Merf. Thinking is Hard.

More insight on the ever galling subject of B&B poses

keyboardsmashwriters:

I’ve seen a lot of valid arguements circulating tumblr, both for and against the boobs and butt poses. On the “for” side, there are times where it makes sense for both genders. I saw the baseball bat example used, which is a very legitimate reason for both ends being visible to the camera.

But, there are facts that need to be considered.

I’ve studied different forms of martial arts, and what I’ve learned is that power comes from pivoting — not twisting the spine, which is often confused as the same thing. My instructor(s) taught me to gain power from the hips, even when simply punching. Power comes from the entire body.

Here’s an inherent problem:

(source: Escher Girls)

The tension in her body is simply in her shoulders and arm. It’s easy to recognize someone who hasn’t been thoroughly trained when an attack consists simply of throwing the fist forward.

The foreshortening sort of killed me, which is why it’s so sketchy. But mostly it’s for the idea and the shapes (and I didn’t draw with any references, so I apologize again if these aren’t a hundred percent anatomically accurate).

The point here was to highlight tension — to accentuate force and momentum. Because her hips and ribcage tilt at these particular angles, and because the camera is positioned at a higher level, we CAN see the B&B. It’s not impossible and not improbable, as I’ve demonstrated before.

But the problem is that we see a LOT of it.

I mean, A LOT.

I sketched this as an alternative (although it would look much more believable if the two of them were close to the same plane but I won’t point that out). I tried to give her the sense of exhaling, because shouting when attacking provides additional strength from the solar plexus. The twisting of the body is to give the sense of movement.

The foreshortening isn’t as obvious here, though…………. :{ sorry.

So, yes, B&B can be practical and make sense, and it can be a believable pose if made believable. But it’s not often made believable, and it’s done in such excess that it’s become a device for subtle sexualization of women that many people accept.

That’s not good.

A B&B pose for the sake of consumption means that it’s okay to portray women as objects for sexual satisfaction in the public sphere. It’s to the point where I’ve read that redrawing a B&B pose into something more sensible makes the pose less “dynamic”.

(Source: Escher Girls)

This pose is mostly believable, but is it necessary? Does it need to be this way?

I imagined her swinging her leg around to brace herself. If something jumps at me, I naturally step back and block with the opposite arm. A body will balance itself naturally, as described in this much more in-depth post.

In an alternate version, I tried to make her look more surprised and less prepared by varying her hips and legs only slightly:

She’s leaning back more, less twisted. In photography, a pose is interesting if the model grants as many different levels and shapes as possible — that’s what makes a pose dynamic, not if you can get both breasts and cheeks to face the camera.

So, in essence, yes: a B&B pose can make sense. But it’s done so excessively that women can’t seem to do anything except show their assets to the camera, and instilling this idea into minds who are sensitive to their bodies can be damaging and cause people to develop unreleastic expectations of themselves and others.

I MEAN COME ON.

(Source: Escher Girls)

Batman and Super Man are facing the camera, ready to slap some bitches. What the heck is Wonder Woman doing over there? Why is this okay?

Would it be okay if Super Man and Wonder Woman were switched?

Of course not. Men don’t generally and can’t pose like that.

So why is it female superheroes and villains are expected to?