feministgamingmatters:

Somebody used this gif to “prove” that Metal Gear sexualises men the same as women:

Do people really think this is equivalent to Quiet (et al.) or are they being disingenuous?

I find it hilarious how dudes will insist that if people really knew about Metal Gear Solid they’d know about Raiden and that he was (allegedly) as objectified as Quiet… despite the fact Raiden and his butt run (very late in the game) were both surprises to the player (and the development team) and Quiet was used heavily as marketing material a year in advance of MGS V being released.

That and well, I could only find one figure of Raiden breathing through his skin:

image

It’s almost like he wasn’t intended to titillate or something.

– wincenworks


#nakedness doesn’t equal sexualisation

Continuing the theme of false equivalence… yes, we have seen (and commented on) people who proudly claim that Raiden’s naked run justifies Quiet’s “breathing through skin” un-costume. 

We’re also familiar with the general confusion between sexualization and nudity. Vast majority of the Status Quo Warriors conflate bare skin with being sexual, so by that logic, Conan/Kratos/Zangief are equally, if not more sexualized than their scantily-clad female peers and therefore sexism is “solved”.

This, of course, willfully ignores the simple fact that not only so much more goes into sexualization than nudity (like framing, posing, expressions etc.) or that there are different ‘decency’ standards for bodies of different sexes

(especially nipples), but also how bare skin itself doesn’t yet guarantee sexyness. 

That’s why @partsal‘s female barbarian comparison is still a perfect example of how completely different character premise can be conveyed with the same amount of bare body:

image

~Ozzie

feministgamingmatters:

Somebody used this gif to “prove” that Metal Gear sexualises men the same as women:

Do people really think this is equivalent to Quiet (et al.) or are they being disingenuous?

I find it hilarious how dudes will insist that if people really knew about Metal Gear Solid they’d know about Raiden and that he was (allegedly) as objectified as Quiet… despite the fact Raiden and his butt run (very late in the game) were both surprises to the player (and the development team) and Quiet was used heavily as marketing material a year in advance of MGS V being released.

That and well, I could only find one figure of Raiden breathing through his skin:

image

It’s almost like he wasn’t intended to titillate or something.

– wincenworks


#nakedness doesn’t equal sexualisation

Continuing the theme of false equivalence… yes, we have seen (and commented on) people who proudly claim that Raiden’s naked run justifies Quiet’s “breathing through skin” un-costume. 

We’re also familiar with the general confusion between sexualization and nudity. Vast majority of the Status Quo Warriors conflate bare skin with being sexual, so by that logic, Conan/Kratos/Zangief are equally, if not more sexualized than their scantily-clad female peers and therefore sexism is “solved”.

This, of course, willfully ignores the simple fact that not only so much more goes into sexualization than nudity (like framing, posing, expressions etc.) or that there are different ‘decency’ standards for bodies of different sexes

(especially nipples), but also how bare skin itself doesn’t yet guarantee sexyness. 

That’s why @partsal‘s female barbarian comparison is still a perfect example of how completely different character premise can be conveyed with the same amount of bare body:

image

~Ozzie

hbomberguy:

New video!

As always with HBomb’s videos, he lays down a pretty in-depth breakdown of the topic at hand, in this case – the supposed male objectification of video game protagonists and general issue of gendered false equivalence in game design.

~Ozzie

see also: our thoughts regarding how empowered AND problematic Bayonetta is at the same time | thoughts on how sexualized Kratos really is | what do women find sexy in men? | why “but she’s a badass” doesn’t help


Zero Suit Samus’ Heels: Why it’s a Big Deal and Why You Should Care

bikiniarmorbattledamage:

capriceandwhimsy:

So the thing I keep hearing is that Samus’s new Zero Suit design from SSB4 is okay because “they’re not actually high heels, they’re jet boots.”

Bullshit.

But before we get into that: why is it a big deal that Samus is wearing heels in the first place?

Read More

Great article regarding character and costume design of Samus Aran throughout the years. Things to learn from it:

  • why slapping “jet boots” label on high heels doesn’t justify the heels
  • what Samus’s appearance conveyed in the old Metroid games and what it does now
  • why is Zero Suit worse than a two-piece skin revealing costume Samus used to have
  • how the recent games betrayed Zero Suit’s original purpose

I highly recommend reading it whole!

~Ozzie

In addition, Shattered Earth did a great breakdown on the “Jet Boots” (Dr Evil air quotes there) and explored what they might have looked like if they were designed with purpose here.

– wincenworks

This week’s blast from the past: great breakdown of the infamous Samus’s “jet boots” which happen to look exactly like really badly designed and anatomically impossible high heels

Also, as a reader, Ceithir, reminded us, our blog never featured this concept art from Metroid Fusion, which confirms that Zero Suit was never meant to involve impossibly high heeled footwear.

image
image

Well that priority sure survived for long…

image

~Ozzie 

Zero Suit Samus’ Heels: Why it’s a Big Deal and Why You Should Care

bikiniarmorbattledamage:

capriceandwhimsy:

So the thing I keep hearing is that Samus’s new Zero Suit design from SSB4 is okay because “they’re not actually high heels, they’re jet boots.”

Bullshit.

But before we get into that: why is it a big deal that Samus is wearing heels in the first place?

Read More

Great article regarding character and costume design of Samus Aran throughout the years. Things to learn from it:

  • why slapping “jet boots” label on high heels doesn’t justify the heels
  • what Samus’s appearance conveyed in the old Metroid games and what it does now
  • why is Zero Suit worse than a two-piece skin revealing costume Samus used to have
  • how the recent games betrayed Zero Suit’s original purpose

I highly recommend reading it whole!

~Ozzie

In addition, Shattered Earth did a great breakdown on the “Jet Boots” (Dr Evil air quotes there) and explored what they might have looked like if they were designed with purpose here.

– wincenworks

This week’s blast from the past: great breakdown of the infamous Samus’s “jet boots” which happen to look exactly like really badly designed and anatomically impossible high heels

Also, as a reader, Ceithir, reminded us, our blog never featured this concept art from Metroid Fusion, which confirms that Zero Suit was never meant to involve impossibly high heeled footwear.

image
image

Well that priority sure survived for long…

image

~Ozzie