This site makes extensive use of JavaScript.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser.
Live
PTR
10.2.7
PTR
10.2.6
Beta
Do you mind reading stories with a protagonist that is the opposite gender as you?
Post Reply
Return to board index
Post by
588688
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Heckler
I can honestly say I've never even considered this when reading a story. I suppose that means I don't mind?
Post by
588688
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Patty
Just curious, I personally don't, as a guy, as long as the female lead isn't all "girl power" and overly girly. I like the female lead to be
attractive
, tough, independant, humourous, and cool. Samus Aran from the metroid series is a good example.
Alternatively, does it matter to you if a male protagonist has rippling abs? If not, that's a pretty bad double standard.
Post by
588688
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Dwarfiesgosquish
Just curious, I personally don't, as a guy, as long as the female lead isn't all "girl power" and overly girly. I like the female lead to be
attractive
, tough, independant, humourous, and cool. Samus Aran from the metroid series is a good example.
Alternatively, does it matter to you if a male protagonist has rippling abs? If not, that's a pretty bad double standard.
Even if it is, it's a matter of personal preference in a
book
.
He might possibly be bigoted in some sense, but it isn't interfering with anyone else's life, so who cares?
Post by
Patty
He might possibly be bigoted in some sense, but it isn't interfering with anyone else's life, so who cares?
It's not interfering in anyone else's life if you do or don't like reading stories if the protagonist is not of your gender, so who cares? :P
Post by
ElhonnaDS
I've never felt there was much of a difference, for me, between a book/TV show/Movie with a male lead, and one with a female lead. It didn't even occur to me that someone would, until I read this thread. I like an interesting lead character, one who is either impressive or relatable, preferably both. I've never found that my enjoyment of a character in a story that I watched or read was tied to gender.
I feel that how much someone enjoys a story based on a character has a lot less to do with what gender they actually are, than with what gender they were designed to appeal to. You have to admit that characters like Lara Croft, Aeon Flux (is that her name?) and almost every character Milia Jovovich has ever played in a movie have a much different type of appeal than Erin Brockovich, Brigit Jones and the myriad of Meg Ryan characters that are all the same. Just like Rocky, Rambo and any cop who's "getting too old for this sh**" are designed for one audience, and Benjamin Button, Mr. Darcy and sparkly vampires are designed for another.
I'm not saying everyone sticks to these stereotypes. I personally like monsters and zombie invasions and fast paced sword fights. I, as a female, find the declaration of love from the male lead of a movie to his co-star to be much more compelling if it happens in the chopper against the background of an exploding building than if it's over tea or at the expense of an important business meeting. But I know marketing when I see it, and most characters are designed with a specific audience in mind.
In video games, however, I do prefer the choice to play a female character, because rather than just watching a story, I feel that RPG's are designed to let you take part in one. It's more immersive for me if I can play a female character. In the past, I have played a number of games as a male character, because there was no other choice, and I still enjoyed the game. But given the choice, I'd rather play a female.
Post by
588688
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
MyTie
No
Post by
Patty
I always prefer female perspectives when I'm writing things, which I've said a few times before. However, I suppose the real answer for me has to be that I don't think gender is
that much
of a factor to me. I've read books with male protagonists and female protagonists, and at the end of the day the vibe I get is the same as if the gender would have been inverted. That said, there are always plots that are either tailored towards or perhaps viewed differently depending on the gender of the protagonist, although overall there's much more importance in the quality of writing in a work than the gender of the main character.
Post by
gamerunknown
I like: Jo Brand's sense of humour (I haven't read her fiction novel, perhaps I should)... I liked Samus Arun, but it was pretty obvious the games were written by men. At least the gameboy games with the fanservice at the end. Jenny Sparks was another early crush of mine, but written and illustrated by men. I like Oglaf (written by a woman with women protagonists: but the art of visual titillation has always appealed mainly to the testosterone fueled voyeurs in my opinion). I liked the film of Jane Eyre and err... Bend it Like Beckham. Those are really the last movies I can remember focusing on females.
I disliked: The novel Pride and Prejudice. In fact, I realised I tend to dislike realistic female protagonists written by women. Perhaps I lack the ability to empathise with them? I know that the writing and plot make the novel worth reading today, but I found it inpenetrable. I know that women have greater skills in empathy, but if they are bored to the point of tears by male protagonists, I really feel sorry for them because literature and film seemed overwhelmingly patriarchical (perhaps until quite recently) in my view.
Post by
Patty
I like: Jo Brand's sense of humour (I haven't read her fiction novel, perhaps I should)... I liked Samus Arun, but it was pretty obvious the games were written by men. At least the gameboy games with the fanservice at the end. Jenny Sparks was another early crush of mine, but written and illustrated by men. I like Oglaf (written by a woman with women protagonists: but the art of visual titillation has always appealed mainly to the testosterone fueled voyeurs in my opinion). I liked the film of Jane Eyre and err... Bend it Like Beckham. Those are really the last movies I can remember focusing on females.
I disliked: The novel Pride and Prejudice. In fact, I realised I tend to dislike realistic female protagonists written by women. Perhaps I lack the ability to empathise with them? I know that the writing and plot make the novel worth reading today, but I found it inpenetrable. I know that women have greater skills in empathy, but if they are bored to the point of tears by male protagonists, I really feel sorry for them because literature and film seemed overwhelmingly patriarchical (perhaps until quite recently) in my view.
Female protagonists don't have to be written by women to be well-written female protagonists though, it's just a little easier. I disagree with most of the typical romantic style female protagonists, because I agree; they're really
boring
. Out of curiosity, how do you feel about male protagonists written by women compared to those written by men?
Post by
470415
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Jubilee
I prefer female characters written by female authors to ones written by male authors. I don't know if that's merely psychological or there really is a noticeable difference, I haven't put much thought into it.
I don't really mind male characters, except if they are somehow bigoted against women or have some other "manly" quality that I dislike.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
What "manly" qualities do you dislike? Other than, like, lack of boobs.
Post by
Jubilee
Beat it with a stick until it agrees with you
Plan to solo kill the enemy because having friends and asking for help is for noobs
Whine about not getting laid every other day
I think that sums it up
Post by
ElhonnaDS
LoL
EDIT: Technically, that sums up many popular female action heroes/anti-heroes as well- Ultraviolet, Aeon flux, Underworld, the Resident Evil Movies, Red Sonja, Tomb Raider, etc. Maybe that's how you write a female lead for a male audience. You take a traditional hard- a** male action hero, then give them boobs and a short skirt.
Post by
Patty
Beat it with a stick until it agrees with you
Plan to solo kill the enemy because having friends and asking for help is for noobs
Whine about not getting laid every other day
I think that sums it up
They're not male-exclusive. ;)
Post by
Adamsm
I really don't care, as long as the book/game/movie/tv show is good.
Post Reply
You are not logged in. Please
log in
to post a reply or
register
if you don't already have an account.