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Comment by chiubaka | Hacker News Reader

You're right, this absolutely goes two ways. And, honestly, I really do like pretty women. But it bothers me a lot that most of the advertisements I see for games on the web today feature almost nothing but scantily clad women with large bosoms.

I want people to play games because they are amazing, because they have great concepts, and have been wonderfully executed. I don't want people to play games because they have boobs in them.

This may or may not be an unattainable ideal, and certainly it would require change for both the advertisers and the target consumers.

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The men are usually represented in the same way. Muscular, Agile, etc.

But the men aren't presented that way because they're objects of sexual desire for the target audience, they're strong and tough and agile to fill the player's fantasy of power and control. Besides, the argument that men are portrayed the same way quickly breaks down when you compare male "functional" armor and female "sexy" armor, which is a common trope in a lot of games.

I worked in advertising for a number of years. Men are presented primarily in one of 4 ways.

1) Handsome 2) Stupid 3) Authority 4) Bro

Men are presented as objects just as women are, that is how you sell in 20 seconds.

> Men are presented as objects just as women are, that is how you sell in 20 seconds.

It's not the same, because women are politically/socially much more vulnerable. If you are one woman in an office of 10 men, one of the men objectifying you is a threat, but not vice-versa. If you are blue in a world run by green people, constant advertisements objectifying blue people is threatening, but not those objectifying green.

Men are found in the top and the bottom of society. Men are much more likely to be wrongfully accused of incest or sexual offending children.

It's not the same I agree. But men are equally vulnerable just about other things.

Visit your local state capital, Washington DC, the executive offices of Fortune 1000 companies, etc. What do you see? Who has power in our society?

> Men are much more likely to be wrongfully accused of incest or sexual offending children.

I would be very surprised if this compares to the incidence of sexual assault. Also, men are much more likely to sexually assault women (and children), so perhaps the false accusations are proportional.

EDIT: Added last sentence of first paragraph.

Now narrow it down to Fortune 1000 companies the last 5-10 years and you will see quite a big change.

We often forget that things take time to change. There are primarily CEO men in fortune 1000 companies be because of historical reasons.

Of course you are going to find an overwhelming number of men at fortune 1000 companies but the more you move towards today that will shrink.

Now go down to the homeless shelters and tell me what you see. Who is in the bottom of society?

Men are generally found in the top and the bottom of society but the reasons have changed radically the last 50 years and they have nothing to do with women being treated unfairly.

If you consider an object as something to be acted upon, of the 4 ways of representation you cited, only the first usually applies. Other ways of representation, in the examples I can think of, are often of active characters, either the corporate alpha male, or the frat-house bro. Sure, these are simplifications and stereotypes of men, but I don't think they can compare to the objectification of women through their sexuality, as portrayed through our mass media. Men act, women are acted upon.

I think they do.

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