Alida, I totally see your point, but I can also see some of that being disguised. Like, if Lydia has a reputation of being a dandy, she can maybe get around some of the "looks weirdly feminine" suspicions. And since she's both the tallest and stout, I always imagine her as having wider shoulders, even if that's not what Austen meant.
Honestly, though, I would love to see a Lydia who is not as much into balls (because what's the fun if you can't actually dance with guys, even though she probably gets a kick out of dancing with her sisters), and more into horses/hunting. She seems like the sort of person who would go tearing through the countryside, and if she cares enough about her horses, she would probably be somewhat responsible. Plus she gets the added benefit of being able to talk about her horses and hounds for hours and bore girls she doesn't like. Half of Lydia's problem is boredom, and if she can do more than wait to get married and redo ugly bonnets, maybe it would help?
