>>25440
>>25447
>>25448
>>25441
There's a real disconnect between those who make the media these days and those who consume the media regarding topics like Powerful Women.
Get on any place where people are even the least bit comfortable with discussing their degeneracy and you'll see a lot of demand, even from those typically cast aside as "incels" or whatever the equivalent word at the moment is, along the lines of "step on me" or something similar. There are a lot of people who want a partner that is significantly stronger than them, even when that would be an inversion of the traditional relationship. And there are plenty of girls who also want guys who will step on them, judging by the sales of stuff like 50 Shades of Grey.
"Powerful women are sexy" should be an easy sell. And mass media bends over backwards to provide powerful women. What have the last five years given us? Captain Marvel? The Scarlet Witch? Live-action Motoko Kusanagi? Live-action Mulan? The Ghostbusters reboot? They're powerful women, right? You wanted powerful women, right? Look at them, chuds. Look at them being powerful and badass and stepping on everyone and not giving a fuck and you're probably masturbating the whole time, aren't you? Except nobody's buying what they're selling, over and over, and they don't seem to ever understand that there's a lot more to being powerful than some bad DBZ-esque parody of having the biggest fucking numbers in the whole universe holy shit nobody stands a chance.
Pic related is the cover of one of the most well-received Superman story arcs in comic history. There's Supes, looking the absolute opposite of what you usually see on comic book covers. This is a character who is unquestionably in contention for every "most powerful character ever" poll. Practically invincible. Practically unstoppable. Anybody who actually
can beat him in a fight is going to need the better part of a story arc to do so. When you're that tough, and you
know you're that tough, why do you need to posture?
I think that a big part of what separates decent writers from hacks is being able to think more than three seconds into a character concept. As an example, everyone in the Black Company novels recognizes the Lady as ranging in power from "a significant threat that must be dealt with using the utmost care" to "absolutely unassailable and any attempt at challenging her is outright suicidal." And yet she really doesn't go out of her way to be cruel to those beneath her without extenuating circumstances like punishing traitors. She's capable of non-predatory smiles. Her name alone has frightened allies and enemies alike for centuries, yet she is still completely willing to enjoy life's smaller pleasures. The Lady checks off a ton of Mary Sue boxes because she's absurdly powerful, beautiful beyond compare, brilliant, cunning, the whole package. But she's still ultimately motivated by fears and doubts, no matter how remote she has made them, and she's still relatable as a human instead of being some unstoppable force of nature with tits and a sidecut bolted on for tax credits.
I think I somehow managed to self-derail in the middle of my own post. But these threads are schizophrenic, so fuck it. Powerful women can be really sexy. However, like just about anything else worth doing, you've got to put in the effort to do it right. And that's the one line that people in charge of creatives these days just refuse to cross for some reason.