This is everything wrong with this hobby in one photo.

[fosing]

i'm sensing her need to elicit some kinda intellectual masturbation. but why the freaks board of all places.

 

[Rotfish]

BLOODY EPIC.

 

[Jen]

This is everything wrong with this hobby in one photo.

Some free clues for the artist and those who admire this immature objectification of women:

If a woman designs and/or dons a suit of armour to engage others in mortal struggle,

…she will be smart enough to protect her thighs, upper arms and, oh yes, her head, just like Tony Stark.

...she will have a short utilitarian haircut or put her hair a bun/ponytail.

…she will NOT wear high heels.

…in general she will not list being "sexy" very high on her immediate list of priorities when fighting for her survival or the survival of others.

…she will no go around with a vacant stare, her lips parted in anticipation of your "hot" kisses.

…in fact she will most definitely not be interested in you, not even as friends.

***

I just wanted to clear that up in case any juvenile fantasies were standing between grown men and a grip on reality.

This design trend is why this hobby sees much lower levels of participation from women than our overall share of interest in comicbooks, scifi and fantasy. It is truly repellant.

When I first saw the image of this - I personally never thought this figure was dressed for combat...but rather playing dress up - as someone else mentioned a woman would wear Victoria's Secret - or some of those rather sexy Halloween costumes. Perhaps she's having an affair with Iron Man and thought her get up would turn him on. Who knows what the customizer was thinking - but as I said - this does not seem like a woman figure ready to go save the world - but rather participating in some role playing fantasy.

Because of how I personally depict this figure - your argument of her hair, heels and clothing doesn't apply. She's posed in a relaxed manner....not with a gun in hand like she's getting read to shoot some bad guys.

If some guy wants to imagine that this is how Black Widow likes to dress for some sexy time...then it's really of little concern to me personally.

Her parted lips and vacant stare - I think is more a fault of Hot Toys not male collectors or this customizer.

Now some people said your post was written in a mean manner....I have to agree with some of it:

"…in fact she will most definitely not be interested in you, not even as friends.

***

I just wanted to clear that up in case any juvenile fantasies were standing between grown men and a grip on reality. "

As I said in my other posts - this hobby is based on entertainment and fantasy. I really don't think the majority of male collectors here have in any way lost their grip on reality because of some scantily clad female figure. What you wrote, I find to be rather insulting to many of the male collectors on this board who are good guys, loving husbands/fathers, etc...and many whom I consider to be my friends.

And I can agree with you that if a woman was going to go kick some *** she would dress appropriately. I personally find the outfit Black Widow wears in The Avengers to be ridiculous. Does she really need to have her zipper down in the front? Her boots do have heels...not practical at all...but then it's a movie based on a comic book. If you want to watch a woman dressed realistically for combat, you need to watch movies like Courage Under Fire, GI Jane, etc..not The Avengers, or Batman, or just about any "action" movie with Kate Beckinsale.

 

[xYx]

^ Don't you dare bad mouth Kate Beckinsale.

 

[Jen]

^ Don't you dare bad mouth Kate Beckinsale.

I'm not bad mouthing Kate Beckinsale. She's a very sexy woman. I am just saying that in the majority of her roles...she is kicking *** in some rather impractical outfits. For instance:

Why is it that women in action films tend to wear skin tight leather/latex outfits? The chaffing must be horrendous!

 

[Kamandi]

Personal attacks and patronising remarks about my tone, lack of class, etc. are much easier than finding fault with my views.

I understand other members have taken this more personally. I think if you review my posts in this thread you'll find apart from a bit of sarcasm I've tried to include ideas in each of my posts AND I've refrained from any personal attack towards you.

Notice how literally no one (to the best of my knowledge, correct me if I am wrong) has actually quoted and analysed my original post.

Fair enough. Let's do that.

This is everything wrong with this hobby in one photo.

I'm curious why you are singling this piece out in particular. In a hobby that has many other sexualized depictions of women this is 1) reasonably tame and 2) a modest effort in terms of skill.

Contrast this with any Witchblade custom or statue. Far more skin and more difficult to justify from a functional standpoint. I could argue that Black Widow is wearing enough of the Iron Man armor to kick some serious @ss (if she has a power source)

Some free clues for the artist and those who admire this immature objectification of women:

If a woman designs and/or dons a suit of armour to engage others in mortal struggle,

…she will be smart enough to protect her thighs, upper arms and, oh yes, her head, just like Tony Stark.

I posted this last week in the Avengers thread. I thought at the time it was a cool photoshop.



I would suggest this is as functional as the real design. There is a depiction of an aggressive heroic ideal but also the curves and sensuality of the female form. If Tony were to build Pepper a suit (as in the comics) this is a plausible design that would work in that film universe.

There are also female adaptations of Thor and Captain America, but I'd rather stay focused and move onto you next point.

...she will have a short utilitarian haircut or put her hair a bun/ponytail.

…she will NOT wear high heels.

…in general she will not list being "sexy" very high on her immediate list of priorities when fighting for her survival or the survival of others.

…she will no go around with a vacant stare, her lips parted in anticipation of your "hot" kisses.

I assume you've been in this hobby long enough to know most 1:6 sculpts feature a rather neutral (or "vacant") expression in the eyes. The parted lips are simply an observation by the artist at Hot Toys that Scarlett Johansson is photographed with her lips like this quite often.

…in fact she will most definitely not be interested in you, not even as friends.

This sounds like a snipe. Who is it directed towards?

***

I just wanted to clear that up in case any juvenile fantasies were standing between grown men and a grip on reality.

1:6 collecting is about many things, reality not one of them. I have yet to see a 1:6 hospital waiting room where a family is desperately waiting for news following a surgery.

This is an escapist hobby that is an outgrowth of our love of comics, film, animation... and adaptations of those things into figure and miniature formats.

There's more than enough reality in the news and everyday life. Please don't assume you're the only person who sees it.

This design trend is why this hobby sees much lower levels of participation from women than our overall share of interest in comicbooks, scifi and fantasy. It is truly repellant.

I was blown away at how many women ARE in this hobby. I think it's f'king awesome. Most of them don't seem to have the same chip on their shoulder about sexy heroes.

There are depictions of sexy men in film. Thor took off his shirt, my wife didn't seem to mind. I know she has a celeb-crush on Matt Bomer. The films Gladiator and 300 and the TV series Sparticus have their share of female fans, and they don't seem too worried about men's tender feelings, or the subtext of homoeroticism or objectification of the male body.

Of course some people still find this acceptable too:

This is a separate can of worms and I'm not going near this. I'll just say I question your wisdom in using this as an argument.

 

[xYx]

Why is it that women in action films tend to wear skin tight leather/latex outfits? The chaffing must be horrendous!

The chaffing keeps them focused with the task at hand.

 

[Jen]

I do love David Tennant. And I can see it now.....Avengers suit up for combat! Black Widow excuses herself so she can roll around in baby powder just so she can put on her outfit.

 

[Solidus]

In before the lock. Wait... why aren't the mods locking this thread?

 

[fosing]

where was star puff and her argument when this was released.

 

[Solidus]

Here's a female pred . Looks pretty cool, not digging the boots though.

 

[crows]

Asked and answered already, but even so...

My criticism is about how men depict women, not how women choose to express our sexuality of our own volition. I am fine with most of those sexy outfits. That is a strawman people have certainly loved to rage against in this thread. Edit: Nor am I against men creating nude art of women in general nor even against "normal" pornography. It is the themes of objectification, disempowerment and some creepy fetshism that I protest.

To use an example, do you recognize a difference between a white person and black person using the n-word? While blacks debate amongst themselves what is proper, that does not give whites a right to start using that word, even if they claim (based on comedic usage by blacks) to not mean it in a negative sense.

Well similarly, even if some women are in the wrong to pander quite as much to male fantasies at times, it is still their choice. The contrast between the real women in skimpy Iron Man outfits and the male artist creating his "sexy" Iron Widow is striking. One reflects a woman in control of female sexuality, the other careful control by a man, specifically designed with ludicrous vulnerability so as to not be 'too powerful'.



Overall I agree. I am constantly disappointed in life my how vapid and vain otherwise intelligent women can be. My point as clearly stated in the original post is the effect on this hobby and in particular the potential impact of that aesthetic in turning away women who otherwise are invested in the exact franchises and themes that drive this hobby.

All of this tirade about sexuality and sexy outfits in general is a strawman rebuttal to avoid discussing what I wrote. Notice how literally no one (to the best of my knowledge, correct me if I am wrong) has actually quoted and analysed my original post. Personal attacks and patronising remarks about my tone, lack of class, etc. are much easier than finding fault with my views.

I am starting to get the feeling that Star Puffs is racist

 

[The 1 Who Knocks]

sounds to me like someone isn't getting her fill

 

[Lejuan]

I am starting to get the feeling that Star Puffs is racist

 

[devilof76]

The hell is wrong with her eyes?

I'm trying to sort out the difference between an awkward, unsophisticated attempt at making a sexy custom, and objectifying, disempowering, creepifying fetish art. I'm not having much luck, so it's going back in the 'arbitrary crap that I can't ever take seriously ever' bin.

 

[crows]

she keeps trying to prove her point about sexism and objectification by using racism examples, I don't get it, why bring race into this, this is about men Vs. women thing for her, don't really understand the racist stuff in her examples. So I think she is racist lol.

 

[fosing]

****, that's ripcord.

 

[Lejuan]

she keeps trying to prove her point about sexism and objectification by using racism examples, I don't get it, why bring race into this, this is about men Vs. women thing for her, don't really understand the racist stuff in her examples. So I think she is racist lol.

She's clearly not racist. But she does condescend to speak for minorities, which, although undoubtedly well meaning, is both naive and patronising. Curious, isn't it? She claims to be speaking on behalf of female collectors generally, and yet none of the other ladies in this discussion agree with much of what she's said. And she claims to be speaking for minorities, and yet none of them, as far as I can guess, agree with much of what she's said either. I think it's safe to say that Starpuffs speaks only for herself. Which, had she been up front about from the beginning, would have offended probably no-one and saved her the indignity of having to defend the indefensible.

 

[Adoptedscot]

How can you whip someone with pants? they Have to be pantless

He can't be pantless, that would be objectification
Though I know Ween (both his and the actual Ween) would have fun
x

King is always pantless! Well, if I'm watching he has to be nekkid, but then, I'm broke, so....

LOL...Shell, I thought you knew.

Oh I do my friend, Kingy don't like pants, he's a trucker what else can we expect
I just liked the thought of whipping

Hi Buddy
x

When I first saw the image of this - I personally never thought this figure was dressed for combat...but rather playing dress up - as someone else mentioned a woman would wear Victoria's Secret - or some of those rather sexy Halloween costumes. Perhaps she's having an affair with Iron Man and thought her get up would turn him on. Who knows what the customizer was thinking - but as I said - this does not seem like a woman figure ready to go save the world - but rather participating in some role playing fantasy.

Because of how I personally depict this figure - your argument of her hair, heels and clothing doesn't apply. She's posed in a relaxed manner....not with a gun in hand like she's getting read to shoot some bad guys.

If some guy wants to imagine that this is how Black Widow likes to dress for some sexy time...then it's really of little concern to me personally.

Her parted lips and vacant stare - I think is more a fault of Hot Toys not male collectors or this customizer.


Now some people said your post was written in a mean manner....I have to agree with some of it:

"…in fact she will most definitely not be interested in you, not even as friends.

***

I just wanted to clear that up in case any juvenile fantasies were standing between grown men and a grip on reality. "

As I said in my other posts - this hobby is based on entertainment and fantasy. I really don't think the majority of male collectors here have in any way lost their grip on reality because of some scantily clad female figure. What you wrote, I find to be rather insulting to many of the male collectors on this board who are good guys, loving husbands/fathers, etc...and many whom I consider to be my friends.

And I can agree with you that if a woman was going to go kick some *** she would dress appropriately. I personally find the outfit Black Widow wears in The Avengers to be ridiculous. Does she really need to have her zipper down in the front? Her boots do have heels...not practical at all...but then it's a movie based on a comic book. If you want to watch a woman dressed realistically for combat, you need to watch movies like Courage Under Fire, GI Jane, etc..not The Avengers, or Batman, or just about any "action" movie with Kate Beckinsale.

All well said Jen .

The picture this thread was created to use as being 'everything wrong with the hobby' is quite frankly laughable. It's a mock up that someone has put together maybe for fun, maybe for another reason, who knows but to use it and make such critique of it affectively ruining the hobby staggers me.

Feminism, sexism, objectification and simply glorified imagary of women is another matter entirely. Imo there is no need to be so critical over what is a silly piece of plastic that someone created for their own collection.
I must admit to really despising some of the anime style pieces I have seen but even they, as gross as they are, are not 'everything wrong with the hobby'. Some of those pieces can be described as derogatory and demeaning and I have personally called some of them 'plastic porn' but again I wouldn't class them as 'everything wrong', they are merely characters that are brought to life in statue form. If someone wants to collect them, that's up to them and as long as they don't force me to look at them, I don't care.
Classifying something as 'everything wrong with the hobby' is a very big umbrella that quite frankly the opening argument does not even partially begin to fill. As has been mentioned before, there are scalpers, flippers, dis-honest sellers, nightmare QC from companies, lost packages.....I could go on as to the problems of a hobby that probably millions enjoy in one shape or form and this thread is definately does not cover 'everything'.

The picture posted to cause all this is no more objectifying of women (by men) anymore than a male piece which is mostly nekkid and sports a large package (Leonidas for example) would be showing objectification of men.

I find it quite amusing when the reasons given for the 'offending' piece to be objectifying are the fact she's pouting, or wearing heels, yet no reference is given to a male piece who is positioned spreadeagle pushing his oversized crotch forwards (Angel Comiquette as one example). I would imagine if someone was as repulsed by the opening post picture because of the politics of these issues they would be across the board and apply said politics to both genders.
At the end of the day it's a hobby, enjoy it. If it's put under the microscope so much there will ALWAYS be something to moan about, and where's the fun in that.

These are statues/collectables/ pieces of plastic and Art that we all collect. They are not created as an insult to half the population or a statement in gender politics.

...and comparing this discussion of these female pieces and opinions to the use of the n-word is imo rediculous.
x

 

[devilof76]

I can't stand plastic porn either. Cast off clothing, or anatomically correct base bodies. What's confusing is that she even ruled out genuine porn as being within the parameters of what she's decrying.