OK. One more time. Why aren't male fictional characters running around in kilts and high heels? Since it's so practical and easy to fight in.
Because if you look back at my first post, my point was never that is it impossible to fight in those torture devices. Just that I'm sick of seeing so many female characters in them, even though it makes no sense to pick such clothes when you fight for a living, no matter what universe you live in.
And really, stunt actresses won't work as a counter-example. They do not FIGHT but ACT for a living. There's a HUGE diffenrence. Even in our fairly patriarchal world, women who fight for a living do NOT wear high heels and skirts. So why would they in every other fictional world out there?
It seems to be entirely feasible to fight in a straight jacket. If you were sufficiently talented and trained, of course, but still. I wouldn't mug Jet Li in a straight jacket, I'm sure I'd end up in a hospital. Still, if 70% of male action characters wore straight jackets, I'd be complaining about it on this topic just as much as I'm complaining about skirts and high heels.
Also, you said that no one is making the argument that "Women can/should run around in thongs, heels, and miniskirts while waging medieval battle"... Excuse me, but a lot of people are making that argument, by making SO MANY high-fantasy and low-fantasy female characters wage medieval-style battles while wearing thongs and heels and miniskirts. AND THAT is precisely what I'm venting about. Because it makes no sense and I'm sick of it.
And I'm also a bit sick of people pretending it's not happening.