Alleged Objectification In Video Games (Part 2)

Does Kitana from Mortal Kombat wear "sexual clothing"?  Of course not!  Her standard blue costume in the series reboot does little to cover her body, but this does not mean that she is in any way sexually objectified--or that her clothing could objectify her, as some claim revealing clothing does (the asinine complaint is typically just raised about female characters, though).  This is true because clothing cannot reduce someone to just their sex appeal [1], as I have already addressed specifically in the context of gaming, but another reason it is true is the utterly nonsexual nature of clothing [2].

If clothing is nonsexual even though it can be worn in sexual contexts or with sexual intentions, it does not follow from showing a female or male character in revealing clothing that she or he is supposed to titillate players of the opposite gender.  The clothing of a character like Mileena, Jade, or Kitana, no matter how revealing it is, is not sexual in itself!  Thus, it is impossible for the clothing of a video game character--female or male--to objectify the wearer, not only because clothing can do no such thing, but also because that clothing is not sexual.

This also means that it is impossible to tell if the developers of a game intend for a character wearing revealing clothing to be perceived as sexy.  Perhaps they do, but the virtual clothing or lack of it in no way serves as evidence for either possibility on its own.  Hence, the decision of Netherrealm Studios to remove "sexual" costumes from Mortal Kombat 11's female characters is a misguided one given its seeming motives.  Sexiness is purely subjective, and clothing is objectively nonsexual; there is nothing a development team can do to truly objectify its characters

Samus Aran's Zero Suit, Lara Croft's shorts (in the older Tomb Raider games), and Ayumi's revealing outfit (from Blades of Time) are objectively nonsexual.  That said, the human body is still a sensual thing, and the irrational fixation on female beauty at the expense of the male body has led to the sensuality of the female body being emphasized over that of its male counterpart.  While revealing clothing is not objectifying in real life or a work of entertainment, neither the male body nor the female body needs to be emphasized more than the other.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2020/06/alleged-objectification-in-video-games.html

[2].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/08/lingerie-is-not-sexual.html