, while Tammy Tan in “Under the Power” is both handsome and cute!
The items mentioned above are commonly used accessories in female Hanfu photoshoots. If you prefer a neat and handsome male outfit, you can pair it with a sword. When watching ancient costume dramas as a child, the heroes in TV shows would always carry a sword with them, which was probably a childhood dream for many. Now, just wear a more neat style of male attire and pair it with a sword, and you can easily achieve the look of a hero.
Once, Kang Wei and his fellow Hanfu enthusiasts appeared collectively wearing Hanfu at Tianfu Square, when a middle-aged man asked, “Are you doing Cosplay (character portrayal) or performing in an opera?” The middle-aged man's tone carried confusion and mockery, so Kang Wei stepped forward to explain. Both cosplay enthusiasts and Hanfu enthusiasts under the subculture know that cosplay focuses on character settings, while Hanfu is traditional ethnic clothing. However, communication with the middle-aged man did not go smoothly, and Kang Wei became a bit angry, so he retorted, “If I'm doing cosplay, then I'm cosplaying your ancestors.”
From a consumer perspective, compared to the adult market, the children's market can be considered ‘absolutely friendly'. Zero Liang stated, “Just like how '80s and '90s generations got introduced to ancient costume dramas, today's children are experiencing self-media enlightenment and have a higher acceptance of Hanfu. Meanwhile, the first batch of Hanfu enthusiasts from the internet era has entered middle-age, and they are more passionate and understanding about their children wearing Hanfu. Another reason why it's ‘friendly' is that compared to the awkwardness of adults wearing full Hanfu outfits in modern cities, the awkwardness of children wearing Hanfu is greatly reduced, and the cost of makeup and styling for children in Hanfu is lower, sometimes requiring no specific hairstyles or makeup.”
In addition to this set of black costumes, a white outfit also caught everyone's eye, which is ancient Hanfu male attire. Similarly dressed in male attire, but a white outfit gave off a sense of youthful exuberance. These two sets of male costumes in Yang Mi's new drama are really great. Many netizens who saw Yang Mi's appearance today said that in terms of costumes, makeup, and props, it is indeed more stunning than Zhao Liying's “Zhou Fei” from the drama that just wrapped up a couple of days ago. Both are slightly androgynous outfits, but Yang Mi's appearance in costumes and styling is indeed more exquisite and grand than the “You Fei” production team. Yang Mi's new drama costume wins over Zhao Liying, the ancient costume beauty is too cool! Unfortunately, her hairline has “sunken” again.