Damsel in Distress

I chose to watch both parts 1 and 2 or ‘Damsel in Distress Trope’. To be completely honest, these videos were flawed. They seem more appropriate for spare time youtube browsing than for an academic assignment. However, as a youtube video about video game tropes, it made some good points. There is a clear tendency of video games and most entertainment in general, to use women as objects of pleasure to achieve, rather than people who are capable of interaction and important roles. This is both a product of our culture, and an influence on it. But we have all heard this before. While this video’s message is important to think about, I would prefer to talk about how it is different from other media with the same message.

There is a terrible tendency of feminists to become ‘men-haters’. These feminists tend to be extremists who view all men as fundamentally sexist, and women as superior. What I appreciated about this video is that it avoided doing that. In the last five minutes of part 2 Anna begins to talk about how this trope affects culture. During this discussion she makes a point to say that she doesn’t think that creators of video games mean to be purposefully misogynistic. They are creating games that will sell, with plots that will motivate the players.  These creators did not sit down with the intention of furthering damaging stereotypes or being sexist. They were creating a product. The problem is that what sells is objectifying women.  

Sexism today is a subtle thing. It is a rare person who admits to being sexists, and acts upon those beliefs intentionally.  It is the pervasiveness of such tropes of this one in entertainment that creates a gender role for women that is damaging. While creating these games is very unlikely to be a deliberate act of sexism, they still are harmful. Men in general are not misogynistic pigs out to destroy opportunities for women, and seeking to commit violent acts against the female population.  However, there is still a pervasive culture of female objectification.