Just a random point of comment.
I see more distrust of 'Lightning/Snow' glamor than.... 'slut gear.'
Also, it is very often when people say slut gear they are referring to the sexualized armor sets present in all MMOs and in some MMOs equally shared between both genders. They are not referring to player who has created a set of glamor using the armors presented to them by the developers. If it is used as slant at all it is to the game developers for designing such gear. "Slutty" clothing in general is clothing designed to bring attention to areas of the body that are often sexualized by anyone. It does not matter who it is on, someone will find enjoyment of it. I am sure someone out there looks at someone wearing hiking boots and a full-body snowsuit and has some sort of sexual thrill out of it. (And thank-you RPC... now my browser history has me looking up the exact definitions of slut and slutty) Frankly, when referring to MMO gear no one is using the exact definition of 'slut' or even 'slutty.' If anything its 'use' is made to remark about absurdity of design rather than character, player, or even gender of the character.
I personally call some of my gear slut gear because I enjoy how it sexualizes my character... on maybe a deviant level. Do I ever call someone else's gear 'slut gear?' Only if they call it that first, means we both have an understanding by what we mean by it, otherwise I remark about how revealing it is. I also rarely make remark about the OOC character of the player based on the gear they choose... unless they are tank in all dps gear expecting me to heal them through a speed run pull. I am sure some people see my 'slut gear' and make some terrible assumptions about me as person or my character... some of which may very well be true.
ICly is an entirely different matter. If a character looks like a whore to another character that is an IC matter. I do not assume OOCly much of anything about someone's character based on what they wear, but rather how they RP or if they make note of the attire in a note. One of my characters, Vulgar Beast, will call some a whore if in his eyes they look like one, but Vulgar Beast's player makes no such actual assumptions as best he can. (I mean... sometimes you look at how the person has dressed their character and make your little guesses.)
As for the lack of balance between sexualized gear.... there is very little compared to other games. We don't have full plate armor that is just a metal thong and bra. Most of the 'medium' armor gear is identical between the genders save for the addition of more 'armor' to create a bra. The tricky thing is when you come to 'cloth' gear. The solution.. glamor away if it bothers you. I know quite a few male characters that glamor their gear to sexualized as much as possible. It isn't perfect even, but I honestly don't think it can ever be perfectly balanced, but the developers added ways within the art style of the game to achieve the look you want, be it 'slut gear/sexualized gear'Â or something more modest.
In the end how a character dresses often does little to define the character's roleplay or the player. It is an accent designed to demonstrate some trait of the character. How the character looks is based on the particular likings of the player and how they would see their character present themselves tot he world. Some characters are modest, some are timid, some are dashing and grand, some are sexual, some are proud of how they look, some are ashamed and conceal themselves as much they can, some pick fashion over function, some wouldn't leave the house without seven pockets and three knives strapped to their legs, and some... just don't give a damn what other characters think of how they look.
I see more distrust of 'Lightning/Snow' glamor than.... 'slut gear.'
Also, it is very often when people say slut gear they are referring to the sexualized armor sets present in all MMOs and in some MMOs equally shared between both genders. They are not referring to player who has created a set of glamor using the armors presented to them by the developers. If it is used as slant at all it is to the game developers for designing such gear. "Slutty" clothing in general is clothing designed to bring attention to areas of the body that are often sexualized by anyone. It does not matter who it is on, someone will find enjoyment of it. I am sure someone out there looks at someone wearing hiking boots and a full-body snowsuit and has some sort of sexual thrill out of it. (And thank-you RPC... now my browser history has me looking up the exact definitions of slut and slutty) Frankly, when referring to MMO gear no one is using the exact definition of 'slut' or even 'slutty.' If anything its 'use' is made to remark about absurdity of design rather than character, player, or even gender of the character.
I personally call some of my gear slut gear because I enjoy how it sexualizes my character... on maybe a deviant level. Do I ever call someone else's gear 'slut gear?' Only if they call it that first, means we both have an understanding by what we mean by it, otherwise I remark about how revealing it is. I also rarely make remark about the OOC character of the player based on the gear they choose... unless they are tank in all dps gear expecting me to heal them through a speed run pull. I am sure some people see my 'slut gear' and make some terrible assumptions about me as person or my character... some of which may very well be true.
ICly is an entirely different matter. If a character looks like a whore to another character that is an IC matter. I do not assume OOCly much of anything about someone's character based on what they wear, but rather how they RP or if they make note of the attire in a note. One of my characters, Vulgar Beast, will call some a whore if in his eyes they look like one, but Vulgar Beast's player makes no such actual assumptions as best he can. (I mean... sometimes you look at how the person has dressed their character and make your little guesses.)
As for the lack of balance between sexualized gear.... there is very little compared to other games. We don't have full plate armor that is just a metal thong and bra. Most of the 'medium' armor gear is identical between the genders save for the addition of more 'armor' to create a bra. The tricky thing is when you come to 'cloth' gear. The solution.. glamor away if it bothers you. I know quite a few male characters that glamor their gear to sexualized as much as possible. It isn't perfect even, but I honestly don't think it can ever be perfectly balanced, but the developers added ways within the art style of the game to achieve the look you want, be it 'slut gear/sexualized gear'Â or something more modest.
In the end how a character dresses often does little to define the character's roleplay or the player. It is an accent designed to demonstrate some trait of the character. How the character looks is based on the particular likings of the player and how they would see their character present themselves tot he world. Some characters are modest, some are timid, some are dashing and grand, some are sexual, some are proud of how they look, some are ashamed and conceal themselves as much they can, some pick fashion over function, some wouldn't leave the house without seven pockets and three knives strapped to their legs, and some... just don't give a damn what other characters think of how they look.
