Sexism In Anime

My avatar consists of someone pointing a gun at you. There's nothing sexual about it. :P

This is about sexism in anime, though. Back on topic.

edited 8th Jul '14 2:43:07 PM by Serocco

In RWBY, every girl is Best Girl.

Is that a gun or a hair dryer?

The sexist component is probably the maid outfit cause... it's a bit iffy to be aroused by servitude, in particular when women and minorities are involved. It's related to the wank over Yamato Nadeshiko, China Doll.

It's a very complicated subject matter though I don't mind if people use the fetish to earn dough. (Pimps forcing others into the role is of course exempted.)

On the other hand, being aroused by people in military uniforms is generally considered OK unless the military uniform exposes too many body parts.

Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.

Like in Three Hundred?

edited 9th Jul '14 3:23:48 AM by TheHandle

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

It's okay to lust after hot men, because women don't do it anyway. Unless you're gay, since then it's just creepy.

Well, that's the stereotype, anyway.

Check out my fanfiction!

Hee. That reminds me that homosexual relationships was the "preferred" type in Sparta.

I was referring to usually all covered up (actually in used) military uniforms being given strategic rips. Seems disrespectful to put holes in military uniforms for the sake of fan service.

Especially modern day uniforms. Like our soldiers are already risking their lives, so it would be nice if we could just present them as all covered up, especially if we're eyeballing them.

Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.

You know, I actually find it really funny how that's the stereotype.

Because in that case, just who is deciding what counts as hot men?

MMORPGs are serious business.

It's like how all male virgins are looked down on while female virgins are held up a pure and chaste. Who the hell are the studs fucking?

edited 9th Jul '14 12:29:05 PM by Elfive

Men who're secure enough in their sexuality to be capable of considering the sex appeal of another man.

Virgin factory downtown.

edited 9th Jul '14 3:56:01 PM by AnotherDuck

Check out my fanfiction!

Presumably they're all banging the same women. Madonna-Whore Complex and all that. Women that aren't pure virgins become disposable fucktoys for guys to get points on the scorecard.

That's actually a common trope in Japanese media. All Women Are Lustful is used as an opposite coin to All Women Are Prudes. The logic basically works that once you break a woman's purity (and her facade of innocence), she becomes a slave to the superior penis and simply can't tear herself away from sex. In more cynical works, she becomes fair game for any "Real Man" to make use of, until they get tired of her and discard her.

I think Future Diary makes use of that. Never seen it, but that's what I've heard. Would also fit in with the schlocky ultraviolence

edited 10th Jul '14 7:22:58 AM by majoraoftime

Thankfully the trope is losing popularity as of late, but there was a looong time where it was pretty much the stock plot of erotic fiction.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Losing popularity? Say what?

I can't say it's going anywhere. The only difference is whether it's blatant or subtle.

It appears to be less frequent than it used to be. Nowadays you've got a lot of stories where girls and boys guiltlessly embrace their sexuality and are equal partners in their sexual escapades.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

There may be "more of" those stories, but I can't say I've seen them overtake the old tropes.

What media are you talking about, anyway? Anime? Hollywood? Both?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Handoru-san... can you explain?

"Please crush me with your heels Esdeath-sama!

It's a huge trope in non-vanilla hentai, of course. It has its roots in Japanese culture, which often focuses on dichotomies of the "proper" and "public" versus the "true" and "private." "Mae" and "Ura" are the names for such things, the front and the back. All Women Are Prudes is the "Mae", that women behave that way because that is what is proper for society. All Women Are Lustful is the "ura", that sex is pleasurable and women (and men) want it, but want it on a personal, private level.

Mind-break or moral degredation hentai (it's hard to pin an exact word to this because "Mind Break" and "Corruption" can have more fantastic connotations than what we're discussing) thus play to this embedded cultural fascination of making the internal self, the ura, into the external self. It is taboo, basically, which is why very forthright characters (whether the Genki Girl, the Deadpan Snarker, the Chivalrous Pervert or the Lusty Lady) are so popular in Japanese works, because they are, in a sense, enacting a taboo and are escapist in the very way in which they act. That's why "slutty" women hold a bigger appeal in a lot of Japanese works, because beyond the basic, prurient appeal of an "easy woman" to western sensibilities, the sexually proactive and provocative woman is like a walking taboo all her own.

It's a Visual Pun.

I couldn't help but read it with this soundtrack in mind. I like the dramatic way you narrate it.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Relevant!

Have seen it, and read it. Unless I'm forgetting something I believe you're mistaken.

The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable

Add the voice of the narrator of Fallout 3 reading your post over the music and you can double the epicness :D

I just gotta say there are a few things about Japan and its Anime that really bother me:

• A Culture of Shame: Essentially, if a woman is videotaped doing anything embarrassing or "unwomanly", somebody can just blackmail her into any number of further demeaning activities or into becoming his accomplice in some way. Has it never occurred to any of these women to grab the phone, smash it, and / or beat the guy to shit with whatever she can find, in case she's not a fighter? I simply cannot understand this demure, submissive acceptance.

• The sheer number of times that those perverts from subways either get away with it, or get apologized to if the woman reacts badly to these disgusting perverts. Any violent retribution against them is, as far as I am concerned, well and good.

• The expectation that Japanese women would be accepting of the love interest guy's traits, and not expect him to get better or change in any way, and if someone has to change, it would be them. This just strikes me as absurd.

• On the flip side, the "comedy" taken from a girl beating up a guy can get really uncomfortable really quickly, and some times I just want to step in, stop the Megaton Punch and help the poor little guy. And while I have no problem with fiery Tsunderes, what I do have a problem with is that, all too often, they still respect a guy's wish even if its a stupid one, and that they eventually end up just the love interest who he loves, as if being passionate and strong is just a phase she's going through.

• And further back, we have this idea that girls cannot defend themselves, and need a guy to help them in a fight. Even if the girl is established as being very strong indeed. I simply cannot fathom this.

Just keep on reminding yourself that 99.99% of fiction is all about wishfulfillment.

Also the 99.99% crap rule helps a ton, too.

I've become a lot more easy-going about this subject matter since reality knocked anime off pedestal. Was apparently put on pedestal by Hayao Miyazaki.

Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.

I for one would find the easy use of violence to solve problems again to also be wish fulfillment. The first two points Nick made have the problem of people calling you out on not having social decency and/or being a psychopath, with the only exception being when you're already in a place where people can expect the violent minded to be the normal ones, like a military base or something.

MMORPGs are serious business.

...True, about your "violence as wish fulfilment" bit. I admit, I get confused about right and wrong. These value dissonances do not make it easier.

So, then, I gather this is the fulfilment of the wishes of some Japanese men who wish to keep things as they are and were for their culture. Tradition taking precedence. Again, these notions of traditions and absolute promises, even when it would be demeaning or insulting to the woman, or incompatible with what she wants...leaves me likewise confused.