The androgynous heroine of Ikeda Ryoko’s manga The Rose of Versailles (1972‐73), Oscar Françoise de Jarjayes, is usually depicted in masculine, specifically military, attire. The sixth daughter of an important military colonel during the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI, Oscar is raised as a son and follows her father into the military. Oscar is only ever depicted in one dress, known as the robe l’odalisque ‐ a gown that is adopted at a pivotal moment of character development. It is while wearing this dress, which Ikeda intended to serve as a wedding dress, that Oscar comes to terms with her unrequited love for Marie Antoinette’s lover, Count Axel von Fersen. In doing so, Oscar places more importance on her allegiance to France than to romance. This article investigates the complicated gender and social politics that are symbolized by the choice to wear women’s clothing in The Rose of Versailles.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Rose of Versailles, manga, cross dressing, Rocco, dress, textiles
Research Division:	Language, Communication and Culture
Research Group:	Communication and media studies
Research Field:	Media studies
Objective Division:	Culture and Society
Objective Group:	Communication
Objective Field:	Communication across languages and culture
UTAS Author:	King, E (Dr Emerald King)
ID Code:	145914
Year Published:	2021
Deposited By:	Global Cultures and Languages
Deposited On:	2021-08-11
Last Modified:	2021-09-21
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