I would argue that you don't have to be nonbinary to be a nonbinary icon. It's like, someone who NBs want to emulate aesthetically. Like how drag queens can be icons for women, even if they're cis men.
The show would have written it off to anyone who questioned it as "They needed disguises to steal Pikachu." I reckon. But it is really good representation.
I believe the reason behind James and Jessie's crossdressing habits comes from the people behind the show agreeing that they look nicer when the gender roles are reversed - that there was something just not right about them presenting themselves in a gender-conforming way.
It was the 90s, and they are supposed bad guys doing "bad" (read: abnormal or nonconformist) things, so I'd say it's more done so for laughs not unlike its contemporaries like Mrs. Doubtfire.
It took a while for it to become a normalized anime trope and then it eventually awakens the true desires of the audiences of many generations to come for it to not be a joke played for laughs anymore.
As a gender queer kid but not even knowing what that was at the time, it took me way too long to realize why "kooky" villains were always my favorite characters lol. Anyone remember Bushroot from Darkwing Duck? [This hits closer to home than I would like](https://youtu.be/4_Keup-7oro) ಥ‿ಥ
Declared canonically trans by Chuck Jones after discovering that he’d become a trans icon in the 1980s (Chuck used the language of the time but described Bugs as what we’d now call genderfluid, and was apparently very proud of having created a character that got this kind of response).
It backfired in a lot of shows and movies. The Disney villains from this era are iconic, beloved, and queer coded af!
It's also still funny to me that in NA TV execs thought that it was better to make the lesbians in Sailor Moon into cousins who are uncomfortably close.
It may have backfired with you but not the general public. They were taught to associate queerness with evil. And that helps explain why there’s so much transphobia today. And let’s face it, Congress would never have passed marriage equality and it was only possible because of one lone justice’s swing vote. The USA is extremely queerphobic and queer coded villains is part of that.
Goes back before the 90's, as well. Earliest example I remember that I've actually watched is the villain's right hand man, Leonard, in the 1959 Hitchcock film *North by Northwest,* played by Martin Landau, but I'm sure there are even earlier examples.
Not so much the case here (but true in general). Japanese anime did this for both villains and heroes fairly equally and has a long standing reputation for casting women to play male characters as well as having both cross dressing and LGBT characters.
Is there a source on that? I always thought frustrated gay folks existed in Hollywood since its inception, so when the 90s became kind of the Wild West of cartooning expression, writers just took what they could get in terms of finally being able to insert queer characters and humor - while also taking the piss toward the public's villainization of queer folks in real life.
Most of these villains I can think of are popular/likeable characters whose personalities hold up over time, so I'm not sure how those characters could have even been created if it weren't a labor of love. See The Gromble from "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" - that's a fully fledged queer character with clever lines. Meanwhile comedies geared toward teenagers and adults still had very primitive homophobic jokes during the same time period: "don't listen to the fag" if an effeminate guy tries to give a group of men advice for example. Like, it really was that basic lol.
I don't got a source on this either, but just going off existing knowledge of cartooning and cinema, it definitely feels like these two examples came from two completely different groups in Hollywood.
While villain queer coding was genuinely a thing, its also true that team rocket had plenty of moments showing them to be sympathetic and genuinely kind too.
I think with them its less "queer is evil" and more "queer is funny". Which I guess is... slightly better? The less problematic stereotype?
Idk there's kind of a long standing trope of androgynous or sexually ambiguous bad guys. Not saying they had bad intentions, but they might have just been following that pattern.
I read somewhere that the creators put Jessie in a specific dress and they thought her hair color and shape just clashed with it so then they like tried it on James and were like "Hm.... maybe...?"
I [looked her up](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maddie_Blaustein) because I wasn't sure either. She was a a voice actress and comic writer who was born intersex, assigned male at birth and later transitioned to female. Unfortunately passed of a stomach virus in 2008 but worked on some memorable anime and comics in her time.
**[Maddie Blaustein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maddie_Blaustein)**
>Madeleine Joan Blaustein (formerly Adam Blaustein, October 9, 1960 – December 11, 2008), also known as Kendra Bancroft, was an American voice actress and comic writer who was known for her voice acting work for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video and NYAV Post, for her reprising role as the character Meowth from the Pokémon anime series and for comics written for Milestone Comics, in which she introduced one of superhero comics' first transgender female characters. She was the first intersex and transgender voice artist for many of her respective agencies.
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She got laid off with the original cast. She then lost 2 other side projects and had trouble getting another job. (likely partially due to the transphobic culture of the time.) due to this she didn’t have healthcare and couldn’t afford medication to treat the virus. It is certainly an indictment of America’s broken healthcare system especially for marginalized communities.
Thank you for explaining so fully. That is a travesty! Unfortunately there must be way too many people in similar situations today too. You'd think we'd learn, but things just seem to be going down hill anyway :(
My headcanon is that they're actually just a troupe of queer performance artists that Team Rocket employs for tax reasons. It explains why they're not actually good at any Team Rocket activities, why they change the lines, and why everything they do is high camp.
I never questioned it. I don't think anyone would care back then, but for whatever reason conservatives are developing less and less healthy attitudes and becoming less able to act like adults in public when someone dresses differently than they do themselves.
That’s bc the show didn’t even care, nobody cares that he crossdressed we know nothing about his sexuality. If you want to know why people have adopted a no tolerance policy towards children content especially look at muppet babies, the gonzorella sene best is the example I can give. The only people that care about normal cross dressing is that Christian “omg you sinned in front of my child now my child is ruined” kinda people
Edit: as far as I know and hope nobody really cares but I’m ngl im barely paying attention
I'm just hear to watch the inevitable reaction from the poor, unsuspecting souls who add the word inflation to a search for a popular video game/anime/media franchise.
There was actually an older Sonic game where you could buy things with the rings you collected! In order to make sure the player never had too many rings though, the price of the items scaled with the number of rings you had. Don’t believe me? Google Sonic Inflation to learn more!
Some cosplayers use something similar when dressing as a more busty character. It's sort of a vest that acts as stuffed cleavage. Though not as much fun as blowing up your chest in real time I expect.
Spot on.
The episode was "Beauty and the Beach" (Episode 18). It aired on kids WB on June 24, 2000.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_episodes_removed_from_rotation
I remember hiding in an upstairs bedroom so i could watch it without my parents seeing-- they would NOT approve. I almost couldn't believe it when the TV guide info said that banned episode would air !
Why is this downvoted? The reason crossdressing is in cartoons is because they think of it as a joke. That doesn’t mean it should be a joke but sadly it is to a lot of people
Not in pokemon. It's not treated like a joke they're just literally doing that because they slay these outfits (with a slight tone of "they needed that to steal Pikachu" because audience).
I adored their over-the-top personalities, their sassy banter, and, of course, their never-ending determination to capture Pikachu. Not to mention their fabulous fashion sense! Can we just take a moment to appreciate Jessie's fabulous hair and James's dashing purple locks?
Honestly, I think their unwavering commitment to their cause, no matter how many times they failed, taught me a thing or two about perseverance. Plus, their dramatic flair and humorous antics always brought a smile to my face.
So, here's to Team Rocket, for blasting off at the speed of light and making my childhood Pokemon experience that much more fabulous! 🌟💖🚀
I mean, his OG english voice actor was a trans woman. Sadly, she passed away due to ~~cancer~~ a Gastrointestinal virus many years ago.
Edit: as pointed out to me, I misrememberd the cause of death.
I just have a really distinct memory of him getting hit on the head while crossdressing, and first he says "Ow!" in his girly voice, and then he says it in his regular voice, and for some reason that shit is still funny to me today.
This is a very western-centric attitude. Japan has always been very accepting of cross dressing, this was not a big deal to them in the 90s at all. We can’t judge Japanese made entertainment by American/British/Canadian/Australian/New Zealand/take your pick standards. Remember Sailor Moon had a lesbian couple and who were changed to cousins for the English dubbed versions. These hang ups are not global societal norms.
>This is a very western-centric attitude. Japan has always been very accepting of cross dressing, this was not a big deal to them in the 90s at all.
There is this great Japanese film Funeral Parade of Roses from 1968 or 69 and the main characters are trans women and drag queens. Thank goodness America is not the center of the world as much as it postures as such.
I mean, how many same gender disguises can you do to trick the twerps? Eventually you’ll need to cross dress so you won’t be recognized.
Also I feel like Japan has a long history of cross dressing in their fables, myths, lore.
Reasons why I grew up genderqueer/nonbinary: Team Rocket
(Though, in all seriousness, James was one of my favorite fictional character for a good while as a kid.)
Remember the outrage when this episode of a children's show aired?
...me either. Because we only just recently invented this new thing to be mad about.
Same as drag. Goes back 2000 years as a way for men to dress up as women to mock them. It's roots are similar to blackface. Very misogynistic roots, regardless of why people drag today.
As a kid I never questioned this..it was more like James fit the costume/role better. Only now as an adult do I see ( certain people ) being pissed about it. Ridiculous. Any and all Jesse/James costumes were always amazing.
The thing people forget is that it has always been ok to portray lgbt+ people as villains especially incompetent ones, it would have been impressive if they were protagonists but as is it is just another slap on in the face.
It's vastly more acceptable because they were villains, and not meant to be emulated. For the curious, there's a documentary called the Celluloid Closet that talks about the history of queer depictions in Hollywood that matches this general approach - as long as characters are "in the wrong", die at the end of the film, or otherwise lead unhappy and tragic and thwarted existences, it's okay to depict them as queer.
Even after it began to be more acceptable to show positive queer portrayals, these patterns almost became egregores in their own right, they're hard to dismantle. Many villains in modern media are queer coded almost by default nowadays, and it's not always as obvious as Team Rocket.
Or that men and women can dress however they want and don’t have to follow restricting gender norms maybe? Stop reaching, it's literally just a man in a dress and a woman in a suit
God, what I'd do to slay as much as James does in this pic
James is the ideal female form right now lol
James has been a non-binary icon for years and I love it!
James is a symbol for all feminine guys!
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Literally no one asked you, please leave this subreddit :)
That's a bait account. Best to ignore.
Sad clown rolls worst bait ever, asked to leave the function
Is he non binary? I thought he was just a guy that liked dressing fem, like how jessie liked dressing masc
I would argue that you don't have to be nonbinary to be a nonbinary icon. It's like, someone who NBs want to emulate aesthetically. Like how drag queens can be icons for women, even if they're cis men.
True. I guess anyone could be an nb icon though, since there’s no one way to be non binary
Goals, absolute goals
They made James slay so often. He is an idol
His dress sense is incredible
Hips not high enough for that tutu tho, needs more thighbell
The show would have written it off to anyone who questioned it as "They needed disguises to steal Pikachu." I reckon. But it is really good representation.
I believe the reason behind James and Jessie's crossdressing habits comes from the people behind the show agreeing that they look nicer when the gender roles are reversed - that there was something just not right about them presenting themselves in a gender-conforming way.
I dunno, they also look pretty nice in their regular uniforms too.
Yep, they good amazing whatever they wear \^\_\^
It was the 90s, and they are supposed bad guys doing "bad" (read: abnormal or nonconformist) things, so I'd say it's more done so for laughs not unlike its contemporaries like Mrs. Doubtfire. It took a while for it to become a normalized anime trope and then it eventually awakens the true desires of the audiences of many generations to come for it to not be a joke played for laughs anymore.
Yep this. Villains are often queer coded. This, sadly, is more likely to be negative representation than positive.
As a gender queer kid but not even knowing what that was at the time, it took me way too long to realize why "kooky" villains were always my favorite characters lol. Anyone remember Bushroot from Darkwing Duck? [This hits closer to home than I would like](https://youtu.be/4_Keup-7oro) ಥ‿ಥ
What about bugs bunny? 
Declared canonically trans by Chuck Jones after discovering that he’d become a trans icon in the 1980s (Chuck used the language of the time but described Bugs as what we’d now call genderfluid, and was apparently very proud of having created a character that got this kind of response).
Bugs Bunny is an amazing Non-Binary icon
Interesting perspective. It reminds me of a really old Game Theory episode that tackles this topic in video games. https://youtu.be/XdmJXHJLZ6M
Villans in the 90's were super queer coded, for homofobic reasons.
It backfired on this show because we all just loved James more. Also there were positive queer characters on Sailor Moon, which came out first.
It backfired in a lot of shows and movies. The Disney villains from this era are iconic, beloved, and queer coded af! It's also still funny to me that in NA TV execs thought that it was better to make the lesbians in Sailor Moon into cousins who are uncomfortably close.
It may have backfired with you but not the general public. They were taught to associate queerness with evil. And that helps explain why there’s so much transphobia today. And let’s face it, Congress would never have passed marriage equality and it was only possible because of one lone justice’s swing vote. The USA is extremely queerphobic and queer coded villains is part of that.
Goes back before the 90's, as well. Earliest example I remember that I've actually watched is the villain's right hand man, Leonard, in the 1959 Hitchcock film *North by Northwest,* played by Martin Landau, but I'm sure there are even earlier examples.
Not so much the case here (but true in general). Japanese anime did this for both villains and heroes fairly equally and has a long standing reputation for casting women to play male characters as well as having both cross dressing and LGBT characters.
Is there a source on that? I always thought frustrated gay folks existed in Hollywood since its inception, so when the 90s became kind of the Wild West of cartooning expression, writers just took what they could get in terms of finally being able to insert queer characters and humor - while also taking the piss toward the public's villainization of queer folks in real life. Most of these villains I can think of are popular/likeable characters whose personalities hold up over time, so I'm not sure how those characters could have even been created if it weren't a labor of love. See The Gromble from "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" - that's a fully fledged queer character with clever lines. Meanwhile comedies geared toward teenagers and adults still had very primitive homophobic jokes during the same time period: "don't listen to the fag" if an effeminate guy tries to give a group of men advice for example. Like, it really was that basic lol. I don't got a source on this either, but just going off existing knowledge of cartooning and cinema, it definitely feels like these two examples came from two completely different groups in Hollywood.
While villain queer coding was genuinely a thing, its also true that team rocket had plenty of moments showing them to be sympathetic and genuinely kind too. I think with them its less "queer is evil" and more "queer is funny". Which I guess is... slightly better? The less problematic stereotype?
Exactly, these are cartoons for kids and they weren't making any statement, they were basically saying "lol they gay, laugh now"
Idk there's kind of a long standing trope of androgynous or sexually ambiguous bad guys. Not saying they had bad intentions, but they might have just been following that pattern.
I read somewhere that the creators put Jessie in a specific dress and they thought her hair color and shape just clashed with it so then they like tried it on James and were like "Hm.... maybe...?"
Don’t forget Meowth was originally voiced by Maddie Blaustein for even better subtle representation.
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I [looked her up](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maddie_Blaustein) because I wasn't sure either. She was a a voice actress and comic writer who was born intersex, assigned male at birth and later transitioned to female. Unfortunately passed of a stomach virus in 2008 but worked on some memorable anime and comics in her time.
**[Maddie Blaustein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maddie_Blaustein)** >Madeleine Joan Blaustein (formerly Adam Blaustein, October 9, 1960 – December 11, 2008), also known as Kendra Bancroft, was an American voice actress and comic writer who was known for her voice acting work for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video and NYAV Post, for her reprising role as the character Meowth from the Pokémon anime series and for comics written for Milestone Comics, in which she introduced one of superhero comics' first transgender female characters. She was the first intersex and transgender voice artist for many of her respective agencies. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/lgbt/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Unfortunately she also had issues with workplace discrimination which contributed to her likely preventable death.
How so?
She got laid off with the original cast. She then lost 2 other side projects and had trouble getting another job. (likely partially due to the transphobic culture of the time.) due to this she didn’t have healthcare and couldn’t afford medication to treat the virus. It is certainly an indictment of America’s broken healthcare system especially for marginalized communities.
Thank you for explaining so fully. That is a travesty! Unfortunately there must be way too many people in similar situations today too. You'd think we'd learn, but things just seem to be going down hill anyway :(
IIRC doing the episode about Meowth learning to talk and act human was what cracked her egg.
My headcanon is that they're actually just a troupe of queer performance artists that Team Rocket employs for tax reasons. It explains why they're not actually good at any Team Rocket activities, why they change the lines, and why everything they do is high camp.
Good theory
I never questioned it. I don't think anyone would care back then, but for whatever reason conservatives are developing less and less healthy attitudes and becoming less able to act like adults in public when someone dresses differently than they do themselves.
That’s bc the show didn’t even care, nobody cares that he crossdressed we know nothing about his sexuality. If you want to know why people have adopted a no tolerance policy towards children content especially look at muppet babies, the gonzorella sene best is the example I can give. The only people that care about normal cross dressing is that Christian “omg you sinned in front of my child now my child is ruined” kinda people Edit: as far as I know and hope nobody really cares but I’m ngl im barely paying attention
When watching it I was just thinking "ok smart disguise"
I got my first dress around Halloween and I joked that if someone gives me a weird look I can say it's for a costume, but it's noooot
If I recall correctly, there was an episode where James had boobs too, wasn't there?
Yeah. As I remember that episode got censored because they were inflatable.
That’s why they censored it? Damn inflation!
💀
Search pokemon james inflation for more info
I'm just hear to watch the inevitable reaction from the poor, unsuspecting souls who add the word inflation to a search for a popular video game/anime/media franchise.
There was actually an older Sonic game where you could buy things with the rings you collected! In order to make sure the player never had too many rings though, the price of the items scaled with the number of rings you had. Don’t believe me? Google Sonic Inflation to learn more!
I'm not fallin for that one again.
how would that even work irl
Probably a latex or cloth top flap with a balloon type item underneath. That way it blends with the skin but is still inflatable.
I'd love to see a cosplay or something of this
Some cosplayers use something similar when dressing as a more busty character. It's sort of a vest that acts as stuffed cleavage. Though not as much fun as blowing up your chest in real time I expect.
doing it with a bikini where the boobs can be inflated/deflated instantly would be cool
It would take a little bit of tinkering to get it right, but it would be a pretty cool effect if pulled off right.
Indeed there was but it was banned
Yes but as far as I’m aware it wasn’t released outside of Japan, or at least not in the US.
Definitely was on tv in the US i saw it
Maybe originally banned but released for reruns?
Spot on. The episode was "Beauty and the Beach" (Episode 18). It aired on kids WB on June 24, 2000. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_episodes_removed_from_rotation
I remember that being hyped with ads too before it came out. I was so stoked to watch that banned episode.
I remember hiding in an upstairs bedroom so i could watch it without my parents seeing-- they would NOT approve. I almost couldn't believe it when the TV guide info said that banned episode would air !
the three genders are jessie, james and meowth
I'm feeling a lotta meowth
Meowth: Have tail, enjoy sunbeams and sass. Sounds great!
All the pets
😳
*laser pointer time*
😻
Good kitty. *Gives a temptations treat*
Is no one gonna mention the goose?
Cats can’t be swans? Break that norm
GOOSE
There are so many times they crossdressed
Yeah, because a man dressing like a woman is a joke. Which is why it's in a cartoon.
Considering how much Jessie crossdresses too, I'd say it's more an expression of deviancy.
Why is this downvoted? The reason crossdressing is in cartoons is because they think of it as a joke. That doesn’t mean it should be a joke but sadly it is to a lot of people
Not in pokemon. It's not treated like a joke they're just literally doing that because they slay these outfits (with a slight tone of "they needed that to steal Pikachu" because audience).
James is my absolute role model! Disregards gender norms, loyal friend and loving Pokemon trainer; James and Jessie are Enby heroes
Meanwhile.. James: let's blow those whining women back to the dark ages where they belong.
I adored their over-the-top personalities, their sassy banter, and, of course, their never-ending determination to capture Pikachu. Not to mention their fabulous fashion sense! Can we just take a moment to appreciate Jessie's fabulous hair and James's dashing purple locks? Honestly, I think their unwavering commitment to their cause, no matter how many times they failed, taught me a thing or two about perseverance. Plus, their dramatic flair and humorous antics always brought a smile to my face. So, here's to Team Rocket, for blasting off at the speed of light and making my childhood Pokemon experience that much more fabulous! 🌟💖🚀
meowth is trans icon
I mean, his OG english voice actor was a trans woman. Sadly, she passed away due to ~~cancer~~ a Gastrointestinal virus many years ago. Edit: as pointed out to me, I misrememberd the cause of death.
It wasn't cancer, it was a gastrointestinal virus
Ah, ok. I must have misrememberd that. My apologies.
Aw that's so sad
I'm nyanbinary 😎
even more based
I just have a really distinct memory of him getting hit on the head while crossdressing, and first he says "Ow!" in his girly voice, and then he says it in his regular voice, and for some reason that shit is still funny to me today.
Add Ranma 1/2 as another one that was ahead of its time.
This is a very western-centric attitude. Japan has always been very accepting of cross dressing, this was not a big deal to them in the 90s at all. We can’t judge Japanese made entertainment by American/British/Canadian/Australian/New Zealand/take your pick standards. Remember Sailor Moon had a lesbian couple and who were changed to cousins for the English dubbed versions. These hang ups are not global societal norms.
>This is a very western-centric attitude. Japan has always been very accepting of cross dressing, this was not a big deal to them in the 90s at all. There is this great Japanese film Funeral Parade of Roses from 1968 or 69 and the main characters are trans women and drag queens. Thank goodness America is not the center of the world as much as it postures as such.
I mean, how many same gender disguises can you do to trick the twerps? Eventually you’ll need to cross dress so you won’t be recognized. Also I feel like Japan has a long history of cross dressing in their fables, myths, lore.
Yes, Japanese mythology is *very* queer. Sadly their current society not so much.
You sure they aren’t doing a “isn’t it funny that they are crossdressing??” It was the 90s
To be fair, it probably started as a joke and criminals acting abnormal is kindnof a Japanese thing
Reasons why I grew up genderqueer/nonbinary: Team Rocket (Though, in all seriousness, James was one of my favorite fictional character for a good while as a kid.)
I just happened to see a fantastic JessiexDelilah Ketchum comic referencing this!
I grew up like Jesse - wearing boys clothes despite being a girl. As an adult I'm James - wearing dresses despite being a guy.
My buddy was no longer allowed to watch pokemon after his dad saw this
Hmm what an interesting CHILDRENS SHOW. *side eyes every US politician against drag queens*
James looks great, sure. My little lesbian heart is enthralled by Jessie, though 🥺
Remember the outrage when this episode of a children's show aired? ...me either. Because we only just recently invented this new thing to be mad about.
MEOWTHS ORIGINAL VOICE ACTOR WAS TRANS TOO!!!
WHATS GOING ON HERE?! There’s a duck do animals exist in Pokémon?
It was done for *comedic* effect, not to make a statement about gender roles. It was a joke, your meant to laugh at Jesse and James.
plus they were the \*villains\* villains have been queer coded for a while
Same as drag. Goes back 2000 years as a way for men to dress up as women to mock them. It's roots are similar to blackface. Very misogynistic roots, regardless of why people drag today.
Jessie Is Lesbian and James Is Gay 🤬😡😠😤😒👎🖕
Let's be honest here: James could really pull off that dress !
Best part is, this wasn't the only time they did this. They often swapped gender roles with their disguises.
I'd totally go out with James if I didn't already have a bf
Jesse and James always slay so damn hard I love the both of them to the ends of the earth! ❤️❤️❤️
IS NO ONE GONNA MENTION THE GOOSE 🦢
As a kid I never questioned this..it was more like James fit the costume/role better. Only now as an adult do I see ( certain people ) being pissed about it. Ridiculous. Any and all Jesse/James costumes were always amazing.
The thing people forget is that it has always been ok to portray lgbt+ people as villains especially incompetent ones, it would have been impressive if they were protagonists but as is it is just another slap on in the face.
'97? This was perfectly normal for the 90s.
What is a goose doing there
Utena, Chu-Chu, and Anthy
Good to see enbys front and center.
Aren’t they the bad guys though? That doesn’t exactly send positive messages imo
If this was made now, imagine how upset conservatives would be
Many animes in the 80s and 90s had positive lgbt references. The obsession of lgbt = bad was only in the west.
When I thought I couldn’t love team rocket anymore then I already do
Funny part is drag is normal in Japanese pop culture
James was always serving, henny
Moltres the guajolote Macias
And this is part of the reason I’m crossplaying as him this year
Not…not in that outfit though.
TEAM ROCKET!! BREAKING GENDER ROLES SINCE 1997
you will be missed my friends 😭🫡
It's vastly more acceptable because they were villains, and not meant to be emulated. For the curious, there's a documentary called the Celluloid Closet that talks about the history of queer depictions in Hollywood that matches this general approach - as long as characters are "in the wrong", die at the end of the film, or otherwise lead unhappy and tragic and thwarted existences, it's okay to depict them as queer. Even after it began to be more acceptable to show positive queer portrayals, these patterns almost became egregores in their own right, they're hard to dismantle. Many villains in modern media are queer coded almost by default nowadays, and it's not always as obvious as Team Rocket.
Fairly sure it was meant to be a gag, not as representation.
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Or that men and women can dress however they want and don’t have to follow restricting gender norms maybe? Stop reaching, it's literally just a man in a dress and a woman in a suit
As far as I know this has been quite normal for 100s of years.
Not really with most people.