Shablee

Shablee is a dark-skinned makeup artist who is working at La Costa Lotta in Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!.

"She" is revealed to be a man, after she reveals "her" penis to put a condom on it. Larry is shocked and horrified to find out he kissed a "homosexual" "transvestite" cross-dresser (at which point the gender pronouns used change to masculine for the character).

He or "She" is one of the characters whom Larry must seduce (or be seduced by) in order to win the heart of Shamara Payne.

Background
Larry meets "her" at La Costa Lotta, when he wins an all-expenses paid trip on the game show Stallions.

Shablee is a perky little black transvestite spa guest. Beautiful babe, good dresser, nice make-up. She "hangs out" in the Make-Up Classroom, trying to powder over "her" beard.

When Larry introduced himself to her, "she" tells him that "she" desired a fancy sequined dress, claiming "she" had been shopping for an evening gown, she needed for the spa's big Weight Loss Spring Formal ball. "She" demands that Larry beg, borrow, or steal the evening gown from another women at the resort. The gown she receives turns "her" on, and "she" finally agrees to a date with Larry, at the beach that night, but "she" had one last requirement that he brings a condom to "her".

After giving her the condom, they gab, grab, grope, make out, hug, kiss, love and a long soul kiss with Shablee sticking her 12-inch tongue down Larry's throat while French kissing (which Larry seemed to enjoy considerably).

When "she" finally decides to use the condom, "she" discreetly turns away from Larry to put it on "herself" (rather than on Larry himself). When she turned back to Larry, he notices that her gown was riding up noticeably in the front, and was ready to give Larry even more than he could take

From Shablee's erection, larry finally realized that "he/she" has a very large penis, revealing that "she" is no she , but that she was in actuality a transvestite the entire time (a man who likes dressing up as a woman, and acting as one). . As he notices her realizes that "she" is a man, and that is why "she" knows what a 'man' really wants, and what man likes.

Larry does a take, sickens as he realizes what he's done. Larry recoils back falls to is knees, and begins spitting and gagging due to their prior kissing, trying to get 'that taste out his mouth'. While he preoccupied on all fours, and spitting furiously, Shablee comes up behind him, forcing 'himself' on Larry. Larry screams as the 'girlie-man' begins raping him.

The 'morning after', he wakes up in his hotel room, regretting his experience the night before, he stands in his bathroom and rinses out his mouth in the sink , gargling his heart out furiously, spitting and yelling out 'yuck' in disgust. , before finally turning off the tap.

He then returned to the beach to pick up the warm remnants of Shablee's ("their") champagne, deciding it was okay to take; 'he earned it' (emphasis on "EARNED").

Of all the women Larry has ever met in his adventures, Shablee gives him the biggest, and most unwelcome, surprise. He met "her" in the make-up classroom at La Costa Lotta health spa. "She" promises him a wonderful time as a reward for an item of clothing. And "she" certainly comes through on the beach at night, but in a very unexpected way. For it turned out that "she's" no lady. The moment he learned the truth about Shablee (and possibly himself?) was a moment he will always remember, his first (admitted) homosexual experience.

Larry had never forgiven Al Lowe for putting him into this situation, while he 'worked' on that scene for the 'game'. Al believed that no harm had been done, it was just a little shock. Larry hoped the 'role' he played in the 'game', and his experiences ("playing a role in the game"), would not hurt his rocky relationship with Patti.

Personality and traits
"She" is a 'perky transvestite'. "She" has a beard and is good at covering it up with "her" expert makeup. "She" also has a very long tongue, said to be twelve inches long (and a similarly sized 'erection'). "She" only has an interest in men.

Behind the scenes
This is a controversial character please read controversies and canon policy. Larry is raped at the end of the events with Shablee, for the actual rape scene, the screen turns black as Larry screams, to avoid showing the actual experience.

Gender Reveal
Shablee is said to be a stereotype and satire of the "transvestite" character from The Crying Game. Who like Shablee, was a character the producers of the film have gone on record as stating is specifically a 'transvestite' (not 'transsexual')

Like Dil from The Crying Game, Shablee is a confirmed transvestite. The term by definition someone who derives pleasure from acting like and dressing in the clothes primarily associated with the opposite sex, however it can also mean 'cross-dresser', or someone who wears clothing associated with the opposite sex, see also drag (however drag has connotations with 'entertainment').

Additionally in the documentation, its said that Shablee only likes men, and that it is a 'homosexual' experience confirming that  Shablee is gay, but also a transvestite who enjoys acting in the role of  the 'opposite sex'.

So the focus for both Dil and Shablee was more of a gay 'cross-dressing' characters, who enjoyed performing like women, but loved men (as opposed to 'transsexual' individuals who emotionally and psychologically identified 'as a woman', though for some see it to be more complicated than the labels even address.  ).

Larry in contrast while notable for dressing in 'drag' (forced to do it for entertainment or cross-dressing as a disguise), and having hobbies which involve occasional cross-dressing (implyinhg that he actually enjoys it), however he is never called a 'transvestite' during the course of the series in any of the games, books and documents, nor is he stated to be  'homosexual', though he is sometimes mistaken for one, and its implied he's had 'accidental' encounters, which he doesn't admit to (as was with the later case with Mr. Boning in LSL7), nor does he particularly enjoy.

In the documentation Larry's heterosexuality is made a point, and often compared/contrasted against other 'homosexual' characters, as well as is the case with Shablee; she is given description of 'transvestite' (who unbeknownst to Larry is actually a 'man/male'), we are informed that the encounter was 'homosexual' in nature, and his reaction to situation and rape being unpleasant to him (as opposed to 'transsexual', which is loosely thrown around in 1990's The Laffer Utilities). The official media and documentation certainly supports and pushes the stereotypical Unsettling Gender Reveal trope for sake of humor/satire (which are outdated by today's standards) as opposed to any positive characterizations or traits for the character.

The nature of the character's stereotypical portrayal, the general subject matter, and the very terminology used by the series (and its official sources) can be a point of contention, and offense among players and the audience due the even the subject matter of rape as humor. However this topic remains tied to the original context of the source material, and their meaning back in 1993, rather than delving into the intricacies and changes in meaning today (see controversies).

Shablee is listed as one of Larry's "Girls", however the gag is that "she" turns out to actually be a 'man', as stated in the design documents a "girlie-man". But once the character's biological sex is discovered many of official sources switch to calling 'her/she' a 'he' or a 'man'.

The game forshadows the twist at several points during the date:
 * Wow! Shablee!! I've kissed quite a few women in my time, but I've never experienced anything quite like that!
 * Larry, perhaps you've finally found someone who really knows what a man wants!
 * She's ready to give you even more than you can take, Larry!

Before finally revealing the 'big secret' that he knows what a man wants because he is a 'man':
 * No wonder Shablee knows what a man likes!

The official hintbook also hints on the fact that Shablee is actually a man, and also jokes that possibly Larry is possibly 'bisexual' and 'enjoyed it':
 * Take the condom. Soon it will be night, and you'll join Shablee at the beach for a moment you'll always remember!


 * Learn the truth about Shablee (and possibly yourself?). After gargling in your bathroom, head for the beach.

In the Design documents, "she" is described as follows:


 * perky transvestite


 * She's our perky little transvestite spa guest.


 * Shablee is our perky little black transvestite spa guest. Beautiful babe, good dresser, nice make-up, hair. She "hangs out" in the Make-Up Classroom, trying to powder over her beard, although no one will ever suspect this from her picture...

When it discusses putting on the condom it questions "her" 'gender' pointing that Shablee is not actually a woman:
 * ...an unusual girl who waits until the crucial moment to ask Larry if he has a condom, then wears it "herself"...


 * When you give it to her, she discretely turns away to put it on "herself".

Further more, if that wasn't enough to spell it out it also states at several points throughout the document (one even indicating that Shablee is homosexual, and that he rapes Larry):


 * Click the condom on her. Learn she's no she. Wake up in your bathroom the next day, gargling your heart out.


 * If you gave Shablee the evening gown, he/she is waiting for you here....Larry's body covers her genitals, but its plain to see her new gown is riding up noticeably in front. Larry does a take sickens as he realizes what he's done, and begins spitting, trying to get that taste out of his mouth.


 * Complimentary Condom: ...Used on the beach with your girlie-man, Shablee.


 * Warm Champagne: Take from the Beach the morning after your first (admitted) homosexual experience...

From the Official Book of Leisure Suit Larry we have:


 * Yeah, and you're gonna learn she's no lady! That was a dirty trick you played on me, Al."
 * Was it? Heh, heh. No harm done, just a little shock, Lar. So you wake up in your room the next day.

Shablee earlier appearances involves innuendo of how turned on she is about fancy woman's clothing, which appears to be a reference 'transvestic fetishists' as a male who gets pleasure off of wearing women's clothing.

When you first meet Shablee "she" is wearing more or less unisex workout clothes, and as some of the guides point out more covered up (wearing more clothes) than most of the other 'female' characters (but dreams of having a fancy women's dress), which foreshadows his sexual fetish, though the breasts seem to imply that he either has enlarged 'moobs' ('man boobs') (she is after all at the resort for 'weight loss' program, and claims to be going to the formal ball), or has had some form of cosmetic surgery done, or at the very least very realistic prosthetics & makeup work. It should be noted that Larry is shown in LSL2, and LSL3 as well as the Bedside Companion to have 'boobs' when he cross-dresses well for 'effect' (at least in one case using 'soap' to stuff out his bikini). At least one guide (and some jokes in the game) does try to suggest that Shablee is actually flat chested (thus why "she" wears such baggy unrevealing clothes, and is also good at hiding his beard). ...or it may even be Larry's own 'beer goggles' as the narrator seems to point out...:


 * You can only imagine what must lie beneath that top. (Since you'll never actually see it in THIS game!)"


 * Not yet, honeybunch. But, believe you me, I could rip this sweater off and be all over you in an instant. But not without protection. No siree, not me.

Another interesting change is in the The Official Book Of Leisure Suit Larry Shablee is completely removed from the list of "Larry's Ladies" since Larry confirmed she was 'no lady' since the Third Edition (where as in the previous book "she" had been listed as Larry's Lady #10).