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View Poll Results: Is a Kotobukiya Marvel Jubilee figurine okay in a workplace?
Sure, she's fine, nobody will care, everyone will be cool about it.
5 41.67%
Sure, but you'll be the pervy office creep everyone talks about behind your back.
5 41.67%
No, someone will find it offensive. Expect to hear from HR.
0 0%
I hate you. I have better things to think about than your first-world problems.
2 16.67%
Voters: 12. You may not vote on this poll

Theorist
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 5:08 PM
Default Soliciting opinions: is this figurine work appropriate?
I work in IT as a computer programmer at a university. We have our own private offices to decorate as we please (within reason). Our atmosphere is professional, our dress code is business-casual. Our culture is to leave our doors open and supervisors/coworkers can and do drop in on occasion. Figurines and action figures are perfectly acceptable. My good coworker friend has "One Piece" male anime figures in his office, all shirtless guys with swords. My supervisor has a ton of superhero action figures, Funko Pops, Amiibos, all male characters, pretty standard geek fare.

Me, I am a pervy male, so far only female figures really appeal to me. It's hard to find work-appropriate female figures. Superheroes wear tight tights or latex outfits that look painted right on their bodies. Anime look like lolis or show off big boobs, cleavage, and sexy poses. I like that stuff as much as the next perv, but I'm shopping for work, so I'm looking for something a little more conservative. I really like this figure of Marvel Jubilee, Youtube reviewers really like her too:
https://www.amazon.com/Kotobukiya-M...QWP41Q5EGN4DSYN
She is not showing off giant T&A, not too sexy of a pose, and her clothes don't look painted right on her skin. However, she is sure showing a lot of skin. I was pretty iffy on her work appropriateness, so I showed my coworker-friend a pic, and he said he didn't see a problem with it, he sees students dressed like that all the time. Cool, so I buy one from eBay with a bunch of coupon codes and stuff. I get her, she looks great, but wife says, "you sure she's work appropriate? She sure is showing a lot of skin." Dammit! That's what I was worried about in the first place. She said she personally wouldn't be offended by it, but she is liberal/progressive and she said the ladies at my work might not be as open-minded. She is showing less skin than my friend's shirtless male anime figures, but double-standards, conservative area (buckle of the bible belt), and all that. So maybe I should have gone with my first instinct, and that's if you have to ask, it's probably not appropriate.

I really don't want to get an email from HR. So what do you think, is Kotobukiya's Marvel Jubilee okay for work, or NSFW? Or is it one of those deals that I could get away with it, but people will think I'm a creepy perv (basically, they will know the truth, lol).

Resident wet blanket.
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Top Secret Researcher
#2 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 6:23 PM
My guess is that the last line of your post is correct: you can officially get away with it, but some people will feel bad about it & have a worse opinion of you & most of those won't tell you directly.
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#3 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 6:27 PM
I'd make sure I stood her with her back to the wall, as the shorts are really short!
Top Secret Researcher
#4 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 7:17 PM
... and the context is wrong. You can think "they have figurines, I have a figurine", but someone visiting your office probably doesn't parse it that way -- they'll just notice that you're a man whose office decor includes sexy depictions of women.

(And it isn't quite true that "students dress that way all the time" -- the only truly comparable photos I've found were of cosplayers, and even some of them wore tights under the short-shorts.)

Maaaaaaybe if your group pooled your bishouju collection and had them all in a display case? Oh, but then instead of "Gnat sees women as sex objects", visitors will think "They're paying y'all too much." So I guess that isn't quite a solution either...

In all, I believe Mrs. GoSplat was steering you in the right direction. As well, she seemed to be clearing Ms. Jubilee to be within her view. She sounds like a sensible sort.
Mad Poster
#5 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 8:29 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 16th Oct 2017 at 8:46 PM.
... Keep the figurine at home, maybe?

Depending on what you work with, and the level of seriousness on your office, having lots of figurines may (or may not) be seen as unprofessional, particularly if some of the figurines are on the edge of being decent. If you expect outsiders to visit your office from time to time, maybe don't keep a somewhat indecent figurine in your work space, just to keep on the safe side. If nobody but coworkers or boss ever visit your office, I guess it's up to you how you want to be viewed by them. That particular figurine doesn't seem too bad, but if you're unsure you may want to contact someone in your office who can say if the figurine is alright to have in your office.

It depends quite a lot on context. People within my line of work may have far more indecent figurines in their office space, but for a completely different purpose. But then again, one may argue if detailed anatomy models are in any way indecent in the health care business as long as they fit the particular speciality of the owner of the office. An anatomy model may be perfectly acceptable in a doctor's office, but if a doctor had a big anime figurine in their office for no other reason than it being a freetime interest, it would seem rather unprofessional.
dodgy builder
#6 Old 16th Oct 2017 at 8:33 PM
I don't live in the us, so what I say might be off, but are people really that judgemental? She's quite well dressed compared to most girls I see out in summertime. For a figurine she's also quite normal, and quite innocent I would say. Isn't there anyone boss like in the office you can ask? Like can you go ask in HR about it?
Theorist
Original Poster
#7 Old 17th Oct 2017 at 5:37 PM
I appreciate the responses, thanks!

Quote: Originally posted by r_deNoube
Maaaaaaybe if your group pooled your bishouju collection and had them all in a display case? Oh, but then instead of "Gnat sees women as sex objects", visitors will think "They're paying y'all too much." So I guess that isn't quite a solution either...


I don't quite have a bishoujo collection yet, just 2 so far. First one I bought was a Marvel Squirrel Girl. I already knew of and love the character as portrayed in the Future Fight mobile game that I'm addicted to (really cute), but the anime-ish rendition of her as a figure was just soooo super cute, she is easily my favorite.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTV26Z...=I20K89X266KMVJ
I assumed (correctly, I hope) that she looks conservative enough to be completely acceptable in a workplace, so she lives on the shelf above my monitor at work. Just so cute, she makes me smile even when I'm in a bad mood. Although my supervisor (a Marvel superhero fan who had never heard of Squirrel Girl before) did give kind of a judgey look when he asked me what her super power is, and I said she smacks enemies with her tail and summons a giant squirrel. I guess he's not impressed by those superpowers. Maybe I should have mentioned she also throws squirrels that drop grenades?
Speaking of collection, would I come across less pervy if I were more equal opportunity with figurines, say, throw in a few male characters? I could bring my Walter White figurine. Although he's carrying a revolver in one hand, a bag of blue crystal meth in the other, and comes with a duffel-bag of drug money, so maybe he's not so work-appropriate either!

Quote: Originally posted by simmer22
It depends quite a lot on context. People within my line of work may have far more indecent figurines in their office space, but for a completely different purpose. But then again, one may argue if detailed anatomy models are in any way indecent in the health care business as long as they fit the particular speciality of the owner of the office. An anatomy model may be perfectly acceptable in a doctor's office, but if a doctor had a big anime figurine in their office for no other reason than it being a freetime interest, it would seem rather unprofessional.


Oh no, we definitely don't need the level of professionalism of a Dr's office, law office, or any place that has customers or clients. This is an IT shop, our only clients are coworkers from other departments. We don't even see students in our area. We each live in our own private office rooms (though with door open) and we've always had the privilege of being able to decorate our offices with as much or as little personal items as we wish. Programmers like me, we seldom even see our coworkers from other departments. I think one might visit me once every other year, tops.

Quote: Originally posted by Volvenom
I don't live in the us, so what I say might be off, but are people really that judgemental? She's quite well dressed compared to most girls I see out in summertime. For a figurine she's also quite normal, and quite innocent I would say. Isn't there anyone boss like in the office you can ask? Like can you go ask in HR about it?


Oh yes, in 'Murica, people can be quite judgemental and very easily offended. It's not so much that I'd need to ask if it's okay for me to have it here, I know figurines are perfectly acceptable. My concern is, if anyone would be offended by it, or judge me poorly for having it.

My wife has some stories about judgey people at her workplace, which I will admit is a huge reason for my concern. Granted, our workplaces are completely different with different people, but still the same city. I'll share a couple, because they're kind of funny in a bad way:

1. At her work, they used to have "shorts Friday" where employees were allowed to wear shorts to work. An anonymous employee found the length of someone's shorts to be offensive, so she filed a complaint. As a result, they had to put a stop to "shorts Friday" and shorts are no longer allowed on work campus.

2. The receptionist used to send company-wide emails announcing work parties and such. For their Cinco De Mayo Mexican-themed party, an email was sent announcing the party and it contained the phrase, "Come shake your maracas!", complete with clip art of maracas, the percussion instrument. Someone, supposedly a different person, filed a complaint that they found "shake your maracas" to be offensive, on the grounds it could be a double entendre. As a result, parties are not allowed to be announced via email and must be shared via word-of-mouth. As a result, their work parties have very low attendance.

That 2nd one, WOW!

There are a couple other figurines I like, may I trouble you all for opinions?

I really like the gothy look of this one, it's my 2nd favorite after Squirrel Girl. Wife thinks it should be okay at work. Still being made, so might be able to score a good deal on eBay. Her skirt does seem a bit short, and you can kind of see some butt in the back, but I'd put her facing out, of course.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FJ9ZI0...=I1OF9TAJ16ZHNM

Lady Loki is my favorite Future Fight character, so I like this Marvel Lady Loki figure. Wife thinks visible cleavage and sexy pose makes her very questionable.
https://www.amazon.com/Kotobukiya-L...e/dp/B01JTHVKMQ

This one I can't get because too expensive due to being discontinued, but figure I'd mention it just because it's super cool. If only I'd been interested in these figures 5yrs ago, maybe I could have afforded this.
https://www.amazon.com/Kotobukiya-M...o/dp/B009F3KWBK
It's a shame the prices on it are so ridiculous, because I really want that one as a huge ME and FemShep fan. That, and I think she looks totally work-safe.

Resident wet blanket.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 18th Oct 2017 at 9:16 PM
"Sexy figure of a woman"?!!! Naw, it just looks childish.

Stand up, speak out. Just not to me..
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#9 Old 18th Oct 2017 at 10:22 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GnatGoSplat
Oh no, we definitely don't need the level of professionalism of a Dr's office, law office, or any place that has customers or clients. This is an IT shop, our only clients are coworkers from other departments. We don't even see students in our area. We each live in our own private office rooms (though with door open) and we've always had the privilege of being able to decorate our offices with as much or as little personal items as we wish. Programmers like me, we seldom even see our coworkers from other departments. I think one might visit me once every other year, tops.

Before that^ I would have said "No, not work appropriate". And it *is* because of how much skin is showing (those shorts!) - which I hate to even admit because I'm not a prude and realize that it's a figurine, not a real person, so who cares how much skin is showing.. But work, ya know? I was thinking open floor space, cubicles, clearly visible to anyone and everyone.
Since that's not the case I'd say give it a try and if anyone seems to be offended by her, apologize (in a "I wasn't sure since she is clothed and just has a lot of leg and a bit of midriff showing, I can take her home and find something more suitable" kind of way) and quietly take her home. Is her butt showing at all? Butt crack? If so, yes keep her backside out of view.

Squirrel Girl!! How CUTE is that one? Very. I'm not into any kind of figurines but I'd put her on display. That could have something to do with the "squirrel" part though as I love squirrels.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 19th Oct 2017 at 10:45 PM
Did someone say squirrel? Me, just now, out the back door "squirrel squirrel"... a squirrel has learned I will throw peanuts at her...and she brought the kids! Tree rats, says hubby. They eat my not-even-ripe fruit, and have torn the attic vent screens off..but even after fixing them, I loves my squirrels. Wonder what I have trapped in the attic.

Stand up, speak out. Just not to me..
Scholar
#11 Old 22nd Oct 2017 at 1:14 AM
My opinion would be that the first and last one (and squirrel girl) would be okay, and the others maybe depending on context.

And here's the context bit. If you are a man and all (or the vast majority) of your figurines are of female characters, they'll automatically get a bunch of bonus perv points, unless they're pretty cartoony or similar. As a woman, (who has a pretty big collection of (mostly Funko, but some other) collectables) I could definitely see myself feeling uncomfortable being in that office with you if you had a lot of figurines like the Scissorhands or Lady Loki ones, and few or no male ones of any kind. I wouldn't mind a few like those ones if there were more like the Squirrel Girl, or the initial figure you posted, to balance it out. You get me?

Basically my formula would be something like, for every 1 probably safe female figure (or male figure), you can have up to 1 of the figures that are a bit riskier. The 'up to 1' bit is important, because the more figures you have, the more of those less safe figures you'd have, and the more overwhelming they'd be. At a total of 6, I'd say a 1:1 ratio would be fine. But at a total of 12, I'd be much more comfortable with a ratio closer to 2:1.

Basically, it's all about balance, in my opinion. Figuring out that balance might take a little trial and error, but mainly my advice would be to focus on the overall picture rather than each individual figurine.

Does that make any sense?

no power in the verse can stop me
ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim
jus nou drein jus daun
Field Researcher
#12 Old 22nd Oct 2017 at 4:36 AM
In my opinion, if your work allows you to put stuff like anime and video game figurines on your desk, then yes- all of them are completely work appropriate. As a female, It wouldn't make me feel uncomfortable at all. If you had male figures it would be cool too, but having strong female characters on your desk as a guy is pretty awesome. If you work with older people, they'll probably find it weird, but I don't think you're gonna get sent to HR, especially since you work in IT? If a stylized plastic figure makes them uncomfortable around the respectful gentleman that I'm sure you are, that's their problem, not yours. I love that Commander Shepard one! Of course, for that price, I would expect the actual Commander Shepard in there (or at least a customizable figure ).
Theorist
Original Poster
#13 Old 24th Oct 2017 at 4:46 PM
Quote: Originally posted by grammapat
"Sexy figure of a woman"?!!! Naw, it just looks childish.


Hey grammapat! Didn't know you came back to MTS, but I've been gone for a year... not like anyone noticed or cared, lol. Childish is cool though, my work culture has been changing a lot. Our staff used to be mostly older, quiet introverts, none of whom were particularly geeky and surprisingly, not really into computers or tech (although they worked IT, weird). Many have been retiring and they've been replacing them with younger 20 and 30 something extroverted and in many cases, geeky guys that like to talk gaming, sci-fi, and superheroes all day. Our newer team lead/supervisor happens to be one of those guys, and he has a TON of action figures, figurines, and such on the shelves of his office. I've been gone from the forum for the past year because I've been spending a lot of time trying to fit in which is really tough because I'm so introverted and awkward. However, as a whole, my work culture has become a lot more "fun" (or childish, one could say). In fact, it's a new coworker-friend who convinced me to put figurines on my empty shelves; I'd never been into figurines or action figures before. Basically, I'm trying to copy my new "cool" coworkers, but rather than copy them exactly, I'm trying to bring a bit of myself into it by getting what I like.

Quote: Originally posted by mustluvcatz
Squirrel Girl!! How CUTE is that one? Very. I'm not into any kind of figurines but I'd put her on display. That could have something to do with the "squirrel" part though as I love squirrels.


I know, she is super cute! Yeah, we're rather unique as an IT shop to have individual offices. The shelf I would put them on is not visible through my open door, so no one would see them just walking by. Someone would actually have to intentionally pay me a visit to see them. I've had Squirrel Girl on my shelf for a month, and only 3 people have even seen her so far. I haven't taken the Jubilee figure out of the box yet, but from pictures on the internet, there could be a little butt cheek showing below her short shorts. No naked butt crack. Definitely would be positioned so no butt visible, and no one's going to get close enough to see behind her either.

@Gingerxyz - That makes total sense, and the same thought did cross my mind that if I had male characters to create a balance, I might appear less fixated on females and therefore less creepy/pervy. I've always wanted a Tyrion Lannister figure. I kind of want the entire cast of GoT and Walking Dead as figures, but that's too much $$$. So you think the Scissorhands figure is more pervy than the Jubilee figure?

@budwinys - You're awesome, wish everyone had your POV! Yep, I'm always respectful. I'm really careful what I say around my coworkers. Probably to a fault.

I may be over-thinking it. Our number of female coworkers has dwindled to 5. Of these 5, only 1 has come into my office in the past year. I don't think any of the other 4 have come into my office even once in the past decade. Odds are anyone who would think I'm a creepy perv won't ever know I have them. Seems like there are far fewer females in IT than there used to be.

Resident wet blanket.
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