Why the hate for the heels?

[bobadz]

Because the original Zero mission concept art for Zero Suit Samus specifically said not to give ZSS high heels.

 

[Igneous42]

For the record, I love Zero Suit Samus' Smash 4 look and she will likely be the first character I play. In fact her being a seperate character from normal Samus was some of the best news I've heard about smash, ZSS is the closest thing I have to a main in Brawl and I think she will be even more fun to play as her own standalone character.

That said, I understand why people have issue with the heels. They are silly looking, and the whole point of ZSS is that she is supposed to be more "acrobatic and agile" than normal Samus in her big clunky suit (obviously this is fro Smash only as in real Metroid lore the suit pretty much improves 100% of her abilities). So adding rocket boots that are in a high heel design just seems silly and seems like it was ONLY done to make her seem sexier. And I have no problem if they make ZSS attractive or even sexy, hell I'd say I like her that way, but I feel like high heels is going a bit far. I think it doesn't match the design intent for the character, acrobatic and agile. Or even the feel of the Metroid series. While Smash doesn't necessarily have to be beholden to the source material, it seems like they at least try to be true to the source series as much as possible. You can argue all you want about how "inset X character here has Y in Smash so why complain about ZSS" but the fact is Smash is not a standalone fighting game where arguments like that would hold a lot more weight. It's a conglomeration of Nintendo's biggest stars and for the most part their designs stay true to the source series. IMO the heels don't really match the tone of the Metroid series and seem like they were added to just make her look sexier. You can cite Bayonetta, Sindel, Ivy or whoever you want as characters who have kicked ass in heels, and I wouldn't disagree. However I do feel in all those examples they match the intent or the character and the tone of the series, whereas IMO ZSS in heels does not.

That ended up being a longer rant than I wanted it to :/. Especially since it's a really minor thing IMO. Overall I love her design and don't mind that she's sexy but the heels is one thing I could live without. But it doesn't make, break or really even effect my overall opinion of the character.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Have people even tried to jump backwards with heels?
Heels hinder movement.

 

[Ixbran]

Have people even tried to jump backwards with heels?
Heels hinder movement.

yes, and there are also little pink puff balls that can eat anything without growing in size, electric rodents, male/female mountain climbing identical twins, and blue hedgehogs that can run at the speed of sound.

Super Smash Bros. has always been about realism in its games, so its obvious an intergalactic bounty hunter can't fight in heels, we should just leave that to the pretty blond haired blue eyed princesses in the pink and opal gowns as they is the only ones who can pull it off no problem.

 

[ToothiestAura]

Have people even tried to jump backwards with heels?
Heels hinder movement.

I think that's why Sakurai gave them jet boosters. To make up for poor mobility.

 

[Ryu Myuutsu]

Have people even tried to jump backwards with heels?
Heels hinder movement.

Have you tried to double jump in real life?

 

[L9999]

Have you tried to double jump in real life?

I tried to double jump cancel.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Have you tried to double jump in real life?

Well thats the thing if you watch some science doc's like i do you would know that a double jump is not entilry imposible

 

[Road Death Wheel]

yes, and there are also little pink puff balls that can eat anything without growing in size, electric rodents, male/female mountain climbing identical twins, and blue hedgehogs that can run at the speed of sound.

Super Smash Bros. has always been about realism in its games, so its obvious an intergalactic bounty hunter can't fight in heels, we should just leave that to the pretty blond haired blue eyed princesses in the pink and opal gowns as they is the only ones who can pull it off no problem.

Dont talk about smash bros as if it comes in and basterdises any character put in it, In kirbys would sucking in crap make sence, in sonics speed of sound makes sence, Dont even get me stated on pokemon., in samus's world jack crap is even mentiond about high heels increasisng mobility. there a reason why ist called si-fi it have to have some form of reality in it.

 

[leprechaunlink727]

Personally, I don't mind them that much. But I think that people who do have a right to feel that way. It is kind of sexist. Not extremely sexist, but kind of sexist. If Smash Bros existed in a vacuum, this wouldn't matter. But Smash Bros is part of the larger gaming culture. Sexism is rampant in gaming. I know that in this sheltered corner of the internet that's a difficult thing for some of you to accept, but it's the truth. High heels are painful and impractical, but women wear them because they have long been part of the modern standard of beauty. High heels have a bigger significance to a lot of women and a lot of feminists than they might to dudes. They're something women wear for no other reason than to be sexy. And that's okay. Lots of women love high heels. But lots of other women hate high heels and wear them anyway because that's just what you do when you want to look nice. And either way there's not really an equivalent expectation for men. I mean, I guess ties are weird, but they aren't actively painful to wear. The cultural standard of attractiveness for men is much broader and less difficult to attain. High heels, like make-up, and if you want to go back really far, corsets, are one of those weird and impractical aesthetic expectations for women that men really never have to think about. Sure, there are certainly men who wear make-up and high heels and corsets, but those are outliers, and in most cases men who are deliberately trying to dress like women.

So when Samus' Zero Suit first incorporated high heels in Other M, people were upset, because this character, one of the first female protagonists in gaming, should not give a **** about what men or society want her to look like. She's a badass space warrior who spends most of her time completely hidden inside a bulky suit. It's just silly, and it's clear that it was only done to up her sex appeal, like the beauty mark. This is Team Ninja we're talking about after all. These things are not necessarily problems on their own, but when combined with all of the other icky sexism in Other M, they take on a greater significance. And there was A LOT of icky sexism in Other M: Samus' obsession with Adam even though he treats her like **** and endangers her life, yet he is depicted as an unambiguous hero even when he literally shoots Samus in the back, Samus literally turning into a little girl when confronted by Ridley, a foe she's killed like 6 times by this point in the chronology, Samus' obsession with her "baby" and the entire game being thematically based around motherhood, the most traditional female gender role of them all, etc. Next to these thematic issues with Other M, the high heels and beauty mark hardly matter at all. But they are nonetheless part of the unpopular changes made by Other M, a game that is without a doubt sexist. So when people were anticipating ZSS' appearance in Smash 4, many were probably hoping that those changes would not affect this depiction of the character. But lo and behold, beauty mark and high heels.

Despite what many of you think "feminists" are taking issue with, it's perfectly okay for her to be an attractive blond woman. That's always been a part of her character, and nobody is saying that it's sexist for a character to be attractive. That would be dumb. The problem is that this is a character that for a long time was perhaps the only central female video game character with an emphasis on her intelligence and strength over her looks. In the last decade or so, that has started to change, with Other M being the first Metroid game to make a huge deal out of her looks and at the same time make her look like a weak, incompetent, and childish character. What's saddest about that is that it's also the first Metroid game where Samus speaks, which means that the creators of the character may have intended her to be that way from the beginning, because that's how women are, right? The high heels and the beauty mark are part of that. On their own, they don't mean much, but when taken as part of the sexism of Other M and gaming culture and general, they become a bigger deal.

That said, I think what Sakurai has done is actually a nice compromise. He maintained the high heels from Samus' Other M redesign, but he gave them a practical function. They're not high heels, they're jet boots. And jet boots, unlike high heels, are not loaded with gender and sex connotations. Plus they're awesome and look like fun. But they still look like high heels, so they don't get off completely free. The beauty mark is not as much of a big deal, but I understand why people might have a problem with it too. Most women who have those drew them on, Cindy Crawford being a prominent exception, so they're another thing women go out of their way to do to be sexually attractive, even if its impractical. Personally, I don't mind it, it's kind of cute. But it wasn't a part of the character before her redesign in Other M.

I expect most of you will take issue with a lot of what I've said, but I hope some of this makes you consider things from a different perspective. It's not meant to be hostile or pedantic, I'm just trying to articulate why people might have a problem with the high heels.

tl;dr I personally don't think they're a big deal, but I can certainly see why people would.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Personally, I don't mind them that much. But I think that people who do have a right to feel that way. It is kind of sexist. Not extremely sexist, but kind of sexist. If Smash Bros existed in a vacuum, this wouldn't matter. But Smash Bros is part of the larger gaming culture. Sexism is rampant in gaming. I know that in this sheltered corner of the internet that's a difficult thing for some of you to accept, but it's the truth. High heels are painful and impractical, but women wear them because they have long been part of the modern standard of beauty. High heels have a bigger significance to a lot of women and a lot of feminists than they might to dudes. They're something women wear for no other reason than to be sexy. And that's okay. Lots of women love high heels. But lots of other women hate high heels and wear them anyway because that's just what you do when you want to look nice. And either way there's not really an equivalent expectation for men. I mean, I guess ties are weird, but they aren't actively painful to wear. The cultural standard of attractiveness for men is much broader and less difficult to attain. High heels, like make-up, and if you want to go back really far, corsets, are one of those weird and impractical aesthetic expectations for women that men really never have to think about. Sure, there are certainly men who wear make-up and high heels and corsets, but those are outliers, and in most cases men who are deliberately trying to dress like women.

So when Samus' Zero Suit first incorporated high heels in Other M, people were upset, because this character, one of the first female protagonists in gaming, should not give a **** about what men or society want her to look like. She's a badass space warrior who spends most of her time completely hidden inside a bulky suit. It's just silly, and it's clear that it was only done to up her sex appeal, like the beauty mark. This is Team Ninja we're talking about after all. These things are not necessarily problems on their own, but when combined with all of the other icky sexism in Other M, they take on a greater significance. And there was A LOT of icky sexism in Other M: Samus' obsession with Adam even though he treats her like **** and endangers her life, yet he is depicted as an unambiguous hero even when he literally shoots Samus in the back, Samus literally turning into a little girl when confronted by Ridley, a foe she's killed like 6 times by this point in the chronology, Samus' obsession with her "baby" and the entire game being thematically based around motherhood, the most traditional female gender role of them all, etc. Next to these thematic issues with Other M, the high heels and beauty mark hardly matter at all. But they are nonetheless part of the unpopular changes made by Other M, a game that is without a doubt sexist. So when people were anticipating ZSS' appearance in Smash 4, many were probably hoping that those changes would not affect this depiction of the character. But lo and behold, beauty mark and high heels.

Despite what many of you think "feminists" are taking issue with, it's perfectly okay for her to be an attractive blond woman. That's always been a part of her character, and nobody is saying that it's sexist for a character to be attractive. That would be dumb. The problem is that this is a character that for a long time was perhaps the only central female video game character with an emphasis on her intelligence and strength over her looks. In the last decade or so, that has started to change, with Other M being the first Metroid game to make a huge deal out of her looks and at the same time make her look like a weak, incompetent, and childish character. What's saddest about that is that it's also the first Metroid game where Samus speaks, which means that the creators of the character may have intended her to be that way from the beginning, because that's how women are, right? The high heels and the beauty mark are part of that. On their own, they don't mean much, but when taken as part of the sexism of Other M and gaming culture and general, they become a bigger deal.

That said, I think what Sakurai has done is actually a nice compromise. He maintained the high heels from Samus' Other M redesign, but he gave them a practical function. They're not high heels, they're jet boots. And jet boots, unlike high heels, are not loaded with gender and sex connotations. Plus they're awesome and look like fun. But they still look like high heels, so they don't get off completely free. The beauty mark is not as much of a big deal, but I understand why people might have a problem with it too. Most women who have those drew them on, Cindy Crawford being a prominent exception, so they're another thing women go out of their way to do to be sexually attractive, even if its impractical. Personally, I don't mind it, it's kind of cute. But it wasn't a part of the character before her redesign in Other M.

I expect most of you will take issue with a lot of what I've said, but I hope some of this makes you consider things from a different perspective. It's not meant to be hostile or pedantic, I'm just trying to articulate why people might have a problem with the high heels.

tl;dr I personally don't think they're a big deal, but I can certainly see why people would.

Very good. I agree 100%
I just think people misunderstand me when im just arguing high heels practicality since there is no justification. But these are jet boots so they get off but look like heels no not all off. :D

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

I'm married to a guy who designs characters, clothing, and other graphics design **** for a living and we talked about this subject a length.

This seems to us to be... an issue where the expectation didn't really meet reality. Designer is told what they want Zero Suit's moveset to kind of do and has to come up with a justification those functions. He or she (hereafter "he," get over it Tumblr) is shown the designs they are working from (Other M, Brawl) and asked to come up with something that justifies the new moveset. This isn't a linear process, either... designers and artists work in tandem, which can create some "interesting" design problems.

Anyway, the boots probably became jet boots to accommodate Zero Suit's new recovery, which probably became jet heels when the artist desired some kind of explanation for boots providing propulsion. Like it or not, heels (as "exhaust pipes") can kind of do that, whereas a flat platform shoe doesn't, unless you want to strap jetpacks to each of her feet.. which would not really have fit the "streamlined" look Zero Suit Samus is famous for. I'm not sure the boots do either, but I think it would have been worse done another way. Since women often wear heels and gender issues are not at the forefront of Japanese political discourse as they often are in the United States, I don't think anyone really saw an issue with it and the design was put forward.

It's easiest to discern that they weren't designed with sex in mind when you consider that they are... not sexy, at all. They're ugly hunks of metal and don't exactly do wonders for Samus' silhouette.

 

[Empyrean]

They're cool as **** though, and at the end of the day, that's what matters.

 

[BloderModer]

I'm married to a guy who designs characters, clothing, and other graphics design **** for a living and we talked about this subject a length.

This seems to us to be... an issue where the expectation didn't really meet reality. Designer is told what they want Zero Suit's moveset to kind of do and has to come up with a justification those functions. He or she (hereafter "he," get over it Tumblr) is shown the designs they are working from (Other M, Brawl) and asked to come up with something that justifies the new moveset. This isn't a linear process, either... designers and artists work in tandem, which can create some "interesting" design problems.

Anyway, the boots probably became jet boots to accommodate Zero Suit's new recovery, which probably became jet heels when the artist desired some kind of explanation for boots providing propulsion. Like it or not, heels (as "exhaust pipes") can kind of do that, whereas a flat platform shoe doesn't, unless you want to strap jetpacks to each of her feet.. which would not really have fit the "streamlined" look Zero Suit Samus is famous for. I'm not sure the boots do either, but I think it would have been worse done another way. Since women often wear heels and gender issues are not at the forefront of Japanese political discourse as they often are in the United States, I don't think anyone really saw an issue with it and the design was put forward.

It's easiest to discern that they weren't designed with sex in mind when you consider that they are... not sexy, at all. They're ugly hunks of metal and don't exactly do wonders for Samus' silhouette.

I don't see your point. The heels are both ugly and designed to be sexy.
The justifications for the designs were just excuses. All Smash characters can double or triple-jump (recovery) without any boots. If they wanted Samus to kick more, just give her kicks, there was no need to change her design. The only reason they gave the character heels was for sexualization. Even if the boots turned out ugly in the end.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

They're cool as **** though, and at the end of the day, that's what matters.

i dont understand is this a compliment or insult?

 

[Empyrean]

i dont understand is this a compliment or insult?

I meant that they are really cool, so a compliment.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

I meant that they are really cool, so a compliment.

Oh then opinionated. Xd

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

I don't see your point. The heels are both ugly and designed to be sexy.
The justifications for the designs were just excuses. All Smash characters can double or triple-jump (recovery) without any boots. If they wanted Samus to kick more, just give her kicks, there was no need to change her design. The only reason they gave the character heels was for sexualization. Even if the boots turned out ugly in the end.

www.tumblr.com

 

[BloderModer]

www.tumblr.com

Ran out of arguments?

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

Ran out of arguments?

You didn't really provide any arguments. The things you said are just opinion statements, not arguments. If you want an echo chamber that will mindlessly agree with everything you said, follow the link above.

 

[Shorts]

BECUZ IT MAKES WOMENS RIGHTS GO AWAY GOD

 

[BloderModer]

You didn't really provide any arguments. The things you said are just opinion statements, not arguments. If you want an echo chamber that will mindlessly agree with everything you said, follow the link above.

I was responding to your statement that
"It's easiest to discern that they weren't designed with sex in mind when you consider that they are... not sexy, at all. [and that they're] ugly hunks of metal and don't exactly do wonders for Samus' silhouette." and I argued that poor design and poor justifications (=excuses) doesn't mean that the additions of the heels doesn't sexualize the character-design of Samus.

You should stop making broad generalizations about people that don't agree with you. I came here to discuss, not boost my ego.
Also: What makes my counter-arguments opinionated statements compared to yours?

 

[MasterOfKnees]

As much as I like to blame things on Sakurai lately I gotta praise him on this one. The heels come from Other M where they had no function besides just being there, at least Sakurai made a use of them. What I don't like about the new ZSS is how she looks like a Barbie pornstar, but that's another subject.

 

[Aninymouse]

I think the high heels are fine. Women wear high heels all the time. It's a normal thing in western and westernized culture.

The jet heels in this game look fantastic. Like, they're actually visually stunning. Zamus used to look pretty bland. Now she looks "wow."

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

I was responding to your statement that
"It's easiest to discern that they weren't designed with sex in mind when you consider that they are... not sexy, at all. [and that they're] ugly hunks of metal and don't exactly do wonders for Samus' silhouette." and I argued that poor design and poor justifications (=excuses) doesn't mean that the additions of the heels doesn't sexualize the character-design of Samus.

You should stop making broad generalizations about people that don't agree with you. I came here to discuss, not boost my ego.
Also: What makes my counter-arguments opinionated statements compared to yours?

I don't even know what you mean by "sexualize." Samus is already "sexualized" to a certain degree, as she has appeared in a bikini and combat boots as a "bonus" in no less than 3 metroid games.

The heels don't "sexualize" samus anymore than dying my blonde hair blonde makes my hair more blonde. I'm already blonde and Samus is already sexy. The entire concept of the "zero suit" stemmed from some post-game reward pin-up art for pubescent teenage boys. What you're saying is ridiculous, it's like complaining that stars shine in the night sky when there are so many more interesting things about stars to talk about. Samus is beautiful, but she's also independent, strong, and a ****ing bounty hunter.

And if she's sexy, so what? This is a non-issue. This isn't puritan, colonial America, this is 2014. Women are not delicate flowers to be protected from the harms of sex or sexiness and Samus' heels are in the shallow end of a pool that was for kids to begin with. Bark up another tree.

 

[The Real Gamer]

I've never understood the hate for Zamus's new design.

The designers did exactly what they were supposed to do - make her look like a sexy, bad ass, futuristic space warrior. Her Brawl model looks extremely bland in comparison... In fact I'd go as far as saying she received the best upgrade of all the veterans revealed thus far.

The only minor complaint I have is her chest size. They are far too large for someone with such a thin frame.

Spoiler

 

[BloderModer]

I don't even know what you mean by "sexualize." Samus is already "sexualized" to a certain degree, as she has appeared in a bikini and combat boots as a "bonus" in no less than 3 metroid games.

The heels don't "sexualize" samus anymore than dying my blonde hair blonde makes my hair more blonde. I'm already blonde and Samus is already sexy. The entire concept of the "zero suit" stemmed from some post-game reward pin-up art for pubescent teenage boys. What you're saying is ridiculous, it's like complaining that stars shine in the night sky when there are so many more interesting things about stars to talk about. Samus is beautiful, but she's also independent, strong, and a ****ing bounty hunter.

And if she's sexy, so what? This is a non-issue. This isn't puritan, colonial America, this is 2014. Women are not delicate flowers to be protected from the harms of sex or sexiness and Samus' heels are in the shallow end of a pool that was for kids to begin with. Bark up another tree.

Her characterization has moved away from "the badass bounty hunter who happen to be sexy" to "sex object that happens to fight aliens". Also, pixelated half-naked 5-second bonus endings doesn't compare to the sexualization of Samus of today. I discussed my points here: http://smashboards.com/threads/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-that-zams-is-too-big.352264/

The heels were added to reinforce Samus character as a sex object, instead of the independent bounty hunter she is.

I'm not against her being pretty or sexy, I'm against these changes made by Sakamoto and Nintendo.

The heels are a small part of it, but they're easier to attack, that's why people don't talk about her sexualized figure as much.

Yes, I argue that "the stars shine in the night sky", but you deny that they shine at all. It turns into a bigger issue when you keep denying it.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Its just more or less
Metriod has never focused on samus sex appeal so seeing high heels on here just bugs me
like sure she was hot but they litteraly don't bother shoving it in your face the entire time.
Thats what i like. and thats what smash is doing opposite.

 

[SureNsync]

Who cares about the heels? I'm to busy hating a certain new face feature. Damn, I see why Metroid: Other M is so hated.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Who cares about the heels? I'm to busy hating a certain new face feature. Damn, I see why Metroid: Other M is so hated.

What the beauty mark?
I though other m was hated because it depicted samus terribly.

 

[Aninymouse]

I've never understood the hate for Zamus's new design.

The designers did exactly what they were supposed to do - make her look like a sexy, bad ***, futuristic space warrior. Her Brawl model looks extremely bland in comparison... In fact I'd go as far as saying she received the best upgrade of all the veterans revealed thus far.

The only minor complaint I have is her chest size. They are far too large for someone with such a thin frame.

Spoiler

Agreed.

And yeah, when I first saw Zamus in Smash 4, my attention was not on the heels at all. Rather, like you said, her enormous rack and tiny body coupled with her skin-tight suit makes her look like a glorified Barbie doll. Not quite as freakishly unnatural as Barbie, but the same kind of psychological association is triggered: something just looks wrong, here.

Now, that said, I've grown more used to the way Zamus now looks. It doesn't bother me as much as it first did. However, it's as clear as day that the people who made Zamus in Smash 4 were less concerned about her looking feminine, and more concerned with appealing to raw male hormones with proportionately enormous breasts.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Agreed.

And yeah, when I first saw Zamus in Smash 4, my attention was not on the heels at all. Rather, like you said, her enormous rack and tiny body coupled with her skin-tight suit makes her look like a glorified Barbie doll. Not quite as freakishly unnatural as Barbie, but the same kind of psychological association is triggered: something just looks wrong, here.

Now, that said, I've grown more used to the way Zamus now looks. It doesn't bother me as much as it first did. However, it's as clear as day that the people who made Zamus in Smash 4 were less concerned about her looking feminine, and more concerned with appealing to raw male hormones with proportionately enormous breasts.

I agree to an extent.
i believe the heels were to compliment everything else that change for her as well.

 

[KingBroly]

Agreed.

And yeah, when I first saw Zamus in Smash 4, my attention was not on the heels at all. Rather, like you said, her enormous rack and tiny body coupled with her skin-tight suit makes her look like a glorified Barbie doll. Not quite as freakishly unnatural as Barbie, but the same kind of psychological association is triggered: something just looks wrong, here.

Now, that said, I've grown more used to the way Zamus now looks. It doesn't bother me as much as it first did. However, it's as clear as day that the people who made Zamus in Smash 4 were less concerned about her looking feminine, and more concerned with appealing to raw male hormones with proportionately enormous breasts.

I see you've played Namco Fighting games before.

 

[SureNsync]

What the beauty mark?
I though other m was hated because it depicted samus terribly.

Its just my opinion.

 

[FirestormNeos]

Plenty of The Big Picture episodes cover the broad topic of this kind of thing, but I'm not sure which one to link to that demonstrates my thoughts on this comical romp through backlash lane.

 

[Over9000BPM]

Was Zero Suit Samus ever realistically proportioned? For what it's worth, I think she's much better than she was in brawl.
As for the heels, I'm pretty sure there's a post somewhere on the SSB4 ZZS demonstrating that they're spring-loaded like the long-fall boots in Portal. The same long-fall boots that I recall being added to the game to make Chell's lack of fall damage seem more realistic, albeit pseudo-sci-fi realistic.
Maybe they are a bit "sexy" but so are the laser whip and the Zero Suit itself.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

One thing I find odd is that the heels are too much...

But the laser whip (which I'm sure spawned several sadomasochistic fantasies) is fine.

 

[Modesty]

The point of Zero Suit Samus is to be sexy because she contrasts with the cold hard metal exterior or normal Samus, and yes, they're heels, but I'd hardly call rocket boots that propel you through the air 'impractical in battle'.

This this this.

I can understand the complaint of overly sexual female characters, because let's face it, they are everywhere in video games. I like Zero Suit Samus is a great example of attractiveness done right.

 

[D-idara]

This this this.

I can understand the complaint of overly sexual female characters, because let's face it, they are everywhere in video games. I like Zero Suit Samus is a great example of attractiveness done right.

People are also forgetting that Samus being sexualized when she's not wearing the Power Suit has been around from the first Metroid game.

 

[BloderModer]

People are also forgetting that Samus being sexualized when she's not wearing the Power Suit has been around from the first Metroid game.

"People forget"

...pixelated half-naked 5-second bonus endings doesn't compare to the sexualization of Samus of today.

She wasn't as sexualized before as she is now. Instead of blocky pixels with underwear in a bonus-screen at the end of the mission (like Ripley in Alien), Nintendo added a catsuit, a whip and high heels and gave them practical excuses to justify their sexualizing design.