The Hobbit Cast Swaps Genders in All-Female Photoshoot

[Danny Ocean]

This is rubbish. Except for Frodo and Thorin they dont match at all.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

Bilbo looks waaaaaaaaaaay too competent, I mean shit, it looks like her second breakfast would be your ass for that weak ass sh*t you're bringing in her house!

Actually, nearly all of them look kinda... excepting Thorin who I can kinda get behind, they don't feel like they're characters. They feel like hot girls in costumes. I like the concept but it's not great execution :-/

 

[BehattedWanderer]

No. Unforgivable. Needs more ladybeards.

Incidentally, can we get an actual version of this six years from now, when it's time to reboot LotR? And get someone like Dame Maggie Smith to be Gandalf? Because that would be awesome.

 

[trollnystan]

Pretty much what I expected from a Russian photographer; all the women are young, gorgeous, and most are "tarted up" a bit, and god forbid if they actually looked mussed or dirty.

Yes, I'm prejudiced when it comes to (mostly male) Eastern Europeans - especially Russians - and their portrayal of women. I try not to be, but they confirm them time and time again. It's almost gotten to the point where I can tell if the artist is E. European just by looking at how they draw/paint/photograph/design women. Occasionally one will surprise you though =)

 

[teamcharlie]

One of the few times western audiences get to see some legitimately normal-looking people star in a movie (except for Kili. Heaven forfend that the pretty elf girl fall for a dwarf who actually looks like a dwarf instead of a miniature dark-haired elf. Fuck that guy) and their lady versions are the standard whitewashed, pretty, thin twenty-somethings. Can one of the models at least be bald, or wrinkled, or normal-sized? Something?

 

[Vigormortis]

I'd say the point they seem to be trying to make is somewhat undermined by the simple fact that all models used are rather conventionally attractive.

It's not so much a gender swap as a hot girl swap.

Pretty much what I thought after scrolling through them. Which, in all honesty, is rather disappointing.

Yes, yes, the girls are quite attractive and the costumes (mostly) fantastic. However, I would have LOVED to have seen a proper gender swap; right down to an older female Gandalf and a genuinely fat female Bombur.

That would have been far more appealing than just putting Hobbit costumes on standard-affair, attractive photo-shoot models.

Still: points for effort and some for execution.

 

[Nurb]

I'm not even that big of a fan, but these girls are too perfect, too young, not stocky enough, the fat one isn't fat enough (But then I guess a fat woman with food in her mouth would be called fat-shaming or something)

And of course, no beards, and no male version of the elf woman...

It's a nice cosplay effort, but if you're gonna go for it, go all the way.

 

[CloudAtlas]

I'd say the point they seem to be trying to make is somewhat undermined by the simple fact that all models used are rather conventionally attractive.

It's not so much a gender swap as a hot girl swap.

My thoughts exactly.

And kinda weird. Don't we all love grandmas? What's the deal with this Gandalf...ina then?

 

[newwiseman]

My one complaint, they couldn't get a Sting? I have one I bought for $10, the Thorin outfit has to cost more than that.

Not a complaint, second hottest Gandalf I've ever seen.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well if they toned the Barbie doll thing down by about 150% then this would be pretty cool, right now it just looks odd, really really odd.

 

[88chaz88]

I'm not even that big of a fan, but these girls are too perfect, too young, not stocky enough, the fat one isn't fat enough (But then I guess a fat woman with food in her mouth would be called fat-shaming or something)

And of course, no beards, and no male version of the elf woman...

It's a nice cosplay effort, but if you're gonna go for it, go all the way.

Now that's perfect!

As it is, the OP isn't really a gender swap or experiment. Just an excuse to photograph hot models dressed as dwarves.

 

[Product Placement]

While the lands of Middle-Earth clearly aren't devoid of women (someone had to birth all those sword-wielding men), by-and-large the works of Tolkien tend to be a bit dude-centric. Granted, you have your Galadriel and your Eowyn, but they tend to be exceptions to the rule. It's an arguable flaw that the film versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit both took steps to remedy. Even so, the fact remains that when hobbits go a-questing, they don't seem to do it with women.

Eh. Playing the devils advocate, I say that this is a complaint I'm hearing more and more about LOTR but we need to remember that this was written in the 40's, by a man who was literally born in the 19th century. While we may have stronger demands for more reasonable representation of the fairer sex, this was something that really wasn't a concern back then. And like you said, at least the film is trying.

Oh great. I can't wait for the inevitable anti-feminism rage that this will (for some reason nobody can ever explain) un-doubtable cause.

So far, all the complaints seem to be more about how the models are too young/pretty looking/beardless, so I reserve the right to call you a pessimist.

 

[Alandoril]

People complaining about the lack of female characters in Tolkien's work seem to have missed the point that he was writing his own version of a North European epic. Women weren't exactly main protagonists in that genre...

 

[Squilookle]

What, no Smaug? Are they even trying!?

I could make some lame joke about 'Bagging' that Bilbo... but I won't...

 

[Grumman]

People complaining about the lack of female characters in Tolkien's work seem to have missed the point that he was writing his own version of a North European epic. Women weren't exactly main protagonists in that genre...

If I wanted historical accuracy, I'd read a historical novel. To me, the greatest strength of science fiction and fantasy is that this nonsense can go die in a fire.

 

[Extragorey]

Having a look at the photographer's website [http://500px.com/AlexanderTurchanin], it seems he only uses female models (and only rather attractive ones at that). There's some pretty awesome Tomb Raider and Bloodrayne cosplays there too.

As for the dwarves, I find it a bit weird. Gender-swapping characters we all know and love, I mean. It's... well, unnatural.

EDIT: Oh wait, 2 of 89 photos have a male in them. So just gender-biased, then, not gender-exclusive.

 

[Thaluikhain]

People complaining about the lack of female characters in Tolkien's work seem to have missed the point that he was writing his own version of a North European epic. Women weren't exactly main protagonists in that genre...

If I wanted historical accuracy, I'd read a historical novel. To me, the greatest strength of science fiction and fantasy is that this nonsense can go die in a fire.

Hey?

Any stories about wizards and dwarfs that ride giant eagles and fight dragons has to be all male, because otherwise it's unrealistic. It's a rule.

 

[manic_depressive13]

(But then I guess a fat woman with food in her mouth would be called fat-shaming or something)

The food in her mouth is a visual cue that she is supposed to be fat. If they had actually used a fat model to represent the fat dwarf there would be no need for that food.

Anyway, this is really disappointing, but I guess I didn't expect anything better.

 

[antidonkey]

While I appreciate what was done I'm disappointed that huskier ladies weren't used for the dwarfs.