The sexualization of awesome

glennmagusharvey · 2011-06-30 22:59:37

I'm not sure whether this is a JBM or a JAM thread. This isn't so much a just-bugs-me thread as it is a thread where I want to discuss something I've been noticing. And to be honest, it actually doesn't bug me too much, but I'm just afraid there may be bad implications in this.

This is a trend I've been noticing both in videogames and in animé/manga. It's that you have female characters who do really awesome things--they save the world, they pilot cool giant robots, they go on crazy awesome adventures, they play politics, they lead armies, and more. They also tend to be quite attractive, if not obviously sexualized outright.

In an extreme example we have the Valis series (a.k.a. Mugen Senshi Valis, not to be confused with Philip K. Dick's Valis), wherein you have a schoolgirl in a golden bikini and skirt who runs around saving not just one but two worlds with her magical artifact sword of coolness. Her armor gets more shoulderpads but no less revealing when she gets a super-awesome powerup in the third game. (The series, sadly, is otherwise unimpressive platforming that seems vaguely reminiscent of Castlevania.)

In a less extreme example we have the Nanoha series. You have female characters basically running the single most powerful brigade in a first-world-style professional military organization of a government. Said female characters are also the subject of everything from yuri subtext, moë appeal, and heaploads of fanservice thanks to fanart.

Is this a trend, or am I just overly exposed to these sorts of series? And if it is a trend, is this sexist? And if so, is that a problem?

Discuss.

┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´）╯︵ ┻━┻ · 2011-06-30 23:02:15

I thought this was going to be about awesome itself giving people orgasms or something.

I don't think it's really that different from the standard fanservice of anyone else that's female.

MadassAlex · 2011-06-30 23:03:02

Yes, probably, who cares, fapfapfap.

Malkavian · 2011-06-30 23:05:14

Hot chicks saving the world. Not like there's a lack of dudes doing it.

Vorpy · 2011-06-30 23:05:14

X-Blades comes to mind.

MillerCross · 2011-06-30 23:12:46

Yoko Littner, blah blah, Asuka Langley blah blah every single superheroine in history blah blah.

Now, is this a good thing? Yes and no. It is good in the sense that it is not sexist and having both women and men stand together and fight alongisde each other is...well, not sexist. but it's bad in the sense that this women are standards that most women can't possibly hope to meet and all that jazz.

Then again, the same applies to men. so I recommend realizing that fiction and reality are different and learn that difference and move along.

Bucket · 2011-06-30 23:14:54

Lady, oh lady, you had but one option. Death was the only thing waiting for you. The pain was too much to bear. Comic sans.

Vorpy · 2011-06-30 23:33:28

^

i c wut u did thar

MillerCross · 2011-06-30 23:37:12

I...I...don't.

And until proven otherwise, I'll assume that's a picture of my future girlfriend from the future.

Malkavian · 2011-06-30 23:43:15

You have a thing for girls with half their ribs removed?

DonZabu · 2011-06-30 23:50:54

In the future, they won't need those ribs.

MillerCross · 2011-07-01 00:12:51

^^ Flexibility, boy. It is incredibly useful. Also, it was supposed to come as hypocritical humor based on what I said above.

DYRE · 2011-07-01 00:15:53

Said female characters are also the subject of everything from yuri
subtext, moë appeal, and heaploads of fanservice thanks to fanart.

Nanoha has all of that stuff in not-fanart too... Well... less fanservice than the other two, but there's still a fair amount of fanservice anyway.

glennmagusharvey · 2011-07-01 09:30:52

Well, so I woke up this morning pondering, okay, what series/games do I know of that (1) use a visual medium (thus contain the visual likeness of characters), (2) feature female protagonists, and (3) don't sexualize said female protagonists.

Off the top of my head:
* Eternal Daughter (freeware game for Windows)
* Monster Tale (DS game) - granted, the protagonist is a little kid.
* Portal (computer game) - this one I've heard about but have not confirmed for myself.

nohaynicklibre · 2011-07-01 09:45:14

The Metroid games before Smash Bros Brawl

Also Chell is hot

glennmagusharvey · 2011-07-01 09:46:36

Not sure if I'd count that; even NES Metroid had bikini!Samus as a prize for fast players. Granted, perhaps it wasn't easy to make the point that Samus is a woman to without drawing her like that, due to low-res-ness.

nohaynicklibre · 2011-07-01 09:48:07

The Touhou games?

glennmagusharvey · 2011-07-01 09:54:15

As much as their fandom annoys me for reasons unrelated to this issue, I must admit you're right. Although there is a high degree of generic cuteness.

RedEyedAbyss · 2011-07-01 09:55:52

Have you watched Mulan? Disney movies in general tend to qualify (unless you count maybe Ariel as sexualized, but considering she's a mermaid, that's inevitable).

"Now, is this a good thing? Yes and no. It is good in the sense that it is not sexist and having both women and men stand together and fight alongisde each other is...well, not sexist. but it's bad in the sense that this women are standards that most women can't possibly hope to meet and all that jazz."

Also for the no argument, several times, the female is still being objectified for a male audience (who thinks Megan Fox is in Transformers for women's rights?). This is one of the reasons why I loathe the term "strong female character" so much.

nohaynicklibre · 2011-07-01 09:56:13

Also the Pokemon games maybe? They have some revealing outfits,but it doesn't happen anything in-game sexualizing them

glennmagusharvey · 2011-07-01 10:05:26

They would count. Though in-game there's not that much characterization; their point is a sort of blank-slate character to project the player's self onto. As for outfits, though, player-characters don't usually have unusually-revealing outfits, IIRC. I'm sure some male players play female player-characters for eye candy, but apart from that, yeah.

^^ Yeah, this is an issue. I've noticed that it seems to avert the whole "submissive female" stereotype, which is often linked to oppressive/conservative gender roles, but also ironically avert the avoidance of gender issues, by presenting a powerful female character who is also presented as sexually appealing.

SotiCoto · 2011-07-01 11:23:01

TIER, PARGON, ARETAK, PARGON, PARGON, ULYAOTH, PARGON!

Vorpy · 2011-07-01 12:49:55

Holy shit girls from Fire Emblem and Castlevania don't exist well okay then yup yup I see how it is sorry Lyn but you actually are a whore kthnx that means you too shanoa

MillerCross · 2011-07-01 13:24:48

A bit late...but...

Chell is hot but she's not shown unless you explicitly look for her. and even then, she's not exactly sexualiesed. She looks like a badly looking grumpy Alyx. Without personality, which is what made Alyx cool.

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The sexualization of awesome

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