Ecchi Body Types

Rather than focusing on one particular show, there's an overall trend in both ecchi and quite a bit of hentai that I want to bring up. It shouldn't be surprising to anyone honestly, but it's something that we need to actually discuss, and make notice of, in hopes that something will change. That something is the lack of variety in body types, as well as the shaming of different bodies.

It doesn't really matter what anime you pick, but if it's ecchi, and especially some manner of harem, there will be thin women with massive spine-breaking breasts as far as the eye can see, and one very petite loli type character. Breast size is typically something that becomes a contest at some point in the series, and the protagonist is generally enamored by the largest sets. It hits a point where all the designs look more like a joke than some sort of actual character, and they would all blend together if it weren't for the monster trends happening lately. It's as if saying that feminine attractiveness is purely relative to one's cup size, and that couldn't be further from the truth.

At the same time, we see everyone constantly shaming the one flat chested character, and never being desired. In Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time as an example, the girl who is less endowed actually has to cast a spell in order to coerce someone into sex, and there is a frequent joke of how the protagonist isn't attracted to her, as opposed to the other girls present. At one point, there is even a device summoned that can detect and score arousal, and the only character that fails to do so is the one without curves.

And then we have series like Freezing, where there isn't even the novelty of different monsters, but every character could basically just be wearing a different wig. They're all thin, with no hips or butt, and a chest that makes me question their ability to perform everyday actions. Even with Keijo, an anime about butt battles, we had very little variety in how the characters were designed, which isn't only disappointing due to lost opportunities, but has negative connotations beyond the show. We can play with extremes in sexualizing characters, that I have no problem with, but let's do it with a variety of body types, so we can celebrate the many shapes people come in.

We're teaching viewers that there's only one preferred body type. That if you don't have breasts so large that tying your shoes is a questionable task, you aren't attractive. That the people out there built like Pixar moms just aren't worth pursuing. It's telling people to shame others for finding something else attractive, and that we need to only find one type of person worth lusting over. There's a certain point in watching different shows, that I've started noticing any time there's a female character in anime that's actually drawn differently. Even if the character doesn't become part of the harem involved, or a person of interest, I rejoice over some manner of variety. And I enjoy it even more if the character is noticed in a positive way, as rare as that is. Much of the time, it takes finding the more obscure shows to find any variance in body shape, and I wish we could acknowledge those lesser known series more.

Except Space Dandy, as he knows to call out the tropes, and enjoy the booty. Let's all be a little more like him, because every body shape is beautiful, and worthy of attention.