I never said a female has to run like a dainty princess to be a girl. I said it is ok if they do.
I used to be a personal trainer, and girls ranging from about 20-ish to 50-ish made up the bulk of my clients. All of them ran like that. Not some. Not a few. All. They weren't wearing mini skirts and heels to the sessions. Very much wore workout gear, and sneakers. Girls running like this casually just comes naturally. It's a dainty run that still expresses femininity. That is all it is. Most girls when actually running or sprinting as fast as they can, will do so more like what you see track athletes do. My job as a personal trainer was to stop them - for lack of a better term, from "running like a girl".
Dainty princesses needing to be rescued by someone stronger and more capable is a trope wrapped in fantasy. It gets attacked because it depicts women as weak, but not necessarily women, but rather femininity. And you can see this indoctrination that has been taking place for decades within this thread as what players dislike about the female Midlander run is that it makes her look weak, and it does this because it is girly. Femininity is in fact, powerful. Like seriously powerful AF. But not in the way masculinity is, which adheres to physical dominance. If masculinity is a locomotive; femininity is what gets its wheels to turn.
The gaming realm is one of fantasy, so males and females are truly equal. Certain aspects remain etched in reality regardless of the fact though due to our own perception of it. That is precisely why the dainty princess run can clash if a player wants an avatar that depicts one of great power, and is an imposing figure. You want to look like King Thordan, and then run like a female Midlander. Not exactly intimidating. But if you want a character who looks like she farts rainbows, well then, Midlander. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, or their run.
