"Why don't they emphasis penises like that?!"

[Rebel_Raven]

Two things occurred to me; one, yes it does happen -

Spoiler

Hi, super-bulge!

If this were at all equivalent, Supes' dick would be at least halfway down his thigh in its resting state.

That's kind of the problem, dude. You've admitted your metric for boobs is shaped by media that portrays women as having tits bigger than their heads as standard. That bulge, on the other hand, appears to be your idea of huge. Personally, it's my idea of "cute."

In fact, they tend to downplay the genitals of male superheroes. Meanwhile, look at what Lois is wearing. Look at what Lois is going to wear. And consider that they literally altered Brandon Routh's package in Superman Returns because his natural "gifts" were too great. Routh forever has the honour of bragging that he's got one up on the Man of Steel.

Exley got a warning in one of these threads for showing off a real equivalent shot. That's how big the double-standard is. You can't even show pics comparable to the anime girls. And this isn't complaining about the moderation, before someone chews me out for that. It's pointing out the standard of what's considered too risque/NSFW.

I would bet good money that you would be veeeeeeeery uncomfortable if we scaled up all superheroes to even Brandon Routh standard. Or if that was considered "small" by the culture at large. Or if men were expected to parade their junk like women are.

But you think this is equivalent because...this is what media shows you. The same media where the ratio of breast to torso--at least in the examples you tend to give--is a function of multipliers (x2, x3, etc) rather than a matter of inches (this is how cut size is measured).

Oh, also, it's worth mentioning that the reason "men" are wired to enjoy breasts as you indicate is that it's an evolutionary holdover as a symbol of arousal. Saying "it's a secondary sexual characteristic, you can't compare it to the penis" isn't entirely true. If you want to talk about "wiring," you don't get to ignore why that's there.

P
Plus a bulge isn't quite as sexualized as an outfit designed to leave very little to the imagination. You can actually walk around in a Superman outfit and not get called indecent. Can't say the same for the Fire Emblem outfit.

It's also worth noting that Supes' trunks are explicitly baggy, while breast pictures often seem to strain at the fabric of an outfit.

Plus other stuff said, like boobs not being reproductive in nature, being more pleasant to look at, boobs being more symbolic than anything, etc.

More pleasant to look at largely because male genitals look weird. More coverage is really better.

Nah, it had something to do with the suit being infused with his liquid DNA, or something like that.

...EWWWWWW!

Is that really the best example of penis emphasis in comics? Because that's kind of weak

I'd try to find a better one but don't feel like typing "comic book penis" into Google image search...

It's not the best example, no. It is, however, pretty common, and really more modest by comic standards than the outfit it's being compared to.

Both genitals are kinda weird, really. I'm thinking a bit too much about this... Lets mental floss...

Liquid Superman DNA! That's the question! Wear Liquid Superman clothes to get super powers, or not?

Honestly, I really can't remember when the penis was used for jokes, or actual relevance to anything in comics, or anywhere near the level of boobs. I mean if there were male equivalents, it'd prolly be on levels of

Spoiler: mount your friends

<youtube=_dHuNPs_O88>

or Furry force which is an attempt at humor more than anything, and nsfw. Or that guy that implanted 7 lbs of silicone, and has to wear custom pants now.

OT:
Kinda funny, muscles are there for male empowerment because comicbook character builds generally illustrate the powers they have (Boobs not so much), but it feels like almost no one sought empowerment/sexualization by crotch bulge which considering the history of cd pieces, you'd think there would be some. Not even the Hulk.
Not true with boobs. Boobs are basically just there for entertainment. Boob size has no relation to any powers, really, aside from maybe joke characters like Nina Dowd, aka "The Mighty endowed" which is nothing I'd spend money on researching. Her powers are essentially mind control when people look at her constantly obscured boobs, and that revolves around commanding people to hold her up coz she's so top heavy (not really, considering the average boob size of a female comic book character) that she falls over because of them.

Looking up comic book penis coz I feel like I'm too tired to remember what I saw, not much pops up that's mainstream. Not much pops up at all, really. Most of it seems like stuff I wouldn't be caught dead reading. Not sure if safe search being off means anything.

 

[Something Amyss]

Both genitals are kinda weird, really.

Kinda, but not on the same level. >.<

I'm thinking a bit too much about this... Lets mental floss...

Liquid Superman DNA! That's the question! Wear Liquid Superman clothes to get super powers, or not?

See, I'm not sure that's a change in topic....

Honestly, I really can't remember when the penis was used for jokes, or actual relevance to anything in comics, or anywhere near the level of boobs. I mean if there were male equivalents, it'd prolly be on levels of

Spoiler: mount your friends

<youtube=_dHuNPs_O88>

or Furry force which is an attempt at humor more than anything, and nsfw. Or that guy that implanted 7 lbs of silicone, and has to wear custom pants now.

Actually, it'd be good if we could get some examples of what people mean by that, because I don't know what they mean by that so it's hard to really know one way or another.

OT:
Kinda funny, muscles are there for male empowerment because comicbook character builds generally illustrate the powers they have (Boobs not so much), but it feels like almost no one sought empowerment/sexualization by crotch bulge which considering the history of cd pieces, you'd think there would be some. Not even the Hulk.

Fun side note: in the Avengers movies, Hulk has no penis. He's actually modeled that way.

Total equivalence!

I think it largely comes down to comic books being based on what men want to see in other men, and looking at a dude's dick would be like, so gay or something.

Not true with boobs. Boobs are basically just there for entertainment. Boob size has no relation to any powers, really, aside from maybe joke characters like Nina Dowd, aka "The Mighty endowed" which is nothing I'd spend money on researching. Her powers are essentially mind control when people look at her constantly obscured boobs, and that revolves around commanding people to hold her up coz she's so top heavy (not really, considering the average boob size of a female comic book character) that she falls over because of them.

Looking up comic book penis coz I feel like I'm too tired to remember what I saw, not much pops up that's mainstream. Not much pops up at all, really. Most of it seems like stuff I wouldn't be caught dead reading. Not sure if safe search being off means anything.

...why am I snickering so much?

Also, I don't know. Most comic book boobs have their own super powers, like defying gravity....

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

I like how the wyvern's scales and her own armor create a shot trap that would guide any spear or pike aimed at her into her femoral artery. And her boob window is perfect for catching arrows.

Wait, not like. The other thing. Although that may be why she takes extra damage from archers.

Sully isn't much better. At least a pointy thing aimed at the horse won't glance off into her groin. Still, get some pads and leather, you're supposed to be professionals. Titana knows what I'm talking about.

 

[Areloch]

Well, penises can, indeed be emphasized, though not as often.

I mean, here's a good example:

Tight pants, definite bulge, light just HAPPENING to highlight said bulge and the cut of his vest curtains open out of the way for it? Hard to believe there wasn't at least SOME intent there to say "Behold his nether splendor!"

But as others have said, it's not a direct comparison. A more direct comparison would be constantly showing off a guy's washboard abs. And they do very much show off guy's abs. Heck, look how many weird outfits in anime/manga that show up on guys that give them a shirt that covers their pecs, shoulders and arms, and leaves their stomach(and thus abs) completely exposed.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

ah yes, generations of teenage girls have learned about male anatomy from that (batshit insane) movie

All Hail The Goblin King

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Both genitals are kinda weird, really.

Kinda, but not on the same level. >.<

I'm just not going to dwell on it.

I'm thinking a bit too much about this... Lets mental floss...

Liquid Superman DNA! That's the question! Wear Liquid Superman clothes to get super powers, or not?

See, I'm not sure that's a change in topic....

I am not going to dwell on this train of thought much either.

Honestly, I really can't remember when the penis was used for jokes, or actual relevance to anything in comics, or anywhere near the level of boobs. I mean if there were male equivalents, it'd prolly be on levels of

Spoiler: mount your friends

<youtube=_dHuNPs_O88>

or Furry force which is an attempt at humor more than anything, and nsfw. Or that guy that implanted 7 lbs of silicone, and has to wear custom pants now.

Actually, it'd be good if we could get some examples of what people mean by that, because I don't know what they mean by that so it's hard to really know one way or another.

I agree. The tone of the emphasis that's sought would be helpful.

OT:
Kinda funny, muscles are there for male empowerment because comicbook character builds generally illustrate the powers they have (Boobs not so much), but it feels like almost no one sought empowerment/sexualization by crotch bulge which considering the history of cd pieces, you'd think there would be some. Not even the Hulk.

Fun side note: in the Avengers movies, Hulk has no penis. He's actually modeled that way.

Total equivalence!

I think it largely comes down to comic books being based on what men want to see in other men, and looking at a dude's dick would be like, so gay or something.

Maybe. Maybe drawing the bulges would be too distracting? I guess it could be anatomical concerns since it'd get in the way, but really, large boobs get in the way, too. I'd like to think there's some reason behind it besides guys not wanting to see bulge considering there's so much emphasis on the importance of size.

Not true with boobs. Boobs are basically just there for entertainment. Boob size has no relation to any powers, really, aside from maybe joke characters like Nina Dowd, aka "The Mighty endowed" which is nothing I'd spend money on researching. Her powers are essentially mind control when people look at her constantly obscured boobs, and that revolves around commanding people to hold her up coz she's so top heavy (not really, considering the average boob size of a female comic book character) that she falls over because of them.

Looking up comic book penis coz I feel like I'm too tired to remember what I saw, not much pops up that's mainstream. Not much pops up at all, really. Most of it seems like stuff I wouldn't be caught dead reading. Not sure if safe search being off means anything.

...why am I snickering so much?

Also, I don't know. Most comic book boobs have their own super powers, like defying gravity....

Probably because it's funny seeing a drowsy person stumble through a conversation with less filters than normal?
Or that The Mighty endowed, who's a catgirl, might I add, is incredibly hard to take serious? Even in the absurd take on the teen titians she appeared in?

A lot of super boobs are probably held up by super clothes well beyond our current tech. Super weaves, unstable particles, clothing architecture, auras of invulnerability, molded/plated clothes, magic, etc.
Maybe side powers from increased durability, and what not. I mean it makes sense that bulletproof skin would be firm enough to support the boob weight since elasticity would probably be different. If not, then maybe literal magic.

I don't by the whole defying gravity thing when there's people who actually put thought in the outfits they, and others wear. Maybe superior support that looks good is super to some people out there?
I know I like being stylish, supported and all, but I don't think it's really a fair trade off in imagery.

 

[Worgen]

The breast falls under the category of 'secondary sexual characteristics,' so they're more comparable to male physique then anything else, not the penis.

Yup. Whenever people compare boobs to penises it's a false dichotomy. Doesn't matter who does it, feminists complaining about fictional characters or the idiot anti-feminists that obsessively sexualise breasts.

A female character with her cleavage showing should be seen the same way as a dude with a plunging v-neck that shows his chest hair (though personally I'd take cleavage over hairy man chests any day). These discussions about double standards with video game characters always frustrate me because there seems to be stupid reductionist arguments on both sides.

Really for a male chest to have the same effect as a female one, we would need to spend a couple generations requiring men to wearing a bra when they don't have a shirt on.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

There is no equivalent to the boob window for male characters because artists do not need to strategically cover certain portions of the male figure from the waist up in order to get their work professionally published. In fact there is precious little real estate on your average male character that an artist can't get away with illustrating sans clothing. From a strict design prospective the torso of a healthy athletic idealised male form is far more angular then healthy athletic idealised female form. So when items of clothing are used to accentuate and garnish the male figure, it typically involves plunging straight or slightly diagonal lines that help to display the line and form of the pectoral and abdominal muscles.

Now comparing a cleavage window for female characters with a hypothetical groin window for male characters is simply an argument from false equivalence. Neither Power Girl or her rule #63 counterpart could possibly enjoy a respectable widespread publication if their character designs involved a groin window with half their genitalia sticking out.

 

[manic_depressive13]

That's a pretty weaksauce example of an emphasised penis. But while penises aren't equivalent to breasts, neither are pecs, because men's bodies aren't sexualised to the extent women's bodies are. That's called sexism.

If nature is sexist then yes. More importance is placed on the female body because when it comes to reproduction it's health is more important for bringing the child to term and that has influenced pretty much every human civilization throughout history. It's amazing how many people want to think that it was all just society and that women would be oggling pictures of the opposite sex as much as men if they where only allowed.

Correct, breasts exist to nourish infants. This does nothing to explain the sexualisation of breasts in our culture; it only emphasises the absurdity of doing so. Breastfeeding in public, for example, is a hugely controversial issue because women's breasts are considered lewd, even though the whole point of them is to feed babies. Breasts have been perverted into something for men to furiously masturbate over, to the extent that people don't feel comfortable seeing them used for their actual purpose.

 

[Something Amyss]

Tight pants, definite bulge, light just HAPPENING to highlight said bulge and the cut of his vest curtains open out of the way for it? Hard to believe there wasn't at least SOME intent there to say "Behold his nether splendor!

Actually, the story is that he kept getting hit in the junk by Muppets, so they padded him out. Which would explain how he hit the notes from "Underground" and "Within You."

I mean, don't get me wrong. I would say my prayers at the altar of David Bowie long after even that movie, but seriously, we actually do know why his (padded) crotch looks the way it does. For further corroboration, look at Bowie in tights or tight pants during other portions of his career.

...not that I've been looking or anything.

<..>

My unhealthy fixation on a man older than my father aside, if we saw examples of women being padded out specifically to protect their breasts, I suspect that A. it would like quite different andB. few would complain.

also, I'm just going to float this out there: almost everyone goes to David Bowie in Labyrinth. If there were any equivalence, don't you think this thread would be full of various examples?

I know you said "not as often," but nowhere near as often. So rare each one stands out.

I'm just not going to dwell on it.

I am not going to dwell on this train of thought much either.

Yeah, sorry, it's really hard not to go for juvenile jokes when these topics come up. My inner 9 year old is straining against my social restraint like a superheroine's breasts against her jean but somehow flexible like spandex attire.

...worst. Romance Novel. Ever.

I agree. The tone of the emphasis that's sought would be helpful.

Yeah, it's possible they exist and just don't register on me. Maybe I'd see it and go "aha! Now I understand!" or maybe I'd go "that's as lame as the supertrunks example at the beginning of the thread."

But who knows?

The Shadow. That's who.

Maybe. Maybe drawing the bulges would be too distracting? I guess it could be anatomical concerns since it'd get in the way, but really, large boobs get in the way, too. I'd like to think there's some reason behind it besides guys not wanting to see bulge considering there's so much emphasis on the importance of size.

Maybe, but we see things tailored a lot to male sexuality and insecurity. It's one of the reasons we don't see a lot of heterosexual female protagonists have relationships in games, because you wouldn't want to squick out the poor heterosexual males, the most underprivileged and underserviced group in all of nerd culture. And, I mean, you'd be forgiven for thinking that these days, since a game or anime or whatever not getting brought to the US is suddenly a sign of censorship. The OP of this thread has basically declared the end of fanservice in media because a couple of examples of media aren't going to explicitly pander to him.

And pointing out that this happens all the time and isn't a rise of any great power is treated as supporting censorship, because...Idon't know, honestly.

The point being, there is a huge demand for specfic elements of male sexuality to the point that it's apparently worth a fuss over. And the same seems to apply to male physiology. She Who Must Not Be Named recently stirred people up by pointing out the fact that women's butts are far more prominent and emphasised than men's butts. I know she could read the contents of a packet of Corn Flakes and get a million angry responses, but the fact that even pointing out the discrepancy is so taboo should tell you something.

Probably because it's funny seeing a drowsy person stumble through a conversation with less filters than normal?

I think the lack of sleep is actually why I'm more prone to giggling.

Or that The Might endowed, who's a catgirl, might I add, is incredibly hard to take serious?

Honestly never heard of her until now, so....

A lot of super boobs are probably held up by super clothes well beyond our current tech. Super weaves, unstable particles, clothing architecture, auras of invulnerability, molded/plated clothes, magic, etc.
Maybe side powers from increased durability, and what not. I mean it makes sense that bulletproof skin would be firm enough to support the boob weight since elasticity would probably be different. If not, then maybe literal magic.

I don't by the whole defying gravity thing when there's people who actually put thought in the outfits they, and others wear. Maybe superior support that looks good is super to some people out there?
I know I like being stylish, and all, but I don't think it's really a fair trade off in imagery.

I just like to joke about perfect breasts that seem to remain perfect in every situation. They're not called the most common superpower for nothing.

 

[Dizchu]

If nature is sexist then yes. More importance is placed on the female body because when it comes to reproduction it's health is more important for bringing the child to term and that has influenced pretty much every human civilization throughout history. It's amazing how many people want to think that it was all just society and that women would be oggling pictures of the opposite sex as much as men if they where only allowed.

Human society is a part of nature though. Societies, like organisms themselves, evolve together. In fact, it's because of societies that evolution even happens, nothing evolves on its own.

You can't have it both ways. If sexist double standards are the result of how humans evolved then there must be a social element to it too. Humans are self-aware, therefore we can criticise these things (and it should be encouraged). Saying "that's just how it is" is a flimsy argument at the best of times.

Really for a male chest to have the same effect as a female one, we would need to spend a couple generations requiring men to wearing a bra when they don't have a shirt on.

Of course but really the only difference is that women have more fat in that area and lactate. I think we all know of men with tits larger than the average female's.

 

[Worgen]

If nature is sexist then yes. More importance is placed on the female body because when it comes to reproduction it's health is more important for bringing the child to term and that has influenced pretty much every human civilization throughout history. It's amazing how many people want to think that it was all just society and that women would be oggling pictures of the opposite sex as much as men if they where only allowed.

Human society is a part of nature though. Societies, like organisms themselves, evolve together. In fact, it's because of societies that evolution even happens, nothing evolves on its own.

You can't have it both ways. If sexist double standards are the result of how humans evolved then there must be a social element to it too. Humans are self-aware, therefore we can criticise these things (and it should be encouraged). Saying "that's just how it is" is a flimsy argument at the best of times.

Really for a male chest to have the same effect as a female one, we would need to spend a couple generations requiring men to wearing a bra when they don't have a shirt on.

Of course but really the only difference is that women have more fat in that area and lactate. I think we all know of men with tits larger than the average female's.

As nice as breasts are they are only really over-sexualized because they are covered. Really any bodypart that ends up being covered most of the time tends to be more and more sexualized.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

I don't know about sexism, but that design is just awful. Every single piece of her armor looks like it was engineered to be as dangerous for the wearer as possible. Gotta love the spikes on her elbows and shins that could only possibly stab her, and the low-riding faulds to show off that absolute territory. Seriously, that entire crotch region looks like it was designed to catch swords and get her legs chopped off.

She is a mounted cavalryman/woman - she rides a wyvern into battle and basically flies around, lancing and chopping people down and then running away. In her case, her outfit is merely personal preference - she isn't standing toe-to-toe in combat, and anything capable of hitting her in the first place would basically one-shot her anyway, she she really can wear what she wants. What armor she does have IS good for deflecting the blows that she would have to worry about - someone trying to get a swipe in on her arms, legs or side while she is swooping in.

Female characters in Fire Emblem who ARE standing in direct combat with the enemy - like Fighters, Lords, Generals, Paladins etc. - wearing combat ready armor, like Sully and Titana.

Spoiler

Sully is a horse-mounted unit, and Titana is a Paladin.

Uh, she's literally the most under protected wyvren rider in the series. Traditionally wyvren riders have high defense and wear heavy armor. They in fact generally are more heavily armored than both of the characters you posted images of.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

Look, I like boobs just as much as the next person. But they are clearly excessively sexualized in media. Hell, I'm not even saying excessive sexualization is a problem on the individual example scale. I often like stupid sexy designs like the one you posted (though that strap between her boobs is annoying.)

The root of the complaint is not in the amount of enjoyment men get from boobs. Believe it or not, women don't care if men like to look at boobs (in the general sense.) It is the pervasive amount of sexualization that occurs and the imbalance of sexualization, which is itself an indication of a deeper problem.

Take Fire Emblem fates. I can say with confidence that at least 4 of the women are highly physically sexualized and I could make arguments for a few more. And it isn't just boobs, the fire emblem artists seem to have a big thing for legs as well. And to be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with the fact that there are sexualized women. Sex is good! I like sexy legs too!

But I cannot say that for any of the male characters. Not a single male character is heavily physically sexualized. But even then, it is not necessarily a problem that only women are sexualized in this particular piece of media.

The problem is that this is a fairly universal trend. The level of physical sexualization of women vs men is very imbalanced and, as you have noted, the sexualization of women tends to exist for the enjoyment of people who are sexually attracted to women (typically men). This is an issue for several reasons, I'll touch on just one here:

Consider who characters are made for. Many female characters exist for men, where as very few male characters exist for women. Combined with the fact that there are fewer major female characters, the pool of characters that exist for women is relatively small.

 

[Gengisgame]

Changing "sexualised the way women's bodies are" to "no emphasis on the female form" is called "shifting the goalposts."

This is you avoiding the point and trying to play wordsmith, "shifting the goalpost" no make things up.

Womens bodies are sexual, culture across history has focused on that.

 

[Areloch]

Tight pants, definite bulge, light just HAPPENING to highlight said bulge and the cut of his vest curtains open out of the way for it? Hard to believe there wasn't at least SOME intent there to say "Behold his nether splendor!

Actually, the story is that he kept getting hit in the junk by Muppets, so they padded him out. Which would explain how he hit the notes from "Underground" and "Within You."

Is that true? That's hilarious and unfortunate all at the same time.

also, I'm just going to float this out there: almost everyone goes to David Bowie in Labyrinth. If there were any equivalence, don't you think this thread would be full of various examples?

I know you said "not as often," but nowhere near as often. So rare each one stands out.

You know, thinking on it, it seems to be something that is actually more common in real life than in media. I can think of a handful of examples of characters that have heavy emphasis on their coinpurse, but I can think of a lot of cases back in medival times alone where armor or fancy regal dress would emphasize, accentuate, or straight up overplay the guy's junk.

 

[09philj]

For the same reasons we don't tend to see female characters with exaggerated and emphasised vulvas, but do see male characters with broad shoulders, washboard stomachs, and muscular biceps.