Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Æon Flux should compared together because they share so much in common. They are both excellent pieces of animated cyberpunk. The worlds are fleshed-out and exciting. Both shows question what makes us human. These are only some of the aspects that deserved to be highlighted. Unfortunately, the shared elephant in the room should be addressed first. These women should be wearing more clothes.
It is cool that both shows are headlined by strong female protagonists. Æon Flux real ass-kicker. She jumps off buildings, dodges bullets, and generally wreaks havoc while staying cool and collected. Major Motoko Kusanagi is almost always portrayed as the smartest person in the room. Her subordinates respect her immensely and her authority is unquestioned. But what’s the deal with Æon’s bondage outfit and the Major’s one-piece swimsuit under a leather jacket get up? The costume choices for the lead characters are distracting at best, objectifying at worse. Often they will dress in more mission-appropriate outfits which make them look far more professional and bad-ass. However, when they look like pin-up models, I feel uncomfortable watching on my phone in public just in case someone glances over my shoulder.
This might sound like slut-shaming their clothing choices unless one considers the intended audiences of the shows. They are both stylized, animated science fiction pieces that have been historically marketed towards teenage boys and young men. Even if audiences have changed, both shows are over twenty years old. Back then, science fiction and general “nerd” stuff was not nearly as mainstream. The creators dressed the ladies with their intended audiences in mind. It feels gross and reminds me that so much science fiction involves the horny male gaze (see Leia in Jabba’s palace). These sorts of instances make it difficult to not feel like I need to apologize for the genre I enjoy.
Unfortunately, these clothing choices (especially Æon’s) might be distracting enough to turn off viewers from the shows, which is a real shame. Both shows have awesome ideas about society and the future and who we are as people. The art direction of Æon Fluxis amazing; it still looks great nearly thirty years later. Stand Alone Complex regularly blows my mind with new ideas involving artificial intelligence and life itself. All science fiction fans ought to watch the shows. However, the objectification of women can be difficult to handle. I think the costuming is stupid and distracting, but ultimately I can ignore it enough to enjoy everything else. Others may not feel the same.
There is no need for women to be total babes in science fiction. I want to believe that fans of the genre are mature enough to enjoy well-written female characters that are not wearing super V-cut body suits. I want to get this out of my system now in order to focus on the good things in each show. If it were one or two episodes where Æon or the Major were portrayed as sexy femme fatales, it would not be worth mentioning. But since nearly every scene with the ladies involves their annoying costumes, it is impossible to not think that as great as the shows are, they would be better if the main characters were dressed like real people.
The Keasy Depot 