Bit late to join the convo but I'll add my voice anyway.
First off, just putting this out there but it isn't Riots job to be teaching their customers about gender diversity, you may argue "Oh but they have a responsibility" but you'd be wrong. People should learn about that themselves and form their own opinions even though they may be wrong, people shouldn't let a gaming company sway their gender ideals.
I've never been sure where this LoL gender stuff stems from. When I look at Bane Singed, Varus, Barbarian Sion, they look tough and awesome, and I say cool. But when females see sexualised female champions like Prestigious LeBlanc, Katarina, Nurse Akali they shout sexism and get pissed. Do men wish they looked like Bane Singed? Sure. Do females wish they looked like Ahri? Of course. So what's the fuss about?
Men try to make themselves more masculine and physically attractive for females. Females try to be more feminine and physically attractive aka: "sexy" for men. Now I do apologise that we can't have plain female champions and have conversations with them to find that inner beauty of their personalities. But then again would anyone play say, a male champion wearing jeans and a t-shirt?
As for the difference in champions roles. Males are physically stronger than females, it may sound sexist but it's true. So females have to have different themes then brute force (ie: Darius) that's why they have faster, stealthier champion roles and usually in lighter non-armor clothing (ie: Kat, Akali, Fiora). You talk about wanting to have practical warrior female designs but disregard the muscular males (which lets be honest would be practical in battle to be strong as a truck) like Sion as non sexual because the general opinion is that they aren't attractive. BUT the male equivalent of skimpy clothing and heaving breasts are shirtless males with decent pecs.
Females: Faster, stealthier fighting styles, and lighter clothes. Males: Brute force orientated, heavy armor/clothing. Women look masculine in heavy armor as it covers up the torso and usually the head which are the most identifiable features of females in the game, we could have champs running around the fields with indistinguishable genders but most would assume they're male, so what do they have to do to distinguish the females? The obvious answer would be to sexualise them.
You want monstrous female champs or animal champs but god-forbid if they made a champ like Urgot or Malphite with unidentifiable features and added breasts to them to let you know they were female everyone would toss fits. And animals? Well that one could be easy, just make an animal champ and label it a female. Who knows, Kog might be female or something.
**SIDENOTES**
- For the Fiora fencing stance issue, I really don't think it's an issue, look at how Yi or Tryn stand, no formal technique, I understand that she's a duelist but who's to say she hasn't adopted an unorthodox stance to counter other unorthodox stances ie: Pretty much anyone with a weapon in LoL
- The MF art and stance is a bit over the top I'll admit, the new art almost looked like her top was ripping
The game is what it is, a game, you're getting mad at this one game for doing what nearly every other game does and has been doing for years, not that I support it or oppose it, I just acknowledge it. Also the reason I am nit-picking at your post is because you don't just state the facts, you state the facts and by the looks of it blame Riot or the male audience in general. I do believe that Riot could do a better job at diversifying the the roles as tough male, sexy female but that doesn't mean I agree with all of your reasons. Hence this post.
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