Resident Evil 4 Remake doesn’t let you peek up Ashley Graham’s skirt like in the original game. Back then, you could leave her on top of a ladder and aim upwards to eye her panties, only to be called a pervert as the young woman tries to cover herself up. I even remember seeing a ‘cheat’ in a gaming magazine that suggested equipping a sniper rifle to get around the chastising.
Video games are the worst sometimes. As a child I saw this Easter Egg as a quirky addition to an experience already wrought with camp, but that was long before I came to recognise how much baggage the medium carries when it comes to sexualising female characters and often framing them in ways to make them appear vulnerable, weak, and perhaps worst of all - underage.
Ashley is 20 in canon, yet the most dominant fan conversation surrounding her personality concerns her being a teenager in over her head. She’s incapable of defending herself and dotes on Leon like a wide-eyed, weirdly horny puppy. It’s gross, and far from the series’ first misstep when it comes to viewing women as tools for sexualisation, forever inferior to their male counterparts.
We want to keep Ashley safe, with Leon presented as an aggressive protector who demands his lady hides in the nearest bin while he takes care of everything. Whenever Ashley is provided agency or is capable of forging her own path, the narrative is quick to have her captured or subject to suggestive comments and violence underlined by the very worst tropes. In the remake, it appears we are finally leaving those flaws behind.
You can’t look up her skirt anymore, and predictably this has resulted in certain individuals complaining about censorship and how the original vision has been torn asunder. Capcom is appealing to the woke minority and is afraid of causing offense with a character who for years has been seen as an illicit object of sexual desire.
Even Ashley’s new design draws criticism for its less revealing appearance and potential empowerment. Her plaid skirt is now a skort, while a thicker coat both keeps her warm and doesn’t pay attention to her chest as much. It makes sense, reinforcing the sense of authority she might carry as the daughter of the President and a willingness to defend herself when danger rears its head.
From its trailers alone, Resident Evil 4 is making it abundantly clear that women deserve agency in a franchise where it has long been denied, and those who believe it to be censorship are poised to be left behind. Her gameplay section has seemingly been overhauled too, and I’m eager to see if she’s given the opportunity to rescue Leon this time around or voice a concern about the infection that slowly overwhelms her. Ashley isn’t helpless anymore.
Ada Wong is going through a similar evolution and this started back in Resident Evil 2 Remake. Her formal coat and darkened sunglasses amidst a rain-drenched Raccoon City paint her as equal parts sexy and mysterious, determined to both help Leon survive and achieve her own goals. Resi 4 is much the same, and it seems her signature red dress is replaced by a flowing crimson jumper and a leather harness that looks incredible and practicable in a setting where she must murder infected and navigate her surroundings with the utmost precision.
A woman can look sexy, dominant, and powerful without falling victim to the male gaze or giving away her confidence in service of sexualisation. Ashley and Ada aren’t vulnerable little lambs in need of herding to their final destination by the men who surround them, but independent figures who can move forward on their own terms.
It’s a far cry from the timid immaturity of Rebecca Chambers and nonsensical miniskirts once worn by Jill Valentine. Boys are muscular and well armored, and girls must bare it all because everyone playing will suddenly switch off if they aren’t turned on all the time.
Resident Evil 4 doesn’t take away that sexualisation in its entirety, but evolves it in ways that puncture the male gaze and put attractiveness back in the hands of women who for years have been unable to wield it. All the remakes thus far have taken this approach, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the fourth is the final step towards a much brighter future.