I think we're getting to the crux of the disagreement here. I thought your issue with it was that it also fails to justify 2B's design; I didn't get until now that you consider "I like butts", itself and taken in a vaccuum, as problematic.
If one thinks of "I like butts" as the same as "I see women as sex objects", then yes, obviously no amount of honesty can excuse it. I (as a het male) personally didn't see it like that, nowhere near close, and I have a pretty strong feeling he himself doesn't, either. This doesn't mean that your perspective isn't also valid, or even more valid, but it's worth noting that most men won't immediately make that jump. And specifically, considering the utter lack of self-reflection Japan shows in terms of sexualization, asking a Japanese designer to make that jump is probably beyond impossible.
Again, it depends on whether you assume the quote to imply something malicious. If not, then it's nowhere the same case, because Vavra's quotes are vile by themselves.
Until now I personally thought it acceptable to say that, and indeed innocuous. It's worth noting, however, that I'm from Spain, a considerably more sexually open country than the UK or US, and "I like butts" is among the tamer things you'll hear here... from women. I'm not saying it's better or worse (don't take this as the overused "you prudish americans"), just different, and most people in my IRL circle, men and women, will absolutely have zero issues with such a statement.
Of course, I've come to this thread to learn from all of you. Let's separate both issues (the quote and the design), especially since we've pretty much all agreed that the former doesn't (attempt to) justify the latter. Do other women here also consider the quote offensive by itself?
