I was not planning a running theme but given yesterday’s commentary and tomorrow’s let’s just run with the ball I’ve been handed and there’s something in the “filler video” stack that fits this theme. We’ve heard that in superhero comics and fantasy stories (oddly not as much in science fiction, at least lately) that the male character designs are based on a male power fantasy and the female character designs are based on a male sexual fantasy. Admittedly there are times this is true and I’ll be exploring that more tomorrow. However, is it always true?
Shad (no connection) of Shadiversity, a YouTube channel dedicated to medieval weapons, castles, and general life, plus the fantasy stories that come from that setting, has discussed this. In the three videos below he starts asking if the “bikini” armor even makes sense, follows that up with a discussion about male power fantasy versus female sexualisation and whether the critique really holds up, and then goes into what armor for women should actually be like to actually protect a woman warrior.
