How to sexualize a male character?

[Phasmal]

If you get the Summer DLC for Fire Emblem: Awakening, they put the most popular characters (male and female) into swimsuits as fan service.

Now there's some equality. Swimsuits for everyone!

Man, I just looked it up. It's two swimsuits for boys and two for girls. Missing out on Lon'qu but it's got my two other favourite hotties.

Actually feel sorry for the guys (and ladies who like ladies), not much on Tharja or Cordelia. Personally I would have picked Maribelle at least.

 

[The Great JT]

I have two schools of thought on this.

1. The Beefcake. Muscular, tight leather pants with a big bulge, fantastic hair, oiled. Basically any muscular guy off the cover of a trashy harlequin romance novel.
2. The Balthier. Bishi-looking guy, well-toned but not huge or bulging, roguish charm, alluring voice. Balthier from Final Fantasy XII, Tom Hiddleston, you get the idea.

 

[garjian]

Actually admitting that males have genitals might be a start.
By that, I mean the remarkable lack of any kind of bulge at all in any game ever.
You've no idea how annoying I used to find it when a male character would be wearing skin-tight underwear and yet somehow be completely and utterly flat.

I guess it comes down to what sexualisation is...
To me, it's fan-service-y outfits/poses/dialogue/situations/whatever, and exaggeration of their typically attractive parts. On that last one though, I don't think I'd be any happier with a bunch of scrawny guys with six-packs prancing around... I saw somebody mention Dragon Age 2 and Origins earlier, and I certainly do not look back on those characters very fondly... Fenris was particularly repulsive.
What I find attractive and what others seem to appear to be a little different.

The real point is, nobody cares if you sexualize a male character.

I do. Back in the pre-Fable 2 years I was strangely militant about it.

 

[mecegirl]

I'm not sure that this is sexualisation, though. I mean, this is America, where men work out topless or in very tight, revealing attire even if they don't look like Oliver Queen. Where guys will go shirtless even if they have a beer belly and man-boobs. Hell, when I have to call maintenance in the summer, I cringe, because that's how our maintenance guy works.

The only reason I even think it might be intended as sexualisation is that it's CW. They seem to love their boy candy. But even then, I don't think were talking about it in parity with the kind of sexualisation we see in women. For one thing, Arrow's still Batman-Lite.

It is only sexualization because it is the CW. On any other network (adding in MTV(Teen Wolf) and HBO(True Blood) in this too) I would assume that it is the general shirtlessness that is seen as acceptable for men in western culture. And although it is seen as acceptable it is still titillating for individuals who are sexually attracted to men. But culturally such people aren't given as much leeway as strait men do when it comes to expressing appreciation, so unless such a person is particularly bold nothing is said. If the many college aged men who jog shirtless in the park where I live got as many comments as I do just walking down to the grocery store in jeans and a tee shirt they'd probably cover up more.

But as I was saying, with the CW it is deliberate. This was part of their ad campaign for season two of the show.

Spoiler

But there is something to be said for the fact that despite the display they aren't posed in a submissive way. The same could be said for the shirtless training montages. At least none of the characters agency is being compromised while the sexulization is happening.

 

[EvilRoy]

Honestly, probably just copy the men from Twilight.

I know a lot of people think its a god awful series, and perhaps it is, but the dudes in the novels and in the movies are pretty much distilled down to exactly what would bring in the most teenage girls/lonely mothers (the twilight moms thing still creeps me out).

Hardly any chest hair, no trace of stubble for the most part, eyeliner, and a pleasant yet distant expression - they aren't pissed off or anything, just sort of in their own head and not paying direct attention. One thing I did find particularly interesting was the physiques, though.

All of the eye candy is in excellent shape, but they aren't chiseled. That is, they all look very strong and capable, but simultaneously have the appearance of soft/yielding skin. Compare this to actual bodybuilders (the kind of people who would typically have pecs the size of the twilight guys - wolf boys in particular) or wrestlers, where the skin is typically tight to the muscles, giving a 'harder' appearance.

 

[garjian]

Compare this to actual bodybuilders (the kind of people who would typically have pecs the size of the twilight guys - wolf boys in particular) or wrestlers

Errr, I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. I read this, did a little googling, and... kinda no. Really no.
Those guys are about the same size as me, if not smaller. In fact, looking closer *shudder*, definitely so.

Spoiler: If we're talking about this:

If we're talking about this:

...then I reckon you need to re-familiarise yourself with bodybuilders.

Edit: Put it in a spoiler for my own sanity.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I'm not sure that this is sexualisation, though. I mean, this is America, where men work out topless or in very tight, revealing attire even if they don't look like Oliver Queen. Where guys will go shirtless even if they have a beer belly and man-boobs. Hell, when I have to call maintenance in the summer, I cringe, because that's how our maintenance guy works.

The only reason I even think it might be intended as sexualisation is that it's CW. They seem to love their boy candy. But even then, I don't think were talking about it in parity with the kind of sexualisation we see in women. For one thing, Arrow's still Batman-Lite.

But the fact that those type of men aren't considered attractive in the first place is key, I think. I mean, a women of equal girth as the men you're referring to wouldn't be sexualized either. Sadly so, they would be outright mocked or probably snickered at (for reasons of plausibility, we can assume this happened at a nude beach.)

Anyone can have the right 'features' for being sexy, but it is the gestalt of the people's opinions that makes one person sexy one minute, and having potential but not quite there the next.

Hell, those of you alive in the 80's, remember what you did to make a clean cut guy (which was hot at the time) look unattractive on tv? That's right, give him scruff on the face and make him look like he just woke up. today, that's the very style people pay top dollar to look like.

 

[EvilRoy]

Compare this to actual bodybuilders (the kind of people who would typically have pecs the size of the twilight guys - wolf boys in particular) or wrestlers

Errr, I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. I read this, did a little googling, and... kinda no. Really no.
Those guys are about the same size as me, if not smaller.

Spoiler: If we're talking about this:

If we're talking about this:

...then I reckon you need to re-familiarise yourself with bodybuilders.

Edit: Put it in a spoiler for my own sanity.

Image didn't work, but I think I know what you mean.

I guess this was poorly described on my part, I was speaking to the idea of the sort of bodybuilder vs average vs strongman muscling types.

The bodybuilder side has a strong focus on very large very visible pecs and six-pack, the average has nominal to mild pecs/abdominal muscles, and the strongman has both pecs and abdominal muscles that are noticeable, but of a decidedly different shape and with substantially more 'padding' that a bodybuilder.

So when I look at the boys of twilight, I see average with a heavy lean towards the bodybuilder side - that is larger and more visible than average pectoral and abdominal muscles in the shape that you would expect to see on a bodybuilder.

I don't really want to try embedding images, but if you want to GIS then I would compare someone like Schwarzenegger during his bodybuilding years to maybe Sandow, or other classical strongmen. The idea is that the strongman actually appears almost flabby (never say that to them) compared to a bodybuilder because the focus on different muscle groups and training types leads to different muscle densities and locations.

 

[DementedSheep]

The real point is, nobody cares if you sexualize a male character.

uh yeah actually a lot of people do. Not so much for sexy workout scenes because that doubles at showcasing strength rather than making them submissive or weak looking but for blatant sexuliazation or feminine guys you definitely get men flipping their shit. Though for some reason the idea of woman liking this shit seem hard for some men to swallow so they instead freak out about "the gays" or how it's "totally not the same as when you do it to a woman".

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Pretty much, males are sexualized just as much as female characters. I see that female characters get it a slight edge more, but it's not like males are far behind.

 

[garjian]

Compare this to actual bodybuilders (the kind of people who would typically have pecs the size of the twilight guys - wolf boys in particular) or wrestlers

Errr, I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. I read this, did a little googling, and... kinda no. Really no.
Those guys are about the same size as me, if not smaller.

Spoiler: If we're talking about this:

If we're talking about this:

...then I reckon you need to re-familiarise yourself with bodybuilders.

Edit: Put it in a spoiler for my own sanity.

Image didn't work, but I think I know what you mean.

I guess this was poorly described on my part, I was speaking to the idea of the sort of bodybuilder vs average vs strongman muscling types.

The bodybuilder side has a strong focus on very large very visible pecs and six-pack, the average has nominal to mild pecs/abdominal muscles, and the strongman has both pecs and abdominal muscles that are noticeable, but of a decidedly different shape and with substantially more 'padding' that a bodybuilder.

So when I look at the boys of twilight, I see average with a heavy lean towards the bodybuilder side - that is larger and more visible than average pectoral and abdominal muscles in the shape that you would expect to see on a bodybuilder.

I don't really want to try embedding images, but if you want to GIS then I would compare someone like Schwarzenegger during his bodybuilding years to maybe Sandow, or other classical strongmen. The idea is that the strongman actually appears almost flabby (never say that to them) compared to a bodybuilder because the focus on different muscle groups and training types leads to different muscle densities and locations.

Image works fine for me... how strange. :S
Ah well, it was the promotional image of the four of them, shirtless, pulling hilariously stupid faces.

When I look at the boys of Twilight, I see average with a heavy lean towards average. As in, in anything other than the skin-tightest of shirts they look like somebody who's never been anywhere near a weight in their life.
I've never heard of Sandow, but he doesn't look like any strongman I've ever seem. Googling "strongman" will give you my definition of that.
Our Twilight friends are certainly nowhere close to either side of this spectrum. Those guys, as I mentioned in an edit you didn't see, are actually smaller than I am having forced myself to look a bit closer. I wouldn't put myself anywhere far either.

 

[Johnny Impact]

Tight jeans.
Either a tight T-shirt or an open coat with no shirt. Have him take it off at some point, to work out or whatever.
Hair can be anything from mere stubble to "male model hair" carefully arranged to look artlessly tousled. Can't be bald(ing).
Hard body, not huge or super-ripped but strong and cut.
Hands are strong and deft, but not too callused, look like they can give great massage or do carpentry with equal ease.
Solid facial bones, good brow, jawline and cheekbones.
Wide through the shoulders.
Stubble optional.
Posed with pelvis forward.
Looks you right in the eye, very direct and confident.
Smells like leather, gun oil, or a dab (not too much) of cologne.

That's my take as a straight guy.

 

[EvilRoy]

Image works fine for me... how strange. :S
Ah well, it was the promotional image of the four of them, shirtless, pulling hilariously stupid faces.

When I look at the boys of Twilight, I see average with a heavy lean towards average. As in, in anything other than the skin-tightest of shirts they look like somebody who's never been anywhere near a weight in their life.
I've never heard of Sandow, but he doesn't look like any strongman I've ever seem. Googling "strongman" will give you my definition of that.
Our Twilight friends are certainly nowhere close to either side of this spectrum. Those guys, as I mentioned in an edit you didn't see, are actually smaller than I am having forced myself to look a bit closer. I wouldn't put myself anywhere far either.

When I said average, I basically meant zero to minor muscling, not overweight but no particular muscling. As to the strongman GIS, the issue with doing a general search is that, for me at least, the top few rows of images is the same for both words.

That's why I went back to the typical old time-y strongman to explain my original description - there is some sort of overlap these days, but the levels of body fat and muscle positions should sort of give it away. A will usually bodybuilder have minimal % bodyfat, plus very defined and large chest and abdominal muscles, while a strongman has higher levels of bodyfat and usually relatively undefined muscles (but a lot of them).

In a broader sense, a strongman will be shaped like a rectangle from his shoulders to almost the knees, while a bodybuilder will be more triangular or hourglass in shape. I tried to find a more recent comparison, and I think the best one is the oddly appropriately named Derek Poundstone vs Kai Greene. You can see the bulkier rectangular shape of Derek, while Kai is clearly far leaner with a narrower profile. There is a major muscle-practicality difference here as well. Derek came in second to the american worlds strongest man competition, while Kai has to my knowledge never participated in strength competitions - he did come in second to Mr. Olympia though. Form vs function basically.

So when I say bodybuilder vs strongman, with average being a guy who eats salads instead of exercising, I'm really speaking about muscle distribution and definition. The fact that the twilight boys have visibly defined abs and pecs - and wastes just a little thinner than chests - is what makes me say they have a 'bodybuilder lean' to their physique, as opposed to a 'strongman lean' where they would instead be more visibly rectangular with less defined muscling.

 

[Narfo]

OH MY GOD.
I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

[garjian]

-snip-

We're struggling here... :|
What you're now saying is what I was trying to get across. The guy you mentioned just looks like a bodybuilder to me, because he has low body fat, which the strongmen I'm aware of really don't care about. Bodybuilders on the other hand tend to have unhealthily low body fat, because that's what the sport demands.

Again, these Twilight guys are neither, nor close to either. If that strongman GIS is what you think a bodybuilder looks like, then they're even further from it!
If you think otherwise fine, but this is getting off-topic, so can we just leave it?

 

[Dragonbums]

Expounding upon my last post here, the two most common things with the most popular "sexualized" males for women tend to be a factor of personality. It doesn't matter how shallow they are. They need to have some level of empathy involved. Edward Cullen by himself would be boring. But it was that level of emotional vulnerability that allows us women to project ourselves into the relationship and feel like the women to stabilize him. Or be the support no one would be.

It's the reason why Loki is more popular than Thor.

It's the reason why Vegeta is more popular than Goku

It's the reason why Garrus is more popular than Kaidan. (Although Thane was close, but I suppose the main turn off was that you felt manipulative trying to win the heart of a man who is not only terminally ill, but also is still grieving for his just killed wife...people like that don't find a partner. They make as much mental space around them as possible)

So on and so forth.

That's also not to mention that most women right now are for the lean but slightly muscular build. It's closer to our level of physical strength. He's not too domineering or threatening. Honestly, it really doesn't hurt to just look up the tumblr and DeviantART tags to see what we like in general. It's not some big mystery or anything.

 

[EvilRoy]

-snip-

We're struggling here... :|
What you're now saying is what I was trying to get across. The guy you mentioned just looks like a bodybuilder to me, because he has low body fat, which the strongmen I'm aware of really don't care about. Bodybuilders on the other hand tend to have unhealthily low body fat, because that's what the sport demands.

Again, these Twilight guys are neither, nor close to either. If you think otherwise fine, but this is getting off-topic, so can we just leave it?

Sure, I was just trying to use the bodybuilder/strongman comparison to explain the general muscle/body-fat bent I feel the twilight physique shows. I think you misunderstood anyway, you seem to be viewing this as a binary system where a person is a bodybuilder or not, while I'm referring to a spectrum between the two on which any person might fall.