Non-functional clothes

[chris_gerrib]

So, Mary Robinette Kowal is complaining about the wildly inappropriate clothing that female fighters wear in fantasy movies. You know what she's talking about - the Leather Bikini Brigade.

Although as a guy I do appreciate the resulting visuals, she does have a point - it tends to pull one out of the story. My pet peeve, and a related bounce, is the "Bikini in Snow." Also common in fantasy movies, (think any Conan movie) when the group is in cold weather, all the guys are wearing heavy furs. The girls are not. Especially the hot girls. (Self-heating?)

At any rate, have a nice weekend.

Comments

[bdunbar.livejournal.com]

You know what she's talking about - the Leather Bikini Brigade.

We accept orcs, trolls, magic, improbable flying critters and the Power of Love - but decking women out in improbable clothing is crossing the line into the realm of the unbelievable?

[jetfx.livejournal.com]

"We accept orcs, trolls, magic, improbable flying critters and the Power of Love - but decking women out in improbable clothing is crossing the line into the realm of the unbelievable?"

There's a difference between the plausible and the possible.

The criticism of the "Leather Bikini Brigade" is mostly because it is distracting. Essentially this costume exists solely for the audience rather than for any reason internal to the setting and plot. Besides, its usually internally inconsistent as well, because the men who engage in combat along side the women tend to wear something more sensible.

If there was a legitimate reason, followed by both male and female, why such costumes would exist in a particular setting, I'd have less of a problem. Like if widely available weaponry made armour pointless; it's a hot climate; the culture is tolerant of wearing little clothing; or it is considered the height of courage to fight naked or near naked. But in most cases, it still comes off contrived, pandering to a modern audience, rather than a consistent and plausible constructed world.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Oh don't get me wrong - on the scale of "bad things done in the name of fiction" the Leather Bikini Brigade is not that high.

But there's a school of fantasy which wants some semblance of reality in the writing. And leather bikinis usually don't fit. (Darn!)