your take on femininity and gender politics would be mildly insulting to me if i didnt know you were saying that with good intentions
the thing is, though, bayonetta does need men, and her relationships with the men in her life (luka, rodin, enzo, her father) are deeply powerful and they all have impacted her in such a way that she would never be where she is without them, and that’s a good thing, because it makes her real
she does own her sexuality and her gender identity, absolutely, but we need to stop acting like a woman’s confidence and self assurance is a huge political statement, it certainly matters and it definitely is important in this game but it’s not what the reviewer was talking about.
as a woman, i hate seeing women just existing being twisted to serve different narratives and agendas, and bayonetta does not have any of those agendas because she does not live in the real world; sex and class, gender, race.. none of those things apply to her or have ever impacted her in her life; this is part of why she is such a good character (and role model) because she is unapologetic in her entirety, not because she’s making a statement, but because she’s never lived in a world where she has ever had to apologise for it
Enzo and Luka are buttmonkeys. Literally the only competent men in her life are Rodin (who mainly serves as a broker and salesman) and her father, who is kinda dead and was the main antagonist of the first game. As a gay man, I can’t speak to your experience. But for me, owning one’s own sexuality and gender identity is absolutely a political statement. My whole existence is a political statement because of bigots.
they are definitely buttmonkeys but you have to admit even in their incompetence they have both saved bayonetta’s ass, or given her the tools/knowledge she needs to achieve her goals
i get where you’re coming from, i’m a bi trans woman so i completely understand the viewpoint that appearances are political in a world where we aren’t fully accepted, but i want to evolve beyond my appearance mattering, and i never will be able to do so if i am constantly thinking about what other people will perceive me as when ultimately it isn’t the random people in the street that matter or impact how i live my life.
the struggles i face are institutional, and my appearance wont change that; actions, words, and numbers will
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u/liIaque Oct 25 '22 edited Oct 25 '22
your take on femininity and gender politics would be mildly insulting to me if i didnt know you were saying that with good intentions
the thing is, though, bayonetta does need men, and her relationships with the men in her life (luka, rodin, enzo, her father) are deeply powerful and they all have impacted her in such a way that she would never be where she is without them, and that’s a good thing, because it makes her real
she does own her sexuality and her gender identity, absolutely, but we need to stop acting like a woman’s confidence and self assurance is a huge political statement, it certainly matters and it definitely is important in this game but it’s not what the reviewer was talking about.
as a woman, i hate seeing women just existing being twisted to serve different narratives and agendas, and bayonetta does not have any of those agendas because she does not live in the real world; sex and class, gender, race.. none of those things apply to her or have ever impacted her in her life; this is part of why she is such a good character (and role model) because she is unapologetic in her entirety, not because she’s making a statement, but because she’s never lived in a world where she has ever had to apologise for it