Around when did the idea that you can’t have an attractive woman in artwork or entertainment come about? Is the “male gaze” nonsense something fairly new? I remember seeing the “your just mad because you can’t jack off to it” not too long ago on gaming forums if someone pointed out that they seem to make women to look like men.
Yet I’ve heard plenty of women gushing over the Witcher because of Cavill or women who loved Mamoa in GOT and Aquaman. But if I say I’m going to see this movie because the lead actress is hot I’m sexist. Also, it’s interesting how stuff like romance novels have men with rippling muscles but women have to look “realistic”
Blame Anita Sarkeesian back in early 2008/2010
Even she was just reflecting what the gaming industry wanted to hear back at itself like any old con man.
For a couple of years before that places like RPS had been sniffing their own farts about how they're big boys now, and how they've transcended beyond such petty attraction every time a game made the sex sells mantra a little too obvious.
The initial problem was that people became too naïve and passive to actively mock anyone calling themselves a male feminist out of the business. And that feminists successfully sold the idea that even the most undesirable men -ahemgamesjournalistsahem- could stop being virgins- oh sorry, incels, if they just called themselves male feminists and acted like an obsequious, sniveling, toady loudly enough. Kinda like a toned down version of the 72 virgins, you only get one disinterested hambeast, but you also don't have to martyr yourself, just sacrifice your dignity and any normal art you ever created.
I’m honestly surprised a gaming exec didn’t tell her to pound sand. She doesn’t care about gaming and you can see she is a grifter from a mile away.
Because of other factors, it was the perfect storm and opportunity for journalists to start their attack on gamers.
Journalism /magazines were dying. They saw the writing on the wall long ago as they merged international branches together and became online only.
Sark shows up and kicks the hornets nest of gamers, who DO tell her to go pound sand. She's largely ignored for a while, then Literally Who saga kicks off, and media takes it and runs with it, using it as an excuse for their dying industry.
They blamed their audience for their lack of integrity and getting blacklisted by major games companies.
So it's not so much that she didn't get called out, it's that they weaponized her. If they hadn't she would have just remained another Jack Thompson.
Thanks for the breakdown. It just disgusts me that she was on all these panels at conventions for gaming.
I grew up in the 80s/90s and can remember comic books getting attacked by screeching feminists and the comic book store owner would laugh and point out that they aren’t mad about musclebound male super heroes.
This bullshit was definitely around since the second wave.
I am struggling to find a date and more specific origins.
John Berger's Ways of seeing from 1972 is one of the origins to the modern version that originated with Barbara Lee Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts, which I am not sure originated in 1970 or 1997.