Lara Croft: The Art of Virtual Seduction
Lara Croft: The Art of Virtual Seduction is a coffee table book that showcases the cringey relics of late ’90s game advertising. But it’s also a fascinating study of Lara Croft’s dual legacy as a groundbreaking female protagonist and a male gaze-ified sex symbol. Part of a series called ‘Icon’, it features provocative 3D renders of Lara in various poses, often wearing little clothing. It’s a peek at a marketing strategy that focused on Lara’s gender and appealed to male gamers by questioning their masculinity.
Released in 1996, the first Tomb Raider game sold nearly eight million copies worldwide, with 25% of players being women and girls. In the years that followed, Lara Croft was paradoxically presented as both an empowered female lead and a sex object. She appeared on the covers of mainstream magazines, in comic books, and in television commercials. She even modeled for high-end fashion designers and made appearances during U2’s PopMart tour.
A relic of gaming’s encounters with gender and sexuality in the 1990s and 2000s, Lara Croft: The Art of Virtual Seduction is available now from Amazon US and Amazon UK. It features photoshoots with models portraying Lara at conventions and events and includes interviews with key figures from the history of Tomb Raider development.
Advertisements and Photoshoots
Below are some of the most cringey advertisements and photoshoots featured in the book.
This is a Lara Croft advertisement for Tomb Raider 2.
It reads: “The epic sequel to last year’s adventure of Lara Croft, the fiercely independent, imposingly voluptuous, and undeniably sexy heroine of the Tomb Raider series.”
This is Lara Croft on a beach.
This is Lara Croft sitting on a rocky ledge.
This is Lara Croft in a bathtub.
This is Lara Croft on a hovercraft.
This is Lara Croft holding a giant sword.
This is Lara Croft on a horse.
This is Lara Croft holding a gun.
This is Lara Croft holding a knife.
This is Lara Croft on a motorbike.
This is Lara Croft being held.
This is Lara Croft striking a pose.
This is Lara Croft on a piano.
This is Lara Croft with an umbrella.
This is Lara Croft on a surfboard.
This is Lara Croft on a tire swing.
This is Lara Croft in a tube top.
This is Lara Croft on a unicycle.
This is Lara Croft in a wet T-shirt.
This is Lara Croft in a white tank top.
This is Lara Croft in a swimsuit.
This is Lara Croft on a balance beam.
This is Lara Croft on a beach towel.
This is Lara Croft in a bikini.
This is Lara Croft in a beret.
This is Lara Croft in a bikini top.
This is Lara Croft lying on a bed.
This is Lara Croft lying on a couch.
This is Lara Croft lying on the floor.
This is Lara Croft lying on rocks.
This is Lara Croft with an owl.
This is Lara Croft with a parrot.
This is Lara Croft with a python.
This is Lara Croft with a rabbit.
This is Lara Croft with a sheep.
This is Lara Croft with a shark.
This is Lara Croft with a sheepdog.
This is Lara Croft with a sheepdog and sheep.
This is Lara Croft with a squirrel.
This is Lara Croft with a tiger.
This is Lara Croft with a wolf.
This is Lara Croft with a zebra.
This is Lara Croft in a white dress.
This is Lara Croft on a white horse.
This is Lara Croft on a white motorcycle.
This is Lara Croft in a white swimsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white vest.
This is Lara Croft in a white wetsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white swimsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white vest.
This is Lara Croft in a white wetsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white swimsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white vest.
This is Lara Croft in a white wetsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white swimsuit.
This is Lara Croft in a white vest.
This is Lara Croft in a white wetsuit.
