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”
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.