We Love the Women That Fandom Hates - Day 1
I'm going to start this out with a confession: I didn't always love Ashley Williams.
Ashley is a character who, obviously, is on the the receiving end of a lot of judgment. Some of it is fair, a lot of it is unfair. Before I even bought the game, I'm sorry to say I was briefly in the unfair judgment camp. I saw the ads and trailers for the game, many of which featured Ashley running around in her Phoenix armor and making out with default male Shepard, and I thought, "Oh, look. The love interest in cutesy pink armor. Bet she'll be a cardboard cutout who exists for no reason other than to give male gamers someone to sleep with."
Once I actually got the game, it didn't take long for me to realize just how wrong I was. Ashley is far more than just a potential love interest (and I personally never play as male Shepard anyway, so that doesn't even factor into my games). She's a full-fledged character in her own right, with her own history and opinions and personality quirks.
If I had to choose one word off the top of my head to describe Ashley, it would probably be devoted. She's not the type of person who does anything half-heartedly; once she puts her mind to something, she does it. She's fiercely loyal to her family and to humanity. She sticks to her beliefs--no matter how unpopular--and makes no apologies for them, but without being pushy or pigheadedly stubborn. She refuses to let others' judgments and negative opinions bog her down, no matter what, and I can't help but admire that kind of tenacity. And personality-wise, Ashley is exactly the sort of female character I'm typically drawn to: the snarky, sarcastic kind who tells it like it is. She's not without her softer side, but she has little patience for BS and has no problem saying exactly what's on her mind. Sometimes she makes me laugh, sometimes she makes me think, and sometimes she makes me want to stand up and cheer. I love that about her.
Another awesome thing about Ashley is that she's a soldier to the core. It's been observed that video games sometimes tend to give female characters more passive or supportive roles or fluffy magic powers while the male characters are the tough, brawny ones who actually do the brunt of the fighting. Mass Effect subverts this trope by making Ashley the all-out soldier in the group of potential squadmates, one of the only ones who can wear heavy armor and use any weapon with equal efficiency. Even some of her ambient dialogue displays her combat-oriented mindset--upon entering the Citadel Council chambers for the first time, she points out that the stairs would make for good defensive positions in a fight. By contrast, male squadmate Kaidan remarks that he finds the fountain soothing.
But possibly my favorite thing about Ashley is that, counter to my snap-judgment expectations before I bought the game, she's a flawed and realistic character. She's blunt and cynical, and admits that she sometimes has trouble expressing herself the way she wants to. She struggles with deep-seated bitterness over injustices done to her family. And, of course, there are her much-criticized opinions on aliens, which I'll discuss further later in the week. Overall, I find that her flaws are part of what make her so intriguing, as well as a relatable and very human character.
Ashley is a character who, obviously, is on the the receiving end of a lot of judgment. Some of it is fair, a lot of it is unfair. Before I even bought the game, I'm sorry to say I was briefly in the unfair judgment camp. I saw the ads and trailers for the game, many of which featured Ashley running around in her Phoenix armor and making out with default male Shepard, and I thought, "Oh, look. The love interest in cutesy pink armor. Bet she'll be a cardboard cutout who exists for no reason other than to give male gamers someone to sleep with."
Once I actually got the game, it didn't take long for me to realize just how wrong I was. Ashley is far more than just a potential love interest (and I personally never play as male Shepard anyway, so that doesn't even factor into my games). She's a full-fledged character in her own right, with her own history and opinions and personality quirks.
If I had to choose one word off the top of my head to describe Ashley, it would probably be devoted. She's not the type of person who does anything half-heartedly; once she puts her mind to something, she does it. She's fiercely loyal to her family and to humanity. She sticks to her beliefs--no matter how unpopular--and makes no apologies for them, but without being pushy or pigheadedly stubborn. She refuses to let others' judgments and negative opinions bog her down, no matter what, and I can't help but admire that kind of tenacity. And personality-wise, Ashley is exactly the sort of female character I'm typically drawn to: the snarky, sarcastic kind who tells it like it is. She's not without her softer side, but she has little patience for BS and has no problem saying exactly what's on her mind. Sometimes she makes me laugh, sometimes she makes me think, and sometimes she makes me want to stand up and cheer. I love that about her.
Another awesome thing about Ashley is that she's a soldier to the core. It's been observed that video games sometimes tend to give female characters more passive or supportive roles or fluffy magic powers while the male characters are the tough, brawny ones who actually do the brunt of the fighting. Mass Effect subverts this trope by making Ashley the all-out soldier in the group of potential squadmates, one of the only ones who can wear heavy armor and use any weapon with equal efficiency. Even some of her ambient dialogue displays her combat-oriented mindset--upon entering the Citadel Council chambers for the first time, she points out that the stairs would make for good defensive positions in a fight. By contrast, male squadmate Kaidan remarks that he finds the fountain soothing.
But possibly my favorite thing about Ashley is that, counter to my snap-judgment expectations before I bought the game, she's a flawed and realistic character. She's blunt and cynical, and admits that she sometimes has trouble expressing herself the way she wants to. She struggles with deep-seated bitterness over injustices done to her family. And, of course, there are her much-criticized opinions on aliens, which I'll discuss further later in the week. Overall, I find that her flaws are part of what make her so intriguing, as well as a relatable and very human character.