April thread deleted, trying again
 

So, maybe I needed a more direct approach, asking this in a less offensive way.

Does it matter to you, if April is drawn/portrayed with sex appeal, or is that something that isn’t appropriate in 2019?

Would like this to be a a flame free discussion. Honest answers appreciated.

I'm not saying that I want porn, but I would prefer any design of April to be reasonably attractive.

When you google her, porn is almost exclusively what shows up.
So, my first post was trying to understand if she is a sexy symbol for hard core fans (here) or if that’s more of a general audience thing.

I’m thinking the attempt to get a rating on her perceived attractiveness crossed the line. I wasn’t sure how to pose the question given what is deemed attractive is hard to define, and also, the sheer number of April’s out there.

The way IDW has drawn her is perfect. She looks reasonably attractive without going overboard with it, and she looks like a regular girl. She doesn't have any "fanservice" shots making it look like she's used for sex appeal, and she's written as any other character in the book.

IDW has treated its female characters really well. Angel is another character they could have used for fanservice scenes but she doesn't have any either from what I can recall.

Fanservice? Is fan service code for sexy? I thought fan service meant being true to source, not sex appeal.

The term fanservice is derived from fictional characters, usually anime or manga, being put in situations or outfits that could be deemed sexual or erotic and serve no other purposes to whatever the overall story may be.

Oh really? I’ve heard it used in relation to the Marvel films, where it seemed to indicate just giving the fans what they want. But fan service, that means like, fan SERVICE. Like sexual service?

In a broader sense it can mean anything that could be added to please the supposed audience (cool mecha, big explosions, battle scenes or to a lesser extent in-jokes, easter eggs or subtle (or not-so-subtle) references to earlier versions/ iterations of the work in question, but the origins come from the anime and manga of the 1980's when it started becoming way more popular in the west.
To be fair you could count things like cheerleaders at a basketball game as one form of fan service (skimpy/ enticing outfits) and fan-favourite characters returning to series after long hiatus as another form (for long term fans for example). Both are used to appeal to different kinds of audiences.

Okay, that was my understanding of it, the broader sense.
Still, April in the OT was conventionally attractive, in the Barron film called a babe, Donnie has a crush in 2012 etc.

But is April not just a Plain Jane? Somebody who is a friend to the turtles? Or should she be more, is there a sexual side that is a must?
For my two cents, 2k3 April, had a very masculine look and feel, not sexy in anyway, and as a result, I found her far less interesting.

Very resrpectful response. Can I ask what makes you uncomfortable, and what is too sexy? I mentioned before that the new Neca figure looks very, unattractive, to the point of being almost ugly, and I’m thinking that was done on purpose.

IDW April isn’t what you might consider traditionally sexy, she’s very average (not that average isn’t sexy to some people) and that’s what I’m wondering, are people happier with a more plain looking female lead now, compared with the more buxom babes of the 80’s.

What, you don’t?

Only to Crossed.














Why's everyone staring at me and slowly backing away all of a sudden?

(It's a joke, obviously... :lol:)

We’re not backing away. We’re getting closer.

That's even worse. And what's with the weird laughter and that rash on your face all of a sudden? :o

You’ll find out soon enough!

I mean that's going to happen when a porn actress decides to use that name for herself.

Yeah, but The Hentai outnumbers the normal three to one.
Specifically the 80’s version and the 2012 version. All other versions have been forgotten or ignored

I'm not singling out women, and saying ALL women need to be attarctive in media, but rather that attractiveness is a character trait. Take Gambit, for instance. He's handsome, and that factors into his character. If he was ugly, he wouldn't be who he is, because he wouldn't get away with half the things he does if not for his looks and charm. Same can be said for Don Draiper, of Mad men, or an extreme personality like Jared Leto.

I mean, attractiveness is a huge part of who someone is, in how the world treats them, and in social cred. I'd also question if April would be an on-air reporter in the 80's if she were not attractive. If we look at her as a researcher/scientist, then her physical looks could almost work against her, given the trope that pretty means stupid, and so might actually have/be a negative.

No, not everyone needs to be attractive, but for some characters, its just part of who they are, and it matters. For some females in comics, it plays a role, but for others, it's not central to who they are, and therefore my question. Does it matter for April?

While I get that they don't want things to get distracting, I think there can be such a thing as over-correction. I don't think everyone should be drawn as androgynous just because people are insecure that Superman's more masculine than them. That's life, some people are more attractive than you. Plus a lot of it is insincere, manufactured outrage for attention.