In the world of fantasy art, there is a long running joke about female warriors and chainmail bikinis. Most likely due to the fact that the vast majority of older fantasy art was drawn by men, it is entirely common (even to this day) to see epic fantasy art featuring an adventuring party all decked out in their gear where the male heroes are covered in plate mail, scale mail or leather armor and their female companion is decked out in a thong bikini made of either cloth (if she's a druid or mage) or chain mail (if she's a fighter class).
Is this sad and horribly sexist? Absolutely. That's why I am so glad to see a brand new Tumblr site called Women Fighters In Reasonable Armor. It's sole purpose is to highlight amazing fantasy art centered around female characters who are actually fitted out as a proper warrior should be. Page after page of the site shows off just how awesome these women fighters can be without having to dress them up in garments more befitting of belly dancers.
Will this make the stereotype jokes about the chainmail bikini go away? Probably not, but it's a great step in the right direction in my opinion of showcasing gender equality in fantasy art and literature.
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