Do you identify with characters of the other gender?

It doesn’t matter.
I’ll be Clint Eastwood,no problem.;)

I find the majority of women are not capable of the forceful way of thinking I identify with in other men.

Doesn’t matter.

When I was younger, I could easily identify with Mikey Walsh of Goonies.

I prefer books written by gals about young, single ladies. Not sure why, just relate to them better.

I have no problem relating to male characters. Now, if a male author can write a convincing female character or vice versa, that impresses me. I’m thinking of you, Madam Atwood!

@Seelix Interesting concept – a female deciding whether a male character is written convincingly…

In the Harry Potter books, I felt a strong connection with both Harry and Hermoine.

@12Oaks Are you saying that you prefer they be female, or that in the past you have liked the work of women better?

@filmfann Am I alone in thinking that the younger the protagonist, the easier cross-sex identification is?

It depends on what they are going through. As long as their dilemma isn’t specifically male or female, but more of a universal problem.

@6rant6 – I suppose. I was thinking specifically about Margaret Atwood’s Snowman from Oryx and Crake. Before that book, she always used female voices in her books (with the exception of Life Before Man, which was told from four perspectives), and when she finally wrote a male character, I was able to identify with him as much as I was able to identify with her females. It’s subjective, of course, but I think she does it well.

@Seelix I am reading The Edible Woman right now.

@ladymia69 – One of my favourites.

Because more movies have dominant male characters, I wonder if women tend to grow up learning to be more flexible than with regard to whom they identify with.

When I first saw Silence of the Lambs, I was startled by how close my identification was with Jody Foster’s character.

@6rant6 I don’t think it has specifically to do with gender. Maybe you identified with Jodie Foster in SOTL because she was feeling the same things you were feeling as you were introduced to Hannibal. As she goes through the events of the film, we are encouraged as an audience to experience things through her eyes, up to a point. It is usually the same with most protagonist-based movies.

But I suppose I have learned to be flexible with a protagonist…but it isn’t really a matter of relating to the character on a male basis, but on a personal basis.

To me, it makes no difference at all.
My mum often says that I sometimes act like a son ,, and my sisters all think I’m something of a tomboy.
Maybe I’m able to feel ( emotionally and mentally) like a guy aswell as a girl.

@6rant6 Both. I do prefer lady writers, but do read plenty of men. Last male written was a Monk book. Will only read male written westerns.

No, I cannot.

@6rant6 Interesting theory, but I empathize with pretty much every Jody Foster character.

I tend to identify with male characters more often but there are plenty of female characters that I feel extremely connected to, as well.

Oh I can see myself quite easily slipping inside Lara Croft, no problem at all.

@ucme mmhmm….you’d like that wouldn’t you? lmao!

@queenie I’d raid her tomb any time she likes…....hubba hubba! :¬)

Well, in those rare times I play a video game I will pick the chick character to play as. For some reason they seem to work better and they look cool.

Dana Scully, the scientist.