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Often times when the original Lara Croft comes up in discussion, people are quick to say that she was created for the "male gaze." I'm making this thread to clear the air on this misunderstanding, which mostly comes from those who didn't play the games tbh 1/? 
When Tomb Raider was created, women lead characters were almost non existent. The very idea of making the main protagonist a woman was a risk. At the time, we had Metroid with Samus as the lead, but what made her "safe" was that until the end, the player thought she was a man
With that said, Core Design didn't care about the risk and created a woman lead character anyway. Her proportions were exaggerated, not in an objectified manner, but to see even on blocky PSOne graphics that the main character was a WOMAN and they were PROUD of that
What's frustrating is when people take quite possibly the biggest woman power icon in the world & reduce her to a "digital bimbo." Anyone who actually played the games saw that throughout the classic series, she was ALWAYS shown in an empowering light. Never compromising on that.
Lara's crazy curves were created as an exaggeration to show she, a powerful protagonist in a video game who slays t-rexes, was all WOMAN! It was a bold statement for WOMAN POWER, not for objectification. As female representation has become more prevalent, people forget this
Lara Croft amassed a MASSIVE women/ LGBTQ+ following. Within her hardcore active communities, it's women & gay men who are the majority. For more on Lara's impact on the LGBTQ+ community, I encourage you to listen to @Survivor_Reborn podcast:
In conclusion, Lara Croft was created as a power fantasy + a rebel. She was rebellious herself & the very act of creating her was unapologetically rebellious as well. She paved the way for strong women of all shapes & sizes in gaming today. Lara Croft's curves are NOT shameful.
Throwing in a receipt from Toby Gard (interview with Gamasutra in 1998), for those who think I am just making this stuff up.
Lara was not created for the Male gaze, period.
Lara was not created for the Male gaze, period.
