Voyeurism’s Damage to Visual Stories
Another anime
series Shannon and I worked through a few years back was Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, based on the Manga of the same
name. A moment occurs in this series where a bit of nudity interrupts
the flow of the story. Shannon explains in a recent blog post, The Rape of Winry Rockbell:
Let
me set the scene. A teenage girl, after a long and dangerous journey, finally
arrives at the home of someone who is not out to kill her: another teenage
girl. Though they don’t know each other well, they both immediately recognize a
friend. The traveler’s new friend runs a bath for her, pulling a curtain around
the tub so she can have some privacy. As our traveler undresses and washes off
the dust and weariness of the journey, she feels safe enough in this intimate
setting to divulge her growing feelings for a boy they mutually know. She
blushes as she shares, glad that no one can see her in this moment of emotional
and physical vulnerability. . . .
She
is a character with hopes and dreams and a robust, well-developed
personality. She is a young woman (not of legal age) at her most
vulnerable, in what should be a safe space, sharing deep feelings, and we the
audience are invited to ogle her barely-covered breasts, wondering if those
bubbles will move.
The
article explores several other examples of story-intruding titillation, then
points out the following:
You’ll
notice that the women in these examples are usually in some sort of vulnerable
position aside from their state of undress: sharing feelings, having her wishes
denied, being hurt. In these moments of heightened emotion,
instead of feeling along with her, we are distanced from her. And the distance
is not just from the character’s emotions, but from her (and our) very
humanity. It’s as if we are expected to relish a chance to be base, to take
advantage of vulnerability rather than reach out in sympathy.
Because
she had so much to say, Shannon had to save some of her material (arguably, the
best parts) for a follow-up post: Naked: Essential or Detrimental to Visual Stories? This piece shows how fan
service can damage a story through three tactics: 1) messing with character
identification, 2) voyeurism, and 3) hijacking full immersion. Here’s just a
snippet to whet your appetite:
When
a character is dehumanized in a concentration camp, we hold onto their humanity
for them. When a character is killed, it’s their humanity that moves us. But in
voyeuristic situations, the characters’ humanity is damaged in the eyes of the
viewer as they become objects, not people.
A
good story helps us celebrate and cling to humanity. Even “dehumanizing”
stories about slavery or brainwashing, ultimately, should give us more desire
to be human, not less. But by turning viewers into voyeurs, the screen
invites us to shut off caring for characters in the moments they are most
vulnerable. It makes US act less human. This, to me, cannot be an
ultimately redemptive or empowering story.
Yes,
Shannon links to several of my own articles on this topic. That aside, both of
the above articles are, in and of themselves, excellent. I recommend checking
them out.