Superheroine Costumes versus Realism

[Void]

So I've been very slowly putting together a new story about an OC heroine, and I keep getting beaten up trying to make her outfit make sense as something she would come to own, let alone choose to wear to fight crime.

I've probably gone too deep thinking about it - I know as a reader, specially for more tantalising reads, I don't care a great deal about how much sense the heroine's outfit makes... but maybe I still care a little when the outfits are totally at odds with the character wearing them, I dunno. I certainly never used to care when I started reading stories in this genre. It's kind of a meta thing, right? We identify the superheroes because they are wearing the exuberant outfit - it's kind of an essential quality.

What do you guys think? Do you care about the outfits making in-universe sense, or is it something you just roll with because you expect there to be a costume of some kind? Or is there a spectrum between the two that you find yourself?

What good reasons are there to choose between for someone to wear bright-coloured, skin-tight, revealing latex/spandex/leather? I'm down with the bat-familyesque, utility(ish) based outfits, but the more generic superhero garbs feel harder to make sense. Why wear them, and, perhaps more pressingly, how are these characters acquiring them? However you slice that last question, presumably you need to reconcile it with the heroine's character - they have chosen, and perhaps gone to great lengths, to present this way.

Fair warning - I may shamelessly steal good answers to these questions!

[Heroine Addict]

Go down the route of higher technology or magic. The costume could be a thin and lightweight but incredibly durable form of body armor. (Until a villain finds a way to rip it open.) If the design is incongruously bright and garish, just say it was given to the wearer by aliens, time travelers or a wizard.

[DrDominator9]

There are a few good answers to why a hero/heroine would wear a somewhat impractical or outlandish costume, I think.

A) It's a hand-me down thing from a previous ancestor (grandfather, grandmother, dying mother, etc.) with questionable taste, or a modification of such a costume, perhaps involving a belt holding a crystal or some such talisman.

B) the heroine herself is a bit out there in her style choices and persona and likes to make an entrance or be seen as out of the mainstream, perhaps a bit of an exhibitionist.

C) the color of the costume is something very important to the hero/heroine and intrinsic to her nature somehow, via psychology or DNA requirements or some such twist.

D) The freedom of movement in tight spandex clothing does prevent problems when attacking or being attacked, as opposed to loose fitting jackets or other possible hazards of fighting.

E) her friend talked her into it!

Either way, I look forward to seeing how this turns out. I could help you with name suggestions on your OC but Tallyho would probably tell you I suck at it.

[batgirl1969]

Something like a catsuit or full spandex morph suit just works perfect for a heroine, when wearing it, you are fully covered yet it feels like you are wearing nothing, allowing amazing movement and agility and being fully covered head to toes...protecting the body. Plus...it just looks freaking hot!!
Wearing a bikini or skirt or even a leotard(Raven) uhmmm without leggings or stockings exposes the heroine even more....making the villains want a piece of whoever is wearing it. Imagine Raven captured by a hardcore gang...that outfit is not going to work out well for her....but a tight catsuit may prevent some wandering hands.

I say when in doubt always go for a spandex or latex morph or catsuit

[brdiy]

A super powered being could be confident enough to think she's beyond the realm of men. Having said that, she would never bother about the opinions of "mere mortals" when making costume choices.

[Kookie]

Hmm, you know I had a little bit of a backlash when this thing came out

So I did have to defend my idea for a heroine with a very skimpy costume.

It’s just the fact that the heroine feel so powerful that she doesn’t feel the need for protective garbs.
It also shows that the heroine is pride of her body figure that she wants people to see. It’s like how magazine models want to set standards.
+ It's my heroine's character that usually acts like a dom, she enjoys looking at her enemy's lust at her body and then denying all of them, defeating, shaming and humiliating them.

But here's the trick tho, she's only confident in wearing that kind of suit if she has control over the situation, she's more powerful than others. If she's overpowered or she has her power taken away from her, she wouldn't be as comfortable and would probably be worried. It just shows her human side more at that point.

[MightyHypnotic]

Hmm, you know I had a little bit of a backlash when this thing came out

So I did have to defend my idea for a heroine with a very skimpy costume.

It’s just the fact that the heroine feel so powerful that she doesn’t feel the need for protective garbs.
It also shows that the heroine is pride of her body figure that she wants people to see. It’s like how magazine models want to set standards.
+ It's my heroine's character that usually acts like a dom, she enjoys looking at her enemy's lust at her body and then denying all of them, defeating, shaming and humiliating them.

But here's the trick tho, she's only confident in wearing that kind of suit if she has control over the situation, she's more powerful than others. If she's overpowered or she has her power taken away from her, she wouldn't be as comfortable and would probably be worried. It just shows her human side more at that point.

What video was this from?

[scwank]

I count myself somewhere in the middle, to the point that it can even interfere with me enjoying something that is otherwise good. I don’t need an outfit that is 100% practical, but don’t want something too slutty, either. I recognize this is fantasy, but it has to be at least a LITTLE believable.

I would have just as hard a time getting into a story where the superheroine is dressed in concealing (and non-sexy) body armor and helmet, as I would with one running around in a bikini or even a high cut leotard bordering on buttfloss, that is so prevalent in the genre movies today. That said, something like the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman outfit works for me.

It probably comes down to the formative years - I grew up with an understanding that was how a superheroine dressed - hot but not slutty.

I’ve sort of being thinking aloud as I wrote this. To answer the original question, it looks like practicality doesn’t matter too much to me, as long as it isn’t over the top to the point where the superheroine is a tramp. There’s a fine line between sexy and slutty.

[MightyHypnotic]

For me, personally, I look at characters like Wonder Woman or Supergirl who don't really rely on their costume for protection, it's more for identity. Wonder Woman uses her bracelets and super-strength to protect her and Supergirl might as well be naked with her super ability. As long as it's established that the character has the ability to protect herself on her own I think skimpy is great.
But of course I'm still a sucker for the good old leotard and tights!

[Kookie]

What video was this from?

White Shadow by TBFE

[HeroineTard]

I believe that Silk Spectre II from watchmen wore the skimpy leotard outfit is because her mom (the original Silk Spectre) dressed that way back in her crime fighting days and she helped design her daughter's outfit. I think in the movie or the comic she mentioned that the outfit was intentionally revealing in order to make a female heroine stand out in a man's world. Silk Spectre II didn't even like the outfit what I recall as she felt it was too tight and revealing. The latex outfit with stiletto heels from the movie is definitely not a practical costume for fighting crime.

I guess it's sorta like how some moms go overboard with their kids for child beauty pageants. The kids do as they are told and don't question their parents.

[arkane]

It probably comes down to the formative years - I grew up with an understanding that was how a superheroine dressed - hot but not slutty.
........To answer the original question, it looks like practicality doesn’t matter too much to me, as long as it isn’t over the top to the point where the superheroine is a tramp. There’s a fine line between sexy and slutty.

I agree but sometimes skimpy costumes are ok for me (different worlds, different heroines etc.). If the setting justifies it, the heroine could be aware she can be a warrior dominating her enemies but a prey too, so a "over the top" costume could be a provocation - catch me if you can.

Anyway I like spandex, leotard and tights, and the more "traditional" costumes. I'm a sucker for skintight costumes: complete catsuits or leotard showing a lot of legs and bottom. Also diving suit and similar (who doesn't remember the "underwater" WW costume?).

Practicality doesn't matter for me.

[Supergirl77]

I count myself somewhere in the middle, to the point that it can even interfere with me enjoying something that is otherwise good. I don’t need an outfit that is 100% practical, but don’t want something too slutty, either. I recognize this is fantasy, but it has to be at least a LITTLE believable.

I would have just as hard a time getting into a story where the superheroine is dressed in concealing (and non-sexy) body armor and helmet, as I would with one running around in a bikini or even a high cut leotard bordering on buttfloss, that is so prevalent in the genre movies today. That said, something like the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman outfit works for me.

It probably comes down to the formative years - I grew up with an understanding that was how a superheroine dressed - hot but not slutty.

I’ve sort of being thinking aloud as I wrote this. To answer the original question, it looks like practicality doesn’t matter too much to me, as long as it isn’t over the top to the point where the superheroine is a tramp. There’s a fine line between sexy and slutty.

Couldn't say it any better

[lionbadger]

1. Heroine-ing generally doesn't seem to pay very well

2. If you are a superpowered, bullet proof force of nature then why do you need to protect yourself with a millimetre of cloth that you'll need to replace every night because it gets torn/ ripped off etc

Therefore, skimpy costume makes physics and canon sense (for some heros at least)

[Imagineer]

Some thoughts --

Superhero costumes can be thought to descend from old military uniforms (before camouflage and dress uniforms) -- when the uniform identified the soldier and intimidated his enemy (and the villagers).

A superhero's costume can provide anonymity through distraction. Drop in on a bank heist in a pink spandex catsuit with blue gloves and boots and a white wig, and witnesses probably aren't going to have anything for the sketch artist to go on.

The longer a superhero works in a costume and the more their legend grows, the more the costume can help resolve a situation. Sure, there are a few misfits itching for a fight -- and they'll be the interesting stories -- but most will turn and run, and when there's nowhere to run they'll surrender.

Stories of heroes will give their heroes identifying traits; visually-told stories will make those traits visual, just so the audience knows who's who and can follow the story. Gumshoes wear trenchcoats, pirates have bandanas, police detectives whip out their badges, the plain/nerdy girls have glasses and frumpy hair. A real-life superhero is likely to take inspiration from the stories of their universe.

As to a form-fitting costume specifically, there's the Spider-Man rationale: it fits under regular clothes, and it folds/wads up small.


I think if you're writing in a genre and you follow established genre conventions you don't need to justify them -- and going to great lengths to justify violating them on the grounds of realism is less entertainment than mental exercise, and a slippery slope. Pull too hard on that thread and the whole genre unravels.

If you're going to ask why she wears where she finds time to source and sew her own costume, ask how she finds crime in progress and shows up in time to do something about it.

[Lurkndog]

I think the bright colors make sense if the superheroine or hero is intended as a symbol. Look at flags, olympic outfits, and sports teams' outfits for real world counterparts. Also, look at gymnastics and figure skating for revealing outfits that are still functional.

To some extent, that also holds true for villains and villainesses.

On the other hand, for street level vigilantes, look at more practical uniforms like SWAT, firefighters and service uniforms. At the very least, they're going to wear practical boots and gloves.

There is also the question of psychological advantage. Someone in a custom costume might well be more intimidating than someone fighting crime in secondhand sports gear. They also won't be mistaken for a common burglar.

[Void]

Thanks so much for the insightful thoughts, folks. There were more than a few shrewd observations there that I genuinely hadn't considered before when trying to work the problem, and I will indeed be stealing them. There's more good answers than I can directly acknowledge, but thanks all for the input.

For me personally, I just want an element of coherency and consistency around the main characters. Since the superheroine is the core focus of the story, I don't want any glaring issues that detract from her being believable. Sure, perhaps that's a losing battle for someone that is bulletproof, or whatever, because of soft, vague, shrug-science, but those are details I think are easier to sell as part of the world, where personal choice in attire is still something that at least needs to line up with the person that puts it on. My usual inclination is to go with utility as the basis for the outfit, and then have it be a convenient side-effect that it is a fairly heroish appearance (catsuit, tight bodysuit, etc) but in this case the outfit is certainly more out there.

But this thread has really helped! I'm especially won over by the thinking that it makes sense to have an outfit that can be discreetly worn under regular clothes, and that can survive the kinds of conditions that would just destroy other fabrics. The iconic angle, that the outfit is essential warpaint to end the conflict on sight, is also pretty useful, again so long as you'd believe the heroine thinks the same way. Who tailors the outfit is still a niggle, but a throw away line about it being an heirloom or a gift or stolen tech from mumble-mumble-research-project probably gets there just fine.

Another thought that consumed more of my time than is probably healthy was wanting the outfit to meet all these conditions without being slutty, but for it also to be reasonably easy to work with in adult scenes - if it's a total pain to take off, or if it has to be torn to pieces, that's a whole other headache.