Second, the female characters are some of the most beloved and well-remembered of the series. If anything, all the female villains are the ones that have the most humanization to them all. Sniper Wolf, Fortune, The Boss (not really a "villain", but still)... They're all very much in the sympathetic antagonist category at their worst. If you want to argue though that it's a form of benevolent sexism that it's the women in the MGS series that are cast in the sympathetic antagonist role, while most of the men in those same squads consist of demented killers/sociopaths/etc, that'd certainly be a valid and interesting argument, although largely unrelated to the subject at hand.
And as for Quiet, the whole reason she falls for Big Boss is mostly because he's Big Boss, I guess. And I agree the reasoning is pretty flimsy there, but there's a LOT of characters in this game (hell, this series) who do things for Big Boss or fall for him for no real reason; it's not a writing problem that only Quiet has. After all, he is canonically the most charismatic man who ever lived in the MGS universe. I'm not going to act like the sexualization for Quiet isn't there; it just... isn't something that bothers me, because sexualization of characters (regardless of gender) isn't anything new to MGS, and sometimes, people are just highly sexualized people. And not to mention, her sexualization comes more from a place of confidence and control than exploitation. She's sexually attracted to Big Boss, so she exudes her sexuality towards him. Simple as that, really.
Well you pick your examples well... Considering the B&B-Squad in MGS4, that's just plain sexualization to see some Titties, and that is the way with all other characters in MGS (Quiet can't wear clothes because she is breathing through her skin? The End could...). You can easily have the same characters in outfits that don't show boobs, and camera swings preferably on the chest and butt, and tell the same story.
If the sexualization doesn't bother you, ok. But please don't pretend it's not there or weigh it up with the character that they play. You CAN have one without the other.
Also, I don't see where men have ben sexualized in MGS as much as women, which was an argument that you and others used. I also do not understand why "sexualization from a place of confidence and control" is making it any better.
Not throwing my hat into the whole Quiet debate but as far as The End goes, he could breath normally because he had functioning lungs. Quiet doesn't. That's their logic for it.
novadth's comments