over sexualized female characters

In 2020, the film Cuties caused much controversy, with some United States politicians denouncing it for hypersexualizing pre-adolescent girls. While hypersexualisation of female characters has declined since 1995, a new study found that female game characters are still more objectified than their male counterparts. All Rights Reserved. Photo by euphoria / Instagram Sydney Sweeney plays Cassie Howard in HBO Max's hit show "Euphoria," one that, while entertaining, has a serious problem with over-sexualizing its young female characters. These boys see how girls are portrayed and internalize the notion that girls exist only for the consumption of men. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Adkins, L. (2018, May 9). An even more revealing alternate version of her costume was designed by Midway Games for a Playboy spread. (Pictured below are the choices of colored costumes you can choose from within Super Smash Bros. 4). Goes to show you how much the costume defines the character. Even with the limited options, a girl gamer doesnt want to choose a man to play as, so she chooses a woman because thats what she wants to win as. The men are hulking with chiseled abs and broad shoulders.. Its become so much of an issue that the recent Thor shorts directed by Taika Waititi even poked fun at Thors big muscly physique. Gaming Editor at WhatCulture. (1255). Zeldas name is in the series title and shes not even the primary character, but Link, a male hero, is. This highlights the fact that particular environments present economic incentives that will encourage people to use tools available to them to get ahead. Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. She wears pants and a tank top now, and has begun to represent a new female character trope: the hero. Hmm.I wonder what she looks like without that mask? The most famous storyline featuring Namor is actually an ongoing story with the Invisible Woman, Sue Richards. In 2010, a female World of Warcraft player was chosen to ask a question to the panel at BlizzCon, a convention held each year by video game company Blizzard Entertainment. Halfjack2 2 yr. ago. The way in which the young girls were oversexualized was apparent in the style of clothing that they wore and the suggestive poses that many deemed inappropriate for underage children. In fact, there are currently around 213 gaming companies that have been founded by women. Do you know her backstory involving witchcraft and her evil father? : 2017). Did this article miss your favourite/least favourite entry? The loading screens also featured models cosplaying as the Magna Cum Laude ladies. If so, please let us know in the comments below. Not because of any particular story, but because the character looked hot with a man bun and hairy chest. The same goes for The Legend of Zelda character Princess Zelda within Ocarina of Time (1998), where she literally masks her femininity by creating a male alter ego, Sheik, in order to better aid the hero Link on his journey. Sexiness is just one more weapon employed by Bayonetta, who seems to be very aware of her own beauty. 10 Things Open-World Games Need To STOP DOING, 10 Video Game Sequels That Have Already Fixed Fan Complaints, 10 REAL Reasons Behind Annoying Video Game Moments, 2K Comments On Removing Playable Wrestler From WWE 2K23, 10 EXACT Moments Video Games Gave Us The ICK, 10 Awesome Weapons Trapped In Terrible Video Games, 10 Video Game Trophies That REALLY Test Your Patience, 10 Biggest Recent Fan Critic Divides In Video Games, 10 Video Game Cuts Made For RIDICULOUS Reasons, Top Female Star Makes History In WWE 2K23, 8 Video Games That Insulted You For 100% Completion. Also, he comes from an acrobatic background, which means that many of his poses on covers feature him doing the splits and showing off hisummmrear region. (The Lexington Line, 2018) Psychologists have noted that the rare but harmful body dysmorphic disorder, which manifests in an obsession with a flawed body part amongst its victims, is exacerbated by exposure to these unrealistically perfect bodies paraded on the internet (Khanna, A and Sharma M.K. She went on to gain popularity due to her over-the-top sexuality. Photo by File. In a study on the 56 top-grossing films of 2018 in 20 countries, it was revealed that female characters were four times more likely to be shown naked on screen in comparison to male roles. Sexualizing female characters fosters sexist attitudes in both men and women and leads to increased sexual harassment, according to a 2019 study from Agressive Behavior, a journal with research on aggressive behavior patterns. The comic book version of Thor has never really been a sex symbol. Bandai Namco employee Neely Battle wonders if this stigma lies in a bias prevalent in the gaming industry, where employers actively decide not to hire women because they may lack knowledge about games. The original Leisure Suit Larry game Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards was released in 1987. Excitement for the latest installment of the much anticipated HBO Max series "Euphoria" has been circling among teens . The Bill of Rights in the Constitution of South Africa has made a special provision on the fundamental rights of children in Section 28 (1) and 28 (2) of this chapter. Spaces are allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, apostrophes, and underscores. Just put the mask back on! This is exemplified in the Batman : Arkham Series video game, where the female character has a highly exaggerated hip sway when walking. Yup, boob-sliders. This has notably happened to figures like Videl, Bulma and Chi-Chi, each of whom married male characters and went from having strong characterizations to being often overshadowed by their spouses. The following characters are more recognisable by their ample assets than anything else, but what were the intentions and rationale behind their creation? I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Yet according to a Facebook study by graphicpolicy.com, women currently account for about 47 percent of comic book consumers (almost half!) 1up reviewer Jeremy Parish praised the games maturity, saying: Catherine is a game for anyone whos ever feared commitment, dreaded aging, felt their heart stray, dealt with a pregnancy scare, spent long booze-soaked hours commiserating with pals at the local dive bar, or simply questioned the direction their life is going as they close in on middle age but others have simply described it as the most sexist game of all time. Describing Starfox as an actual hero is a bit of stretch. More so than the other X-people on this list, Psylocke has been a character almost completely defined by her sex appeal to readers. The other dilemma concerns the discrimination against hiring women. Dragons Lair was released in 1983 and featured animation by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth. Sure, hes incredibly good looking, as the God of Thunder probably should be, but hes never been viewed as sexier than, say, Wolverine. Wearing only the tiniest green speedo, Namor is the very attractive mutant who rules the seas. Technically always naked as her figure-hugging outfits are actually made from her long, lovely hair, Bayonetta bounds across the battlefield pulling off incredible looking moves in a balletic ballet where youll be given higher points for defeating enemies with style. Explainer: what does the male gaze mean, and what about a female gaze. All rights reserved, Covering The Best In Video Games, Esports, Movies and Geek Culture. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics (Global Citizen, 2019). Mustresistmaking a melons joke! However, the sex appeal dial is turned to 11 with Vampirella. and it's not as if women are suddenly not sexy when they have a nice, protective set of armour on. Lara's lady-mountains helped propel the Tomb Raider into a bonafide gaming icon - and a symbol of female empowerment for generations of gamers, regardless of what anyone says - but the origin of her sizeable chest was actually a programming mistake. In the 80s and 90s, comic book fans responded to female characters that were dressed in next to nothing. Its more fitting to call him a cosmic womanizer that goes around the Marvel Universe attempting to seduce female characters. Photo by Sam Mircovich/Reuters. She loves anything Real Housewives or Vanderpump Rules, as well as writing, reading, gaming, fashion & style, interior design, and painting. She is one of the prime examples of the excessively sexualized female characters of the 90s. With many fictional female characters - whether in movies, TV shows, animation, comics, or video games - female sexuality is present for the spectators, and not for the woman herself. This modesty doesnt stop Gambit from being a character thats known for his sex appeal. Her orange skin and red hair were the center of attention, with just a few purple strips of fabric covering her body. Hanley's study found that male creators outnumber female creators 9 to 1, and 79 percent of those working on comic books in 2014 were white. Photo by user clubsandwich via giantbomb.com. The e-mail address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by e-mail. She is sexy for the appeal of the audience, but not for her own tastes and pleasure. Plaintiff Victoria Russell, a former NFL Films HR employee, claims she saw categories in . You see, Tony Stark is a ridiculously attractive man. This hyper-sexualization of women has spawned a deeper sexualization and discrimination against female gamers and game designers. According to The Statistics Portal, in 2006, only 38% of gamers were women. The continuation of hyper-sexualisation perpetuates sexism, misogyny, and various inequalities towards women where violence of women is propagated. It wasnt until very recently that creators have decided to cover her cleavage and focus more on the action/adventure side of the character. Recently, the Internet went nuts when the recent Hercules series was announced. In one story, in an issue of She-Hulk, Starfox is actually put on trial for sexual assault because its alleged that he used his powers of seduction to entice a happily married woman. Video games have never known how to accurately portray women. When you read the adventures of Captain America, you dont think about how sexy Steve Rogers is. In a study on the 56 top-grossing films of 2018 in 20 countries, it was revealed that female characters were four times more likely to be shown naked on screen . The state of Gender-Based Violence can be attributed to the depiction of women in media. The question arises: in whose name are all these hyper-sexualized images of women made? Released just three months after Spice Girls released their debut album Wannabe, Lara Croft was a strong female character to became one of the iconic figures of Cool Britannia. ErmI mean Fighter! During conversations, you must guide your sperm to safety in order to increase the ladies levels of affection for Larry. Hypersexualised depictions of women typically include oversized breasts and narrow waists combined with costumes that leave little to the imagination. South Africas commitment to protecting childrens rights and fighting against the sexual abuse and commercial exploitation of children is amplified in its ratification and ceding to various international and regional legal instruments. Elks, S. (2019, October 2). As if unleashed from the Me Too movement, more people are noticing the discrimination against female gamers. The Letterboxd Craze Continues To Take Over. Tsundere, dandere, kuudere, yandere. While hypersexualisation of female characters has declined since 1995, a new study found that female game characters are still more objectified than their male counterparts. Almost every video game presents women with these over-sexualized versions of what they think will lure male gamers to play. Dating back to some of his earliest appearances in the Silver Age, he has been the bad boy that Sue Richards has been drawn to but can never have. Cal Poly State University - San Luis Obispo, California State University - Los Angeles, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, California State University, Channel Islands, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Federal University Of Agriculture Abeokuta, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico San German campus, Keiser University - Latin American Campus, London School of Economics and Political Science, California State University of Sacramento, Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, University of North Carolina - Wilmington, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, William Paterson University of New Jersey. If you have been reading comics since the mid-90s, you are probably aware of the (in)famous Marvel Swimsuit Special issues. Mass media contributes to the sexualising of women. The character of Dawn, as drawn by Joseph Michael Linsner, oozes sex appeal. Most women within video games arent even given a proper backstory, hardly receiving any character development as the games plot progresses. "These feminine characters' gendered demarcations were shown through sexualized attributes such as breasts and curves, as well as feminine clothing, hairstyles, and long eyelashes. Sure, you can say that she is supposed to resemble a ninja, but youd be hard-pressed to find other ninjas outside of the Marvel Universe dressed this way. Praised by many reviewers at the time for dealing with subjects such as relationships, responsibility and fatherhood, it is a fiendishly difficult platform-puzzle hybrid which also features Vincent being chased through nightmare levels by a gigantic baby who wants to eat him, Dooms Bride and a gigantic nude demonic version of Catherine whose skin is peeling off. Well, its a tough job but someones got to do it I guess. If you ask a comic book fan to name the first thing they would say to describe Emma Frost, odds are itll be a physical attribute. The male gaze reinforces the notion that the man looks, and the woman is looked at. Unfortunately, while a female character or lead is a good marketing tool to attract female game players, depicting these characters in an over-sexualized manner is not the way to do it. Before the fight begins, the twins pose provocatively, granting Chuck the perfect opportunity to snap a picture and bag the player 2000 points and the Adult Content Achievement. No matter whether youre interested in bunny ears, bikinis or schoolgirl outfits, Team Ninja have you covered (less so the lovely ladies in their games) with a wide range of costumes. Sure, some billionaire genius could, theoretically, learn how to build powerful metal suit and fight crime similar to Iron Man. The selfie culture, ensnares young girls into the world of likes and shares, again perpetuating the harmful idea that having beautiful physical attributes increases ones worth, and that the reverse is just as true. Available from: https://www.industrialpsychiatry.org/text.asp?2017/26/1/106/223345. Unfortunately, most of the comic book version of the character has never really had this as an option. However, the outfit worn by Connery in the film will go down as one of the most ridiculous in cinema history. Speaking to website PSU, Team Ninja producer Yosuke Hayashi said the DOA5 development team went "hands on" with studio staff and other partners to get the games breast physics right. She isnt just eye candy shes a powerful, intelligent and laugh out loud funny feminine hero and the star of one of Platinums best games. GLOW started in 1986 after McLane saw the appeal and reaction audiences had to female wrestlers. Her fondest wish is to kill her sister Kitana. 11 gamer girls who are captivating male gamers worldwide, 50 prettiest cosplayers Blizzard games throughout the years. The constant pressure to be thin, curvy, or sexy can be extremely overwhelming on their psyche. The most sexualized character picked by the study is Ivy Valentine from Soul Caliber, released in 2014 by NAMCO. Female players already face a lot of disrespect in the community, whether from male players or even whole companies. After seeing the booby boost, other members of the creative team argued to keep the change. Will you settle down with Katherine or choose Catherine instead? The comedy-drama series GLOW revolves around fictional characters inspired by the real-life Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (or GLOW) founded by David McLane. Princess characters, in particular, are only a target in a game, serving the purpose of completing a single mission. (2015, January 5). Nevondwe, L., & Odeku, K.O. Designers of these characters often employ camera angles and clothing choices as tools to deliberately sexualize and objectify female protagonists. by Phumelela Bandezi, Research Young Professional at the Film and Publication Board. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The over-sexualization of teenage girls in anime is something that has long been accepted, even welcomed, but it is time to at least start the conversation as to why that is unacceptable. All rights reserved. 5 Ways to Connect Wireless Headphones to TV. Men and women want to be big and muscular or lean and cut. Even though Moreno entered the entertainment industry at a time when Latino actors were scavenging . She went on to gain popularity due to her over-the-top sexuality. Retrieved from : https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486. Laura Mulvey, a British feminist film theorist, posited in 1973 that the male gaze denotes the way that mainstream media objectifies women, showing the female body through a heterosexual male lens as a passive non-actor secondary to the active male characters. . Representation of women is also low in combat-oriented games. This leads to many damaging issues of self-image in girls and can even lead to boys pinning unattainable ideals on the girls around them. Destructoid scored 1.5/10. Thus, when readers think of Starfox, pretty much all you can think about is his sexual history. There are blogs scattered around the Internet devoted to Nightwings derriere, not that we suggest doing those Google searches unless youre in the privacy of your own home. Here are 10 of the most oversexualised videogame characters. While there are characters that show more skin than Power Girl, her costume still ranks as one of the most sexualized because of the big hole in the fabric in the middle of her large breasts that serves nothing reason but to show an abundance of cleavage. The hypersexualization of her character isn't out of the ordinary,. Ind Psychiatry J [serial online] 2017 [cited 2021 Nov 24];26:106-9. With the rise of female gamers, there are few women who are designing games. Dont say no, you know were right. But what does this phenomenon consist of? Possibly not Blackpoollooks a touch too sunny. In a sense then, this gives producers a leg to stand on when they say that the media merely reflects society back to itself. Still, at least it gave Prompto a good photo opportunity, Hes the one stood behind you, who keeps staring at your ass., Oh, I see what the problem is! According to Roberts, income inequality makes us compare ourselves with other people. One of the most clear examples of this is in Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1, when four separate female heroes all speak of their sexual conquests with Hercules. Continue with Recommended Cookies. This is the first study to look at female characters in actual game play and over the entire history of their appearance in games. Uttering such classic lines as Your performance was a little limp tonight, Frank. Libbys desire for an even playing field means not picking a female character since theyre weaker, resulting in her losing the match between her opponent. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Tick Tock only exacerbate this problem, with Instagram models and influencers setting an unrealistic standard of beauty and body image that young people strive for. Combined with the clothing she wears and the camera angles, this is intentionally designed to drive the players interest to highly sexualizing her feature. This section also makes special provision in section 28 (1) (d) for the protection of children from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. Selfie use: The implications for psychopathology expression of body dysmorphic disorder. Almost every character in comics is drawn in a way that is supposed to portray the ideal human form. was published June 30 in the Journal of Communication. Its because of that scene in the first Thor movie where he walks around without a shirt, right? The Global Critical Media Literacy Project published an article discussing the effects of female video game characters' hypersexualization on female gamers, saying "The results of the current study suggest that women participants, after playing a video game that emphasized the female body, felt significantly worse about their bodies.". However, when DC began the New 52 relaunch, they came under fire from readers with their new version of Starfire. Namor might go down in history as the male hero with the most revealing costume. He is maybe the very first comic book bad boy dating back to his first appearance in 1939. Additionally, through this approach to female characters in the media, society continues to perpetuate the idea that womens worth is primarily as sex objects for the gratification of men. Ms. Pac-Man isnt the only one to be overly sexualized, drawn with big boobs, the tiniest waist, the longest legs and dressed in the most revealing costumes. Magazines and digital media publications backhandedly push their agenda on their susceptible readers; consequently, readers yearn to fix something about themselves that they didnt previously perceive as a flaw. ADD YOURS. In the male gaze, a woman is visionally objectified for the heterosexual males desire. In fact, if you ask readers to name one defining characteristic of Gambit, theyd probably mention his love affair with fellow X-person, Rogue, and forget the horrible atrocity that he allowed to happen. It must be cold in the Dragons Lair. Strong female video game characters have been emerging, and the games that focus on these characters have been praised online for their realistic portrayals. Simmons, A. When they dont feel like game content positively reflects [their sex], theyre not interested.. Catwoman is notorious for having a large chest and large hips while being very skinny. Small strides are being taken to ensure that games can also appeal to female consumers, but its not enough, says Battle. The behavior of these Blizzard employees is unfortunately not shocking, especially with the sexual harassment and discrimination against Blizzards female employees recently culminating in a lawsuit from the California Department of Employment and Housing. Just because video games started with a by men for men model doesnt mean that it has to stay that way. In addition to the core fighting games, there have been four Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball games so far, including the recently released Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, which is yet to be released in the West. Lets play a game. Ride em, cowgirl! Of all the characters in Senran Kagura, Katsuragi is the most perverted. Earlier this week, a Twitter thread criticizing the way male authors have a tendency to describe their female characters, often sexualized and objectified, went viral. It kicked off . WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Mortal Kombat has been criticized in general for many of its female characters wearing revealing outfits that make no sense in the context of the fighting game. 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