I…. I have thoughts and feelings that are way more intense than I ever imagined regarding the depiction of “female” robots in media. Like, “write a thirty page essay and possibly original fiction” intense rather than a few lengthy tumblr posts. I talked about it rather shallowly after Blade Runner 2049 came out, but it’s been stewing in the back of my mind since October and I need to express it somehow.
“hey ship what are ya thinkin’ about? you look distressed”
“the ethical implications of intentionally giving sexual characteristics to and programming gender in an artificial being capable of consciousness without its consent, especially when those traits are already associated with objectification and social inequality in humans”
listen if youre going to complain about the way someone draws robots then you might as well complain about furries too cause dogs and cats aint supposed to have two big tits 24/7 but here we are
Wh…at? That’s. I don’t think that’s my point, but I’m not actually sure what your point is.
If you’re creating an artificial being capable of consciousness and human-like cognition (currently only a fictional scenario), you are fully responsible for actively choosing its appearance. Not nature, not God, not random chance. You. You choose whether it appears sexless, or masculine, or feminine, how “human” it looks, whether it has genitalia, if it can fuck, if it can be fucked… its body is subject entirely and exclusively to your whims.
You know it will be objectified. Of course it will – it’s a machine, after all. What is the purpose of a machine, if not “to be used”?
You’re probably not just trying to make a machine if you go to the trouble of giving it consciousness and a human form. You’re creating an artificial human that will interact with biological humans. The odds are already stacked against it being regarded as a person deserving of autonomy and rights because of its natural (or… lack thereof?). Most sci-fi settings resemble our own socially, subject to many if not all of the same prejudices, including sexism. Maybe designing your android to be anatomically correct humanizes him in the eyes of others. But doing the same to your gynoid? Now she’s doubly objectified, more “toy” than “machine”.
#and if she does not express emotions convincingly? she’s ominous in ways a male android is not.#because – after all – what is more unnatural and abhorrent than a woman who does not feel?
BettSplendens Tumblr Evac 