Point/Counter Point: Game Of Thrones is Totally Sexist

, by Gabrielle Bruney, Staff Writer

I love Game of Thrones, but I was the girl who once knew the name of every furry little hobbit to ever appear in a Lord of the Rings film, so this isn’t exactly a shocker. The show has drama, sex, violence, gore—fucking dragons, for Christ’s sake. Top it all off with an intriguing plot and a fantastic cast, and what’s not to like?

Oh yeah, all the rampant sexism.

“What?” you may say. “Game of Thrones isn’t sexist. It takes place in a medieval world where sexism is de rigueur, and depicting that sexism isn’t in itself sexist.” True enough.  But Game of Thrones doesn’t just depict what would likely be historically accurate sexism in an ancient universe. Instead, the show pardons and even applauds it.

Let’s start with the most obvious. Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys are exiled heirs to the Iron Throne, which was captured by now-king Robert Baratheon with the help of show protagonist Ned Stark. Viserys sells Daenerys to the warlord of the Dothraki, an army of vicious nomads, in exchange for their help in reclaiming the Targaryens’ lost kingdom. Okay, sounds like your typical fantasy fare. The Dothraki king spends his days feasting, pillaging, and murdering, and then comes home for a nice evening of raping his unwilling bride. Yikes. But the depiction of rape isn’t sexist. It’s what comes after. Daenerys eventually falls in love with her husband and is tickled pink when she discovers that she’s pregnant with his rape-spawn. What? That’s ridiculous and just falls in line with the age-old rapist fantasy that says that women may put up a fight, but it’s only temporary; we want it, we need it, and eventually we all come around.

Now let’s turn to the minor female characters. Yeah, they’re mostly hookers. And Game of Thrones doesn’t offer a nuanced take on prostitution, showing ups and downs and pros and cons. It doesn’t imply that perhaps not every prostitute procured by Lord Tyrion Lannister, who has dwarfism, would be sexually attracted to him, and therefore might do her job with anything less than gusto. No, instead Game of Thrones presents a parade of happy whores, often just hanging out naked in the background of scenes. That’s right, needless female nudity abound—it is HBO we’re talking about after all. Now I have no problem with nudity, even when it’s totally unnecessary, but I do have a problem with it being one sided. True Blood is one of my favorite shows, and there are just as many tight butts and six-packs as there are bouncing boobs. But I can’t remember a single incidence of sexualized male nudity in Game of Thrones’ first season.

You may protest, “But there are plenty of strong, empowered women in Game of Thrones!” Sure. But what are their motivations? Let’s do a rundown. Catelyn Stark is Ned’s wife. What does she want? To look after her husband and sons. Evil queen Cersei Lannister? All she wants is to see her son and brother in power. See a pattern? The so-called “strong” women of Game of Thrones want nothing more than to tend to the men in their lives. The only female character not propelled by stereotypically girly desires is Arya Stark, Ned’s youngest daughter. But she’s eleven. She’s not old enough to be sexualized and certainly not old enough to be matron-ized. She’s currently in the safe zone of childhood, but I’m sure she’ll have her top off by season eight.

Now, these biting criticisms do nothing to reduce my love for what is an undoubtedly great TV show. But it is a sexist show as well, and burying our heads in the sand will do us no favors. Even those we love need to be called on their bullshit. Get it together, Game of Thrones.

  • disgusted college student

    “Now let’s turn to the minor female characters. Yeah, they’re mostly hookers. And Game of Thrones doesn’t offer a nuanced take on prostitution, showing ups and downs and pros and cons. It doesn’t imply that perhaps not every prostitute procured by Lord Tyrion Lannister, who has dwarfism, would be sexually attracted to him, and therefore might do her job with anything less than gusto. No, instead Game of Thrones presents a parade of happy whores, often just hanging out naked in the background of scenes. That’s right, needless female nudity abound—it is HBO we’re talking about after all. Now I have no problem with nudity, even when it’s totally unnecessary, but I do have a problem with it being one sided. True Blood is one of my favorite shows, and there are just as many tight butts and six-packs as there are bouncing boobs. But I can’t remember a single incidence of sexualized male nudity in Game of Thrones’ first season.”

    this. all of this. I’m sick of people making the excuse that game of thrones is a “sexual show” and that sex is “part of it’s character.” If it were focused on sex, you’d see men sexualized in the same way women are. Instead, all you see is women–only women–posing sexily, everywhere happily having sex with whatever man happens to be in the room, having sex with each other, essentially acting as stupid, mindless objects, in every episode, with none of the same for men. Furthermore, this hypersexualization of women throughout the show is not meant to add “nuance” to the show but to get the audience off.

    People say “They’re demonstrating how horrible sexism was back then!” Bullshit. If showing lots of tits in every episode and women happily being degraded as whores to give the viewer a boner is your idea of showing how “horrible” sexism is, you’re lying to yourself.

    If you want to watch lesbian porn, trust me, you can find plenty of that on the internet. But when I turn on my television I don’t want to see women being dehumanized and degraded for “entertainment.”

    • annonymous

      You can always change the channel. There is plenty of sexism against men on television. You don’t see me complaining about it. The fact is that in every sex scene there is also a man, and you see his nipples. And don’t give me this shit about there being lesbian scenes. There are also gay scenes. So please calm down. Thank you.

  • Louise Wright

    Gabrielle you truly have hit the nail on this one. As a woman myself I have no problem with nudity even if some parts I could say should be implied. But if I have to sit through a sex scene I would like an equal amount of nudity from both sides but what is shown is the focus is all about her. Some people defend that in some scenes its necessary to show the horror Daenerys face as she is about to be rapped but hold on as a woman I know Doggie style allows for very deep penetration so maybe showing his penis size could also highlight that the rape was very painful for her could be an added factor that she was also crying because it hurt.
    Spartacus had no problem showing male nudity and I’m sure at least of there characters was hand picked for us ladies yum yum.

  • anonymous

    I’m glad someone pointed out the difference between depicting a historically accurate dichotomy and a fantasy world in which sexism is chosen WILLINGLY because any non-historical fantasy work of fiction which did not depict sexist attitudes would be considered less credible by today’s audiences.

  • Iamscoutstfu

    Uhhh except that there’s rampant homosexuality to counter your “lack of sexual male nudity”. The downside if being a prostitute is illustrated heavily in both the scene where Joffrey makes the two whores beat eachother as well as where peytr baelish speaks with the white from
    Winterfell.

    Furthermore, had you bothered to read te books you’d know a bit more about the daenerys and drogos relationship. In the book drogo turns out to be a big sweetheart at core and is very nurturing which is why daenerys falls in love with him. This isnt depicted in the tv show but that’s HBO, not GOT.

    I agree GOT is sexist but, having read the books, I find I sexist in a manner opposite of your observations. In GOT, ALL major leaders are either women or are influenced and dominated by women, from cersei to daenerys (before and after drogos
    Death), to stannis baratheon all the way to Mance rayder beyond the wall. Men are primarily depicted as completely governed by what’s between their legs and therefore women by association. Men routinely offer to put their lives in danger to protect or defend the honor of a woman. Something done less in actual medieval times than most people think. Furthermore, nearly all the major players of “the game” are female aside from
    Perhaps peytr baelish. The men (Joffrey, the tyrell males, tommen, stannis, etc) are just pieces to be sacrificed when it’s convenient.

    Even when sexism deliberately depicted to put the reader in period, it’s
    Done to depict any perpetrator of sexism as an unwitting fool being manipulated by a woman’s charms, vulnerability, honor (as it pertains to women), or sex organs.

    Concisely, in the entire Song of ice and fire series, mens intelligence, competence, emotional and intellectual complexity is marginalized and men are subsidized and annexed in every roll.

  • vitamin d

    I started reading the books (quite addicted) and the sexism in the tv series has nothing on the sexism in the books. George RR Martin sure likes his rape fantasies.

  • annonymous

    I should like to remind you of the difference between a novel written by George R.R. Martin and a book on George R.R. Martin’s gender philosophy, by George R.R. Martin. The first is complete fiction, highly entertaining, and does not in any way depict the author’s philosophies on gender roles and sex. The second clearly states what George R.R. Martin believes about gender roles, sex and all that good stuff, and, oh yeah, it does not exist. I’m tired of people getting pissed off that a novel is sexist. For Christ’s sake, its is a novel! The show is based on the books! This does not mean that the author and directors think that women should be subject to men. It does not mean that they like rape. It is a work of fiction! Seriously. You give feminists a bad name. I am a man and a feminist. Real feminists work for good. You guys look pick at everything. Soon you will be saying that Barney and Sesame Street are somehow sexist because Barney and Big Bird are both men.

  • “Let’s do a rundown. Catelyn Stark is Ned’s wife. What does she want? To
    look after her husband and sons. Evil queen Cersei Lannister? All she
    wants is to see her son and brother in power. See a pattern? The
    so-called “strong” women of Game of Thrones want nothing more than to
    tend to the men in their lives.”…. um… so it is wrong for a wife to support her husband… and for a mother to support her child? As for the whores… most of them don’t appear happy at all. Have you really watched the show?

  • Elspeth R

    I’m glad someone else thinks this! Though in season one, there were four naked men, three frontals: the assassin of Daenerys; the random older guy who appears at the tree with the woman from the woods; Theon after a round with the red headed hooker; and back only, Khal Drogo. The more I think about it, (and having read a book too) I really am appalled, and this this is closer to misogyny than sexism. Its portrayal of sex is for money and power, never love, never respect and I can’t say admire any of the women. I’ve written my own article “All Fur Coat and No Knickers!”

    http://elspethr.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/all-fur-coat-and-no-knickers-a-response-to-game-of-thrones/

    And being fiction changes nothing – it’s a depiction which very much matters, and it is a fantasy in all ways. And not a healthy, helpful one

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