I did play WoW for far too long. My main character was male, however I had an alt that I did play often that was a female character. People would go out of their way to help my female toon, but were reluctant to help my Male toon. Well that was as far as those outside my guild. I'd get free things, as well as dirty pm's from some people who assumed I was female or in hopes that I was a female.
I don't see any problems with choosing an avatar that is female if you are male. That is your preference, and if you are playing a game for hours on end and have to look at your character, it's easier if the toon is at least pleasing to look at.
My pokemon brings all the nerds to the yard. And they're like, "You wanna trade cards?" Damn right, I wanna trade cards. I'll trade this, but not my charizard.
