In the 2013 version of Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is more athletic, wearing cargo pants instead of tiny little shorts as she did in the previous games. However, in this story, and especially deeply implied by the trailer, Lara Croft seems to be sexually assaulted. “A few months ago, executive producer Ron Rosenberg told Kotaku that scavengers on an island where Lara is trapped attempt to rape her. “She is literally turned into a cornered animal.” (Note: Likening victims of attempted rape to “cornered animals,” is the very definition of dehumanizing.) “ (Forbes).
Again, going off the executive producer’s comments, When Rosenberg spoke about Lara, he said, “When people play Lara, they don’t really project themselves into the character…. They’re more like ‘I want to protect her.’ There’s this sort of dynamic of ‘I’m going to this adventure with her and trying to protect her….’” In this, the executive producer is basically saying that it would odd for a boy to relate to a female hero – therefore, they must make them vulnerable in order to to relate to them at all. Consider this when thinking about that concept: How many people can relate to non-human characters? The answer is a lot. So why would a woman be any different?
In general however, the 2013 Tomb Raider is much less hypersexualized than the orginals. Instead of her breasts being the prominent focus, the details and intricacies (which was aided by the better processing systems, of course) of her face becomes the focal point of her character. She is strong and tough, but has moments of weakness, like any person would too. The depth of her character is better: she is much more than just a pretty face.
Citation: Pinchefsky, Carol. “A Feminist Reviews Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
