I've read a couple of posts lately about playing Wii for fitness. For example, Trent at the Simple Dollar uses Dance Dance Revolution as a frugal alternative to a gym membership. Hey, if it's fun, I'm all for it. I am no fun hater. He's actually got me curious about giving it a go myself, since at this point my gym membership is mostly just for show, and I miss feeling like I'm strong and quick enough to kick ass at the drop of a hat. A desk job will do that to you.
But that doesn't mean Nintendo's announcement that it will market Wii Fit as a weight loss tool for women doesn't tick me off. I could orate at length about using fatphobia to sell women stuff they don't need or the cultural obsession with women's (and welcome to the club, increasingly men's) shapes. But today I'd like to focus on the insulting stupidity of it all.
Really, Nintendo? This is your grand push to bring the XX's into the electronic gaming fold? Not female protagonists? Not deflating some of those gravity-defying spherical boobs? Not continuing to engage the already sizeable number of female gamers out there? No Tetris/Yoshi/Dr. Mario/Collapse/Q-bert updates (am I alone in my love for the geometric game?) Just Hey, you! Fat lady! Play our really expensive game! Get less fat! You're too dumb to even notice that you're exercising!
Not to mention the bloggers I've seen who are already exericising to their Wii's are dudes. No, if it involves losing weight, it must be marketed to women. I tell you, if the Wii Fit add-on is pink and sparkly, I will vomit.
5.05.2008
Does This Mean I Can Get My Wii In Pink?
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8 comments:
I hate pink. My grandmother redid my room in pink when I was at school (this was probably 35 years ago). I came home to a pink and pale green room. I was very sad for a long long time. I still haven't recovered.
Well, that's something I was not aware of. I'm still hoping that they're going to take a more broad marketing approach, because it doesn't sound like this game is too gendered (I mean, they've got soccer and stuff that's fun for everyone).
I gotta agree that I think they would see great success with their "blue ocean" by being more egalitarian in making characters and selecting protagonists; and to their credit they've definitely been better than some about it, and seem to be improving.
I should mention though, that they have been releasing new games like tetris and yoshi.
wow, i love you. i came here via a rare visit to a financial advice website (trying to find out about the save-our-stockmarket "tax rebate" i've been promised), read the post "marrying debt" and felt my heart rip and promptly sent it to my own boyfriend, then read this post and then the one about uterus-renting and oh boy where has this blog been all my life.
i'm so excited. i'll probably browse the archives when i, uh, get home from work. (hooray productivity!)
I've seen it. It's white and sleek, much like most all the rest of the Wii accessories.
I'll stick with my Metroid Prime: Hunters DS game (on my bright red DS with the girl-wonder.org sticker over the logo because I hate being a corporate shill), ta muchly. I get a lot of exercise because every time I get my arse blowed off, I flail and curse.
And I get my arse blowed off a LOT in that game.
I've been sooo in love with the pink DS Lite since they premiered but I've stuck with my basic blue original DS console since I couldn't rationalize spending $130 for a new unit when mine is in perfect working order.
But that's one of the only times the color pink is my preference. I even prefer red lipstick over pink.
ummm, well, for the feminists, i suppose you can enjoy Metroid, that stars Samus Aran, a pretty kick-butt female bounty hunter.
and for the DS there is Super Princess Peach, but you may not enjoy that, because her "powers" are the ability to flip out and loose control of her emotions...
You could read the whole issue in two different ways:
Fact, most americans are fat lardasses, no matter if they are men or women, perhaps nintendo tried to market the wii fit to women because they tend to take care of their health more than men,
that´s one way to see it
The other way is the "paranoid bitch" point of view, in which, all the men of the world are trying to treat women as objects and shoving stereotypes down their throats to keep them busy and under control...
Seriously, relax, is just a damn game, lower your guard for a few seconds, cut the paranoia and enjoy the life.
Hey, I read your blog via feministing. I have a comment on your post about the Philippines.
Filipinos do have access to birth control. They can get the pill or condoms. However, the church says that birth control is immoral, and so many people don't use it.
I did meet a few people who practiced the rhythm method.
Therefore the problem is two-fold- the people want to obey the government(which tells the people to reproduce less), but want to obey the Church, a major power in the very Catholic Philippines, by avoiding birth control. It's a conundrum.
I learned about the situation during a two month intensive rural development study tour, which took me into peoples' homes and communities.
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