Hello, anon! Please tell me that you’re kidding me. If that’s what you got from reading the text, I’m afraid you got it all wrong.
As a woman who has played games since my childhood years, been watching loads of movies and cartoons, reading a bunch of comics – I always looked up to the female characters because of how great they were. I loved Storm (1990’s Xmen cartoon) because of her complete and utter badassery, I loved Hermione (Harry Potter) because of her sassiness and wisdom and I loved reading about the girls in the W.I.T.C.H comics.
Notice how they all got great designs.
As I grew older, I went to the internet – I found fanart of them. However, it was not fanart of how I had grown to learn the characters. No, I saw them undressed, posing as pin-ups, with massive boobs and faces like blow-up dolls. While I found this bizarre and odd — I still thought – hey, I still know what great characters they really are. That is, until I noticed that games, comics, shows, movies, and everything in between, was exactly the same — minus the personality and reasoning. It seems like the older I got, the more I noticed that I, as a female, was not welcome in the media world. Literally.
And for no good reason, either. For example, Wartune that is famous for their “male gamers only”-ad, the game actually look like this.
All they thought of was how much boobs and ass can we show – and therefore sell – while completely ignoring the character’s personality – reasoning – and setting? Why was this? Why did I feel so uncomfortable looking at this? I had grown up to learn that you can dress however you want and that you should never judge anyone based on that. Fine, really, I don’t. But I don’t see the characters dressing like this. I see the character designers MAKING them like this so they can have something to FAP to. They’re literally selling women’s bodies because they think showing their skin will sell – which is complete and utter bullshit. A cheap way to sell media — completely ignoring the rest of the population – the girls and women. Why did we not matter what WE thought about it? I don’t mind a sexy character — as long as it’s not the only option. I don’t mind a half-naked character — as long as it fits the setting. I don’t mind any of that — as long as it makes sense, as long as it’s good. RHA is to prove that you can be fully dressed and/or fit the setting a lot better instead of being disrespectful and view women as objects.
I’m one of those who like Jack from Mass Effect. While I find that top ridiculous (no really, how does it stay on? Make her go completely topless or give her a sports bra, for heaven’s sake). I feel like Jack is done well because it fits her. It fits her personality, her backstory, her setting – and she isn’t posed or modelled for you to fap to her. What came into my mind when seeing her was; “Huh, why is she dressed like that?” instead of “Ugh, really, not again….” cause let’s face it, the last game (especially) did a lot of odd things — like giving robots cameltoes. Yeah.
Jack, unlike so many other women in media, is posed off as someone we want to get to learn; someone we’d like to be. That is great. Ino from Guilty Gear is sexual, but it fits her.
She’s sexy, badass, and does what the heck she wants – it’s just great. She has a thought-through design.
Take note that this is my opinion. When I play a MMORPG I want to be treated as a badass character as well. Or, at least give me an option to choose. A few games has actually started with this – such as the Final Fantasy mmorpg – when they make a girl run around in a bikini armor – well, expect the men to do that as well. Blade & Soul (sort of) lets you choose whatever you want to wear – so you’re not forced to wear an ass-showing outfit if you don’t want to (if now they only could let the men have a few more “sexy” outfits to choose between as well)… and a few others. Media is slowly making progress.
Let’s take Gloria, for example. What purpose did she really have besides showing that she’s sexy? WHY did they have to do a slow-motion scene when she fights to show that she’s wearing no panties? (Spoiler: The “fight scene” where she spreads her legs and moan was completely unnecessary. Later on we figure out that she’s a spy that later turns out to be Trisha. That’s all it is. She was ONLY there in that scene so a horny straight guy could think; “HAWT!”. While we girls just sat there and felt… uncomfortable.)
DMC is not alone on this. New games are still doing it. Too. Damn. Often.
So no. I don’t “only see how they look” — I just take notice on how they’re being represented. And as for now, they’re not being represented fairly at all. The day we finally more female characters treated with respect and care I will be happy. The day I see them being represented more than just a sexy babe with skin showing everywhere, I’ll be happy. The day I can see a female character show skin without being sexualized, I’ll be happy. I’m not trying to ban “sexy”. I’m not slut shaming. I’m not saying the characters should stop dressing like that — the characters did not choose it! I want them to stop sexualizing female bodies and stop trying to sell it. Give us proper designs, not a sexy bikini that we have seen before. It’s boring. I literally see see the same designs recycled all over again – just because they need to show as much skin as possible. So not only is it disrespectful – but it’s BORING.
Want to show their skin? DO it. But don’t do it because you want to sell them. Don’t do it because their only purpose is to be sexy. Don’t do it because she’s the only female in the entire game/show/comic/whatever. Don’t do it ONLY because she’s the female lead – as rare as it is. They should be MORE than JUST sexy. Why bother making them run around in sexy lingerie when you can simply just make them naked? Not like Scarlet Blade. Not like a sex toy. Like a woman. Like a character. And treat it with EQUALITY. Have a man run around naked too! If you really want to make sexy outfits – make sexy outfits for men too.
Also, really. Isn’t it stupid when you see this?
Instead of this?
Doesn’t first one say “Hi! Stab me here!”? Unless are equally silly, I will not buy it.
– Tica
Repair His Armor
This blog is dedicated to show and change the looks of ridiculous male armors (and other outfits)…
This cracked me up!
No, really, there aren’t any male characters who wear ridiculous, illogical, revealing outfits! None at all!
/sarcasmOh wait, those are power fantasies, so they totally don’t count. It’s not like men are killing themselves because of the high expectations that society sets for them and that are being reinforced by video games… while feminists completely ignore this issue because these are so-called power fantasies, and also, “lol male tears”
What if I told you that it’s possible to do activism without erasing and ridiculing the problems of the opposite group
Wow, someone is grasping at straws here.
Do you have some actual things to say, or you are just going to do the good old “lol ur stupid end of story” way of arguing?
The day these outfits are seen as “default” and the day we need to objectify and sexualize every male character in ALL games/comics/etc possible, only for the sake of female gaze, then your argument would work. But it doesn’t. These are rare cases of silly armor/outfits. Men do not have to deal with this in every damn game they’re playing. They have something called -gasp- variety!
Your argument would also work if male characters were a minority and rarely ever portrayed as main character, but rather as an love interest or something sexy to look at and ONLY THAT. Or, if they ARE main character – they must look sexy, because you’re supposed to drool at them; not wanting to be like them — and they can’t even be on the cover of their own story.
The day I see more of this I’ll be happy, because then we’re treated as equals. But, for now, we’re not.
– Tica
“I found three shirtless men in video games, look at the male gender being oppressed! Sexism is over, y’all!”
