Three thoughts. 

One, not sure why anyone being "bisexual" makes them cool. Not clear why anyone's sexuality has any bearing on coolness or lack thereof.

Two, if you think men don't have to self censor themselves go talk to any man who's in a successful long term relationship or has a job for that matter.

Three, I cannot offend you. I can do something that you choose to get offended about. That requires your active participation. Instead of people getting all huffy about being offended, maybe they should make the choice to participate in something else.

I agree with everything you've said, however one thought pops into my mind.

Women should dress however they see fit, but I believe there is nuance.

In my opinion, wearing a low cut top isn't the same thing as tweeting a picture of yourself in a push-up bra. Are both okay? Sure, but there's more to it than determining whether or not it's politically correct.

Why would a woman tweet a picture of herself in a push-up bra? I don't know if I like any of the possible answers.

Attention? Showing off? Wanting to be desirable? There has to be a reason, nothing is ever as simple as, "just because." The same can be said for the reason "being proud" of your assets. It's a surface answer, covering up the root motive. Here's a strange metaphor, just in case I'm being confusing. 

"I have problems with making a relationship last."

"Why?"

"I'm an alcoholic."

That's not a reason, in my opinion. Why is that person an alcoholic? That reason would better explain why they have trouble in relationships. The same goes for posting a push-up bra picture on Twitter. "I'm proud of my boobs" isn't the full story, in my opinion.

And that's where it gets a little tricky for me. I am all for women dressing like they want to, but I will always judge them accordingly. There are too many women in every industry who don't tweet pictures of themselves in a push-up bra that I respect. I just can't help but wonder why Meg decided to post the picture.

It's all about motive for me. I'm not sure I could be convinced that there's an honorable one among the long list of less admirable reasons. And even if there was, why should I believe it? I don't know them personally, how can I know they're being honest?

I have no problems with how anyone else wants to dress or present themselves.  If you felt like doing a show in the nude, I would not be troubled by that in the slightest.  In the purest form, you are the owner of your own body.  What you choose to do with it is completely up to you, and should NEVER be dictated by what other people think, (Unless you want it to be!).

I am a very strong supporter of personal freedom and expression.  Sometimes I enjoy wearing jeans and a t-shirt, others I may be in a tuxedo, yet other times I may be wearing shorts and a tight muscle shirt (or potentially no shirt at all!).  These are all my personal choices.  And in some ways these choices are influenced by the people I am around or certain things I am doing.  At the gym for example I am very likely to be wearing a muscle shirt and shorts.  This is useful from a practical standpoint, the tight clothes do not get caught in the weight machines, and help wick away moisture to keep me cool.  But I also get a sense of pleasure from showing off the musculature I worked for to others.

The point is, it is always my choice.  The best thing you can do is work to be comfortable with yourself.  Don't let others opinions force you into a particular mold.  Create your own mold!  You will always run into people who will be angry at you for something or other, and people who will love you for those same attributes.  Just make sure that whatever you decide, comes from your own personal choice.  Do not let others dictate how you live your life.

It's about fucking time someone said this.  It's an interesting dichotomy, honestly, that people decry sexism in games every time a girl with huge knockers comes on screen while trying to enforce a sexlessness on women that is equally sexist.  It should be about the characters at the end of the day.  The same is true of real people.  It is the content of their character, not their manner of dress, that should define them.  Seriously, this is the same shit that justifies the "she asked for it" narrative when a girl in a short skirt gets raped.  It's beyond infuriating.

Thank you for this. I'm glad that this has been discussed recently (A small tidbit in this month's game informer and every here and there on the internet) without too many people becoming too intensely offended. Yes, we all understand that it's not JUST an issue with the video game industry, it's a problem with all of society. Only, the video game industry has been known for especially denying that a problem exists.

Just because men are ALSO objectified does not make the objectification of women any more acceptable. It's hopefully the start of meaningful discussions between men and women on the goal of equality.

One thing I've noticed is that it is women mainly dress up nice because they are more worried about what other  women think of them more then what the man thinks. But then you got to understand that all women are different. What offends one may not offend another. Some feel empowered by half nude photo shoots while others get really upset and think she is selling out. You can't please everyone.

Great read author, personal responsibility is certainly not a popular view these days, but a very good one in my book.

What really bothers me is that an image like that is just going to point the finger of blame to "sexist" men. Clearly all the men pressured her into doing an outfit like that! Or it was her boss! Or maybe it was the game industry as whole! The last person that ever seems to be held responsible for a way a woman is depicted is the woman herself.

It's almost as if they don't think women are capable of making their own decisions....

(I do hope someone detects the irony in this)

I forgot to mention, there's also another consideration, the flip side of this, the women that don't look the way that most men consider to be attractive.  I'm not decided on it myself, but one could argue that this makes it harder for them to be recognized.

I think we have to admit something here though, being an attractive woman helps you get attention online, honestly it's just undeniable.  Whether female online journalists (reviewers, bloggers, whatever) intend to use that to further their career/popularity or not, it's going to happen regardless.  Unfortunately I don't see this as a problem with a small vocal minority of sexist pigs, it's going to affect most men.  Sure the vocal sexist ones might say something, others may attack you for it, but the masses of men who remain silent are still going to be drawn to the pretty girl, even if they don't consciously realize it.  It's like hard wired into our brains, we almost can't help it :).  I've commented on Gamespot videos about how good some female staff looked, it's kinda immature and maybe even sexist, but I couldn't help it I guess.  I like to look at good looking women, as do many other men.

So, you don't want to have to be careful about how you dress or the way you talk about yourself, you want to be able to show off your body sometimes if it makes you feel good.  That's perfectly fine, there shouldn't be different rules for women.  But, you have to accept that even though you may not intend it, it's going to have an effect.  Some women may find themselves doubting their professionalism, or doubting their abilities, wondering if it's really just their looks that lead them to success.  Others may never have such doubts, again it's a personal choice.  And, as you said you are going to sometimes be accused of using your looks, and you may not find it always so easy to ignore those accusations.

So go ahead, just be yourself, post sexy photos on your personal social media sites, and let people talk about it.  Just remember that we cannot deny the affect it will have on men, and you nay find yourself questioning where that effect ends and your capabilities as a journalist begin.  You need to be confident enough in those abilities to deal with the possible consequences, both internal and external, of your actions.

As a read this blog my smile got bigger and bigger. At last, a blog about this kind of thing I can actually agree with!

@tempertress @zyxe @Saketume Thanks for the tips. As a longtime GS member I do try to consider TOS when I write or comment here but there can always be something one has overlooked. I re-write the comment and if it vanished again then there is nothing I can do.

by the way, how is the situation in australia? recently, two french women got insulted in a bus by a guy for... well speaking french. It didn't put australians in the best spotlight.

As a guy I'm not so one dimensional that I judge someone just based on how they look.

I see no reason women can't be professional, intelligent, charming and sexy at the same time.

I don't lose respect for people I see naked and I don't think people who cover their bodies from head to toe are more serious or professional. It's all up to how they behave.

Slightly off topic:

While beauty is important intelligence and a nice personality sure can make people more attractive and few things are as off putting as someone being both dumb and mean.

What happened to my comment:o I posted it yesterday.

I think you made a good decision Jess. Yes, everyone will have different opinions about the way Meg chose to portray herself, but it's her body and she's allowed to do what she likes with it. I'm not sure what word I'm looking for here but I'll go ahead and put it this way - it was very "brave" of you to admit on here that you were wrong, or that you believed you were wrong (since I am sure there are people out there who believe you were right about your original thoughts on Meg).

Personally, I believe the rules for men and women should be the same, but at the same time I think that women in the public eye do need to be a bit more careful, or at least be aware that there are, and will always be, sexist people out there. If you're able to ignore them then go forth with no fear! However, keep in mind that there are those extremely rare cases where a real pervert will fly down to Australia and stalk you. Erin Andrews is probably the best example I can think of. She's an attractive, famous sports journalist who is constantly in the public eye, and a few years ago she had to throw down a restraining order against a 46 year-old male stalker.

In the end, you can't live your life or your career in constant fear, and you shouldn't have to... but this world is far from ideal and as long as there are sexists and perverts out there you need to always proceed with caution. Just carry a really big sword and you'll be fine. =)