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8 Years Later, Metal Gear Solid 5's Quiet Actress Reflects on Sexualisation Debate - IGN

Stefanie Joosten, the actress who played Quiet in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, has said she understands both sides of the controversy surrounding the sexualisation of her character.

www.ign.com

Stefanie Joosten, the actress who played Quiet in Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, has said she understands both sides of the controversy surrounding the sexualisation of her character.

Quiet became the centre of debate surrounding the over-sexualisation of women in video games and the media in general due to the character wearing little more than a bikini despite being a military assassin.

It's been interesting to see the discussions about the character. Of course, I've seen them, and read a lot of different perspectives on the character at the time. And still, I respect the choices Kojima made and his team in designing the character.

And also, of course, there's also just a choice of creating a character that's visually appealing. I think video games are, in a way, still a sort of fantasy world you enter, so I definitely respect the choices regarding the Quiet appearance, for instance, being quite revealing.

Joosten said she understands why people aren't happy with how Quiet was portrayed too, however, and suggested the character is a product of the time.

I also understand the perspective of the people that are not as happy with how she was portrayed. This game came out in 2015, and I think the video game landscape has changed quite a lot since then. People are looking for more representation, and I really get it.

As explained in Metal Gear Solid 5, Quiet wears so little because she sustained serious injuries while trying to kill protagonist Big Boss at the beginning of the game. These injuries can't be seen, but mean she can only breathe or drink through her skin, so wearing too much clothing would lead to suffocation.
Joosten also doesn't believe the story reasons were strong enough to justify Quiet's lack of clothing. "Quiet's outfit is not practical at all," she said.

"Even with the explanation that was given of her breathing through her skin, of course there were so many other options you could have gone with. I do agree on that.

"I got to see the character artwork when we were starting motion capture, and of course my first reaction was, 'that's a very revealing costume', but I respected it and accepted it. So that's basically my stance. It's fantasy, and I find that acceptable as well. But I do understand, having more of a diverse representation in video games for woman and all minorities is something I would encourage as well."

 

[cormack12]

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Didn't Joosten pretty much get all her fame from Quiet/Joosten simps? We wouldn't even know her name if Quiet was clothed.

 

[Beer Baelly]

No slandering Kojima the God

 

[Imtjnotu]

 

[proandrad]

Yes, let’s all get offended by fictional characters in a video game.

 

[Senua]

I think video games are, in a way, still a sort of fantasy world you enter, so I definitely respect the choices regarding the Quiet appearance, for instance, being quite revealing.

One and done, cheers!

 

[RagnarokIV]

She's sensible.

 

[Three]

What she's basically saying is she doesn't give a shit about the petty squabbling and wants people to make whatever they want and is all for more games with representation too.

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Sounds about right

 

[Senua]

No slandering Kojima the God

 

[Alexios]

So what part of her answers is so offending to the people that are offended other people get offended by stuff they don't get offended by enough to call her a bitch and devalue her whole being as only worthwhile because of a game they only know her from like she has to care? Weird & creepy.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I personally find the outfit and explanation silly but I moved on approximately three seconds after having that thought. I still can never wrap my head around the absurdity of freaking the fuck out over sexualization while dismissing (to normal people) shocking levels of interactive and highly detailed carnage as "just pixels".

The bottom line still remains that the actress saw the sketches and said "cool, I'll take that cash and do that". Case closed and you're done.

 

[rofif]

It's supposed to be sexy. not practical

 

[lughnasadh123]

I'm 100% in for any dev that wants to sexualize their characters. Gimme more of it. Just don't come up with a laughably stupid reason of why you're doing it.

 

[kirby007]

why did we assign the pixels behind my cumstain a name

 

[Beer Baelly]

Tldr

 

[Pop]

 

[Sojiro]

I'm 100% in for any dev that wants to sexualize their characters. Gimme more of it. Just don't come up with a laughably stupid reason of why you're doing it.

Agreed. The "reasoning" is stupid, but I guess it sounds better in interviews than "I just wanted her with no clothes on". It's whatever to me though, I don't mind developers sexualizing male or female characters if they want to.

 

[Reaseru]

Wow...8 years later. Someone is desperately looking for a job.

 

[Jigsaah]

Ok so lemme get this straight. A woman who can attribute her fame to sexualization, is saying her character is too sexualized. Does she offer an alternative? Like, what would be practical given mechanics of her breathing. Taking a shower could lead to Quiet drowning. She sees this as an excuse? I think people who love MGSV think that particular characteristic, while definitely offering space for sexualization, is still a very interesting part of her story. It gives her depth, mystery and an almost alien or superhuman quality. You could be fully clothed and people will still find a way to sexualize Quiet. Sure the game makes that blatantly obvious but I mean think of the audience, think of the creator. Think of 4 other games before this that all have some sort of lewdness in women, Raiden and Snake himself. Wasn't Raiden butt ass naked in MGS2? I mean get over yourself.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Who cares?

Btw, Quiet leaving was the real Phantom Pain.

 

[dem]

The problem is that I will never play this game... because its so over the top it's embarrassing.

I'm not sitting in a room with my wife and kids playing this.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Wow...8 years later. Someone is desperately looking for a job.

Don't bring me into this, assface.

 

[Represent.]

She's right. Who the fuck dresses half naked to war. Its stupid.

But the character is hot

 

[NeonGhost]

Who cares?

Btw, Quiet leaving was the real Phantom Pain.

The game not being finished is the real phantom pain

 

[K2D]

Fact: She was designed to be powerful and also to be eye-candy. For men and women (who can dig it).

Fact: Kojima was creative and successful in explaining why she had to be scantily clothed.

Fact: Kojima criticizers are prudes and hypocrites.

Fact: It's stupid and unpractical and I'd have choosen loose fitting, breathing desert wear.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Why do people even care so much? I got bigger things in my actual life than to give a shit about if the entertainment industry is getting woke or not. Is the game fun to play? That's all I give a fuck about! Maybe I cared a few years ago but now I'm so done caring about that shit. Will it make any difference if we whine about it? No, so why bother?

 

[U n i o n 0015]

I thought her opinion seemed pretty nuanced. But I also have zero problem with sexualization in games, like who cares? Games, movies, etc, are often idealizations of reality, why do the psychos who whine about this shit feel that every media property has to make a statement on modern social issues?

It's okay for shit to be cool, sexy, or weird if that's what the creator wants to do. The only thing that matters is consistency within the rules of the narrative.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Correct. Naked is the most practical.

 

[Whitecrow]

Sexualize means accentuate their femenine traits, good shape and good curves. There's no need to make a character naked. Leave it for a skin and give players the option if they want a character to go nude.

 

[calistan]

Quiet is probably the hottest character in video games history, I’m all for her being butt naked.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

 

[Saber]

At least she knows its "fantasy" departament, and it's not supposed to mirror reality. Unless she consider having a mechanical functional arm and having a bone in your skull as a part of reality.
But even if it was, I would still disagree with her. A female bimbo as an assassin is perfectly acceptable because the nature of beauty and sexyness plays a role in assassination.

 

[StueyDuck]

Is it a controversy though... like who is genuinely upset outside of 5 fattys on Twitter with blue hair

 

[wipeout364]

I thought her answer was great. She didn’t criticize Kojima’s choices, she thought outfit was not practical and revealed a lot (both are true) but she respects that this was Kojima’s story to tell and it’s fantasy. Frankly I don’t think we could ask for a better response.

 

[SantaC]

Not practical but it was sexy. Kojima has good taste.

 

[Punished Miku]

She's sensible.

She's secretly cool as fuck. She was cinematic director on Wanted: Dead, and also released a good 80s style album used on the OST. Unlockables in the game include several episodes of a cooking show she is hosting live that are pretty hilarious. And she just released a single with Giorgio Moroder a few days ago.

 

[violence]

She clearly doesn’t care that she played a sexy character.

 

[Senua]

How did IGN rope her into this waste of time interview? It’s like it was designed for the Clickbait headline. She clearly doesn’t care that she played a sexy character.

Yup and if people actually read they'd not be shitting on her

 

[Deerock71]

No slandering Kojima the God

She should've stayed...Quiet.

 

[Sybrix]

Was there game lore as to why Quite is dressed in this way?

 

[Deerock71]

Was there game lore as to why Quite is dressed in this way?

She breathes through her skin.

 

[rofif]

Meanwhile she has sexy modeling pictures on the internet.
How is that bikini practical

 

[Chuck Berry]

The game came out in 2015...

Is there a reason they decided to sit on this non article for over half a decade?

 

[j0hnnix]

I don't see the issue.. She looks fine in the outfit.

 

[K' Dash]

who gives a shit?

 

[mitch1971]

She's right. Who the fuck dresses half naked to war. Its stupid.

But the character is hot

 

[ValiantTraveler]

Meanwhile she has sexy modeling pictures on the internet.
How is that bikini practical

It's not practical for conducting missions under the scorching sun of Afghanistan or in the dense jungles of Africa. She is right.

Yes this is fiction and I certainly enoyed looking at Quiet, plus there's the lore justification, call it dumb but at least it's there.

I think Stephanie deserves to portray other characters in gaming. Too bad nobody is interested in casting her.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Sounds to me like she was cornered by the interviewer so she gave a fluff answer, you can tell she doesn't really care. lol