The infamous ME3 F!Shep Contest

[wallwalker]

(Cut out the other stuff to post in its own post.)

I've read about the controversy that is apparently happening over the FemShep vote on Facebook and the fact that the blonde-haired, blue-eyed model is in the lead. (In fact, I think that it's been decided, with her as the winner.) The general point of that article appears to be that blonde model makes Shepard look like a bimbo, and Shepard deserves better.

All I have to say is, you have to be very careful using that argument. Because when you strip it down to its core, what you're saying is this: "It doesn't matter what a female character has done; what she looks like is more important." Because apparently blonde!Shepard is a bimbo - despite the fact that she's the same Shepard that's blown up Reapers, destroyed alien bases and punched out incredibly powerful aliens in single combat, and figured out ways to avert inevitable invasions. Why does it matter what she looks like? Either to us, or to Bioware?

And where is the female Shepard that we've seen for the past two games, the default one that more fans will recognize than any of these newcomers? Why wasn't she at least an option? What's the deal with that?

Comments

[nan]

That article you linked to is disgusting. And I love blonde!Shepard's hair. |D

[crankyoldman]

This echoes my thing about femShep best.

What she looks like doesn't matter, but the fact that they had to do a whole contest with the general public unlike with the male Shepard really does. Because that sends a message that what she looks like DOES matter.

Believe me, I work in EDUCATIONAL gaming and I have to get into arguments with developers over how they design womenfolk (for grants that are supposed to emphasize diversity). It's ridiculous.

[vilkacis]

Hahahahahahaha that article.

"If the future is in the hands of this blonde bimbo, I'm out."

Please do let the door hit you on the ass on the way out! If it's one of those fancy sliding doors, it might just chop it off and that would be hilarious.

...I find the blonde boring because she's the most generically white-and-western-mainstream-pretty of the lot. I'd love to see the female Shepard with the same buzzcut as the male default, or one who's... you know, not white like every other protagonist of all time. (Then there's the fact that Bioware can't make long hair for shit and that hairstyle looks awful in both previous games, and I'm not convinced that this is going to change with ME3's "new and improved" graphics.)

But those "bimbo/slut" comments are just mind boggling. Why so stupid, fandom?

[kadrin]

I didn't know about this contest! ...I will admit, mostly I'm just thinking it's a good thing that they're finally putting a female Shepard out there. Since I and most of the people I know played as a female Shepard. I will admit that the eyeliner bugs me a little - as you say, it would be nice to see default Shepard there - but eyeliner or no eyeliner, this is the same Shepard who is Queen Badass of the Universe and cannot be killed with falling Reaperbits.

Honestly, I think the best option - one that Nano suggested long ago - would be to give Shepard distinctive gender-neutral armour. You see Master Chief, you think "that's Master Chief". You see Samus, you think "that's Samus". We gamers are good at identifying people by their all-concealing suits of armour. Then you can put whatever squishy human in there you want.

Though of course Shepard is never squishy. I never did trigger the Renegade interrupt where she tries to headbutt a krogan, but it does not surprise me that she does.