Superhero movies and sex appeal

[Thespian]

[Warning - Just a lame observation I made once. There's no discussing rape or abortion or them damn feminists or anything in this thread. At all]

So I was thinking earlier.

Superhero comics sorta have a bad reputation for depicting ridiculously pander-y females with superhumanly bodacious bodices.

But after watching the Avengers, and thinking back on previous movies... Holy crap. Superhero Movies are totally saturated with sex appeal.

As a gay man, I have to say - Tom fucking Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, RDJ - All in one movie? Shit.

The only times I can think of a huge-ass cast of women who are all consistently so attractive are movies that tend to be about how the women are attractive, or at the very least, overly preoccupied with how attractive the women are. I think men are in a really good place that you can have this many male characters of such ridiculous good looks in one place and it just not be a big deal. It's not why anyone goes to see the movie (though it was like, 40% why I went e.e) - as is often the case with things like, say, Sucker Punch - it's just there.

Also, I found it kinda funny how the comics are known for being so silly and pander-y with girls, but the movies totally flipped it. It was a funny reversal. I mean sure, Scar-Jo is smoking hot and all those other hetero-ma-sexual terms you guys use, but it's not exactly flaunted.

So, feel free to use this thread to discuss this thread in terms of cultural context or just discuss the 'hotties' in such movies.



[sub]marry me tom hiddleston[/sub]

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Well I'm a totally straight guy..

But..

Tom Hardy. One of the coolest dudes ever. I mean it..

 

[Hazy992]

I must say Loki looks pretty damn hot in a suit

 

[CODE-D]

okay.....
Theyre just as masculine in the comics....I have really no idea what your talking about and dont want to.
Maybe cause Im straight but I wasnt eye banging the avengers.
I was too busy noticing maria hill in the tight suit....and yknow the action.



also brides maids and other movie examples blah blah blah, I dont feel like arguing over super comics and women....or men for that matter. Why cant they be hot? Your not drawing them or writing them so why should you get a say. Make your own comic blah blah blah....

 

[aestu]

The only times I can think of a huge-ass cast of women who are all consistently so attractive are movies that tend to be about how the women are attractive, or at the very least, overly preoccupied with how attractive the women are. I think men are in a really good place that you can have this many male characters of such ridiculous good looks in one place and it just not be a big deal.

What the hell does this mean?

So women who are forced to be attractive are the victims of "preoccupation", and the men who are attractive are "bleh"?

I completely don't get what your point is, OP.

 

[Thespian]

okay.....
Theyre just as masculine in the comics....I have really no idea what your talking about and dont want to.
Maybe cause Im straight but I wasnt eye banging the avengers.
I was too busy noticing maria hill in the tight suit....and yknow the action.



also brides maids and other movie examples blah blah blah, I dont feel like arguing over super comics and women....or men for that matter. Why cant they be hot? Your not drawing them or writing them so why should you get a say. Make your own comic blah blah blah....

I wasn't saying it was bad. It's just a recurring trend and I found it amusing how reversed it was in movies.

This was really just sort of something I noticed. Is all.

 

[Thespian]

The only times I can think of a huge-ass cast of women who are all consistently so attractive are movies that tend to be about how the women are attractive, or at the very least, overly preoccupied with how attractive the women are. I think men are in a really good place that you can have this many male characters of such ridiculous good looks in one place and it just not be a big deal.

What the hell does this mean?

So women who are forced to be attractive are the victims of "preoccupation", and the men who are attractive are "bleh"?

I completely don't get what your point is, OP.

Uhm, well I guess I just meant that in this case a whole bunch of guys with movie-star looks were chosen, and no big deal was made. Often if that were the case with women and the whole cast was made up of Super-models, that would be "The Hook" or a gimmick or something. Here it wasn't. They were just chosen because they were good for the roles.

I guess you could see it as a gender imbalance, sort of, in that people don't care how attractive men are so long as it's a good cast. It probably factors in more with women, perhaps due to a more sexually conscious male demographic? I dunno.

Not implying women are victims or men are... 'Bleh', though.

 

[darlarosa]

It's based around the fact that the characters are considered relatively good-looking guys (except maybe Bruce Banner). More so the characters are attractive more out of a male fantasy of male impowerment than anything.

The group poster for instance...why was Black Window doing a butt-boob turn pose unlike the others? The men are styled far more consistently for strength than the females are. Thats not to say that in casting no one thought about the gay or female audience, but primarily it's a power fantasy.

1)Attractive
2)Powerful
3) A bit of interesting angst that makes the character's life more exciting by comparison

Black Widow, is a character that uses her sexuality and supposed emotional helplessness to manipulate men. In that way she is the female fantasy of being able to turn perceptions into power. To balance this they present Maria Hill who is competent, loyal, and brave enough to question her superiors. Without balance everything goes kinda wrong. If the men were just attractive set dressing or relied solely on machismo stereotypes then there would not be balance.


In the general argument...males tend to be more than their good looks, and more so males considered average or kinda dumpy or awkward get by fine in the media. Thats less so for females who are often objects to be saved and reclaimed or rely completely on sexual prowess, or are defined by their relationships with men

 

[Relish in Chaos]

People need to learn about false equivalence, because there's a difference between a "power fantasy" and a "sexual fantasy", and more often than not, the former applies for what heterosexual men label as "sexy male characters" (and obviously, heterosexual men can't ever truly know what heterosexual women actually find sexy in men. Big muscles like the Gears of War guys aren't enough).

Ryu from Street Fighter? Power fantasy. Sakura from Street Fighter? Sexual fantasy. What, you really think women around the world aspire to be a schoolgirl who's basically an in-universe fangirl of the main character and wears a miniskirt that, in one match, probably gives the viewer about 50 panty shots?

 

[Freaky Lou]

People need to learn about false equivalence, because there's a difference between a "power fantasy" and a "sexual fantasy", and more often than not, the former applies for what heterosexual men label as "sexy male characters".

Ryu from Street Fighter? Power fantasy. Sakura from Street Fighter? Sexual fantasy. What, you really think women around the world aspire to be a schoolgirl who's basically an in-universe fangirl of the main character and wears a miniskirt that, in one match, probably gives the viewer about 50 panty shots?

OP is not a heterosexual and the Avengers actors are not "male power-fantasy" idealized like, say, Stallone or Shwarzeneggar. They're guys heterosexual women consider attractive.

 

[Soxafloppin]

As a Straight guy, I kept getting distracted by how beautiful Thors hair is.

Sexy man, Sexy man indeed.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

People need to learn about false equivalence, because there's a difference between a "power fantasy" and a "sexual fantasy", and more often than not, the former applies for what heterosexual men label as "sexy male characters".

Ryu from Street Fighter? Power fantasy. Sakura from Street Fighter? Sexual fantasy. What, you really think women around the world aspire to be a schoolgirl who's basically an in-universe fangirl of the main character and wears a miniskirt that, in one match, probably gives the viewer about 50 panty shots?

OP is not a heterosexual and the Avengers actors are not "male power-fantasy" idealized like, say, Stallone or Shwarzeneggar. They're guys heterosexual women consider attractive.

I know OP's not heterosexual. But The Avengers' male actors aren't sexualized the way that female superheroes are. The last I can remember of any real "manservice" in film is that scene in Casino Royale when Daniel Craig comes out of the water with his shirt off. You never see Tom Hardy on a film poster twisting his body around to make sure the viewers have a perfect shot of his ass.

 

[Able Seacat]

[Warning - Just a lame observation I made once. There's no discussing rape or abortion or them damn feminists or anything in this thread. At all]

Good luck with that

 

[TheCaptain]

Well, I suppose they use what worked on their respective tageted demographics. While most the (straight) men I know find Widow's pose in the groupshot appealing, while the women who just can't shut up about Thor would probably find something like that rather silly. Also, while Johanssen's hotness was duly noted during the movie when I went with a couple of friends, most of us were like "Har har what Hulk did", while the women just started swooning about Hemsworth.

Also, looking at the people around me I get the feeling that while straight men don't mind women in skimpy outfits bending over backwards and putting on an overly sexualized behaviour, gay men seem to be put off by especially flamboyant, over-the-top, slutty and especially "stereotypically gay" behaviour on other guys.

I for myself don't mind. Johanssen was fun to watch, both her looks AND her acting, and in the end we all enjoyed the film.