Media consumption and anime

Salt_Satisfaction · 2021-03-14T19:29:38+00:00

"HeR bOoBs ArE gIgAnTiC bEcUsE oF aRtStYle!!"

I hear you. I have never been involved in the "anime community", never went to forums or anime cons because of male fans like you say. I don't understand how women who watch anime don't see the same things you see. My theory is that they must have been convinced by other male fans that "iT's NoT lIKe tHaT", because it is THAT obvious.

I personally can't stand the excessively cutesy and dumb female characters. I can't even call it paedo (although that's the intended purpose) because not even little kids would be so idiotic. It's nauseating to see so many little sisters who cook and clean for their older brother??? Say they want to marry him when she gets older??? Who get congratulated by others saying how she will be such a good wife when she grows up???

Even when I try to avoid the kind of anime where that appears sometimes it shows up unexpectedly and it ruins the anime for me. When it's not little sisters it's other female characters basically being a sexualized lap dog for the totally boring and even abusive/rapey male main character. There are so many levels of messed up in most anime that I could write for hours.

I can DM people for anime recommendations if anyone wants.

abby_ch238 · 2021-03-14T19:32:28+00:00

Omg I’ve had the exact same experience but much older! I discovered anime at 22 and absolutely loved it - until I joined the anime club at my uni and saw how messed up a lot of the fans were. It straight up disgusted me and I completely quit watching because I couldn’t stop thinking about how much they sexualize women, especially children, and how obsessed the men are. God some of those guys brought their titty mousepads TO UNI. Like are you not ashamed????? It was horrifying seeing that. I did appreciate the stories and art in anime but after joining the anime club and being exposed to these porn sick fans I could not stomach it anymore.

This was like 7 years ago and recently there’s been a lot of hype about the new season of AoT and I had only watched s1 back then and a part of me really wants to watch it since everyone’s talking about it but after that experience I just don’t want anything to do with anime anymore.

Also, I will never trust any men who watch anime. I would never just believe they only watch the “good” ones for the art. With women I’m not sure how I feel, because the ones at the anime club were not perverted but it bothered me that they stayed friends with the men with titty mousepads. That was absolutely disgusting and I cannot believe these depraved fucks can openly talk about their body pillow fetishes with school aged girls on them. It is FUCKED UP AND STRAIGHT UP PEDOPHILIA.

But I completely understand how the women cosplaying as overly sexualized children are also part of the problem. It does suck because on one hand I thought the art was amazing and I really wanted to get more into cosplay and learn to make clothes, especially some of the amazing costumes. And I admire the people who can make these complicated costumes. But at the same time it seems so many of these costumes are hyper sexualized and the ones getting the MOST attention at anime conventions are always the ones cosplaying as either school girls or other children-aged hypersexualized characters and that’s disgusting, I cannot understand how a woman could participate in that.

I’m glad you brought this up btw because I had sometimes wondered whether I was too harsh on giving up anime completely and developing a straight up disgust for anyone who liked anime. A lot of fans try to say that u can appreciate the good ones and not participate in the lewd scene but that’s not true because even the ones with a good story and art still are messed up. For example Akane from PsychoPass with the big child-like eyes. You know damn well why the men liked her. So I will never accept that you can appreciate the art and ignore all the pedophilia because the pedophilia is super incorporated into it now

Firstdayinhell · 2021-03-14T20:02:50+00:00

I totally get what you mean. So often, I get really disgusted at comments I see men make about certain anime and the female characters. Like recently with attack on titan. Of course men are whining that the main girl character Mikasa looks all strong, with a uniform and short hair. They whine that she's not sexy and feminine enough. She's a freaking soldier, she's supposed to be like this. Can they not just put their pathetic horniness aside for one moment and just enjoy the amazing story. Infuriating

What_u_callme · 2021-03-14T21:41:33+00:00

I hate to break it to you, but Disney isn't great for women either.

As a Beauty and the Beast style marriage survivor, the abuse nearly killed me.

As a Cinderella style house manager, I cleaned more hours than I slept. I thought I married price charming but he just liked that I didn't have to lean how to clean to his ~~mother's~~ standards.

As a snow white style caregiver, I was outnumbered and constantly waiting on thankless assholes.

Those princesses made me think that's what a good woman and wife is and how she acts. I was brainwashed by Disney and it took away my 20s.

yoursultana · 2021-03-14T16:50:27+00:00

You’re not sensitive. Your concerns are entirely reasonable. Your preface to your post signals that you have been gaslighted by societal misogyny and dismissal of women’s rightful concerns. You’re right on track. Don’t let them put you down.

ScrotonimoStilton · 2021-03-14T19:13:21+00:00

Thank you for this post, unfortunately my own weren't allowed through probably because of bots and every safety measure of the sub so I really appreciate the conversation you sparked.

Despite not being into anime, I completely understand how you feel because I used to be heavily into videogames, until I started analyzing carefully the industry. The constant sexism is definitely triggering and exhausting. I'm tired of seeing stupid schoolboy fantasies promoted over and over. It heavily contributes to misogyny, creates "not like other girls" phenomenon (when you represent women as tools instead of humans, women will believe that they are different from other women for not wanting to be like that).

There was definitely a period of time when i was younger where I just couldn't stand other girls, irl or in media, and venerated men. "Men are interesting and worth talking about, women just aren't".

I still like games but it's really hard to enjoy them when the industry is littered by losers. The solution in my opinion is to just try and make media we want to see, I'd love to see more female based companies making videogames and shows.

ello-motto · 2021-03-14T20:59:41+00:00

Yeah, I like anime too, but now I vet my media consumption like I would vet for HVM. I won't watch something because it's popular and I have specific genres I stick to which tend to have less sexualized/objectifying content.

I watch maybe 2-3 Netflix/Amazon series per year (I vet for LVM themes, and refuse to watch anything that objectifies women and promotes LV relationships).

Most of my media consumption is around influencers who live HV lifestyles online. I get that shit like Bridgerton is popular, but I won't watch it because of what it promotes. I also stopped watched Queen's Gambit because of its emphasis on the main character's drug dependence and that being part of her cool, intellectual, powerful female persona. 🙄

Maybeimmoody · 2021-03-14T23:52:10+00:00

I decided today that if a man in anime obsessed that he is a LVM and I would never entertain him. I watched a tiktok today of random numbers and japanese writing above it, so I looked in the comments to see what it meant and apparently it was a man recommending child hentai and some regular hentai. The video had 300k likes and a top liked comment was “I love loli (child porn) so much I just wish it wasnt illegal in real life” I literally felt sick. I dont blame you for feeling the way you do because as the days past Im starting to feel more and more disgusted with men.

TB56 · 2021-03-14T19:46:37+00:00

[deleted]

excellica · 2021-03-15T00:17:05+00:00

You’re not alone. I’ve gotten into many an argument about anime (Kill la Kill and My Hero Academia are particular sources of arguments from my male friends) and I agree that there’s definitely an aspect of hypersexualization in both anime and video games, two things I really enjoy.

There are shows out there that ARE for us. Princess Jellyfish is one you may love, the characters are extremely different and diverse in body types and interests, and I believe all of the characters are women.

Again, you are not alone. I know that feeling of isolation, but I want to reassure you that you don’t have to back down from this. You’re completely on the money, even if no one else wants to admit it.

2021-03-15T01:10:34+00:00

Old School (and I mean Old) anime fan here. Because anime took off in America and America is known for being hypersexualized and loving big boobs that's where anime went to sell. I read an article on animation studios that they deliberately do this because their biggest consumers are America/West.

Anime is... something you have to treat cautiously. The ones that are good, are really REALLY good. The majority is fanservice crap and you will have to vet accordingly. The moment there's a crotch shot or tiddie jiggle on a child character (13/14 years old) or has a whiff of sexualization (which is the majority) I'm out.

I'm really enjoying Jujustu Kaisen, if you like action/shounen. The female characters are pretty strong and there isn't any fanservice. (so far)

dutifulgoat · 2021-03-14T18:44:34+00:00

IMO Japanese culture is a much more sexist than western culture, so it's only expected anime will be sexist.

I also watch anime series every now and then, and I think there are good non-sexist series, but from what I've seen I think the overwhelming majority of animes are sexist. Any community will defend whatever it is about with their lives, regardless of what it is. A community about bananas will give their life to illogically defend bananas against any and all criticism. A community about anime will defend even the worst aspects of it, no matter how obviously wrong they are, because any critisicm of anime is seen as a personal attack.

I wouldn't say anyone who says they 'like' anime is bad, but to me it depends on how much they identify with the anime community and how much watching anime is part of their identity. If they start talking about anime without any prompt then yeah, I'd be worried.

I don't think there's any tips besides cutting off from the community, or finding a tighter community that shares your ideals.

Concernedmama16 · 2021-03-14T17:38:08+00:00

You aren't too sensitive! You are absolutely RIGHT. This resounds with me so much because I actually got into anime at the same age as you. I'm 35 now.

I wish I had some advice. I don't. But I also see what you see in the anime community. It is disgusting what most anime does to women. And as you said, if the anime itself doesn't do it, the fans will. And if course they try to silence you if you bring it up. That is what the patriarchy DOES. Erases us and makes us feel alone, powerless, voiceless.

But you aren't those things. You are right, and this community won't gaslight you.

sleepysiri · 2021-03-14T17:50:41+00:00

I know how you feel. I am a huge comic book fan, I love superheroes but it’s so frustrating when I realised that say, Wonder Woman was some old man’s rope bunny BDSM fantasy. All the women are so sexualised and their poses are ridiculous. The artists are so desperate to show breasts and bum at the same time that the bodies are contorted and the COSTUMES are literally so awful. Like Starfire?? She’s wearing a piece of ribbon pretty much. And if I say anything, I’m not feminist, I’m anti-woman ?? I don’t know if there is any way to cope because if you still want to ingest these forms of media that are made by men, it will always be misogynistic or sexualised or something. It will always be in the back of our mind unfortunately.

PheloniousPhinny · 2021-03-14T20:10:05+00:00

You are spot on. Even when called out on blatant pedophiliac content the weeaboos just say “it’s not a real person take a joke”. They all seem to be incapable of putting blatant 2+2 together: if you’re sexually aroused by little cartoon girls, why wouldn’t I reasonably assume you’re like that to irl girls? It’s the same poor argument pornsick men make - “if I watch this woman on screen be abused, I don’t have to do it to you to be satisfied.” They conveniently block the fact that many men do escalate this behavior into their real life relationships.

Icicle_Sorceress · 2021-03-14T21:07:24+00:00

I also got into anime when I was 12 and completely understand where you're coming from! I still watch a lot of anime but I think that will largely stop in the next few years due to the focus on schoolgirls and young girls in anime, literally every anime is based around high schoolers. When I was a teenager watching anime shows about high schoolers was fine, but now I'm in my twenties I don't want to constantly watch shows about schoolgirls. Also, the fetishisation of children is incredibly disturbing! So many anime series fetishise little kids, and promotes this as "loli fanservice", it's honestly revolting.

I really love animation though and the visuals and stories it can present, but the sexualisation of teenage and little girls is completely out of hand. I think I will stop watching anime at some point for this reason.

Additionally, I am worried that as anime becomes more mainstream in the West, the fetishisation of teenage and little girls will increase. I've noticed that a lot of male anime Youtubers and male fans of anime talk about their attraction to underage girls in real life. I completely stay away from anime forums online because they are a cesspit of pedophilia. I've also not been to any type of anime convention for the same reason.

Although anime fans I've met in real life at university were generally okay. The guys I've personally met that were into anime were a mixed bag. 50% were really normal and nice, the other 50% were weird. Most of the girls I've met into anime have been really sweet though.

ImplementStrong · 2021-03-15T01:36:55+00:00

I totally get what you're going through because I've gone through the same exact things (and honestly... I'm still trying to cope, even today).

As a kid, my dad introduced me to Studio Ghibli, and all of the films were beautifully made (good stories, art, and music), not to mention wholesome in addition to having deeper moral messages behind many of their works.

Then, when I was in high school, a lot of my girlfriends liked anime, so we made it a tradition to cosplay (wholesomely) and go to Anime Expo every year. I knew that there were a lot of creepy scrotes like those that you talked about above (and I also feel you on the hair - mine is pastel pink / salmon even right now and sometimes it's hard for me to just have fun without feeling like an e-girl. The fact that I like the style aesthetic of short skirts and knee / thigh high socks isn't helpful either because it's difficult to be comfortable in my own clothing when we know that the world is so gross), but because I only went with my girlfriends, I always felt safe around them, like we were in our own female-only bubble where we were just enjoying beautiful anime and art without the perversion of people who perpetuate pedophilia and rape culture.

This all changed when I met my second boyfriend in college, though - this was my personal turning point (from which I still haven't turned around from yet just because I'm so traumatized, and I honestly don't know if I'll ever go back at this rate) when I just quit everything cold turkey.

At the beginning of our relationship, I told him straight up that porn (and anything similar to it) was a dealbreaker for me, but instead of telling me that he wouldn't quit, he lied to me and said that he agreed to all of my boundaries and standards when in reality, he was watching / saving / bookmarking hentai, cosplay porn of women dressed up and wearing makeup to look like underage schoolgirls or women wearing wigs & animal ears / tails or women in video game character outfits, and other various degenerate porn that usually involved "barely legal" content of women masturbating with dildos in uncomfortable positions and with unrealistic "sexy" expressions. I 100% agree with what you said because I too, cannot stand "women who do lewd anime cosplay and feed the hyper sexualization of women and girls," and to be honest, it fills me with a deep feeling of wrath, nausea, and hatred. Anyways, to make matters worse, my LVM ex was also drawing naked, hypersexualized, unrealistic women and trying to pass it off as "art." Obviously, we're no longer together, but this really took a toll on my mental health, and it kind of "ruined" anime, video games, comics, and art for me forever. I graduated from college last year and I'm in grad school right now, but even in a PhD program, there really is no escape from the depravity - one of my acquaintances, a grown ass man, literally has an anime boobs mousepad in his room and apparently sees no problem with that.

Okay, so I didn't expect my comment to end up being this long, but it just accidentally turned out like this because I feel the same exact way as you and I just want you to know that you're not in this alone! All I'm trying to say is that I feel your pain (both the pain of no longer being able to enjoy things which we once used to, as well as the pain of being exposed to this triggering content on a daily basis even when we're not searching for it). I feel your pain so much, and it's also extraordinarily hard for me not to be triggered literally every day, because like you said, even if we're not looking for lewd content, it inevitably pops up somehow, just because society has grown so degenerate, pornographic, and toxic.

You are not being overly sensitive - you are honestly just having the most valid response possible to a world that somehow thinks it's okay to normalize the sexualization of women and children, normalize the sex industry, and normalize misogyny. I know what it feels like to be frustrated because sometimes it feels like you're the only one on this earth filled with billions of people who gives a shit about any of this and no one else seems to fucking care, I know what it feels like to be alienated and ignored, I know what it feels like to be sick and tired. But just know that you are not alone. You may be alone physically, or you may feel alone when you look around at your personal social circle and come to the sad realization that none of the people you know in real life share the same mindset - but just know that there are women in the world who do understand your beliefs, who support you, and who feel your pain.

If you're no longer comfortable with anime, video games, comics, art, etc. (like I am), then it's okay to cut these things out of your life if you know that you're better off without them, even if your past self used to enjoy these things. I empathize with you so, so, so much and I know that sometimes it can seem impossible to cope, but over time, it does get better, and no matter what, I know that you will only become stronger and happier. For me personally, I've diverted my energy into picking up more hobbies, like playing the piano, exercising more often, baking, gardening, and doing photography. Find what you love, and even though the things that you hate will still exist in the world, I hope you will be able to find peace in yourself and your self fulfillment.

TB56 · 2021-03-14T20:30:50+00:00

I can't tell you it gets better. Instead I would recommend staying out of anime fandoms. They are full of pick-mes and lvm who make crappy hypersexualised edits and rxpey fanfic. It helped me a lot to look into Japanese culture to understand why so much anime is sexist and racist. And the japanese society is sexist and racist. But also anime went through a change of perception with the general public in the 1980s when a high profile child murderer&rxpist was caught with hundreds of gothic/lolita animes in his home. This made the general public dispise anime and shun people who watched it. So the main target audiences for anime now are lvm and children because people have shunned the art itself so artists rely on the fanboys to pay for their work. Understanding this helps to put anime into perspective. The society = mysognyistic. Anime fans = made up of lonely lvm = less frequent high quality animes making to screen. You can search for mangas, I find these have a tendancy to be slighter better than animes which cost a lot more to be aired and animated. But always be careful what you read. I read a wholesome manga about a uncle adopting his sister's child after her death and becoming her father figure. Then the last 10 chapters became incestuous when the girl was 16 💀 scared ever since.

Only_Lime2520 · 2021-03-15T15:45:08+00:00

If you're sensitive, then I'm extra-extra-sensitive xD

I cannot stand anime of all kinds culture. Even Ghibli movies triggered me. Why?They infantilize women and girls emotions. Take anger for example. When women and girls in those movies got angry, but they still look cute.

My stupid LVM ex once brought up the "issue" that I looked scary when I'm angry and he couldn't reconcile it with the fact that women in anime don't look scary when they are angry. This dude made 6 figures without a college degree, I thought he was ... smart.

So yea men watching anime of all kinds is NO-NO. Women who watch them could tell the difference between reality and fiction, men CANNOT.

BUT here's another thing, I've observed that if the women watch them when younger, they are very likely to be groomed into being cutesy and toning down their reactions no matter what moods they're in. I feel kinda bad for the women that watch anime but absolutely I would stay away from men that watch anime of all kinds.

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Title	Media consumption and anime
Author	Witchy-Woods
Upvotes	165
Comments	30
Date	March 14, 2021 3:01 PM UTC (5 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/FemaleDatingStrategy
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/FemaleDatingStrategy/comments/m4wmdc/media_consumption_and_anime/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/FemaleDatingStrategy/media-consumption-and-anime.767559 https://theredarchive.com/post/767559

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