15 and offended...

Final Fantasy XV is currently in development, and the trailers have been making the rounds. While I've lost interest in the more recent games in the Final Fantasy series, I do find this current game visually impressive. Of course, that's not the reason why I'm writing about this. The focus just so happens to be on a particular Eurogamer article that discussed the trailers and the reveal of a central character in the series. Cid or "Cidney", which happens to be her proper "christian name", is the subject of ridicule and ire from Eurogamer's "progressive" writers. Let's take a look at her ti...er design. The video footage below is from Jump Fiesta.

Now, here's the article (if you can call it that).

A new trailer for Final Fantasy 15 has revealed the first female version of series staple Cid, a recurring - albeit constantly reinvented - character who appears in most franchise entries as a mechanic.

This latest iteration of the character - whose full name is Cidney - is sure to be a divisive choice. A young, blonde woman with a Southern US accent, this new Cid helps address criticism that the game had yet to reveal any primary female characters, what with its boy band cast and all. On the other hand, Cid's attire - or lack thereof - may not exactly be the most practical threads for the job. Kara Thrace, this isn't.It's also worth noting that Cid is seldom a playable character, and based on the trailer, it looks like little has changed.

Some other early footage came out of anime and manga convention Jump Festa recently (via GamesMediaHQ) that shows us a little more of the game's town exploration. Apparently it also lets you play as a dog, though this appears to just be an early build feature shown off as a joke.What do you make of the all new Cid?

 What do I make of the all new Cid? She's a Mechanic who dresses liberally for the job. Sure, she
has the mini jacket with the complementary cleavage, Daisy Dukes, and thigh high leggings
with little boots that scream "Cheesecake Factory!". Add in the wiggle-walk and you have a very
sexy mechanic (Pun possibly intended). I guess the question on every one's mind, however is "is she
offensive?" Well, the writer seems her choice in clothing is a little questionable, and the comment section seems to think the writer needs to pull his head out of his arse. You may be wondering why I have no problem with Cidney's clothes. I actually have five good reasons.

it's rrrainin' men!

The main characters of this game are the typical "hot guy" fare, which indicates to me that they're
trying to pull in a more female demographic. And while most guys are fine with playing, as male
characters, you'll notice that a lot of the designs scream "sex appeal", especially the very
shirtless Gladiolus Amicitia, and the very bishonen (and Cloud-like) Prompto Argentum . You have
literally every "flavor" of guy you could want from this cast, which isn't a bad thing, if you're
into that. So why is it so bad to have a "sexy" female to round out the objectification festival?
I think we tend to forget that for every Cheesecake photo in the 1940's we had equal amounts of
"beefcake" shots of attractive males in next-to-nothing outfits. Mainly in the same erotic poses
and wearing just as little as the females would wear. And you housewives can't tell me that you
seriously watched Xmen Origins: Wolverine, for the plot (lies make baby Jesus cry!).

This person has never played a FF game in their life...

Another thing that seems to grind my gears, is the statement from Jeffrey Matulef, that her clothing doesn't seem "practical". Allow me to answer this question with another question;  Are you a mechanic? Have you ever worked in a repair shop? Yes, for the most part people do wear coveralls
to protect their clothes from motor oil and engine grime, but most people wear tank tops or tees
under them out of comfort. Sometimes it gets pretty hot working in a stuffy garage, and you tend to unbutton and loosen up forgoing practicality for the sake of comfort. And that's the thing; There's
a fine line between practicality and comfort, and some people tow that line like a champ. We
haven't even factored in the idea that this is her own garage, and she can dress however the hell
she wants, as long as she's happy, but that would be too unrealistic. In a fantasy world where there are magic users and monsters roaming around, you see one woman wearing provocative clothing, and you're immediately taken out of the immersion, right?  clearly, we have to ensure that women should be uncomfortable and stuffy at all times, eh? 

Truth!

 It's perfectly alright to have an attractive people in a fantasy game. This is especially alright for  a series that continually puts (somewhat conservatively dressed) females in prominent roles. For having Lightning (and her 100 different costumes with some based on previous FF alumni) shoved into our collective faces for two games, yet when we get one provocatively clothed mechanic variation of Cid, and journalists lose their spaghetti? The backlash against this type of thinking in the comments is giving me glimmers of hope that people are smart enough to see through this, because ultimately it's just an effort in trying to manufacture outrage in order to increase clicks for what is obviously an undeserved effort.

I'm going to end this on a different note. This is a picture of a mechanic. She's wearing clothing
which is deemed as the writer puts it "not the most practical threads for the job" Her name is Erin
Picklesimer, and below is a bit more information about her.

Erin has always been a fan of Rosie the Riveter and women thriving in a man’s world. Then she had the amazing idea of opening a female mechanic shop. “Even though I have men that work at my shop I was still able to keep a woman in mind” says Erin.  The shop is hot pink, black and white race themed. It’s clean with a free coffee bar and a kid’s play area. Erin has made a point of taking care of the women that walk through her door and changing people’s opinions about car maintenance. “60-percent of the customers in my shop are women. I try to show them the problem with their car and explain it in a way they can understand”. Her business is doing great!

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The English idiom "don't judge a book by its cover" is a metaphorical phrase which means "you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone".

Game On!