Sexist portrayals of women? What about men?

[Galkaeater]

The problem to me in most cases is just consistency. Half-naked women in silly outfits in a world also full of half-naked men in silly outfits isn't much to complain about, but sometimes it's rather one sided. For example, many games/movies/whatever that take place in a fantasy/medieval setting, have the male knight types wearing practical looking armor, while the female equivalents have exposed cleavage/thighs, fight in ridiculous highheels, etc.

Must be the games i play but i don't actually come across this much.

[ronin sparthos]

what is a sexist portrayal of a man?

How is any man supposed to live up to these unrealistic standards. Toned body, nipple buttons, impossible abs, pro racer, bounty hunter. God look at those forearms and his hands and feet also occasionally burst into flames? I don't even want to male anymore.

[Correction]

what is a sexist portrayal of a man?

Probably anything that points out open expression of emotions as weakness or invites ridicule of a failure to express 'traditional' masculine gender expression. There are probably other stereotypes that work against perceptions of men but I'm just firing off the top of my head.
But that's pretty hard to capture on a comic book cover.

[Eldelphia]

One way of looking at it though is that in a lot of cases the over sexualized portrayal of men is about being powerful and strong. Whereas you could argue that the over sexualisation of women often takes power away from them. I do agree though that both sexes have to deal with unrealistic portrayal of the body.

Oh and I'm from the UK and would laugh if I ever saw anyone in that thong!

[Rhyis.]

He-Man needs to lay off the roids. That shits ridic.

[Niiro]

The power of Grayskull is just street for PEDs in Eternia.

[Marootsoobutsu]

studly beefcake dude: 'sex appeal' for ladies, 'power fantasy' for men
slutty chainmail bikini and boob physics: 'sex appeal' for men, nothing for women (because let's be honest even if 'beauty fantasy' was a thing, most oversexed female characters aren't 'beautiful' they just have big tits and a lot of bare skin)

like at least with the beefcake its stupid but both sides theoretically get something out if it?

We lost the pictures when the house flooded a decade ago, but my wife used to be really into chainmail bikinis. Like, she made her own. Sold them at SCA and things like that. She loved that stuff, and she tended to sell out of her over-stock within an hour or two of opening shop. She doesn't now because pregnancy left her too self-conscious to go bikini, and Cushing's left her legs too scarred for her to even one-piece (in her mind), but yeah. When she was a fit young thang, the chainmail bikinis were absolutely her fantasy.

Anecdote, etc... but it's no where near as one-sided as I think it's being portrayed. She KNOWS they are ridiculous and horribly impractical, as does everyone who bought her stuff. But the point was the female power fantasy: so hot the men couldn't focus, so hot they're attracting the hottest studs, all while firing off their bows (my wife was super into archery for a few years), or their magic sticks or swinging their swords or whatever. The idea is, as she explains it, being so damn good that the chainmail is mostly there so it's not out-right porn. Their competence, not the armor, is what protects them.

[ronin sparthos]

The idea is, as she explains it, being so damn good that the chainmail is mostly there so it's not out-right porn. Their competence, not the armor, is what protects them.

Viking logic!

Sexist portrayals of men is often what leads to dudes not admitting they have a disease, ailment or more appropriate for today's US headlines: PTSD. Men who rather choose offing themselves than admitting they have a problem that needs treatment.

[Lucavi]

fun fact: armoring tits is hard to do well (changing the armor shape to accommodate them introduces new, vulnerable weak points in the armor), so the best solution is to bind them and wear the same armor as men.

Good points left and right, but once I became genre (real life?) savvy to learn a bit more about armor, this became the number 1 thing I can't stand in media's portrayal of "girl armor". Armor is designed to deflect. Practical armor is designed to deflect a blow towards the outer edge, in place of a proper parry of said strike. But no, lets design tit plates that will deflect a blow directly towards the breastbone, thus crushing the life out of the person in one fell swoop. Can you imagine the hilarity of watching someone swing a mace into a chick with tit plates?

Every time I see it now it drives me batshit insane. Most people don't understand the concept so they don't know any better. Some people understand the concept and don't care because "itz hawt". Others understand the concept and grow to hate it. Count me in the goddamn latter.

[Eldelphia]

Oh fantasy armour bugs me too. In xi a wonderbra was apparently sufficient (see harnesses). Oh and WAR AF... vast amounts of skin visible including handy routes to major arteries.

[Koul]

Oh fantasy armour bugs me too. In xi a wonderbra was apparently sufficient (see harnesses). Oh and WAR AF... vast amounts of skin visible including handy routes to major arteries.

That's why mages have protect and shell. it makes up the difference. But I guess if the armor was realistic, it'd be more believable when a tank doesn't insta-die from tiamat clawing at them. Or blowing fire at em. Or a goblin throwing a bomb directly at their face. Realism.

[Galkaeater]

Good points left and right, but once I became genre (real life?) savvy to learn a bit more about armor, this became the number 1 thing I can't stand in media's portrayal of "girl armor". Armor is designed to deflect. Practical armor is designed to deflect a blow towards the outer edge, in place of a proper parry of said strike. But no, lets design tit plates that will deflect a blow directly towards the breastbone, thus crushing the life out of the person in one fell swoop. Can you imagine the hilarity of watching someone swing a mace into a chick with tit plates?

Every time I see it now it drives me batshit insane. Most people don't understand the concept so they don't know any better. Some people understand the concept and don't care because "itz hawt". Others understand the concept and grow to hate it. Count me in the goddamn latter.

Nice helmet though

[NynJa]

Realism.

I cant find the screenshot, but I remember someone here had a sig from Besieged and it went something like this:

Lamia No. 2 uses Tail Slap
damage
damage
The City Gate evades.

REALISM

[BaneTheBrawler]

evade was XI's

[Uzor]

I'm confused, since when are men not sexualized in movies, games and TV-shows?

Pretty much every game in with male characters have them portrayed as perfect specimens, and every movie and TV show with hot men has them strut around naked, shirtless or in their underwear every opportunity they get. Just look at Oliver Queen, who is shirtless pretty much every time he's in his bat cave - which is quite a lot, mind you. Spiderman, too, is shirtless a surprising amount of time in the movies. And what about Captain America, who is shown as an unattractive, unwanted, skinny nerd that no one wants and cares about - until he becomes muscular, taller and apparently a specimen of male perfection - and is then a superhero and wanted by everyone. You know, because all men are supposed to be tall and muscular. You can't be attractive otherwise.


Don't get me wrong, we need more half-naked men on TV and on billboards everywhere. I just think the whole "women are unfairly treated and sexualized" is complete bullshit.

[ronin sparthos]

I'm confused, since when are men not sexualized in movies, games and TV-shows?

Pretty much every game in with male characters have them portrayed as perfect specimens, and every movie and TV show with hot men has them strut around naked, shirtless or in their underwear every opportunity they get. Just look at Oliver Queen, who is shirtless pretty much every time he's in his bat cave - which is quite a lot, mind you. Spiderman, too, is shirtless a surprising amount of time in the movies. And what about Captain America, who is shown as an unattractive, unwanted, skinny nerd that no one wants and cares about - until he becomes muscular, taller and apparently a specimen of male perfection - and is then a superhero and wanted by everyone. You know, because all men are supposed to be tall and muscular. You can't be attractive otherwise.


Don't get me wrong, we need more half-naked men on TV and on billboards everywhere. I just think the whole "women are unfairly treated and sexualized" is complete bullshit.

Didn't we already go over power fantasy vs. sexualization?

Men create shows about other men and what they perceive to be the ideal. Batman is literally a male power fantasy at it's apex - rich, gets all the hot women, nigh invincible, trusty sidekick and has an answer to everything. As a male you want to be Bruce Wayne because he's everything you'd ever want to be. Modern day Hercules and the like.

Unrealistic expectations aside, there is generally a healthy variety of characters for males to choose from in media and most of them don't need to be beefcakes though such a thing is generally appreciated. While Cap and Spidey are at physical peak they also have genius level intellect, a bevy of hot babes and everything a male would want alongside challenges for added realism. You may not become a beefcake but you can become a scientist, a newspaper delivery boy or date a redhead.

(Juries out on a team up with the X-Men though but we can't always get what we want.)

Look at the female perspective of things. Most females solely exist in media to be a trophy or goal for the male protagonist to accomplish. Most fall into very pigeonholed archetypes that we've all come to expect like a damsel to rescue, feisty lady to tame, complete ditz of no use but to complain or a walking baby oven. This is most often paired with a focus on appearance which creates a lopsided image of women in media. It also drives home an idea that women are objects, macguffins and/or tools bereft of their own desires.

We also tend to internalize our media and project it out as reality. See enough shows about women being idiot damsels without a filter and you *will* think women are like that. Worse when women accept that stuff as normal. If James Doohan could inspire a whole generation of engineers then imagine how many women have been inspired by *insert walking tits on a stick here*.

Taking it back to men, you get many of the same complaints from blacks/hispanics/asian men about how they're portrayed in media and how damaging that is to people who internalize it.

[Niiro]

Didn't we already go over power fantasy vs. sexualization?

Women consider powerful men more attractive, these things are hardly mutually exclusive.

[Salodin]

Women consider powerful men more attractive, these things are hardly mutually exclusive.

Right fucking here...

[Koul]

here's my question. I would like someone to come up with a completely unsexualized mega realistic female character that doesn't fit into a trope/box/token role. I'd like to know what that looks like.

[BaneTheBrawler]

velma from scooby doo