Dr. Caroline Heldman breaks it down
OMG THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS
Amazing video. Should be required viewing for high school students. I may make it required viewing for my future college students.
“The Fighting Fucktoy” is my new favourite phrase.
See: Why male gaze is awful and needs to be addressed
This documentary was awesome and powerful definitely recommend that you guys watch it!
A subject we referenced a couple of times before, which constantly needs to be reiterated: there’s a crucial difference between female characters being primarily badass while incidentally sexy and characters being primarily sexy while incidentally badass.
It’s super disingenuous to obviously design a heroine’s look, personality and actions around (straight) male gaze appeal and repackage it as female empowerment just because she’s technically a powerful hero (or sometimes, a villain).
~Ozzie
From Software (developers of the Demon Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2) continue to provide excellent armor designs in their new (well, 3 months old now) game, Bloodborne (male versions on top, female on bottom).
Called “attire” instead of armor, not only do they look very stylish, they perfectly encapsulate the game’s Victorian-era gothic horror setting. The in-universe justification for the lack of heavier armor is that metal is basically useless against the claws and teeth of the monstrosities that roam the streets; therefore, speed and maneuverability are generally given priority.
Note on how this doesn’t result in people fighting with attire that leaves their butt cheeks exposed.
There are only 3 exceptions to the “identical for men and women” rule that From Software usually follows: the Black Church set, the White Church set, and the Knight’s set, and even then…
…you can see that the women’s armor is completely non-sexualized (and in the Knight’s set case, I’d say, far more stylish).
It’s also worthy of note that you can put your male character in some great dresses too, if you want!
No negative comments from any npcs or anything, either (not that many of them notice what you’re wearing at all, of course).
Bloodborne (and From Software games in general) do have some pitfalls regarding the writting of female characters, but at least in the department of armor design, they’re doing an outstanding job.
Source: Bloodborne wiki. You can check the rest of the game’s armor designs there, too.
Now this is how to do gender equality in design. Not as dreary concession to try to get a feminist cookie, not as a joke so you can try to take any stance you want at any time but as a genuine design decision from the word go.
Many people are excited about how these games are “hard but fair” but they so rarely go into just how fair they are.
– wincenworks
