All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games

This episode examines the very limited range of female body types commonly seen in games, contrasting this with the much wider range of physiques that male characters frequently possess. We then illustrates that, when female characters appear who do have a body type that is notably different from the slender physique that games establish as the standard, these bodies are sometimes presented as a joke, or as a twisted transgression of social standards and expectations. We examine how this limited range extends to the age of female characters as well, before highlighting a few examples of games that have positive representations of women with different body types and women who are older.

Writing:
  • Anita Sarkeesian

Stars:
Release Date: 2013-03-07
Seasons: 1 2
TMDb: 1.0/10
  • Country: US
  • Language: English

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Strategic Butt Coverings
Episode 1 - Strategic Butt Coverings
Body Language & The Male Gaze
Episode 2 - Body Language & The Male...
Lingerie is not Armor
Episode 3 - Lingerie is not Armor
Are Women Too Hard To Animate?
Episode 4 - Are Women Too Hard To Ani...
All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games
Episode 5 - All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games
Sinister Seductress
Episode 6 - Sinister Seductress
Not Your Exotic Fantasy
Episode 7 - Not Your Exotic Fantasy
The Lady Sidekick
Episode 8 - The Lady Sidekick