--- title: How Lara Croft Film with Alicia Vikander Can Overcome Sexism description: Portrayals of the video game character have been both sexist and feminist canonical: https://time.com/4312396/lara-croft-alicia-vikander-sexism/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-29T18:18:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:53.767Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: How the New Lara Croft Film Can Sidestep Her Sexist Baggage og:description: Portrayals of the video game character have been both sexist and feminist og:url: https://time.com/4312396/lara-croft-alicia-vikander-sexism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde63effbe30d4c2a/698891398e0601f9f5465a78/tomb-raider.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: tomb-raider og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How the New Lara Croft Film Can Sidestep Her Sexist Baggage twitter:description: Portrayals of the video game character have been both sexist and feminist twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde63effbe30d4c2a/698891398e0601f9f5465a78/tomb-raider.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How the New Lara Croft Film Can Sidestep Her Sexist Baggage > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Watch the 2016 Oscar Highlights In Less Than Two Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the 2016 Oscar Highlights In Less Than Two Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Pygpuwhn.m3u8) (1:58)  _Published 2016-02-29_  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Apr 29, 2016 6:18 PM UTC  Eidos Interactive, Square Enix  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Apr 29, 2016 6:18 PM UTC Oscar winner [Alicia Vikander](http://time.com/4311776/alicia-vikander-lara-croft-tomb-raider-reboot/) will be our next Lara Croft. Let us hesitatingly celebrate. Many women have a love-hate relationship with Lara Croft. In theory, the[ video game character](http://time.com/4126978/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-review/)\-turned-action movie heroine is an independent badass: She’s a self-employed explorer who knows how to climb mountains, take on mystical forces and wield a gun. Think Indiana Jones, if he wasn’t afraid of snakes. And yet, the character has often been portrayed as a sex object. If there was any time to reboot the Lara Croft films, it’s now. When Angelina Jolie played her in two early 2000s films, Croft was pretty much the only female action hero starring in her own blockbuster (save those infantilized Charlie’s Angels). Fifteen years later, we’re finally reaching an era when women can be both empowered onscreen _and_ wear an outfit someone could actually run/climb/jump in. [Jennifer Lawrence](http://time.com/4099494/jennifer-lawrence-gender-pay-gap-katniss-hunger-games/) in _The Hunger Games_! [Charlize Theron](http://time.com/4082957/women-flip-the-script/) in _Mad Max_! [Daisy Ridley](http://time.com/4253729/daisy-ridley-appearance/) in _Star Wars_! Now Vikander, who proved she can be both vengeful in [_Ex Machina_](http://time.com/4134913/top-10-best-movies/item/ex-machina/) and cool in _Man from U.N.C.L.E,_ will get her turn. But unlike those recently conceived characters, Lara Croft comes with a lot of baggage. The original animated Croft from 1996 was designed for heterosexual men—or, perhaps more accurately, hormonal teenage boys. (Just Google “Lara Croft sexy” if you don’t believe me.) Say the name Lara Croft, and the first thing that likely pops into your head are her gigantic breasts and total lack of a supportive bra. In _Lara Croft_ _2_, the animated character—which looks nothing like a human being because it was 1997—is about to get into the shower when she says flirtatiously, “Don’t you think you’ve seen enough?” Ick. Things have gotten better over the years. In the 2013 reboot of the video game, Lara Croft’s proportions were more human than Barbie doll. Shockingly, giving Croft a more athletic physique did not send gamers fleeing. In fact, it boosted the game’s sales, with over 1 million games [reportedly](http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/03/08/one-million-playing-tomb-raider-two-days-after-launch.aspx) flying off the shelves in just 48 hours. And yet some gamers in dark corners of the Internet have [already complained](https://twitter.com/search?q=boobs%20alicia%20vikander&src=typd) that Vikander doesn’t have the right proportions for the role. Hopefully Vikander takes a cue from [Gal Gadot](http://time.com/4260806/gal-gadot-wonder-woman/) who earlier this year [said](http://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Gal-Gadot-Feels-About-How-Everyone-Feels-About-Wonder-Woman-Breasts-121987.html) about some fans’ complaints she wasn’t curvy enough to play Wonder Woman: “If you want to be original to the story, the Amazons used to have only one breast \[in order to more easily shoot a bow and arrow\].” But it’s not just Croft’s body, it’s her clothes: Poor Lara often traipses around the arctic without a jacket because a proper puffy coat would cover up her curves. Again, the new video games are better: she even got to wear cargo pants instead of shorts in the 2015 iteration. Of course, we ogle our male action heroes too, from that [James Bond beach scene](https://www.yahoo.com/movies/how-james-bonds-sexy-swim-scene-from-casino-155942525.html) to a [shirtless Thor.](http://www.etonline.com/news/172871%5Fchris%5Fhemsworth%5Fshirtless%5Fage%5Fof%5Fultron%5Fdeleted%5Fscene/) But filmmakers often imbue these men with the sort of power and intelligence female characters in action movies are rarely afforded. So please, put some clothes on Vikander when filming in the northern regions of Canada so she doesn’t get hypothermia.  Alicia Vikander attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on February 28, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. Pascal Le Segretain—Getty Images And then there’s the issue of story. Lara Croft is appealing because of her power. There are many different ways for a woman to be powerful—Croft’s involves a large inheritance, insatiable curiosity and the propensity to treat dangerous adventures like a game. Angelina Jolie gave us a cocky Croft with a secret heart of gold. (But who _wouldn’t_ have fallen for Daniel Craig with an American accent?) In other versions, she is more vulnerable, and here’s where the game makers have historically run into trouble. In theory, it’s possible for Croft to be young, confused and still finding her power without taking away her agency (again, see Rey from _Star Wars_). But last year, the creators of [_Rise of the_ _Tomb Raider_ ](http://time.com/4126978/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-review/)[stirred up controversy](http://www.pcgamer.com/weve-played-the-controversial-tomb-raider-scene-heres-whats-really-happening/) with a scene in which Croft must shoot an assailant who tries to caress her and then kill her. Many called the scene attempted rape. Here was the explanation of the moment that Crystal Dynamics Executive Producer Ron Rosenberg [gave](http://kotaku.com/5918193/tomb-raider-creators-are-no-longer-referring-to-games-attempted-rape-scene-as-an-attempted-rape-scene) gaming site Kotaku: --- > “” --- While sexual assault is a reality of being a woman in today’s world, major motion pictures don’t have the best track record when it comes to portraying these types of complicated issues. I highly doubt the new Lara Croft film will tackle rape, but audience members familiar with the controversy will be looking out for this sort of thing—another land mine for the producers to avoid. The casting of Vikander offers hope. All three of her major roles last year in _U.N.C.L.E._, _Ex Machina_ and _The Danish Girl_ initially appeared to be well-trodden tropes: the damsel, the sex slave and the supportive wife, respectively. But in all three cases, her characters turned out to be more complex. In short, the accomplished actress has risen to “it girl” status by snagging the few meatier roles for women that Hollywood has to offer. 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