Some Thoughts on Ladies' Armor

Thinking about arms and armor a lot lately, as those are the topics I am beginning to research for my novels. These are a couple of resources on armor, specifically ladies' armor, that I found on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy, and maybe I'll have an original arms and armor post for you next week.

Cheers

Martwhim's "Why do you hate the shape of breasts in plate armor so much?"

"Since people often ask “Alright, well this is fantasy!  Why can’t we have boob shapes in plate armor?!”  I decided to make a post about it.  My frustration has nothing to do with historical inaccuracy and I’m all for imagination and freedom— but I’d like to (very quickly) illustrate this for you..."


And, along the same lines,


Emily Asher-Perrin's "It's time to Retire "Boob Plate" Armor. Because it Would Kill You."

"Never mind the chainmail bikinis—what about those awkward breast plates in armor that we see frequently in fantasy artwork and at the Ren Faire? Whenever women complain about this convention, they are usually shot down for trying to erase women’s true bodies, for insisting that women make themselves more “male” in order to appear strong and capable.

But here’s the thing: those shapely bits of armor would actually get you killed. So the complaint is entirely valid! Now, let’s talk about why..."

This is not to say that one cannot or should not envision armor this way. If you, for example, own some of said armor and feel fabulous in it, by all means! But when it comes to designing characters who are in need of physical protection it's typically a good idea to know the rules before you break them.