Catching up so apologies for what may turn out to be a very long post
And nothing would change if male action heroes like Goku were women but for some reason they all have to be dudes.
Raptor Red didn't have to be a female utahraptor, but kid me thought it was so badass that not only was there a book where the main character was a raptor, but a girl raptor at that. I had an easier time relating to a fucking utahraptor that neither knows nor cares about human gender stereotypes than most female human characters in media at the time.
Haven't seen DragonBall or read Raptor Red (though RR is on my bookshelf somewhere). I was a weird kid without a lot of friends so I always liked King Kong and Creature from the Black Lagoon.
I love everything about Silence of the Lambs and the way the movie depicts what Clarice endures as a woman, professionally and otherwise.
Also, Miggs in modern era would be an A&Her 100%.
Regarding Ripley in Alien: I think she's a great female character, as well as being refreshingly not overtly feminine. She is a very straightforward no-nonsense woman who has a job to do on that ship, and she just wants to get it done so she can go home. I didn't find her character to be flat as her demeanor reminded me of lots of women I've met in professional settings.
Also, she was displaying maternal instinct when she made a point of rescuing Jonesy- the otherwise vulnerable creature that most men would probably not have risked their lives for since it's "just a cat."
Her character got very fleshed out in Aliens where she's shown in full blown protective mom mode with Newt. Her character in that movie was definitely feminine and would not have worked had it been played by a man.
I didn't call Ripley flat. I really don't even dislike her. I just don't understand why people act like she's this masterclass study in how to write a female character (at least in the first film). Not sure about her protective instincts as she ditches the cat at one point (IIRC). Although you have made me want to see Aliens. I have a theory that Ripley bringing the cat along was a literal Save the Cat move to keep her sympathetic to the audience giver her kinda cold behavior through the movie up to that point, although this plot beat is unconventionally put at the end of the story rather than the beginning.
No, I understood it. I'm saying that these categories are bullshit. I'm saying I think you've used the phrase "man with tits" about a female character who was too masculine for your tastes and think you were actually making a good point instead of just saying a lot about yourself. Male and Female characters are subsets of Good and Bad characters, that's it. Using "female character" to only refer to a a character who has 'feminine' behavior and 'feminine' story is distasteful. Stripping a character of her female status because she doesn't meet your criteria of feminine behavior, attitude, beliefs, because her story isn't about what you deem as appropriate female issues, is very lame.
If you don't understand that there are narratives tied to the male experience, narratives tied to the female experience, and narratives not tied to either, and that there are characters that fit with these subtypes and characters who don't, then I don't know what to tell you. You don't need to be a fart-huffer to understand this, you just need to posses some level of critical thinking. I didn't say Ripley isn't a female. I said she's not a great female character. If she was a dude she wouldn't be a great male character either. You are conflating "not a representation of the female experience/female struggle/female worldview" with "not a female."
Ripley is not a total idiot and is the sole survivor in a goofy sci-fi monster movie. That's it. You could replace her with an 80 year old man and apart from sprinting through some hallways, literally nothing in the story would change. To apply this to another movie, MacReady in The Thing is not a great male character, either (although if memory serves he has some moid tardrages so is more male than Ripley is female). Wonder if that's equally controversial to you. My guess is that it isn't. If all you need to feel like a woman is being represented is seeing a woman who just isn't a love interest, then good for you (genuinely), but I am not so easily satisfied.
Do you realize you are saying that Ripley was not a female character in the first movie, but then became a female character in Aliens because she had to deal motherhood: her daughter's death and being a surrogate mom for Newt, assuming that that is a 'feminine' enough story for you. I think the idea that there are 'real women' and 'real men' and anyone who fails to meet the criteria (which everyone and their dog has a different definition of) no longer qualifies to is absurd when used on people and nonsensical when used on characters.
'Good female characters' was just about female characters who were just well rounded characters and not written using sexist tropes and/or stereotypes or written only as a one dimensional love interest or a one dimensional supportive character for the male lead. And it somehow morphed into 'she has to be feminine in the exact ways I think a women should be feminine otherwise it's not a "real" female character'. Fuck this gay earth.
I said multiple times I have only seen the first Alien. Given how you misread the rest of what I said, not surprised you missed this. You're putting words in my mouth with the "real women/men" and "one-dimensional love interest" shit, at least I'm taking it as directed at me.
I am not sure why you think the only way to write a female character is to have her fit into sexist tropes or stereotypes but this is not the case and, with no disrespect meant, is something I would expect to see a man say.
The idea that we all need representation on film and media is a fairly recent one, and not IMO a positive one. It’s how we’ve ended up with so much utter dreck that’s just poorly written self inserts.
I watched The Terror and thought it was very good. If there were women in there they weren’t in screen for long. I don’t need there to be ‘someone like me’ shoehorned into every bit of media. Sometimes a piece is about men battling the Arctic. There used to be more ‘appealing to the deeper human condition’ but now it’s ’must Have a sassy Latinx female’ and media is poorer for it. I don’t understand why people want to see an exact replica of themselves on screen rather than identify more with a struggle, a journey or a situation. It’s a lack of imagination in the general public and it feeds The Machine and its IDpol
We don't
need representation everywhere, but to say that representation doesn't inform our view of ourselves and the world around us is incorrect, and when representation happens it needs to be of quality. I don't need representation to like something. Most of my favorite movies/shows/games don't have much "literally me" representation. But representation is something people need to be aware of. Was King Arthur black? No. But more than half the US population is women, so I think it's ok if an American-made video game stars a female character.
Who do you guys think is the epitome of moidness in fiction? I cast my ballot for Ricky from Trailer Park Boys. Absolute atrocious father figure, always getting into insane mischief (or jail) instead of helping his family, and a giant sleaze who couldn't hold down a job even if he was held at gunpoint.
Someone said Gaston and I have to second that. Though his character is obviously exaggerated for comedic effect. I also hold up Daniel Craig's James Bond.
Unsurprisingly women make much better leaders because women are more responsible, show empathy to their employees instead of playing out some power fantasy and don't have random testosterone fueled tardouts or pick their employees based on who gives them the biggest boner/who they want to go golfing with.
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One of my skills is my ability to get along with almost anyone in the workplace, as long as they aren't literally groping me. I work in a very male-dominated workplace and have to pick and choose when I will tolerate overt harassment and when I won't. I don't tolerate touching, but a lot of comments I will let slide if the man is in a position above me, or does their job well. Men like to think that I could just trot to HR and get someone fired for a comment made to me. This is not true. There is a real possibility I could face retaliation, from the company itself or the man I'm complaining about. All this to say that even when tolerating sexual comments/advances, the only coworkers I ever had real conflict with were men, with the exception of one particularly insane woman. Underqualified idiots? Men. Sensitive pussies that took criticism personally? Men. Laziest? Men. Getting emotional in the office? Men. Sabotaging coworkers they don't like? Men. I have to tiptoe around men's feelings constantly in the workplace.
I usually like the gymrat look but I 100% agree. and the roided ones usually look really bad. john Cena at the Oscars yesterday was genuinely nauseating, I don’t know why straight guys were dickriding him
so hard.
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he looks like he’s made of melting wax and he has a bubble gut and really ugly pecs…
Better than a flabby fatty, but you can tell he's approaching 50 and has been using roids for a long time. Not attractive and not a funny bit (or whatever it was supposed to be, didn't watch the Oscars). You can feel the Hollywood weirdness exuding from him. Idiots online have been calling this a humiliation ritual but I bet you this weird freak got off on it.
. He is one manipulative asshole and I only told him once that it was he who caused all the issues.
