Bayonetta: Innovative Advertising or Sexual Harassment Training?

The widely popular video game Bayonetta has had an advertising campaign that matches the on screen sexism of the game itself.  In Tokyo a large billboard in the subway invited passersby to literally strip off  flyers to reveal Bayonetta naked underneath.  The campaign perpetuates and encourages sexual and physical harassment against women, an epidemic in Japan (and many other countries, including the United States).

Created for Bitch Magazine http://bitchmagazine.org/blogs/mad-world

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Bayonetta
• Video Games
• Sexism
• Advertising
• Harassment
• xbox 360
• Playstation 3
• Street Harassment
• Public Transportation

[polymphus]

What's hilarious is, the creator got very offended about people on the internet sexualisating his work. He wrote a gigantic blog post about how he was trying to make a statement about female empowerment and sexual liberation.

...

[feministfrequency]

@polymphus That is totally absurd, if he *really* was trying to go for female empowerment (which I seriously doubt), he should of consulted some folks who engage with, think about and envision female empowerment regularly, because he failed massively.

[RikkWolf]

@feministfrequency

Single mothers in the media are rare? It's quite saturated. Strong male figures that don't take off on mother and child are rare.

I never accused you of actually BEING sexist, I merely made the point it is easy to appear sexist in combating sexism. Although I will now say your derogatory attitude doesn't help your cause, and as a man that's actually been forced file a sexual harassment claim against a VERY sexist company, I know more than my share about sexism, thanks.

[TheORIGINALOxymoron]

I'm a woman, and I will always think that Princess Peach is a more sexist character than Bayonetta. If you actually played the game instead of just watched the advertising, you'd note that Bayonetta kicks ass the entire game and every man in that game is completely incompetent in comparison to her and the other female lead, Jeanne in your positives. Bayonetta may be sexy and may be a tease, but she doesn't need a mans help; nor does she want it, in contrast every other girl character who need it

[leauxlotus]

The situation is worse than you think! The truth is she never actually wears clothes - her black outfit is actually entirely made of her magical hair, so when she needs to use her hair for something else... it can't cover her body at the same time.

[SkyStained]

Why do I have a feeling that a lot of the dislikes came from gamers who were looking up this game and were upset it was criticised?

[TheInkySea]

Fuck the haters; this video is great. Unfortunitly, we live in a society were people like to plug their fingers in their ears, shut their eyes and pretend that the problem does not exist or that 'us women folks gets too angry about things not for us'.

I can only guess that these dislikes came from fanboys of the game who thought this was going to be another video praising it or showing off the 'hawtness' of it.

Keep making the videos. We need something with intelligence here.

[TheInkySea]

@MEGAGUY21

Wrong; to assume that everyone in JAPAN thinks and looks positively on these sort of things is wrong and just one huge generalization for the entire nation. They know what they're making but it doesn't make it any more excusable. The fact that people can sweep it under the rub and shrug it off as 'Oh, its JAPAN.' just shows how desensitized people have gotten towards certain aspects in culture, especially gaming culture.

[TheInkySea]

@danx5005

Apparently they are. :P

[selphiexfairy]

@sailorstar165 lol i hear the game makes guys uncomfortable just as much as girls who play it. basically, neither feel like they are the intended audience of the game. to guys, the game is too "girly." it has the jpop and the dressing up, and the singing. and of course to girls, it seems like it's just fanservice for guys. honestly, the game was just plain BAD to me lol.

[ShadouzaHejjihoggu]

@TheORIGINALOxymoron Thank you! You're absolutely right!

[Kaldary]

Oh and there is also a much much worse game out there called Rapelay. And people will actually defend its existance... yeah

[heltha]

I'd just like to say - while it may not be representative overall- that I don't know any guys who've played this game, only girls, and both of them really enjoyed it. I wonder if that's because there are so few games with female protagonists to play, that even finding a game like Bayonetta is good enough. OR and I'm saying this very cautiously, maybe some girls want to roleplay at being hyper-sexual, violent and powerful? I don't know the answer, but I thought it was interesting.

[Soruyao]

- I mean, the game (PDZ) is a fps, you can't even look at her while you play. The only male characters are either a romantic foil who exists only to compliment the main character, ugly old villains, and a father figure who is weak and quickly surpassed. (If you think about it, this is an exact role reversal from standard shooter games.) Even the equipment itself toys with it's gender roles. The hacking device is shaped like a makeup-case. Like Joanna, you can't judge it by it's shape.