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{{ | {{Short description|Technique in fiction}} | ||
A '''gender flip''' or '''gender swap''' is a technique in [[fiction]] in which characters are portrayed as a different [[gender]] from the one as which they were originally written.<ref name=":1">{{Citation |last=Perkins |first=Claire |chapter=Ghost Girls: Ghostbusters, Popular Feminism and the Gender-Swap Reboot |date=2020-09-15 |title=Film Reboots |pages=157–170 |chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/edinburgh-scholarship-online/book/37684/chapter/332013799 |access-date=2025-09-26 |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |language=en |doi=10.3366/edinburgh/9781474451369.003.0011 |isbn=978-1-4744-5136-9|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref> It is commonly used in film [[remake]]s or [[Reboot (fiction)|reboots]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Saner |first=Emine |date=2017-09-02 |title=Lord of the Flies to Ocean's Eight: how Hollywood reboots are flipping gender |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/02/lord-of-the-flies-oceans-eight-hollywood-reboots-flipping-gender |access-date=2025-09-26 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | |||
[[File:Wikipe-tan and Wikipe-kun.png|thumb|[[Wikipe-tan]] (left) alongside a fan-made gender swapped counterpart (right)]] | |||
== History == | |||
Despite the prominence of the idea in films of the 2010s, the concept dates from much earlier. ''[[Radio Times]]'' critic Emma Simmonds gives the example of 1939's ''[[His Girl Friday]]'', adapted from 1928 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play ''[[The Front Page]]'', in which the gender of character Hildy Johnson is switched from male to female.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simmonds |first=Emma |title=From Ocean's 8 to Ghostbusters: a history of Hollywood's gender swap movie trend {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/oceans-8-movie-gender-swap-hollywood/ |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=[[Radio Times]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> | |||
{{ | == Criticism == | ||
{{ | According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', one of the most high profile examples of this is the [[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|2016 remake]] of the 1984 film ''[[Ghostbusters]]'', which featured a female ensemble instead of the original film's male one.<ref name=":0" /> The 2016 version received significant backlash, with its trailer video becoming the most disliked in [[YouTube]] history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Natalie |date=2016-04-30 |title='Ghostbusters' Is the Most Disliked Movie Trailer in YouTube History |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/ghostbusters-is-disliked-movie-trailer-889114/ |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-26 |title=Sexist 'Ghostbusters' backlash coincides with 2016 gender divide |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/sexist-ghostbusters-backlash-coincides-2016-gender-divide-n580921 |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=[[NBC News]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Blank Check with Griffin & David|David Sims]] wrote in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' that the subtext of much of the criticism of the film was that "the idea of a female cast taking up the mantle of a very male film series is just somehow wrong",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sims |first=David |date=2016-05-18 |title=The Outcry Against the All-Female 'Ghostbusters' Remake Gets Louder |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/the-sexist-outcry-against-the-ghostbusters-remake-gets-louder/483270/ |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en}}</ref> and the response has elsewhere been described as sexist and misogynistic.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Child |first=Ben |date=2015-03-16 |title=Paul Feig: Ghostbusters reboot criticism is 'vile, misogynistic shit' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/16/paul-feig-ghostbusters-reboot-criticism-is-vile-misogynistic-shit |access-date=2025-09-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The website ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]'' described it as "a sequel to [[Gamergate]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Alissa |date=2019-12-30 |title=In 2016, the Ghostbusters reboot didn't change movies. But the backlash was a bad omen. |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/21037815/ghostbusters-backlash-decade-black-panther-captain-marvel |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
In 2018, [[Amanda Hess]] wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that in the two years since the ''Ghostbusters'' remake, this concept had progressed from being a "one-off stunt" into a [[genre]] of its own, citing ''[[Ocean's 8]]'' as just one example of three such films that summer alone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hess |first=Amanda |date=2018-06-12 |title=The Trouble With Hollywood's Gender Flips (Published 2018) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/movies/oceans-8-gender-swap.html |access-date=2025-09-26 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en}}</ref> Other 2010s examples include ''[[Overboard (2018 film)|Overboard]]'', ''[[The Hustle (film)|The Hustle]],'' and ''[[Life of the Party (2018 film)|Life of the Party]].<ref name=":1" />'' | |||
Emine Saner, writing in ''The Guardian'', said that the phenomenon of gender-swap reboots seems like a positive, as it leads to more women in [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] films, but may have downsides, such as being a safe place for studios to use female talent without taking a risk on original female-centric stories.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
== In other media == | |||
The gender swap technique is also used in media other than film. The 2024 concept album ''[[Warriors (Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis album)|Warriors]]'', based on [[The Warriors (film)|a 1979 action film]], took inspiration from Gamergate to reimagine the story's central gang as women.<ref name=":2" /> [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]] has said that the gender swap was central to him being able to write a compelling narrative for his adaptation.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2024-09-18 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis on their 'Warriors' musical concept album with Lauryn Hill |url=https://apnews.com/article/linmanuel-miranda-eisa-davis-warriors-lauryn-hill-album-942ba5ca1e424f82ca55a91c938c6322 |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=[[Associated Press|AP News]] |language=en}}</ref> The album's co-writer, [[Eisa Davis]], characterized the flip as a revolutionary and a feminist act, given the film's overtones she described as "misogynist" and "homophobic".<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Donnellan |first=Sara |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda's Warriors Concept Album Was His 'Dream Project' |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lin-manuel-mirandas-warriors-concept-album-was-his-dream-project/ |access-date=February 7, 2025 |website=[[Us Weekly]] |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
The term has also been used in the context of Japanese video game [[Fate (franchise)|''Fate'' franchise]]. Numerous characters in that universe (which debuted with the 2004 game ''[[Fate/Stay Night]]'') are based on historical figures, but with their genders flipped from male to female; for example [[Attila]], [[King Arthur]] ([[Saber (Fate/Stay Night)|Artoria]]), [[Francis Drake]], [[Jack the Ripper]], [[Miyamoto Musashi]], [[Mordred]] and [[Nero (Fate)|Nero]] are portrayed as female.<ref name=":02">{{Citation |last=Becklinger |first=Nicole |chapter=Necromancing Ancient Heroes and Heroines in the Fate Anime Series |date=2026-06-04 |title=Animation and the Ancient World |pages=315–333 |editor-last=Sulprizio |editor-first=Chiara |chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/book/62483/chapter/557450153 |access-date=2026-05-21 |edition=1 |publisher=Oxford University PressNew York, NY |language=en |doi=10.1093/9780197800652.003.0016 |isbn=978-0-19-780065-2 |last2=Swist |first2=Jeremy |editor2-last=Marshall |editor2-first=C W}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Boyd |first=David John |date=2021-06-01 |title=Affective Anachronisms, Fateful Becomings: Otaku Movement and the Joan of Arc Effect in Type-Moon's Transhistorical Anime Ecology |url=http://berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/screen-bodies/6/1/screen060107.xml |journal=Screen Bodies |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=78–102 |doi=10.3167/screen.2021.060107 |issn=2374-7552}}</ref> These portrayals reflect both the franchise's interest in reinterpreting historical narratives and broader trends within contemporary [[Shōnen manga|shōnen]] anime toward greater prominence of female heroic characters, situated the practice within longer anime traditions of gender ambiguity and gender transformation.<ref name=":02" /> David John Boyd interprets the phenomenon through the lens of gender theory and anime aesthetics. He argues that Type-Moon's reimagining of historical figures as anime girls constitutes a form of "[[shōjo]]-ification" of history, in which well-known historical personages are transformed into emotionally expressive heroines whose identities challenge conventional historical narratives.<ref name=":5" /> Many of these characters have become more popular online than their original, often obscure, historical versions.<ref name="tomsal2021">{{cite journal |author1=Tomotani, João V. |author2=Salvador, Rodrigo B. |year=2021 |title=The Astolfo Effect: the popularity of Fate/Grand Order characters in comparison to their real counterparts. |url=https://jgeekstudies.org/2021/12/28/the-astolfo-effect-the-popularity-of-fate-grand-order-characters-in-comparison-to-their-real-counterparts/ |journal=Journal of Geek Studies |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=59–69 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.8241594}}</ref> | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* [[Rule 63]], an [[Internet meme]] | {{wiktionary|gender-flip}} | ||
* [[Rule 63]], an [[Internet meme]] which states that "for every character there is a gender swapped version of that character". | |||
* [[Cross-gender acting]], when actors or actresses portray a character of the opposite sex. | * [[Cross-gender acting]], when actors or actresses portray a character of the opposite sex. | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
[[Category:Casting controversies]] | |||
[[Category:Fiction about gender flip| ]] | |||
[[Category:Gender fluidity]] | |||
[[Category:Gender roles]] | [[Category:Gender roles]] | ||
[[Category:Gender | [[Category:Gender studies]] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:02, 29 September 2026
Template:Short description A gender flip or gender swap is a technique in fiction in which characters are portrayed as a different gender from the one as which they were originally written.[1] It is commonly used in film remakes or reboots.[2]
History
Despite the prominence of the idea in films of the 2010s, the concept dates from much earlier. Radio Times critic Emma Simmonds gives the example of 1939's His Girl Friday, adapted from 1928 Broadway play The Front Page, in which the gender of character Hildy Johnson is switched from male to female.[3]
Criticism
According to The Guardian, one of the most high profile examples of this is the 2016 remake of the 1984 film Ghostbusters, which featured a female ensemble instead of the original film's male one.[2] The 2016 version received significant backlash, with its trailer video becoming the most disliked in YouTube history.[4][5] David Sims wrote in The Atlantic that the subtext of much of the criticism of the film was that "the idea of a female cast taking up the mantle of a very male film series is just somehow wrong",[6] and the response has elsewhere been described as sexist and misogynistic.[7][2] The website Vox described it as "a sequel to Gamergate".[8]
In 2018, Amanda Hess wrote in The New York Times that in the two years since the Ghostbusters remake, this concept had progressed from being a "one-off stunt" into a genre of its own, citing Ocean's 8 as just one example of three such films that summer alone.[9] Other 2010s examples include Overboard, The Hustle, and Life of the Party.[1]
Emine Saner, writing in The Guardian, said that the phenomenon of gender-swap reboots seems like a positive, as it leads to more women in blockbuster films, but may have downsides, such as being a safe place for studios to use female talent without taking a risk on original female-centric stories.[2]
In other media
The gender swap technique is also used in media other than film. The 2024 concept album Warriors, based on a 1979 action film, took inspiration from Gamergate to reimagine the story's central gang as women.[10] Lin-Manuel Miranda has said that the gender swap was central to him being able to write a compelling narrative for his adaptation.[10] The album's co-writer, Eisa Davis, characterized the flip as a revolutionary and a feminist act, given the film's overtones she described as "misogynist" and "homophobic".[11]
The term has also been used in the context of Japanese video game Fate franchise. Numerous characters in that universe (which debuted with the 2004 game Fate/Stay Night) are based on historical figures, but with their genders flipped from male to female; for example Attila, King Arthur (Artoria), Francis Drake, Jack the Ripper, Miyamoto Musashi, Mordred and Nero are portrayed as female.[12][13] These portrayals reflect both the franchise's interest in reinterpreting historical narratives and broader trends within contemporary shōnen anime toward greater prominence of female heroic characters, situated the practice within longer anime traditions of gender ambiguity and gender transformation.[12] David John Boyd interprets the phenomenon through the lens of gender theory and anime aesthetics. He argues that Type-Moon's reimagining of historical figures as anime girls constitutes a form of "shōjo-ification" of history, in which well-known historical personages are transformed into emotionally expressive heroines whose identities challenge conventional historical narratives.[13] Many of these characters have become more popular online than their original, often obscure, historical versions.[14]
See also
|
Look up gender-flip in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Rule 63, an Internet meme which states that "for every character there is a gender swapped version of that character".
- Cross-gender acting, when actors or actresses portray a character of the opposite sex.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Perkins, Claire (2020-09-15), "Ghost Girls: Ghostbusters, Popular Feminism and the Gender-Swap Reboot", Film Reboots, Edinburgh University Press, doi:, ISBN 978-1-4744-5136-9
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Saner, Emine (2017-09-02). "Lord of the Flies to Ocean's Eight: how Hollywood reboots are flipping gender" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/02/lord-of-the-flies-oceans-eight-hollywood-reboots-flipping-gender.
- ↑ Simmonds, Emma. "From Ocean's 8 to Ghostbusters: a history of Hollywood's gender swap movie trend | Radio Times" (in en-GB). https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/oceans-8-movie-gender-swap-hollywood/.
- ↑ Stone, Natalie (2016-04-30). "'Ghostbusters' Is the Most Disliked Movie Trailer in YouTube History" (in en-US). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/ghostbusters-is-disliked-movie-trailer-889114/.
- ↑ "Sexist 'Ghostbusters' backlash coincides with 2016 gender divide" (in en). 2016-05-26. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/sexist-ghostbusters-backlash-coincides-2016-gender-divide-n580921.
- ↑ Sims, David (2016-05-18). "The Outcry Against the All-Female 'Ghostbusters' Remake Gets Louder" (in en). https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/the-sexist-outcry-against-the-ghostbusters-remake-gets-louder/483270/.
- ↑ Child, Ben (2015-03-16). "Paul Feig: Ghostbusters reboot criticism is 'vile, misogynistic shit'" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/16/paul-feig-ghostbusters-reboot-criticism-is-vile-misogynistic-shit.
- ↑ Wilkinson, Alissa (2019-12-30). "In 2016, the Ghostbusters reboot didn't change movies. But the backlash was a bad omen." (in en-US). https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/21037815/ghostbusters-backlash-decade-black-panther-captain-marvel.
- ↑ Hess, Amanda (2018-06-12). "The Trouble With Hollywood's Gender Flips (Published 2018)" (in en). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/movies/oceans-8-gender-swap.html.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis on their 'Warriors' musical concept album with Lauryn Hill" (in en). 2024-09-18. https://apnews.com/article/linmanuel-miranda-eisa-davis-warriors-lauryn-hill-album-942ba5ca1e424f82ca55a91c938c6322.
- ↑ Donnellan, Sara (October 28, 2024). "Lin-Manuel Miranda's Warriors Concept Album Was His 'Dream Project'" (in en-US). https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lin-manuel-mirandas-warriors-concept-album-was-his-dream-project/.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Becklinger, Nicole; Swist, Jeremy (2026-06-04), "Necromancing Ancient Heroes and Heroines in the Fate Anime Series", in Sulprizio, Chiara; Marshall, C W, Animation and the Ancient World (1 ed.), Oxford University PressNew York, NY, doi:, ISBN 978-0-19-780065-2
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Boyd, David John (2021-06-01). "Affective Anachronisms, Fateful Becomings: Otaku Movement and the Joan of Arc Effect in Type-Moon's Transhistorical Anime Ecology". Screen Bodies 6 (1): 78–102. doi:. ISSN 2374-7552. http://berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/screen-bodies/6/1/screen060107.xml.
- ↑ Tomotani, João V.; Salvador, Rodrigo B. (2021). "The Astolfo Effect: the popularity of Fate/Grand Order characters in comparison to their real counterparts.". Journal of Geek Studies 8 (2): 59–69. doi:. https://jgeekstudies.org/2021/12/28/the-astolfo-effect-the-popularity-of-fate-grand-order-characters-in-comparison-to-their-real-counterparts/.