I'm sorry, Lara Croft

When I was about six, I saw my sister, who's eleven years older than me, play Tomb Raider on our PC. And I didn't know much about it because she'd shove me away. And about a year later after freaking out about me killing my only Sim, I could understand why she did what she did.

This box art has been burnt into my mind for a good 12 years.

Fast forward years later, I'm an incredible nerd in my senior year of high school. I have a Women's Lit class and we get on the topic of women in the media. I make the mistake of mentioning video games.

Them: Like Lara Croft? 

Me:Yes but she's not the only one and in-

Them: Angelina Jolie played her, making her the best woman character ever!

Me: But...

Them: makeup is empowering! http://myfacewhen.com/389/

Me:http://myfacewhen.com/312/

So through the rest of the year, I learned to despise Lara Croft, because they equated empowerment with a character that was equal parts sex object and protagonist. It was like Stiletto spy school, where only some of they school is about actual defense and fighting, the rest is being a sexy Bond girl. 

To her defense, Lara Croft was very progressive for her time, but that was about 12 years ago. Sure Samus was around then too, but only people who actually played video games knew that one. And I am in no way saying Samus is perfect. 

Congrats, you win! Btw, you were a woman the whole time.

The difference between Samus and Lara is that Samus, for the whole game, was androgynous for the whole thing. I guess what bothered me even more than the fact of Lara Croft topped the bounty hunter that I had a nickname after, was that she was the modern day. I know they'd scoff if I tried to pass off my old clothes as modern to them. Like if Chell, Alyx, Samus, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, all the rpg games that have relatively ambiguous protagonists (partially because they're about 10 years old, but that's another subject), Lita and Ophelia in Brutal legend, who, although you can't play, are mainly a "we're here to rebel against the empire!" and are pretty strong. And Commander Shepard, where the story its self does not change because of gender.

And Lara has gotten better over the years, I'll admit it.

So I'm sorry Lara Croft in that I took out my aggression on you because of girls that don't know anything about video games or feminism.