Quote Originally Posted by Theodric View Post
I'd be very concerned if anyone was trying to objectify someone as young looking as Alphinaud or the equivalent. Especially if they're almost double his age in the real world.

That aside, nobody appears to be stating that there shouldn't be any objectification of the male form. It just so happens that men who are lean or bulky are much more popular than those who are very slender or feminine.

Again, masculinity is a spectrum ranging from classically handsome to ruggedly handsome - Viera men could be anywhere on that spectrum and a lot of people would be happy. Yet if they were to be obese or super skinny, I'd bet a lot of people would turn their nose up at them simply because those aesthetics aren't nearly as popular as some here have convinced themselves.
The traditional mindset: Women are feminine and cute while the men are to be manly and tough. These aesthetics are the most popular; most of us know this full-well, but that doesn't stop some of us, and many others, from potentially liking the opposite. The reality of the situation is that what we get will be designed by what the dev's think will work out best with the community. However, there are people here who are simply hoping that we could maybe get something a little different to satisfy a lesser filled niche. We already have five other races that mostly fill the traditional norms(besides lalafell I suppose), so why not something different?

You mention being disturbed at someone potentially "objectifying" a character as "young looking as Alphinaud". I think you are thinking about this the wrong way. People use Alphinaud as a reference, because we don't really have much else in game to best represent a "smaller and potentially more feminine built male". Just because some may want a race to be built in such a way does not mean they actually want to play as children or underaged characters. Female Miqo'te and Au'ra's youthful appearance and build make some of them almost look like preteens, but that doesn't mean they are or we think of them as such.

Also to people still trying to use Viera lore as an excuse for their males availability or potential appearance... It's a high fantasy game filled with magic; things don't always have to make perfect sense. Look at lalafells or female Au'ra.
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