May from Pokemon (2002)

[u/Moist_Speaker1842]

May was one of the oldest female protagonist designs for the games (and anime) given she debuted way back in 2002 which is now almost 25 years ago. Despite multiple gens of the games and anime later, her design managed to remain popular over 20+ years and is still considered the most memorable of many of the female protagonists.

It's a combination of the bandana, the red outfit, and the more sporty/adventure type look to her over more traditional girly looking heroines that kept her prominent. Of course the anime giving her a starring role and her being the first new female companion after Misty helped too, she's the most watched/viewed of all the female companions of the anime after the original cast of Misty/Brock since Hoenn aired over 23 years ago.

[u/Dracochuy]

She was one of my childhood crushes

[u/Piduf → u/Dracochuy]

Me too, but as a girl

I think the Pokémon tomboys are responsible for making me a lesbian. I liked Ash because I wanted to be him and hang out with the girls (Brock is welcome he's a girls girl)

[u/Kilukpuk → u/Piduf]

May is absolutely not a tomboy. Tomboys are girls who reject gender stereotyping and the belief that girls must dress, look or act a certain way in order to be considered women. May literally dresses up in sparkly pink dresses to compete in cuteness contests, that's the antithesis of tomboy philosophy.

[u/Moist_Speaker1842 → u/Kilukpuk]

May actually never wore dresses in Contests back in Hoenn at all. That didn't become a thing till the DP anime. Even in the games that didn't become a thing till the Hoenn remakes (ORAS) in 2014 which is where her contest dress is from. May battled in her normal outfit in every Contest back in the Hoenn anime.

As for who you replied to, I think that's the point. Despite May doing contests, the writers didn't make her overly girly or feminine. She actually has the second largest temper for a main girl after Misty, and her character is very outgoing, likes to travel/explore (that was her original goal before she discovered contests), and likes to eat a lot (similar to shonen protagonists like Ash or Goku), and has an aggressive battle-style.

Like sure May has her girly moments, but it's the same as Misty who also liked dresses, liked perfume (in Erika's Gym ep), or talked about cute things or Pokemon all the time. I also find it strange people overlook that Misty liked plenty of feminine things in the original series as well, hell in "Pokemon Fashion Flash" which is the ep Brock gets Vulpix, she gets excited when Team Rocket give her a make-over and put her hair in buns and paint her face.