The new female character in Assassins Creed Syndicate is not plus size and that is a problem

I'm literally shaking right now. This was supposed to be the game where everything changes. This was supposed to be a new dawn in gaming. This was supposed to be where equality finally prevailed in the industry. But no, they chose to do it half-heartedly, half-assedly and make it all go to shit.

I was really happy at first - happy to see that Ubisoft, a studio I've hated for years for their misogynistic games, listened to us feminists when making Assassins Creed Syndicate. I mean after the fiasco that was Unity, it seemed like there was no hope of there ever being a strong, fierce, independent female assassin in the franchise and anyone who gives a damn about social justice was just down in the dumps. But then, a few weeks ago, rumours started spreading that there would be a female character alongside the male assassin in the Victorian London-based AC Syndicate. You have like literally no idea how happy I was. I was over the moon. I even threw a little AC themed party and got my Nerdy girl-gamer friends to come over dressed as assassins and drink bloody Mary's (to symbolize the blood of the assassinated). I've been really giddy knowing that I was going to get to play as a woman in my favourite video game series, the joy has been palpable.

Well, that was all until a couple of days ago, when Ubisoft revealed Evie Frye. OMG! I can't believe I thought things were heading in the right direction. I can't believe I let my hopes up. I can’t believe I let them think that things were going to get better. There she was, the woman who was supposed to turn AC into a modern, gender conscious, feminist game - a White, skinny, conventionally pretty woman. WHAT.THE. FUCK

Arrrgghhh it makes me so angry that Ubisoft would even consider depicting a woman that way after all the pressure they've been put under by feminists. YES we wanted a woman, but NOT. LIKE. THIS! Evie is a perfect example of a bone thin, skinny woman without any curves or shapes. Her body, along with Ubisoft's decision to create it, is incredibly fatphobic and tells women that if they want to feel like they're represented in the game, they have to weigh 90 pounds and have a svelte physique. EXCUSE ME Ubisoft, who're you to tell women that they have to be a size zero to be able to be an assassin? I know plenty of big, strong, fabulous women who can perform amazing jumps and movement and who can do all sorts of parkour stuff. Do you mean to tell them that they don't matter?

Ubisoft, you had the perfect opportunity to depict bigger, plus size bodies in this game. You had the chance to break the old stale fatphobic beauty standards in gaming and make a lot of big women happy in the process. You could have made Evie a big, plus sized beautiful woman who goes against the cookie cutter beauty standards – but instead you chose to play it safe and go with a skinny British bitch. This is not okay Ubisoft. This is NOT fucking OKAY! You don’t care about gender equality. You don’t care about women. You don’t care about body acceptance. You just care about making the most money possible using skinny model bodies and exploiting the female figure.

I think ALL bodies deserve to be depicted in games and until Ubisoft starts including bigger women in their games they should be boycotted by anyone who cares about gender equality.

I want to start a movement, a movement that promotes the right for bigger women’s bodies to be represented in the AC series. Let’s put some pressure on these assholes and maybe we can get a strong, fierce, fab and big woman in the next Assassin’s Creed game. I’m like officially starting this hashtag right now #AnimateAllBodies tweet under it to protest against what they’ve done with Evie Frye! The fatphobia in gaming has to end. NOW!