I don't have a problem with sex, sexuality or female sexuality. That argument kind of makes me laugh when I read it, as though me thinking that Quiet's attire is silly says something about my personal politics or something. Here's the deal. As a woman, I find Quiet's outfit stupid because it's stupid. It's not practical and not even attractive or sexy in it's application. Not only that, but it's the dishonestly that comes with the outfit from Kojima, that I would feel "ashamed" when I found out the real reason for her running around in a bikini. Guess what? I don't feel ashamed, I feel like Kojima would have been better served by saying "I like boobies and butts and I wanted the ladies in my newest game to show theirs off as much as possible." It would have been more honest, because let's face - the reason is ridiculous.
The design is silly. It looks like it was made by someone who has no idea how breasts work and how they feel when a person is active. Also, wearing the bottoms she wears in the environments she may go to, with sand and other annoying things, would lead to some serious... well... issues. Of course, in a series like Metal Gear Solid, no one really considers whether someone, male or female, has issues arising from certain types of underwear, but there are concerns that arise and could detract from the person being an effective soldier and sniper. Even a pair of booty shorts and bra with an underwire would improve the believability immensely. On top of that, it would be just as sexy, if you want to keep the sexy intact. I just, it's so stupid. It's so painfully stupid and stretches my suspension of disbelief, and in a Metal Gear game, that's really saying something.
Another issue is just aesthetics. I think the design is ugly looking. Quiet is beautiful, but the attire is just not eye pleasing to me. It's not that I find it uncomfortable to look at or anything, I just personally find it to be unattractive. It looks to me like someone was given the task of coming up with a sexy soldier and tried too hard. It's like how I view early to mid 90s super hero designs. Too many pockets, too many muscles, to much crap, and it all looked like the people designing it were trying too hard to make a "bad ass" hero. Wolverine was a bad ass and all he needed was jeans, a white shirt and a leather jacket. There is a point where the design overtakes the character you're making, and that is a bad thing. Being a slave to a certain look, in this case a sexy almost naked look, can actually detract from the overall whole of the character. There is a balance to be made, at least to me. I think other Kojima characters have hit that balance well, being sexy, showing a lot of skin, and not feeling like someone was trying to push an envelope.
Bringing up Until Dawn is interesting. Until Dawn, in my view, is aware of what it is. The tone in consistent. It is a schlocky, campy horror movie, and so far it has delivered on that in spades. The interesting thing is, I feel like the violence has been minimal when compared to the rest of what you're doing in the game, it just happens quickly and is quite severe. I like it in spite of the violence. I like the tension and the story and I can stomach the brief moments of gore because it's an interesting experience that isn't trying to sell itself as deeper or more profound. It is what it is.
Kojima has been saying that he is trying to tell more mature tales, but his tone is all over the place. Personally, I find it odd to have stories that include rape, child soldiers, torture and murder, and yet also have cyborg ninjas, vampires, arms that control people and almost totally naked women (and once or twice a dude) running around because, reasons. It's scattershot. Some people dig that, so more power to them. I find it weird to go from dead seriousness one minute to a guy pooping his pants the next, but to each their own. I think that when you try to tell people that this is a serious story, you have to also expect the criticism if you keep in the goofy stuff. I think it takes a deft hand to be able to balance those types of things. I personally don't think Kojima is that good at the balance. I like goofy Kojima, the serious stuff is just not hitting me right and never really has. But I won't begrudge anyone who really likes it. We all have our own likes and dislikes.
Wrapping up, in general I find the outfit stupid, both in appearance and in practicality. I find it pretty much one of the ugliest designs (male or female) in a Metal gear Solid game, and that's saying something. And it is a real shame because I feel like a slight tweak here or there would have saved it completely, retaining the sexiness but also being more aesthetically pleasing. And let's just forget in universe reasons, they're just silly and carry no weight with me. What is the difference, really, between one type of bikini top with another that has an underwire, or a cropped halter top, or the slight difference between underwear? As someone who wears that type of stuff every day, the only difference is that some make more sense than others if you're looking for both comfort and style, or depending on what you will be doing, whether it is running a marathon or sitting at a desk in an office setting. It's pretty silly. It is explained, but that doesn't stop it from being silly. And I'm okay with that. But just don't expect me to not call a silly thing a silly thing.
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