Knitting is awesome. I spend most of my time knitting while my significant other (Rexx) is off playing his D&D games. I have played in a few of his games, but it isn't something I've gotten really into. However, it's not because of the images of women in the books and magazines that accompany this hobby.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like that women are portrayed in such a sexist way in those publications, but that's the way it is all over mainstream society. Think about shows or commercials you see on TV. Women are idealized. Why?
Well, one could argue that men are drawn to visual images of "attractiveness". That is most likely why there are so many half-naked images of women in D&D. It's to draw the men/boys into the gaming environment. Why then are most of the images of men in D&D fully clothed from the neck down in fancy robes and armor? The answer is simple; women are just too smart to fall for that, so the D&D world doesn't bother. :D (hee-hee)
Seriously, I think there is a generalized difference in the way that men and women are attracted to things (people, activities, etc.). And the images used in books and magazines have been stuck showing what a typical (or stereotyped) male wants to see. It would be nice to see a female fighter dressed in more than a halter top and hot pants. Maybe some armor, or at least a long sleeve shirt.
The images of women need to be dressed in a similar manner as the men in the D&D publications. Young women would be drawn to a positive "role model" of sorts - a strong woman that doesn't need to take her clothes off to succeed. Many current images show a half-naked woman being "saved" by a fully clothed man. I wouldn't be attracted to that image and it certainly would not make me want to start playing D&D. In fact, it would have the opposite affect on me. If the D&D world wants to start attracting more women/girls to the hobby, they should start showing the female characters in a more positive way. Possibly a half-naked man being rescued by a woman in full armor. Maybe then we’ll start to see full page ads for D&D books in Cosmo instead of ones for Harlequin romance novels.