just because it covers the tiddy doesn’t make it practical
Some Git
A good rule of thumb for armor design, if you asked me.
~Ozzie
Which brings us to the question that inspired this piece — so f#$@ing what?! Do clothes make the hero? And the answer, honestly, is a resounding, ‘eh.’
Which is not to say a costume is irrelevant. There is the oft heard question, “Why would you fight crime in a bathing suit?” That question, by the way, is totally fair. On one hand, if you are an nearly indestructible Kryptonian, you could fight in your birthday suit and not have to worry about getting skinned alive if thrown into a building or bounced through the street. And hey, the less under your secret identity day clothes the more comfortable, right?
On the other hand, even Superman wears tights, so why can’t the women? The swimwear approach to costuming after all is routinely mocked, be the hero female or male. Just look at Aquaman and Robin. One suspects that they are mocked for the swimwear of justice because that kind of costuming is perceived as something only a super heroine should wear. Because female heroes are drawn with bare limbs and scantier uniforms not because they don’t need the physical protection but because it’s sexy.
Ah, male gaze. My old frenemy.
So that’s the solution, right? Just slap some dockers on them ladies and everything’s equal in female and male depictions, right?
Well, not really, no. Putting a female hero in pants does not mean she is somehow protected from an artist positioning her primarily for the male gaze. For example, Marvel Comics recently began a new ongoing called Fearless Defenders which stars Valkyrie and Misty Knight. Both of these characters wear pants and, yet, I lost count by about page five of how many times Misty’s ass took center stage in any given panel. Basically, where there’s a male gaze will, there’s a male gaze way — pants or no pants, tights or bared legs.
To Pants or Not to Pants – The Superhero Uniform and its Discontents – Dan Roth (via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
While chezapocalypse site remains on a prolonged hiatus due to maintenance, so the article can not be read in its entirety*, this excerpt still encapsulates well the subtle complexities behind fixing female superhero costumes, the issue we touched upon earlier this week.
Props to the author, Dan Roth (@pointlessarguments101) for writing this!
~Ozzie
*fear not, dear readers, Wayback Machine to the rescue!
Which brings us to the question that inspired this piece — so f#$@ing what?! Do clothes make the hero? And the answer, honestly, is a resounding, ‘eh.’
Which is not to say a costume is irrelevant. There is the oft heard question, “Why would you fight crime in a bathing suit?” That question, by the way, is totally fair. On one hand, if you are an nearly indestructible Kryptonian, you could fight in your birthday suit and not have to worry about getting skinned alive if thrown into a building or bounced through the street. And hey, the less under your secret identity day clothes the more comfortable, right?
On the other hand, even Superman wears tights, so why can’t the women? The swimwear approach to costuming after all is routinely mocked, be the hero female or male. Just look at Aquaman and Robin. One suspects that they are mocked for the swimwear of justice because that kind of costuming is perceived as something only a super heroine should wear. Because female heroes are drawn with bare limbs and scantier uniforms not because they don’t need the physical protection but because it’s sexy.
Ah, male gaze. My old frenemy.
So that’s the solution, right? Just slap some dockers on them ladies and everything’s equal in female and male depictions, right?
Well, not really, no. Putting a female hero in pants does not mean she is somehow protected from an artist positioning her primarily for the male gaze. For example, Marvel Comics recently began a new ongoing called Fearless Defenders which stars Valkyrie and Misty Knight. Both of these characters wear pants and, yet, I lost count by about page five of how many times Misty’s ass took center stage in any given panel. Basically, where there’s a male gaze will, there’s a male gaze way — pants or no pants, tights or bared legs.
To Pants or Not to Pants – The Superhero Uniform and its Discontents – Dan Roth (via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
While chezapocalypse site remains on a prolonged hiatus due to maintenance, so the article can not be read in its entirety*, this excerpt still encapsulates well the subtle complexities behind fixing female superhero costumes, the issue we touched upon earlier this week.
Props to the author, Dan Roth (@pointlessarguments101) for writing this!
~Ozzie
*fear not, dear readers, Wayback Machine to the rescue!
Ultimately, most things that are offensive are also lazy and unoriginal; because you can’t reach that point of view by looking at the world honestly…You reach that point of view by taking short cuts and by just sort of repeating what someone else told you.
Joseph Fink
Writer from Welcome To Night Vale discussing writing on Citizen Radio 865 (via podquotes)
From now on, this is our universal answer to the supposed “creativity” of skin-revealing armor.
~Ozzie
(via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
Bringing this back as a reminder point not just to the people who insist that something which has the exact same result as before is creative and new, but also for the people who keep insisting that “it was always like this, you can’t complain”.
– wincenworks
Ultimately, most things that are offensive are also lazy and unoriginal; because you can’t reach that point of view by looking at the world honestly…You reach that point of view by taking short cuts and by just sort of repeating what someone else told you.
Joseph Fink
Writer from Welcome To Night Vale discussing writing on Citizen Radio 865 (via podquotes)
From now on, this is our universal answer to the supposed “creativity” of skin-revealing armor.
~Ozzie
(via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
Bringing this back as a reminder point not just to the people who insist that something which has the exact same result as before is creative and new, but also for the people who keep insisting that “it was always like this, you can’t complain”.
– wincenworks
Sexy is not bad. Stripping is not bad. Wearing sexy boots is not bad. You know what is bad? Pandering is. Being a lazy designer at the cost of catching a wider audience is.
A bounty hunter who runs over rugged terrain does not need stripper boots, she needs something with treads and function that can *gasp* still be sexy. I can picture a hybrid boot design that is feminine but rugged, functional but badass.
You know what conveys things like “boosters” and “power” and “high jump”? Springs, coils, energy cells, treads, jets… you don’t have to be literal but you also might want to show, not tell, what a prop does.
High-Jump Stripper Boots! by stephlaberis
Very important quote from this article regarding Samus’s high heels, but it applies to character and costume design in general.
~Ozzie
(via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
Worth bringing back that there’s nothing wrong with sexy in itself, but there’s a time and a place for everything. When you’re trying to convey epic action and epic danger is not the time for epic sexy time clothes.
– wincenworks
Sexy is not bad. Stripping is not bad. Wearing sexy boots is not bad. You know what is bad? Pandering is. Being a lazy designer at the cost of catching a wider audience is.
A bounty hunter who runs over rugged terrain does not need stripper boots, she needs something with treads and function that can *gasp* still be sexy. I can picture a hybrid boot design that is feminine but rugged, functional but badass.
You know what conveys things like “boosters” and “power” and “high jump”? Springs, coils, energy cells, treads, jets… you don’t have to be literal but you also might want to show, not tell, what a prop does.
High-Jump Stripper Boots! by stephlaberis
Very important quote from this article regarding Samus’s high heels, but it applies to character and costume design in general.
~Ozzie
(via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
Worth bringing back that there’s nothing wrong with sexy in itself, but there’s a time and a place for everything. When you’re trying to convey epic action and epic danger is not the time for epic sexy time clothes.
– wincenworks
So if you want to wear some sculpted armor to the Ren Faire because you feel fabulous-looking in it, go forth and have fun! But if you’re drawing lady soldiers, or creating female characters who are depicted as actual warriors, please err on the side of reality when designing their armor. Science says your boob plates are killing the women you hoped they would protect. And none of us want that.
It’s Time to Retire “Boob Plate” Armor. Because It Would Kill You. (via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
I dedicate this quote to everyone who wants to put cosplayers (and/or LARPers) under our scrutiny, as if real people could be judged in the same way as fictional characters are.
~Ozzie
So if you want to wear some sculpted armor to the Ren Faire because you feel fabulous-looking in it, go forth and have fun! But if you’re drawing lady soldiers, or creating female characters who are depicted as actual warriors, please err on the side of reality when designing their armor. Science says your boob plates are killing the women you hoped they would protect. And none of us want that.
It’s Time to Retire “Boob Plate” Armor. Because It Would Kill You. (via bikiniarmorbattledamage)
I dedicate this quote to everyone who wants to put cosplayers (and/or LARPers) under our scrutiny, as if real people could be judged in the same way as fictional characters are.
~Ozzie
I don’t think that costume, that a female character deliberately wears into battle and dangerous situations, provides enough protection to qualify as armor…
You know who you are
– wincenworks
Bringing this back to remind anyone that outfit doesn’t have to be explicitly an armor or armor-like to qualify for this blog.
As long as a female character deliberately wears it for battle, it counts.
~Ozzie