finally being able to put words to why I dislike something everyone else loves is a good feeling. Instead of just saying "bad vibes", I can say "it feels gross to me to dress someone up in outfits whose primary goal is eliciting arousal in the outside audience. If the outfit's primary function is to be sexy, it should be to make the person wearing them feel sexy, not to appeal to our arousal."
The words finally came to me when everyone was geeking out about Tifa's new swimsuit. Her and Aerith both appear in swimsuits in some new screenshots, and the difference between their designs is huge. Aerith is wearing something that looks decently comfortable to hang out and swim in, while Tifa is wearing something from an H-game. It's frilly and strappy in a way that doesn't look like anything she'd actually wear, so it takes me out of the fiction and all I can think about is the designer in our world going "yeah this'll make the fans horny".
And this is very definitely a me-problem, since everyone else seems to dig it, but I've never been fond of that kind of approach. I'm definitely not against things being horny, but I've always been more a fan when that horny is presented as something the character would do vs something an artist is doing to them.
It might be a subtle difference, but it's one that catches me out every time and takes me out of the enjoyment!
