What Is The Problem?
In this question, a woman from the modern age is brought into the medieval era, which is problematic because what we consider fashionable today is incredibly immodest. In my story, I have a similar problem; teenagers (13-19-year-olds) being brought into a medieval world through a video game.
Or, to make things clearer, my problem is that my characters will be transformed into replicas of their characters, and the clothes they're wearing upon arrival, as well as the clothes they can buy, will inadvertently come to reflect that (ie. have inherent fanservice in their designs).
There are two ways to deal with this; 1, simply work from that point and deal with it in-story, or 2, work out logical reasons for adventurers wearing fanservice-y outfits. This question is to see if 2 is feasible, if immodest adventurers can be explained, because my previous attempt failed. (NOTE: This question is different from the previous; the previous concerned how magic would affect clothing design and this one concerns why adventurers and mages would wear immodest clothing.) Restated, my question is, Why Would Mages And Adventurers Wear Impractical Clothing? or in other words, what in-world reason would explain a character wearing impractical clothing?
Clarification: By 'impractical,' I mean something like the 'chainmail bikini' trope. Practical for attracting the opposite gender, but otherwise almost totally impractical. I am aware that fashion choices are determined by a mix of factors (need, taste, availability) and the best answer will account for those factors to determine why the groups specified above would wear impractical clothing anyway.
Please Note: I am aware there are some questions that deal with similar premises, though they concern witches and superheroes instead. Please feel free to use these for inspiration if needed.
Lastly, do not assume a one-sided scenario where women are the only ones suffering; please instead assume a scenario like in Genshin Impact, where fanservice is more or less equal between genders.
Reference: My Reasoning So Far
Here are some possible, semi-practical reasons for the aforementioned groups (mages and adventurers) wearing revealing clothing that I thought up. Feel free to elaborate or ignore these points when answering the question.
- Less clothes, less heat
- Skimpier clothing should (but may not) be less costly to repair and replace throughout one's career
- Misconception (ie. the idea that even normal clothing can and does interfere with magic)
- To attract the opposite sex (goes without saying, but applies even more to adventurers and mages)
- Revealing clothing may not necessarily show more skin, and may actually be thick enough to offer some protection
- Adventurers can become insanely durable (ie. strong enough to tank hits from a warhammer or ballista) as they 'Level Up,' potentially eliminating their need for armor and making protective clothing a non-issue
Thank you for your input, I truly appreciate it!