How Female Video Game Characters Would Look With Realistic Body Shapes
No matter where you stand on the topic of sexism in pop culture one thing is for certain- the female body is most often portrayed in an idealized form in visual media such as comic books and video games.
Sometimes this idealized form ties in well with the character, like when the character is an athlete in peak physical shape, but a lot of times they’re just drawn that way because creators think it will help them sell their product.
It’s not meant to be a slight against “average” women, and yet it’s hard to deny the impact these unrealistic body shapes have on young women.
Which is why treatment oriented website Bulimia.com created their own versions of female video game characters with what they describe as “average American body shapes”.
I agree with some of the makeovers but I don't think they put enough thought into the characters they chose for the project, because why would a Special Forces officer/pit fighter who trains constantly be overweight?
-Via Polygon
We hope you like this article!
Please help us grow by sharing:
Get Updates In Your Inbox
Free weekly emails, plus get access
to subscriber-only prizes.
Neither Sonya Blade or Bikini Girl look obese to me. I do not expect the women in my life to be shaped like Victoria Secret models or the men in my life to look like The Rock. That's because very few people have the genetic disposition to that body type and or the need to train/diet for that body.
A couple of examples. Lara Croft? Yeah, go ahead and work that out into a believable person who can move without breaking in two pieces. But the Bikini Girl in GTA is already believable – not average, mind you, but believable. So what's the point of reducing that to average?
Admittedly, the tiny waistline is not realistic, but I would expect a "realistic" videogame woman to be way more muscular. After all, videogame characters are getting a LOT of exercise.
As for the bikini girl, she is totally realistic. There are plenty of women who sport that figure, and they're all over the beaches. Just as there are guys with perfect bodies all over the beaches, too. But they don't complain about that.
The male heroes in videogames generally fit into stereotypes as well. We don't hear about it, because it doesn't make anyone any money to complain about it. Whereas, whining about the "idealized" portrayal of women is a great moneymaker.