Even after he grows up and leaves Vrindavan

Even after he grows up and leaves Vrindavan, one of the constants in Krishna is his fondness for strong women. This is amply evident in how he and Rukmini elope. He's quite happy to be depicted as the man who is effectively kidnapped by the woman, rather than the alpha male who rescues the princess. Despite all the attempts to assert and reassert Krishna's divine status in the narration, it is the worship-worthy Rukmini who is the mastermind behind the elopement.
And then there's Krishna's special relationship with Draupadi, mythical evidence that a man and woman can be friends after all. It's quite obvious from the Kaurava taunts in different episodes of Mahabharata that the unusual situation of Draupadi being wife to five husbands did nothing for her respectability. This didn't stop Krishna from favouring her. When Dusshasana attempts to rape Draupadi, her husbands are silent and still. To them, she is a possession who has been lost in a game and since they don't own her, there is nothing they can do when she is being manhandled. It's Krishna -- a man who has no claim upon Draupadi and technically, no responsibility towards her -- who protects her dignity with that unending supply of sari. In this poetic description of a miracle lies a man's ability to see a woman as a human being rather than an object or possession; as a person who isn't sullied by what is inflicted upon her.
Afterwards, in stark contrast to how we react even today, Krishna doesn't blame Draupadi. The fault lies with the men -- the Kauravas for thinking of and attempting rape; the Pandavas for witnessing it without a protest.
If only some of Krishna's contrariness had made an impression upon Hindu society, instead of his boyhood love for fatty milk products.