D&D (2024) Comeliness and Representation in Recent DnD Art

[I'm A Banana]

Here's a classic work of art that appeared in AD&D in the past. I'm not sure any of them look like the ideal version of a fantasy adventurer. Maybe the elf woman?

They all look like celebrities from the 70's, so there is an element of idealized beauty to them.

If the goal of D&D art of adventurers is to present a fantasy hero, then there's nothing wrong with presenting that fantasy as something that's a little grittier and less polished than most of the art currently in the books. Lawd knows my characters are often gross idiots, and that's what I want to see. Like, I had trouble finding art of my Theros alchemist, because I couldn't find enough weird lookin' snake kids. He was not charismatic, he was not traditionally attractive, he smelled funny and gave you too much information about the functioning of ancient greek toilets. My current autognome is a janky lil' guy who is held together with duct tape. I played a tall, gangly, dorky Circle of Stars druid. These are all heroes, and aren't hot, and that's kind of part of the fun.

D&D art these days has a lot of polish to it, and it looks good, and it is very idealized, and that's fine, but it can be kind of blandly homogenous. Like, we get it, you're a Big Hero Whomst Looks Awesome Doing Cool Stuff. But a lot of characters aren't that!

 

[Scribe]

Indeed. But there’s also zero issue with people wanting the art to reflect how they actually look. We can have both.

We can.

I await the return of the Beefcake.

 

[MGibster]

One nice thing about diversity that is sometimes overlooked is that it makes the setting seem bigger, more real.

 

[M_Natas]

The problem with "concentional attractivness" is, that it is very limiting and does not represent, what most people find actually attractive, but what Hollywood thinks it is.

Like in most TV Shows and films (it got better but still) especially young female actors are usually underweight. They look like fashion models.

But fashion models are not what Men usullay find attractive. Because Men in general, because of Evolution, prefer at least some curves as a sign of fertility.

And Men depicted in Media is usually a wishfullfilment for Men and not something Women find in general attractive. Like, most guys would like to look like Henry Cavil in the latest Superman or like Chris Hemsworth Thor, but for most women that would be way to muscular. They usually don't want ripped bodybuilders.

Everybody has different taste and I prefer Art that depict different body types and phenotypes as beautiful.

Like I actually find strong/muscular women attractive, but a lot of men don't and would insult them as "looking manly", but they would totally fit in an adventure setting.
I find also chubby and fat women attractive. And a lot of men do, but most wouldn't dare to admit that because of Hpllywood Beauty standards.

But I also find a friendly Character/good soul, nerdiness and Intellect attractive - good luck depicting that ...
maybe with for glasses ...
glasses are a must, If I think about it ... ^^.

Attractiveness usually depends on what a person is used, too. There is a reason a lot of people end up with people who are like their parents. And with a wider range of reprensation, people will get used to more diverse looks and broaden their own horizon of what they would consider attractive or what they would admit they find attractive in public.
And it would do a lot of good for the people who are represented by that.

Seeing yourself in Media depicted in a positive light helps raising your own self worth. Most white guys can't relate to that because we are so used to be depicted in Media that we think that is normal.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

If that's what its all about, that kinda fights against the concept of representation though, doesn't it?

If they depict someone of a rarely represented ethnicity as ugly, it'll go over as well as the Hadozee Minstrel picture in Spelljammer.

 

[Charlaquin]

If they depict someone of a rarely represented ethnicity as ugly, it'll go over as well as the Hadozee Minstrel picture in Spelljammer.

Only if that’s the only depiction of someone of that ethnicity (or one of very few). If there are many, they can be more varied in how they are depicted.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That people in general don't seems to drive much of modern media. What is left out by the common "good looking" stereotype? If they're missing now, would it be bad if the people in the art looked a bit more like more of the actual players than their hollywood stand-ins?

I think this is a particular Hollywood problem, or at least a more acute example thereof.

For example, here is a picture of some of the main cast of the ITV drama Passenger (self-referentially inspired by Twin Peaks).

Hard to imagine a more ordinary looking bunch of people.

 

[M_Natas]

Hard to imagine a more ordinary looking bunch of people.

You have not seen German TV then ... ^^

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You have not seen German TV then ... ^^
View attachment 356040

I have actually. Big fan of Der Usedom-Krimi. And I would say European TV generally features more diverse and ordinary-looking looking people than American TV, and especially movies.

 

[Distracted DM]

"Regular folk" absolutely show up way more often in UK+EU media.. it's one of the things I liked about watching non-US stuff. There were even performers (is there a more common gender-neutral term for actors/actresses?) that had lazy eyes and questionable complexions! I say the performers had them because they weren't a feature of the character they portrayed, they weren't called out or part of the plot/dialogue etc.

Some of the leads in my favorite old UK shows were downright not conventionally attractive.