U.S. Eating Disorder Website Dangerously Shames Thin Game Characters

"You may have woken up to this particular item being shared around on social media this morning. The US eating disorder help-website, bulimia.com, released an article into the internet where they have gone through and edited existing video-game characters into a more “realistic” representation of how they believe a woman should look. Take note that it was only women that were edited, leading us to believe that only women can have eating disorders, which is probably not the case. At most, I fear that blatant agenda pushing and fear-mongering is now entering the mental health field." - Attack On Gaming

[Chaosdreams]

Long article (but a decent read.)

The website is obviously just pushing an agenda. Fear. If you're skinny, it's time to join the overweight club. Jokes aside (they really are pushing an agenda, or are stupid) I find it silly how in a world with many issues, people take this sort of approach.

Video games do not reflect and represent realism to the fullest extent, it's art, and art is shaped in whichever way the creator desires in its prospective field (some cases it could be more realistic, but it's all on genre.)

[Crimzon]

Sad to see a website like that shaming anyone who doesn't fit their idea of "realistic" women. Making people feel uncomfortable about their own bodies is a terrible thing, whether it be what they consider to be too large or too small. What kind of message is it sending to girls and women that they're not big enough?

[Aery]

The real problem is that people, in these days, are too lazy and eat unhealthy food.
Except for people with real health problems that may have more difficulty in achieving a decent healthy status (or that may be unable to do it at all), being healthy and with a decent body shape doesn't require too much effort.

To have a very healthy lifestyle and body may be harder, but in the end it's only a matter of good will.

Ps I know, this sounds pretty obvious, but a lot of people have the tendency to not listen to.

[Viper7]

Jamies food revolution is a great watch and it pin points pretty well whats wrong with what people eat and are thought to eat.

I was literally disgusted seeing schools offer stuff like Pizzas, Hamburgers, nuggets and flavored milk (flavored milk... really?.... REALLY?) in schools. If kids learn to eat that shit how will they ever learn to eat proper food. It's literally same as feeding them only candies.

I always thought the food in our schools in Finland where bad but at least they offered real food, maybe not from the highest quality ingredients but still real food.

[donwel]

One image I saw earlier was the GTAV girl (the blonde one with the ifruit phone) which is based on a real woman, Shelby Welinder I believe her name is. And these people are essentially saying that Shelby doesn't exist.
I can't help but feel that if they worked out a bit they wouldn't be so angry.

[DragonKnight]

The real issue here is that the game characters aren't real people. They aren't meant to represent any real people. How many women are tournament fighters? How many women fight monsters? How many women are tomb raiders that may have to fight demons?

This is why agenda driven critique is not legitimate.

[Loktai]

They should go after SD style Anime next...

KIDS PLEASE IT'S NOT NORMAL TO HAVE HEADS WITH THE SAME OVERALL MASS AS THE REST OF THE BODY COMBINED AND EYES LIKE DINNER PLATES... PLEASE STOP.

[OCEANGROWNKUSH]

Its rediculous to think these "realistic" women would be physically fit enough to perform even a portion of the tasks presented to the in game characters.

The world is filled with unhealthy processed junk food. "Dieting" simply means eating healthy and avoiding the delicious delicious junk food. I know plenty of rail thin people who couldnt gain a pound if they tried, how is it fair to say these people arent "real" and to shame them only to feel better about yourself? Typical bully mentality these social justice types use.

[Anthotis]

There's loads of girls who have been blessed with and/or worked hard to achieve the mouth watering perfection of DoA character's bodies, for example.

The only people who should feel ashamed are those who are unhealthy and out of shape, alongside the people who defend and promote their repulsive laziness.

[Transporter47]

Your statement is insensitive, and it also generalizes people who have an eating disorder.

[pompombrum]

Nope, his statement is pretty much true. Those who spend all their time moaning about perceived unfair body standards would be far better off focusing their attention on promoting healthier standards of living.. ignorance is bliss I guess.

[Transporter47]

@aiBreeze

Why are you also generalizing people. You do know that people who have eating disorders don't choose to have them. It is something they struggle with everyday. FYI by everyday I mean EVERYDAY ALL DAY. They are called disorders for a reason. It's not a light switch that you can flicker on and off. How many people with eating disorders have you helped? I'm going to assume 0 because you don't know anything about them.

It's easy to be a jerk, but ignorance is a bliss isn't it.

[pompombrum]

Well what percentage of the world's population actually actually suffer from eating disorders? I think it's a fair generalization to be fair. If we factored in every single disorder/mental health issue into everything, we'd all be staring at walls watching paint dry... until the walls started talking, then we wouldn't even be able to do that.

[Baka-akaB]

But likewise , why stigmatise and call unnatural people who are actually like that ? A few of those associations and like minded people are prone to question the realism and truth behind those figures , or what they think they did do achieve those .

I mean look at that Helena remodel from the thumbnail . She is really that irrealistic ? They actually don't know people close to that , and gotta "photoshop her into reality" ? Really , her out of the whole DOA cast ?

I'm sorry that some people have a disorder and can't actually help it . But artist arent going either to conform to visions what "should be" a normal and average body to alleviate some people's sensibility .

Even when it's a totally irrealistic rendition , there is a little thing called artistic license . Not all artists are pushing for any kind of realism

[Transporter47]

@aiBreeze, @Baka-akab

Do you want statistics? Here are some.

http://www.anad.org/get-inf...

The question is do you actually care? If you do please read some information about it.

https://www.nationaleatingd...

[Baka-akaB]

F*ck statistics and assumptions . Did you even read my post ? Anyway ... i'm actually a bit concerned by this on the reverse and less problematic spectrum .

I'm quite skinny and naturally , and i'm talking tall "scarecrow" , as some would love to joke . I could eat the most disgusting stuff like those pizza with hotdog crusts and still remain slim . Maybe even because of some health related deficiency .

Still the same way fat people can't all be accused of being lazy slob that did nothing about their state ... it's tiresome to have people act as if you're constantly on diets , unhealthy regimen or bulimic , if you're skinny .

The whole problem is people pushing their opinions and agendas down other people's throat . There are people with actual issues , they deserve help and treatment , doesnt mean everyone else gotta suffer and be treated as such with blanket assumptions and concerns riffe with falsehood or hypocrisy .

[pompombrum]

Some of those statistics are absolutely absurd.

91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted “often” or “always.”5

I have been "dieting" for the last 3 years in an attempt to ensure I maintain a healthy weight, does this mean I suffer from an eating disorder?

Transporter, I'm sorry if you or someone close to you suffers from an eating disorder but ultimately, the way forward on such a subject isn't by moaning about how characters are portrayed in video games, it isn't by making people feel good about themselves whatever their size, it's by educating and promoting a healthier standard of living.

People with disorders need help but ultimately I'd bet so many cases of people developing them could have been avoided if they were better educated. Like the misconception of the term "dieting" in those statistics as if it's to signify someone is starving themselves as opposed to eating healthy.

[LeCreuset]

@Baka

You all are being way too defensive and missing an important point: target audience. This is on a website targeting bulimics, the overwhelming percentage being women from "developed" countries. The writer of this piece doesn't even get it:

"Who cares if they’re fat or thin, so long as the suffers of bulimia are actually healthy in the end. Isn’t that the most important thing here?"

Who cares? The bulimics the bulimics website is targeting. This is targeted at people with an eating disorder who are so obsessed with meeting that standard that they purge to attain it. This includes athletes. This isn't about telling someone sitting on the couch all day long stuffing nachos in her mouth while watching Maury that she doesn't have to be active.

[Baka-akaB]

@LeCreuset

Again what bother's me is the tendency from some of those sites to depect picture as Helena's here as unnatural . Even if unwillingly , that's one of the messages they are sending here .

They could actually pick better exemple by far imo , to educate people about the disorder .

Their work is about making people accept themselves as they are (without excess of course) , , instead of making themselves ill to achieve irrealist goals or to make up for personal issues , and i dont think that kind of stuff and campaign achieve it .

Hell we could be ignoring the Helena picture , for GTA V they basically , down the page , uses a virtual but mostly accurate depiction of an existing model and counter balance it with a "realistic" rendition of how she should look . When the original picture already mimick photos from the real model spoofed by GTA V . I don't see that as an healthy campaign model

[insomnium2]

@transporter

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/he...

68.8% of adults are overweight or obese. Almost 70% of the entire population 20 and up and that's not counting bulimia --> only overweight and obesity. No kids involved in this too and we all know how fat kids these days are.

Your link gave an estimated 30 million people with eating disorders.

Even if we take those numbers at face value there are like what? houndreds of millions of people in the US alone who are overweight or obese and they do not have an eating disorder. What's your excuse for them? They are the majority even with these calculations.

I'm sick and tired of all these politically correct BS crusaders like yourself always coming into discussions where you are not wanted with your effing BS statistics.

Someone's statement on the internet is insensitive? So effing what? I as sure as s*it can and will offend anyone and everyone who spews this leftist feminist propaganda BS. Happy to offend!

[pompombrum]

^^^
Reckt

[IIC0mPLeXII]

Eating a lot isn't a disorder it's being a fat ass

[LeCreuset]

@Baka

The argument isn't that she's unnatural. It's that video games and other media don't present a realistic representation of the female body that accurately reflects the society of most bulimics.

No disrespect intended but I have to put this bluntly: It's not about you. People have to stop doing that. This is about helping bulimics by debunking their misconceptions of the idolized image they try to achieve through unhealthy purging.

@aiBreeze

"I have been 'dieting' for the last 3 years in an attempt to ensure I maintain a healthy weight, does this mean I suffer from an eating disorder?"

It means you're engaged in a horribly inefficient exercise. Stop "dieting," and change your diet. One is a short term change, but the other is a life change. If you indeed read the stats, you'll see dieting often results in the weight coming back. Which segues to the bulimia point.

The point being made isn't that all dieters are unhealthy. But dieting is a quick fix (as opposed to the aforementioned changing one's diet) that for some leads to other unhealthy quick fixes. Many dieters may not be bulimic but many bulimics probably dieted. Get the difference?

[Gohadouken]

Obviously i'm not an expert . But i'm not sure that using pics of sometimes "normal" looking characters , as opposed to suspiciously skinny ... and then proceed to render them "as they should realistically be" is something you should do to educate clearly impressionable people with a mental disorder like anorexia and bulimia .

None of the extremes are good , and are clearly a choice with consequences .

PS : I'm also chuckling a bit when you notice that all of the remodeled characters got reduced breasts , even those that are a farcry from pornstar level of abnormality .

the "artist" behind the remodeling seems to have a complex there

[Baka-akaB]

@LeCreuset

I kinda understand your point and stance actually , i just disagree and don't see it that way . It can't be both way , you can't show one character and how it "should" be , and then proceed to say that it's not about them being "unnaturally" depicted in the first place . It can easily be interpreted that way by fragile people

There can be other kind of positive reinforcements than dealing with virtual characters . Hell they probably usually show already women well in their skin and feeling and looking pretty with their average weight or figure .

Again they took once , and i suppose by accident , the videogame image of an existing being , to picture how she would or should realistically look . Without even knowing , the circumstance of how she got her look , that's iffy imo

[LeCreuset]

@Baka

"It can easily be interpreted that way by fragile people."

Is that said from your experience dealing with bulimics? That's not to be smart, but one of the things we have to take into account is that maybe we don't have experience dealing with bulimics comparable to the people whose methods for dealing with them we're trying to criticize. Most of us are probably just gamers who saw an article about games, but a lot of opinion has strayed into the realm of lecturing on how to treat bulimics, something people shouldn't be doing if they don't really have experience in that area.

"There can be other kind of positive reinforcements than dealing with virtual characters . Hell they probably usually show already women well in their skin and feeling and looking pretty with their average weight or figure."

Maybe they do. Again, we're coming at this through a narrow window. The only familiarity we have is from them saying something about video games. We don't know what all they do.

"Without even knowing , the circumstance of how she got her look , that's iffy imo."

It's not about them knowing or not knowing the circumstances. It's about the bulimics who set that as a standard without consideration for how she got that way.

Anyone who works out routinely can tell you that a big problem getting people into the gym is their fear of how they'll be perceived by others and how they measure up to other people in the gym. They've already set a standard for how they should look, which their body may not be capable of easily achieving, before they've even stepped into a gym! They don't take into consideration how long that person with the physique they want trains, at what intensity they train, age factors, biological factors, or even if the person is cutting corners (figure it out) to get there. All they know is that's the look they want. Now imagine how much pressure there is going to be on a person with a mental disorder pushing them to achieve that look and the unhealthy paths it can lead them down to achieve it. Maybe the method employed in the article will make more sense.

[Baka-akaB]

"Is that said from your experience dealing with bulimics?"

Not that i even got to justify myself here , but actually yeah , i've known at least one person suffering from it . And it doesnt make me an expert either

In my humble opinion , reinventing cartoon images as reality is isnt necessarily helping those suffering from it , and is ripe for ridicule from those on the outside looking in , as you've seen here and elsewhere . It's not a win-win scenario .

Especially when you pick examples that arent strikingly far from the norm for healthy female bodies , if at all . Even more so , when for the third time they use their "realistic ray" on an actual rendition of an existing person .

Sure the sentiment behind it might be that they have to first learn that they can be like the girls on the right and be fine , and have them love themselves instead . But I just think it's poorly thought out here .

Also you forget that the original bulimia site directly attacks videogame developpers and asks them to depict real women . It goes above and beyond the goal you attribute them , and show an actual underlying issue and intent there , with its author . It is in no way just an article meant for just bulimic people .

[LeCreuset]

"Not that i even got to justify myself here , but actually yeah , i've known at least one people suffering from it."

I didn't place a demand on you to justify yourself. That was for your own consideration. Knowing someone with a disease is fine. I know someone with MS. That doesn't equate to me having any considerable experience dealing with MS. As I said, "maybe we don't have experience dealing with bulimics comparable to the people whose methods for dealing with them we're trying to criticize." Key word "comparable." Only you know if you have comparable experience. I'm not demanding you prove it, just asking that you keep that in mind when forming your criticisms. Is this article the only time you've talked about bulimia today, this week, this month? Again, that's for your own digestion.

"Also you forget that the site the article directly addresses videogame developers and asks them to depict real women."

There's a difference between talking to and talking about.

"If video game creators are going to pride themselves on accurate digital representations, then it’s time for them to get real about women."

Audience is key. This isn't for you. This is on a bulimia website. I don't think there's a serious argument to be made that women in video games are an accurate representation of women in general, especially when you consider if they reflect their target markets. These are the images bulimics are deluged with that inform their standards and expectations. I could offer up a defense for why developers engage in these portrayals. I could make some counterpoints to the article. IF it weren't targeted at existing and potential bulimics! Audience is key.

[Gohadouken]

Even with its intended audience in mind , i also think it's mediocre .

It's basically trying to use positive reinforcement via highly dubious imagery and set of ideas .Basically it's acting like "let's them make them feel good and love themselves first , we'll worry about fix the false crap we said later , conséquences be damned" .

And yeah i too think that the page actually shows that it got a bone of sort to pick with games first and primarily , rather than being inspiring for bullimics

[DragonKnight]

Anthotis and aiBreeze: The issue of weight is never as simple as "eat healthy" and "exercise" or you're just lazy and that's why you're overweight. There are a myriad of factors involved, and yes for some people laziness and poor dietary choices does contribute, but to generalize that it's most people that are like that is just ignorant.

There are genetics. A pre-disposition to gaining and maintaining more or less weight. My brother-in-law has a heightened metabolism that pretty much prevents him from gaining weight no matter what he eats. Likewise there are people who try their hardest not to gain weight and yet still do.

There are hormonal issues. In men, low testosterone count inhibits weight loss and muscle gain. No matter how much you exercise, if your testosterone levels are too low, you will not replace your body fat with muscle. That has nothing to do with laziness or diet.

There are glandular issues. The thyroid gland especially. Overactive or underactive thyroid glands have an immense impact on whether you gain or lose weight.

There are environmental and economical factors which should be self-evident. Even in a first world country like the U.S., poverty still exists and poor people will not have access to the always more expensive "healthy" foods. "Junk" food is always much less expensive and easier to obtain than any other kind of food.

So to generalize in the way you have invites people to generalize about you, and it also completely ignores so many different factors in people's lives.

And no, no one should be shamed about anything. Do you think it's a good day when people think they have the right to go around insulting you for your appearance? We live in a world where we are supposed to be accepting of things like homosexuality and transgenderism but you think it's ok to shame someone because they may be bigger or smaller than some arbitrary health standard based on awful science? How does that make sense.

[Halo2ODST2]

@AiBreeze I don't think you and others are ignorant to this issue, just that your view is blurred. Eating disorders are just people eating too much & getting fat OR eating less, & vomiting to lose weight, the actual cases of eating disorders directly relate to mental health. I for one have a eating disorder, I don't eat too much, or vomit, I just barely eat anything, eating disorders affect your awareness a lot, I could go 6 hours without eating anything & not even notice, multiple days with only having one meal (nothing to do with money btw) & not feel hungry. People who are fat (in general, not to do with medical issues causing that) don't have eating disorders, they lack self control & self responsibility, people who *Choose* to eat tiny & vomit (not bulima) have are really sensitive to what society thinks of them, & are heavily insecure, they don't have eating disorders, they are doing that out of their own interest.

[Death]

I'm not sure how eating disorders and video games are related. If you are using video games as a reference to what your body should look like, you have much bigger issues. Using women as the example is sexist. How many men look the same as men portrayed in video games? Last time I looked in the mirror I wasn't 6'3" 200lbs with 0% body fat. I can also separate fantasy from reality so the portrayal of men in games hasn't affected me.

As for bulimia.com adding weight to these video game characters, how does that affect women that are thinner? Do they need to increase their weight to be more real? Everyone has a unique body and not everyone fits into a cookie cutter body type. To say people shouldn't be thin is just as bad as saying people shouldn't be thick.

[LeCreuset]

Methinks you don't even know what bulimia is. It's precisely the shame you say they should have causing them to purge after eating.

[HammadTheBeast]

You say that media enforces and unhealthy image of people, but what exactly is a healthy image? Why do we have to condense a whole bunch of body types into one generic, average, "healthy" body just for the minor population who is facing eating disorders?

If we're talking fitness, a lot of the bodies from DoA are possible and are "realistic" bodies in the sense that they can be had without being dangerously unhealthy.

[LeCreuset]

Come on, people. Now you're just putting forward and agreeing with comments that put forward arguments I never made. You just wrote a whole post predicated on countering an argument I never made.

What I have said is "these are the images bulimics are deluged with that inform their standards and expectations." While trying to live up to media imagery that passes the rare off as the norm may influence unhealthy behavior by people trying to attain that standard, I never came close to saying "the media enforces an unhealthy image of people."

"If we're talking fitness, a lot of the bodies from DoA are possible and are 'realistic' bodies in the sense that they can be had without being dangerously unhealthy."

I stay in the gym, so I know what's possible. I don't think of myself as being unhealthy at all, but my image is not a realistic representation of the norm. Someone pressured to pursue that image may take unhealthy shortcuts to achieve it, especially if they don't understand that it is very difficult for certain people to achieve certain body types.

"Why do we have to condense a whole bunch of body types into one generic, average, 'healthy' body just for the minor population who is facing eating disorders?"

That's the point. We shouldn't. In the minds of bulimics there's one acceptable body type that they must achieve. They think that body type is the norm, though it's not. This is meant to dispel those delusions that the norm is what they've been idolizing and purging themselves to achieve.

[LackTrue4K]

Most gamers must feel ashamed of there looks then,

[Death]

Most gamers are capable of distinguishing fantasy from reality. Emphasis on most.

[ThunderPulse]

Some dumb asses that don't wanna get off the couch are just jealous.

[ravinash]

Usually the girls as they are portrayed in the games are very active, so in keeping with how they would look, they would look more like a sporty physic rather than someone who sits in an office all day.

If you want to look at unrealistic expectations, just look at the magazines with photo shopped images of model and articles saying how fat someone looks.

[fallacious]

sit in an office all day? the type of people who would write these kinds of things are probably people who sit in their lounger all day drinking mountain dew and eating chips while taking a dump in their diapers.

[wheresmymonkey]

this whole little rabbit hole is kind of fun for me. the site is pushing an agenda. Its so pro GG it's hilarious.

LIkewise the belimia site is obviously trying to push a message that game characters don't refelct reality. Which i guess isn't a bad idea, but at the same time, replacing them with the average tells me that the average american is overwieght. So maybe they should be trying to say hey america you need to do a little more exercise but don't feel pressured to look like these women.

[OokuChicken]

What does GamerGate have to do with eating disorders?

[terminallyCapricious]

It has nothing to do with eating disorders.

And what America needs to do is understand that people can look like anything and thats fine but just because you're uncomfortable with the way you look doesn't mean that you should dictate how creative minds make their craft.

Does this mean that shooters should have fat men running with guns? No.

Again this applies only to women, because the extreme liberal/sjw/anti-GamerGate side only wants to push this "world vs. women" agenda when thats not the case.

You want more body types? Go ahead. But I've been starting to see this "eye for an eye" mentality. Dont put others down because your uncomfortable. You claim to be "body positive? Prove it. Show love for the thin ones as well as all the others.

[ravinash]

"Does this mean that shooters should have fat men running with guns?"

They would make for easier targets.

[Death]

As I get older I need bigger, slower targets when playing fps. Bring on the double cheese burgers and Mountain Dew.

[Summons75]

*Faceplam* excuse me while I leave the planet since the stupid people won't...

Seriously, it's bad enough shaming people who work out to be a healthy weight or shaming the people who have an eating disorder and need HELP. But how much of a life do you not have if you are going to go after fictional character. When did being overweight become the okay and being healthy is a crime? Also this "reverse photoshop" just turned Helena into a fat person. It's one extreme or another with society today....

[insomnium2]

Yeah we should all go on a fat diet that makes us fatter than hell. Nevermind the health problems it brings cause we certainly don't want to offend anyone...

[Halo2ODST2]

"*Faceplam* excuse me while I leave the planet since the stupid people won't..."
Funny +1Bubble

[scark92]

I am happy that I am free from such mindsets.

I despise these people, they need to check their 'privilege' more than anyone.

[Gh05t]

Honestly this article (from what i read because i couldnt take it anymore) sounds just as bad as the article its critizing. Just because they use the example of women does not by any means promote the idea that inly women have bulimia. Thats the same flawed type of logic as the original article is using to try to make its point.

Not to mention this is the same issue as why arent there more women, minorities, transgender, homosexuals, etc... in video games. The just decided to pick an even smaller subgroup out of the list. Granted its not as small as saying why arent there any albino black people in games, but the push is still the same. It's a BS push to get whatever they feel is acceptable regardless of what the creator invisions.

Both articles are bad and try to think way too much into the critisiscm they give by pulling assumptions and ideas that they make up in thier head to argue for a position they feel strongly about.

[OokuChicken]

"I read the title, therefore I read the article."

[Gh05t]

Its cute how you would think that but seeing as i had to open up the article to get to the link to the original article that this is being written about, read that so that i could make a comparison by default you are misinformed since I could not do that from a tilte.

But you know, take one statement about me not willing to continue to read the same type of drivel as the drivel its bitching about as only reading a title.

[Halo2ODST2]

" Just because they use the example of women does not by any means promote the idea that only women have bulimia." Actually it does, Domestic Violence groups do this all the time, they solely focus on women, even though more than 40% domestic violence victims are male.( http://www.theguardian.com/...
This in turns only makes society more ignorant. Breast Cancer charities are just as bad. Men can actually get breast cancer as well, yet these charities don't even try to raise awareness about it, it's disgusting.

[Psychotica]

Um, everything about video games is unrealistic, including the characters.

[Death]

I was going to use sports games as an example of how you are wrong, but then I remembered taking the Browns to the Superbowl in Madden. :(

[bOObies]

My beautiful Helena...What have you done to her :( She is a trained martial artist, who practices every day to compete with the best fighters in the world.

It's probably safe to assume that given her brutal training regimen, she would have the most fit body her genetic make-up would allow. I don't see her as being unrealistic given few people in the world ever work as hard as her (As per the fiction)

[masterfox]

I don't know you but I like women with big busty legs with busty breasts along side with a curve middle and by busty I don't mean fat OK!, you know I want to be able to grab you know, for example that picture the character on the right I would prefer, just a little bit less in the waist. :D

[Hoffmann]

I am always a bit disapointed by the gamer community that articles like that gain many many thousand clicks, views and a ton of comments whereever they pop up while stuff about gaming culture, interviews with game developers, art is not getting even 30% of the interests as those articles that can upset people.

[Roccetarius]

You can thank the people starting the trainwreck that is SJW's. If it wasn't for that attack on gaming, we would all be discussing what you mention instead.

With that said, the world would be better off with more healthy people.

[BinaryMind]

Stumble upon any feminist, SJW, or GG website/blog and you'll get the same kind of desperate reaching as things like this.

[reploid]

I am soooo offended that you guys are offended...this is so oppressive...
/wrists

[Perjoss]

Lazy person: "hey, you there, stop being slim, you're making me look bad over here"

[DEEBO]

Man who cares,everyone is different.Women are so unsure of themselves even when they are beautiful.

Don't be mad a person for taking care of their bodies That's just stupidity.
And i don't see men crying about how the guys look on a videogame.

This world is going too soft,you can't say the wrong thing because it might hurt some people's feelings.Some people need to stop being p___y my god!

If You're happy being a BBW good for you but don't hate on other women for taking care of themselves.You only get one body in this lifetime so i would take of it if was you.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

One could argue that characters like Lara Croft and fighting game characters are realistically slim due to their active lifestyle.
Lara Croft is hardly going to be a porker when she spends her days scaling cliff faces and darting through tombs.

[drgkngx]

"Thin shaming" being used unironically killed all credibility this site had.

[OokuChicken]

I submit to you one "Reality Cheque". This cheque can be used to cash into a world where your own delusions are, in fact, a reality.

The delusion being that thin-shaming doesn't happen.

[njitram2000]

Oh Rikku, what have they done to you? There's nothing unrealistic about a girl her height having that body type. Then again, I live in Europe, not the US. "Average body type" my ass.

[CantBeStopped]

Aren't there real women they could better spend there time shamming?

[assdan]

I love how they make these women have "average builds" when apparently average to them means 10-20 pounds overweight. The other problem with stupid crap like this is they act like they don't do this with men. Yes they do. In most video games, the male characters are also in near perfect shape. Video games are body shaming women, that's just what they do with both genders. Why isn't Marcus Phoenix on the list as a scrawny little guy? What about Nathan Drake? Why haven't they edited him to be slightly overweight?

[JMyers]

These photos arent even "skinny". They just made them fat. What not take "skinny" men and do the same?

[arbitor365]

1) A lot of these characters are designed by Japanese artists and the plump body type is most certainly NOT the norm over in Japan. Just because America has embraced its own fatassery doesn't mean the rest of the world is on board.

2) These characters all have active lifestyles and are affluent in combat, acrobatics, and so on. They would not look "average" and definitely not like a 35 year old secretary that snacks on ice cream regularly.

3) "Average" does not equal "healthy" or "ideal" or anything worth striving to be. What ever happened to aiming high? Unreachable standards are better than no standards at all.

4) Why would people want "average" looks in characters? Video games and movies are about escapism. So of course we enjoy idealized universes and characters. Unless of course you are insecure and you dont like seeing people who look better than you.

5) If you want to talk about eating disorders, how about you talk about the fact that 800 Americans die every day from diseases linked to obesity. And just to compare, only 150-200 people die from Anorexia every year. So how about we get some priorities?

[2pacalypsenow]

So its basically saying women who are really fit are the problem .

smh

[TRASHBOAT___]

sh1t is crazy bruh

[TRASHBOAT___]

I'm fat but that doesn't mean I wanna see other people get fat .
People in general are too sensitive these days

[dillhole]

Really getting tired of this victim culture.

[Viper7]

//If video game creators are going to pride themselves on accurate digital representations, then it’s time for them to get real about women.

With realism in mind, we altered some of the most beloved female video game characters with Adobe Photoshop, shaping their bodies into images that represent the average American woman’s measurements. Check out the results below!//

I don't think average American women or any average women for that matter have place in a fighting tournament on a game called "Dead or Alive"

DOA or Tekken Fighters are actually pretty good representation on how Fit women actually look like with healthy amount of bodyfat (go too low and it will hinder your performance unless you are a bodybuilder)

Although most of them have probably gone through surgery of two to enhance their upper body assets a bit.

[djaparatic]

video game characters celebrates a woman's body like art. Celebrating fatness and unhealthiness is more concerning problem then this. If video game characters were anorectic I wouldn't say anything.

[forgetmenot]

When i want realistic examples of anything the first thing that comes to mind is video games....I want this witch hunt to go away so bad

[aLiEnViSiToR]

The logic of 'Murica, having a healthy fit body is a bad thing.