You saw it here first, it's time for ranting and link-spamming.
I love Cracked, I don't know if you've noticed. Really love. Just every once in a while they put on their serious face (or as serious as they get anyway,) and tackle some serious pertinent issues. Or as pertinent as sexism in video games, anyway, which I find, being a female who plays video games, really pertinent.
It's funny, because sometimes I feel like it's so ingrained I don't even notice it anymore. Then I watch a movie or play a game or read a book where there's a token female character who just really really needs a man to be fufilled or to save her dumb ass or what have you. In Mario games, it's Peach who is always getting kidnapped because she can't figure out how to protect herself, oh, it doesn't matter because Mario will come save her. And she's a princess. And she keeps her damn self in the kitchen, where she belongs.
Because even princesses need to be able to bake cakes. For the plumber that keeps saving you from the giant turtle you never see coming somehow.
I want to play the new Tomb Raider game, because she seems more like a real person, but...I keep seeing screenshots of her crying. Like, a lot.
I don't know if I can handle that.
Want to read the saddest comment tree ever?
Sometimes, I feel like I've been culturally brainwashed so hard that I haven't even noticed. I hate to think what women in less "progressive" countries feel (yeah, I'm looking at you, country that still heavily practices racial segregation.)
There's lots of interesting articles and blogs on the subject. It's hard, because once you notice something is wrong, it's hard to stop noticing. There's even a blog devoted to women who are harassed by online gamers. If you've ever wondered, this is why I refuse to play multiplayer online with people I don't know. This is why I usually pretend to be male, or say as little as possible, when I'm on an open forum. There's a reason there are no girls on the internet.
People don't want to play games or watch movies with strong female leads. That's what the industry says, to a woman trying to become a screenwriter. They just don't.
Well, I do. I would love that.
If you have to make them eye candy because you're kinda a bigot, okay. But pleeeeease stop with the damsel in distress. Stop with the "girls are only healer class." Stop with the ridiculous "armor" that covers nothing, or the fixation on the approval of men. I wanna be a real person too.
Hey, have you ever checked out toy aisles? They're a great way to see that gender disconnect.
Is it pink, has dolls, kitchen playsets, and frilly dresses? It's the girl aisle! Is it dark green or red or blue and has action figures, Tonka trucks and those really cool animatronic toys? It's the boy aisle!
Conform to your gender stereotypes, conform! Girls like pink! Boys like [any other color]! Girls like playing house! Boys like playing cops and robbers! Girls don't like to get dirty! Boys like gross things! Girls are sugar and spice and everything nice [and make sure to send yours back if it doesn't conform to factory specifications!]
Girls can't do math.
Girls can't do science.
Girls can't be CEOs because the boys won't listen.
Girls can't be journalists...but they can read you the news! Yay, good job, girl!
Girls can't be action heroes...unless they're Sarah Connor...whoops, that was cancelled!
Girls can't have cool superpowers...I love this one. I find X-Men to be fairly good overall in the character department, but even they're questionable if I think too hard (girls shouldn't think, that's where I went wrong.) Storm? You mean the capricious wind-witch whose emoshuns cause terrible and utter destruction? How about Rogue, who kills (men) with her touch, or steals powers from mutants? Jubilee, she's cool, she...throws sparkly fireworks at people. But they don't set anything on fire or anything, they're just...flashy and make noise. Jean Grey is the damsel. When she's not the damsel she's busy destroying everything as the Phoenix. She just won't stay dead! The Dazzler is manipulative and has powers a lot like Jubilee. Hell, Mystique's powers are uniquely suited to being an evil, manipulative bitch. But hey, at least she doesn't constantly need saving.
Kitty Pryde's power is...running away (through the wall!) Jeezus. At least there are other...more minor...characters which aren't so bad.
Sue Storm has the best power a woman can have: being invisible. The best part is, she even tends to forget she's invisible. Maybe if she'd learn to shut her mouth and stop talking to herself while invisible, she wouldn't get kidnapped so often. (That was a really great article, though, Cracked.)
Wow. That last one was really bad. I'mma stop now, I guess I'm done being offended for the moment.
