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• ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  No, but your question reminds me of how before puberty, I wanted to play video games as a male character (girls had cooties, I suppose) but after puberty I often prefer to play as a female character. I still play RPGs as a male (I suppose it helps me get in character, plus romance subplots feel weird otherwise) but otherwise I prefer female characters because they’re prettier (not necessarily in a sexual way). I liked paying Guild Wars because many of the women’s outfits were just gorgeous. One character class went into battle wearing my choice of fancy dress. That was fun.

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  • foxglove@lazysoci.al ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    That’s interesting, why do you think in video games you want to play a pretty character that can wear gorgeous outfits?

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    • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Sexual attraction plays a role - I’m not aroused by playing a game, but attractiveness is a type of beauty and I enjoy looking at beauty. I also think that women are just prettier than men even in an entirely non-sexual way, but I wonder how much of that is simply a reflection of being taught that women are the beautiful gender rather than an innate aesthetic preference. That segues into an interest in traditionally feminine social roles. I admit that I’m a bit envious of women, not because I consider myself a woman or want to become a woman, but because women get to be beautiful, delicate, desirable, etc. and men don’t.

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      • foxglove@lazysoci.al ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        That all makes sense, desiring looking at something beautiful or attractive.

        Re envy: that’s interesting, so you would like to be able to be like women in that you would like to be able to be beautiful, delicate, desirable and so on?

        I think some men can be considered beautiful and desirable - I’m sure women would describe men like Pedro Pascal as being beautiful and desirable 😅 But I hear what you mean that in general women are seen as desired and men as the one desiring, in a sense. I think that’s largely social, though I do think estrogen does create traits that we might see as beautiful, such as soft skin, for example.

        I guess I wonder if you have any examples of beautiful, delicate, or desirable men, and whether you would prefer to be that, or if you could press a button if you would just choose to have been born a woman instead?

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