I hate sexy costumes when there's no purpose for it beyond "gurlz is hawt." If it makes sense for the character, then great. Starfire's gonna be half naked because that's who Kori is, and good for her being proud of what X'hal gave her. But if it's just a male gaze thing I find it creepy as hell.
Likewise, I dislike characters without defensive abilities wearing simple spandex costumes, or worse, showing bare skin. I don't need a powerless vigilante's costume to be some Tony Stark level nuke-proof battlesuit, but at least some quality kevlar, drawn as if it had some weight to it and wasn't just painted on, yknow? Nothing too fancy or involved, we're not ashamed of our costumes here, but we want them to make some sense and look like what they are.
More heroes should have pouches, but only if they actually use the things in them. First aid kits, cell phones, flares, food, whatever, either for the hero or for the people they help. Remarkable how unprepared some heroes are.
Not changing clothes for extreme environments annoys me.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
Jackets on flying characters is cool. But mostly on female characters. Captain Marvel would look cool with one. Donna would too.
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If that's the case, why don't we have more examples of Superman sun bathing in an erotic way.
I think with Kory, 'she is naked to absorb more solar power' is a poor argument. Kory and her people are established to be more open about their emotions and their sexuality thus both men and women on Tamaran wear little clothing. I don't mind Kory wearing more revealing clothing than your average superheroine because it's part of her character to dress like that plus she has super powers and doesn't need armor.
There are ways you can do the costume without fetishizing it:
Credits: Stjepan Sejic
That's a bad explanation that ignores her personality.
She's from a planet that might as well be called "Fanservice planet", they definitely aren't as bitchy about sexuality as humans, so she doesn't really care about showing off her skin, trying to say that she exposes herself to absorb sunlight is a classic bad explanation to try to justify fanservice, something that Kojima tried to do with Quiet in Metal Gear Solid V and was mocked for it lol.
So yeah, just say she doesn't mind showing off, that says more about her than trying to make a silly "She's naked to absorb sunlight" excuse.
Black Panther - Champion of Bast
Vixen - Champion of Anansi
This type of costume is nowhere near as common these days as traditional superhero outfits.
Then again, I've always found the accusation of something being "ashamed to be superheroes" to be a baseless criticism when ever it is used. Superhero designs have always evolved and changed with the times.
Most of my thoughts have been covered but I hate costumes that feel dated.
I know they have their fanbases but trunks feel aged. A Bruce and Clark born in what would now be the late 80s wouldn't still be wearing those things.
Cassie Sandsmark's latest costume looks like a Disney Channel outfit from the early aughts and makes her look like she's 12.
I don't think fishnets makes that much sense in 2021, but it did back in 2016 when Canary had her solo. And, even if sometimes I have to suspend disbelief to see BC's costume as making sense for a hand-to-hand fighter at the very least it's her trademark.
I think one of the earlier posts on here mentioned some heroes don't have a trademark. And, someone like Duke Thomas has a costume that comes across as a 90s experiment rather than something that is fitting for them on a holistic level.
Also, I find it unrealistic for certain heroes to only have one costume especially when you consider climates or that some are bound to get dirtier than others. Canary having an interchangeable wardrobe makes sense for someone fighting in fishnets and leather. Where someone like Vixen would probably have more than one costume because it fits her character. I kind of like costumes being switched around for occasion and hygiene reasons.
Currently Reading: DC v. Vampires / Batman: Urban Legends / Robin / Nightwing / Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom
Drastic and constant costume change is usually a sign that a character isn't working on some level. Truly iconic characters have certain elements of their costume that stay the same.
TBH, looking at the Avengers and X-Men, by and large, I think Marvel does a good job of updating their characters while remaining true to them. Sure there are misses, but you can expect that they'll eventually be corrected. As a whole, their characters look modern enough to fit the psychology of the time period.