In fact, I find that people who think that Mary Jane is portrayed in merchandise as sexually/domestically focused are those whose most 'memorable' image of her as coming from the 90s which is precisely when they sexualized the hell out of her.
... which probably includes the cross-section of the buying public with both the interest AND disposable income to want to buy it, in the first place.
And since when have I suggested that a more 'wholesome' MJ was the ideal? I don't find the statue 'immodest', nor am I suggesting to put a ****ing burqa on her (though I suspect Moony will do so anyway, if he reads this).
I'll give you 2 possible statue ideas that I'd like to see, both of which convey different aspects MJ's personality, as well as the Spidey branding:
* MJ dressed up in the cocktail waitress/jazz singer garb (similar to the third movie), posed as if she's mid-performance, with a spotlight in the shape of the Spidey mask below her (and perhaps a webbing motif on her dress); her expression is coquettish and playful; her stance indicates that she's definitely her own performer, but we know who her show is dedicated to
* the Ultimate version of MJ in functional casual wear, (comfortably but non-suggestively) hunched over a Macbook, with the desktop graphic of the Spidey logo, and a mounted webcam pointed in her direction; we get the impression she's assisting Peter in his research, even as he enjoys the view on the other end
Now, if you see designs like those alongside the tongue-in-cheek vintage pin-up homage, you have a more well-balanced variety of representations of the character. It doesn't underplay or negate her sexuality, but at the same time, it can't be misconstrued as retrograde fanboy wank material.
