Fantasy Hero: Men v Women

You don't have to be around fantasy for a long time before you realize that the roles of men and women are portrayed very differently in fantasy fiction. There are probably a lot of reasons for that, but I've often felt that is to make up for the frightfully asexual characters that inhabited the Lord of the Rings.

I also wonder if this is a result of the odd stereotype of a fantasy fan as a socially inept, over weight male who had no idea of what it felt like to be touched by members of the preferred sex.  Oddly enough, most of the fantasy fans I have met are women, but I suppose that is of little interest to the marketing types who love this image of their audience.

Sex sells, or so they tell me, and I fear that Fantasy costumes are the way they are because of an antiquated and misogynistic porn aesthetic  that needs to pass away.

Women are dressed in scant wisps of fabric and metal because, simply enough, heterosexual males find them pleasant to look upon, as well as fantasize about.  That part of the mystery is simple enough, but what about the men.

Men are dressed in covering, if form fitting, clothes and armor that often mimics the ripped muscular forms they cover.  Why depict the gorgeously masculine bodies of men with coverings that match that same form?  The only reason I can think of is to protect the heterosexual male ego.

Metal breastplates in the form a muscular male body replace the unattractive male porn star to insulate the heterosexual male psyche from the possibility of being turned on by the image of a handsom male body.  If, perchance, they are aroused at all by the image, well, everyone loves a fine piece of metal work.  It is a macho, even if only in their own minds, to be aroused by the elements of war.  What could be more masculine after all?

Once I realized this, I felt a strange pity for the heterosexual male.  They seem to be such delicate and fragile things.  I understood what a Victorian man must have thought when he looked at a woman.  I never really wanted to understand that feeling, but nevertheless, here I am, wondering how to toughen up these poor, fragile, heterosexual men so they could bare the realization that man can be sexy too.

The comic I included in this post is from Dueling Analogs at Dorkly Comic. It reminded me of this problem, and interested in a solution.

I doubt that neither hyper-sexualization of the male form, or modest portrayals of the female form will amount to anything more than a cosmetic mask, easy to wash off.  It is difficult to strengthen a fragile thing, and I am sure quite a few people will be upset with me bringing this subject up, but I feel like we need to talk about it if we are ever going to remedy it.

Maybe this is just something that time will fix on its own, but I doubt it.  Perhaps I should just go my way, and let this sort itself out.  (Everyone who knows me knows that won't happen)

I suppose I feel that it just needed to be said.