While we're happy to see Cloud embracing his feminine side in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, there's no denying it – his girly outfit was heavily influenced by '90s pop legend Britney Spears. And he shouldn't be ashamed to rock it. After all, very few things represent femininity as well as the pigtail braids from ...Baby One More Time.
There's a point in the game when Cloud has to infiltrate Don Corneo's hideout, the Honey Bee Inn exotic dance club and supposed brothel, so he has to disguise himself as a woman. This means make up, braided pigtails, and a flowing black dress – all with a message from the owner of the brothel: "True beauty is an expression of the heart, a thing without shame, to which notions of gender don’t apply."
But some fans have noticed something peculiar: Cloud's outfit is not as original as you'd believe at first. Considering that part of Cloud's efforts, at least in the original game, were to catch Don Corneo's eye, it is not too far-fetched to conclude that the mafioso has a thing for pop icons. So it seems Cloud's tactic in the remake is to play into that by borrowing Britney's iconic schoolgirl look from the ...Baby One More Time music video.
Not only is the cross-dressing sequence done in a respectful way, without cheap jabs at Cloud's masculinity or sexual orientation, but it also obviously recognizes Britney Spears as one of the most feminine beings out there, which is something that will ring true for most people from a certain generation. Of course, that same generation probably played the original Final Fantasy VII in which the cross-dressing sequence was not quite Britney-like, but change can be good sometimes.
The game was supposed to launch at the beginning of March this year, but has been postponed until April 10th. The producer said they needed more time to "polish the title." Who knowsm maybe that means adding a few voice lines from popular '90s songs to the Honey Bee Inn section.