And that makes a huge difference imo. Both are designed to be hot and gazed at, but Bayonetta is at least given watsonian agency. The character is in this way believable, because yeah the people in real life who dress super skimpy in a fashionable way are typically doing so on purpose.
The realistic version of the “hot chick who just happens to be dressing skimpy” would probably be just dressing plainly for hot weather. But it would be a distinct and interesting character design choice to have a major character in a video game just wearing cutoff shorts, a tank top, and practical sandals. That character design feels much more aimed at female players than male ones, and like if in a genre with lots of skimpy outfits would be an intentional rejection of the trope.
And that makes a huge difference imo. Both are designed to be hot and gazed at, but Bayonetta is at least given watsonian agency. The character is in this way believable, because yeah the people in real life who dress super skimpy in a fashionable way are typically doing so on purpose.
The realistic version of the “hot chick who just happens to be dressing skimpy” would probably be just dressing plainly for hot weather. But it would be a distinct and interesting character design choice to have a major character in a video game just wearing cutoff shorts, a tank top, and practical sandals. That character design feels much more aimed at female players than male ones, and like if in a genre with lots of skimpy outfits would be an intentional rejection of the trope.