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I don't know about you guys but I feel like riot should stop sexualizing most female characters

evilkiwis·8/17/2018, 4:50:50 PM·9 votes·3,925 views

This has been bugging me for a while now, and I only ignored it because I thought riot was getting better. It's a problem that nearly all the female characters are in some way sexy or beautiful, and I know that in some cases it can almost be justified (like Evelynn seducing her targets for example).

Not only is it driving people away, but showing that women have to look pretty or sexy no matter how powerful, strong, or intelligent they are while men can be any of those things without any eyebrows being raised if they aren't physically flawless. This is also hurting the character design in league. The only female characters that aren't sexualized in any way, like  ![Illaoi](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Illaoi.png) or ![Taliyah](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Taliyah.png)  have much more unique, interesting, and memorable personalities and looks than any oversexualized characters like ![MissFortune](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/MissFortune.png)  or ![Caitlyn](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Caitlyn.png) . 

It seems a bit limiting when male characters can look like ![Urgot](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Urgot.png) , ![Swain](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Swain.png) , or ![MasterYi](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/MasterYi.png) , while female characters need to wear minimal armor, have relatively big breasts, and a pretty face. Frankly if I could only see the faces or hear the voices of these female champions I could not tell them apart. 

There's clearly a problem when characters like ![Nidalee](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Nidalee.png) , that have nothing in the lore that suggests she is in any way a 'seductress', has voice lines like 'Did you know it's mating season?'. Even as a straight man this seems a bit ridiculous, and just ruins the immersion.

I know this isn't like the usual posts here but I couldn't find anywhere else to post it, and it is related to the character design and art of the game, so I figured this was the best place to rant. I just want there to be more well written female characters like ![Illaoi](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Illaoi.png) or ![Kindred](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Kindred.png) (even though kindred isn't technically just female).

If you guys know a better place for this kind of discussion please let me know. Thanks for reading!

100 Comments

Jamaree8/17/2018, 4:53:42 PM9 votes

Oh look, this tired argument again that ignores every male who is shirtless, ripped, with perfect features that woman would swoon over if they were actually real.

Got to love double standards.

Automated Riven8/17/2018, 5:22:15 PM8 votes

Allow me to be honest here. Probably 80-90 percent of people who play this game are men (I am being super generous. Probably closer to 95-97). And (considering statistics) 97-98 percent of those people are straight. Is it wrong for riot to release stuff that attracts those people??? No. In fact it's the way business works.

There are tons of female champs who are not sexualized in lore or base skins. Annie Ashe Diana Fiora Illaoi Irelia Karma Kayle To name a few. (seriously that's in less then half)

However when you start complaining about skins, the whole purpose of those are to sell. And let's face it. If riot wants to earn money so they can keep a free game then sexualizing is the best way to do it.

I am not a fan of oversexulazation either. I think it's immoral. However it's their right and I would never assume to interfiere in someones rights.

If you want to stop sexualization let's start with rewriting male biology.

Stephenizgod8/17/2018, 7:55:48 PM6 votes

Annie Ashe Camille Cassiopeia Diana Fiora Illaoi Irelia Jinx Kaisa Kalista Karma Kayle Leona Lissandra Lulu Orianna Poppy Quinn RekSai Riven Sejuani Taliyah Tristana Vayne Vi Xayah Zoe

All champions that aren't "overly-sexualized". You are confusing being fit or in-shape with being sexualized. Just because they are not out of shape does not mean they are meant to be sexy, this is a game about COMBAT, many of these champions have a backstory involved with fighting or war. In order to participate in a battle, you need to be fit, therefore majority of these champions are athletic or very fit. Yes some champions are sexualized but its part of their design, just because some of these champs have a similar body type does not mean they fall into the same category. Also lets be honest, if you could just choose to be in-shape you would, it a sign of a healthy body and mind. Its an attractive quality, but its not the only attractive quality. Having an issue with others being in-shape is an insecurity issue, basically its a personal problem.

Also: Yasuo Varus Tryndamere Taric Rakan Pantheon Olaf LeeSin Kayn Jayce Graves Garen Ezreal Braum

Not every guy can look like this, not every guy does look like this. These guys are not sexualized, but according to your logic because they are in-shape and have strong facial features, its unfair and Riot should stop sexualizing male characters.

Aptest8/17/2018, 7:06:14 PM4 votes

{quoted}

It's a problem that nearly all the female characters are in some way sexy or beautiful

It's not a problem. This is a fantasy game. When I play it I want to be in a fantasy world. And in my fantasy world men are handsome and women are pretty. Or are you saying, it is a problem that I have access to this fantasy?

Not only is it driving people away

We can dismiss this assertion out of hand. Just a piece of disjoint implicit bias on your part here.

but showing that women have to look pretty or sexy no matter how powerful, strong, or intelligent they are

No. You have got this wrong. That powerful women in this game look pretty, does not state that women have to be pretty regardless of their other characteristics.

while men can be any of those things without any eyebrows being raised if they aren't physically flawless.

We should go into how male beauty works differently than female beauty, if we want to pursue this line of argumentation. Regardless, the men of league of legends, barring some exemptions, are ripped, athletic and sexy. Whether they are strong men line Braum or Taric, lanky athletic men like Varus and Jhin, or general purpose beefcakes like Graves.

But i guess you want to argue the exemptions? alright, how about Kalista then? Sure she's thin, but she's otherwise coyote ugly.

This is also hurting the character design in league. The only female characters that aren't sexualized in any way, like Illaoi or Taliyah have much more unique, interesting, and memorable personalities and looks than any oversexualized characters like MissFortune or Caitlyn .

I think that if you argue, that Taliah has more/better lore than MF, you are seriously out of touch with the lore section of this forum. You havn't done your home work, sorry.

It seems a bit limiting when male characters can look like ![Urgot](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Urgot.png) , ![Swain](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Swain.png) , or ![MasterYi](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/MasterYi.png) , while female characters need to wear minimal armor, have relatively big breasts, and a pretty face. Frankly if I could only see the faces or hear the voices of these female champions I could not tell them apart.

I'll give you that, to some extent. Because league had some very old models. However, when it comes to sound design, you're completely wrong. You could not mistake MF's VO for Katarina's, or for Lux's.

There's clearly a problem when characters like ![Nidalee](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.15.1/img/champion/Nidalee.png) , that have nothing in the lore that suggests she is in any way a 'seductress', has voice lines like 'Did you know it's mating season?'. Even as a straight man this seems a bit ridiculous, and just ruins the immersion.

That's on you. Nidalee's design is partly a 4th wall break pun. you're supposed to break your immersion because the "cougar" champion is talking dirty. It's a 4th wall joke and you just don't get it. that comes from a time in league of legends where lore designers permitted themselves to have humor.

There's a place for joke designs. Nidalee is a joke design. Deal with it.

So basically, you don't get the joke, so you scream "lore, lore lore, won't Mchaos come save me".

I know this isn't like the usual posts here

Actually there's this kind of post about once a week here.

but I couldn't find anywhere else to post it, and it is related to the character design and art of the game, so I figured this was the best place to rant. I just want there to be more well written female characters like Illaoi or Kindred (even though kindred isn't technically just female).

If you guys know a better place for this kind of discussion please let me know. Thanks for reading!

To be fair to you: IMHO you think Illaoi is better written than MF because her body type is not as curvy.

But if you'd go read some of the lore and do your home work you will find that MF has a much more developed lore than Illaoi. This is mostly a result of MF being an older character (I.E. not related to shock and awwww), and also one that is placed as a major character in runeterra, whereas Illaoi is at best GP's side gig.

You're just factually wrong here, and what causes you to be factually wrong is your internalized implicit bias.

OurLestrade8/17/2018, 5:00:20 PM2 votes

People fantasise in games, and there's nothing wrong with it. There's characters like Camille to scratch the badassery itch.

Wrathof3008/17/2018, 5:49:11 PM2 votes

For a character to be sexualized it simply means they could in some way be attractive to a person and there are many variations of how a character could be considered attractive. It is not a bad or good thing inherently, but can become problematic when done repetitively, which what you're pointing out.

"Kaisa is a champion many people would consider to be sexualized in a bad way, because her design does not convey they 'survivor of the Void' thematic. However personally I view her sexualization in a neutral fashion, because I understand her as a someone using a 'Void symbiote' hence she could look 'however' underneath, but I still recognize that her design should have done more to live up to the 'survivor' thematic."

Getting the women in league to have more diversified body types is certainly a post worthy of support, however calling out the 'sexualized' designs of the past is not the way to do so imo. MissFortune is character of a lot more depth than her in game lets on and Nidalee is an old champion with no current lore (to my knowledge) and basically a 'female Tarzan' archetype.

Edit: I'm not sure if you watched TB Skyen's video already.