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(Ed. Note-Critiquing popular cultural often becomes a rapidly transmuting fluid process, especially when examining cultural artifacts as works in progress. What holds true for one episode, chapter, novel or song in a series or by the same author or artist may not be true for the next. For example, in the case of HBO's Game of Thrones, the sixth season that premiered after this article was written gave women more power in both narrative and sexual modes. Yet this shift does not negate how the previous seasons represented women, which this article showcases.)
Game of Thrones is a Home Box Office (HBO) television show based off of George R.R. Martin's fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. A Song of Ice and Fire, and by extension the HBO television show, follows multiple families battling for the Iron Throne and control over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The story's multi-arc format also follows the last remaining member of the previous royal dynasty in the eastern land of Essos, as well as the impending doom of ice zombies referred to as "wights", and their leaders the "white walkers". The first season of Game of Thrones aired in April 2011 and quickly became a success with the fifth season concluding on June 4, 2015 with over eight million viewers. While the books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series have their own unique issues and triumphs, the HBO televised version of Game of Thrones has received critical scrutiny for its representation of women. The HBO version of Game of Thrones has a reputation for gratuitous female nudity, common in HBO's programming. Critics at Time, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Vice, and A.V. Club have notably addressed Game of Thrones ' representation of female sexuality in a critical light after the rape of adolescent female character Sansa Stark in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" (May 17, 2015). Criticism towards Game of Thrones' poor treatment of women is not new. In the past blogger and A.V Club writer Myles McNutt explored the use of women as exposition tools through his theory of "sexposition." Debra Ferreday also addressed the rape culture inherent in Game of Thrones, with particular attention paid to the fan response following the added rape scene between...