Aielyn said:
I don't know about the characters, but YOU are sexist. Apparently Kratos has an "ideal body" because he's strong and muscular (which makes sense - he's the god of war), while the girl's body is "ideal" because? Overly thin, big breasts? What is that ideal for? Sex? Anyway, you claim that the two characters are equally designed. They're not. Kratos is muscular for a reason, and his outfit is designed to de-emphasise any possible sexual element. Furthermore, his outfit is perfectly suited to what he's going to do, when any extraneous clothing could get in the way or give foes something to grab. The girl's body shape is thin with big boobs... why? Which wouldn't be a big deal, if not for the fact that her outfit is clearly designed to emphasise it, with the bikini underwear, skintight leggings, etc. And why is she dressed like this, exactly? Sexism is definitely informing the design. Let me put it another way - you could easily see a martial artist dressed in the way Kratos is dressed. Would you ever see a military woman running around in the clothes that the girl's wearing? And would that bra really afford her the kind of support she'd need given the kind of action she'd be expecting to see? Sexism isn't about the design, it's about the reason for it. Zero Suit Samus's design isn't sexist because her clothes are designed for minimal separation between body and suit, and simultaneously maintains the kind of natural modesty that you'd expect from a confident and independent woman. On the other hand, if Zelda were outfitted in the same way, that would be sexist, because a princess who depends on magical ability when she does fight wouldn't be wearing such clothing. |
I don't see how Kratos could be any less sexist than Quiet by just basing it on their outfits, it's a double standard to say that a female character cannot have a sexualized outfit while a male character can, which Kratos always has had to reflect male traits such as strength, courage and overall being a bad ass. But as JoeTheBro mentioned, outfits are not as important as the actions of a character justify it, and while Kratos is a walking stereotype to call him sexist is a big stretch. The same thing applies to Quiet, or maybe perhaps her outfit will only amplify the sexism, I don't know but it's better to wait and see than to judge a book by it's cover.
To work on your example of Zero Suit Samus. Metroid Other M proved that sexism is far more than design. In comparison to previous games in the series the Samus in Other M really brought out some of the worst sexist female stereotypes seen in gaming. Samus's character was constantly portrayed as weak, helpless and sub-dominate to her male coworkers which felt like a betrayal of her original character and the drama behind the game clouded on weather it was a good game or not.
