Betas, breasts and the making of Resident Evil 5

[News Bot]

Now that is convincing. She should have been naked even.

Why bother using the police officer excuse if you're just going to get into sarcasm mode when corrected? =P Again, I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying that it's not completely without merit. There are several factors to take into account for how the tube top/skirt routine isn't strictly nerdy testosterone fuelled. I don't like the outfit either but, y'know, there are still several reasons for it even from an in-universe perspective. Unlike say, Jill's skin-tight chest-exposing suit in BH5, or Excella's overly revealing dress.

[Darkmoon]

The problem with most of the ideas behind why she would wear such an outfit are they don't really hold up when looked at it slightly more detail.

1 - Jill had no idea the zombies were comming until it was too late. She was caught out, away from home, and couldn't get changed.

This seems...very unlikely. The S.T.A.R.S members were aware of the potential for an outbreak from monsters that escaped the Arklay Mansion. Even though she was suspended from the R.P.D, I doubt she wasn't getting information from friends there, as well as other sources.

It doesn't speak well that a trained former Delta Force member was caught so completely off guard. And if she was caught off guard, why was she carrying her gun? Why didn't she break into a clothes shop and get better gear?

2 - It's hot and the clothes are comfortable.

I'm told they're not actually that comfortable, since a boob tube needs to be fairly tight to avoid slipping down or popping out. And mini skirts aren't brilliant either. But here's the best argument against...zombie bites are a hell of a lot less comfortable than getting sweaty. Thick material, like leather or denim, might even stop a bite long enough for you to get away. And some jeans amd a jacket aren't gonna slow you down. Knee high boots aren't nearly as comfortable as decent running shoes, or as fast, yet the hot sweaty boots are what she's wearing. So I think we can assume 'comfort' was not the reason.

[Guest]

Why bother using the police officer excuse if you're just going to get into sarcasm mode when corrected? =P

So because most of her force was killed that means she changed occupation and lost her fashion radar or what?

"Hey, I'm no ordinary civi."
"Damn right you aren't, you're the cheapest ho in town."

Justifying this bullshit is even worse than her character design.

[Davi Redfield]

Jill had a blouse tied around her waist, in case of need. Also, the zombie factor was irrelevant, since a blouse/jacket wouldn't stop a zombie bite.
If you guys want a complete FAQ for all the points that you post, what News Bot said is all that there is to tell related to the story: hot weather, and she's being not a police officer anymore.
And it seems that you aren't considering that Jill was a young woman, and the clothes that she uses could simply reflect her taste for clothes.

[Darkmoon]

She's not just a young woman though. She's a heavily trained combat specialist. And let's face it...denim or leather would be a lot tougher to bite through than flesh. Zombies only have the jaw power if a human, after all. You go try biting through a good denim jacket and tell me how fast it happens.

Plus, she has no pockets. Nowhere to carry her gear. And the clothes simply aren't suited to survival...the shoes aren't meant for running, the skirt and boob tube will, if anything, be slightly more arkward to move around in than normal gear...

The reason for the outfit is it's sexy. There's no real reason beyond that, simply attempts to justify it. Personally, I don't mind sexy. I do object to dumb, though. Would people expect Chris or Leon (who, at the same time, is wearing a full suit of RPD gear...despite the terrible heat) to be running around in sandels and shorts? It makes as much sense as Jill's gear, after all.

Jill's supposed to be a smart woman. The outfit shows only sexy. I prefer my characters to go smart in a situation where you're much more likely to be bitten to death by the undead than asked on a date (Carlos non-withstanding) rather than looking good. But that's just me.

[Davi Redfield]

That depends. If you judge a person by her clothes, sure. I say that she continue being the same Jill, and that's just her clothes.

And, if happened to Jill a situation where she was surrounded by zombies, her clothes and nothing would do the same thing for her.

Also, jackets can be grabbed. Or hook in some wreck in the way, same with the pants. A more tight clothe, together with the short hair of Jill, it's more unlikely to be grabbed.

Pockets isn't a relevant matter in the old RE games. The characters always could carry whatever fits in their inventory, having pockets or not.

[Enetirnel]

My apologies for the ramble post on the subject of Biohazard 3 Jill Valentine default costume, just throwing out my personal experiences and general feelings on clothing given what Jill was doing in Raccoon when comparing those clothes to various types I have worn over the years as I will explain - hopefully this will make sense, as I'm admittedly not a very fashion-orientated person:

As a female that has cosplayed a few different characters include Jill Bio3 version, I can tell you now that I would honestly prefer to be running around a city climbing things in her outfit for a few reasons - the hot weather, I'd rather dress light and at most would take a cardigan or a blouse with me in the same manner.

The boots heels are low enough to be perfectly fine to run in but are still capable of inflicting some minor damage if needed and they also appear to be quite durable so foot movement wouldn't be restricted either. Her boots are also belted off to make sure they stay on and that nothing can get into her boots such as say, insects or any other crap that could possibly crawl into it.

For one, you can easily hike up the skirt if needed - rock climbing and other activities I've done with the Scouts here or even tagging along with some of the officers at Naval bases and the like are quite uncomfortable in long pants, in hot weather as the clothing all gets stuck to you and it makes it harder to move, you're more likely to get snagged on crap like fences that have been clipped or in the case of the games - zombies. Now, as for denim or leather, it really depends on what the type is and what the cut/pattern of it is but frankly - I avoid wearing it if I'm doing more exercise than intended (such as hiking up through part of the mountains tracking the wildlife with Smiley on a hot day) as it just sticks to me OR pokes in an uncomfortable manner.

A normal shirt also limits your range of motion, as do pants - essentially I have to wear practically skin tight clothing, shorts and a tank top with minimal straps, a skirt or yes, a boob tube in order to make it easier for me to maneuver myself around awkwardly in order to climb up and squeeze myself into gaps to continue my climb. I mean, sure. You can wear a t-shirt, but you're going to get stuck or rip it. If you wear a baggier one, then you'll get snagged, will rip it OR will end up having to tie it up to make it tighter and smaller to make it easier to get around.

A boob tube is comfortable if you get the right sort for you, I've got ones that are simply tight materials that started life as stretchy sort of bandannas for my hair, ones with solid material but with a stretchy back, ones with zippers, ones with claspes, buttons and so-on and to be honest - they're a lot nicer than having to wear a bra to me, as I can actually move around much more easily without having any metal or the like dig in.

Pockets will only weigh you down with crap, it's easier to carry stuff around in a bum bag and/or harness bag in-case you need to ditch stuff in an emergency whereas if something in your pockets' were to snag, well you could be quite screwed if that were to happen. Besides, if you were smart you can put crap away in places even if you don't have pockets. Knife in boots, keys in top, blouse, tucked away under that skirt's edge and the like - it honestly, is not uncommon for people to do that (for an example within a game, think - Meryl in Metal Gear Solid with the card key).

But hey, even if you were grabbed in those clothes - there's so few people around, not like anyone would give a crap if you needed to wriggled out of said clothes and flee considering the state Raccoon was in - who gives a shit about clothing, I'd rather live than be freaking out that I couldn't lose $150 jeans or something.

From my own personal experiences, as I've been doing stuff with the Scouts here for as long as I can remember (about, age of three or four) - I'm going to say it, but I would much rather Jill's outfit than trying to run around in Claire's denim gear regardless of them being cutoffs for the most part - as it's still awkward to move around in that stuff. Not to mention the whole factor of long hair, it's extremely painful to get your hair snagged so I have always had my hair cut into a bob and for the clothes, I tend to dress in clothes that give me my full range of movement - as I've mentioned before.

Also, not forgetting if you were a Raccoon survivor - you would want to be able to prove you haven't been infected so it would also provide a more visual range than the usual "infected person hiding wound under layers, upon layers of clothes".

To be honest, nothing screamed "hooker" to me when I played 3 and nothing does now when I replay it - only does it scream "trying too hard for sex appeal" is when I see that Umbrella Chronicles scene, as well as the Pachislot footage.

If Jill had been running around in like, three inch heeled boots with netted stockings on or running around in scraggy Ugg Boots with a tied top or something - then I'd agree that they make no sense to as DM mentioned sandals in it and/or it looks like hooker-wear.

*Shrugs* Just my perspective on it, that yes - with hot weather, OR to be comfortable whilst having to avoid things - I'd completely wear it - and as I have cosplayed it, I technically have and to me it's personally very, VERY comfortable and I've only had one slight issue with the tube -, as it seems logical to me.

[MeganGrass]

Enetirnel got it, perfectly.

Think of it like this, from a female's POV - if you were trapped in a city of the undead, and you knew that you were going to have to be limber (no jokes, please) in certain situations, just to stay alive, I really don't think you'd wear clothes that would restrain your physical movements. And after all, if you're in a city of the undead, who cares if one of them got a cheap shot at your undies/other -- they're all dead! Now, if they had Jill running around in heels 'n hose, that's when i'd have to say 'sexist!', but that wasn't the case (not keeping the alt. costumes inmind).

And for you guys, well, the same applies. Army attire may work, but still, one couldn't deny that shorts and a tshirt would be less constricting.

Yeah, maybe sex appeal played a role in the developer's minds when creating this 'version' of Jill, but I really think they kept real-life 'what-if' aspects inmind, aswell.

[Enetirnel]

Enetirnel got it, perfectly.

Think of it like this, from a female's POV - if you were trapped in a city of the undead, and you knew that you were going to have to be limber (no jokes, please) in certain situations, just to stay alive, I really don't think you'd wear clothes that would restrain your physical movements. And after all, if you're in a city of the undead, who cares if one of them got a cheap shot at your undies/other -- they're all dead! Now, if they had Jill running around in heels 'n hose, that's when i'd have to say 'sexist!', but that wasn't the case (not keeping the alt. costumes inmind).

And for you guys, well, the same applies. Army attire may work, but still, one couldn't deny that shorts and a tshirt would be less constricting.

Yeah, maybe sex appeal played a role in the developer's minds when creating this 'version' of Jill, but I really think they kept real-life 'what-if' aspects inmind, aswell.

Thank you G.

Though, you are right about those alternative costumes... The sort of "sexy Police Officer" one is outright ridiculous, and so is the biker one that was reused for one of the Outbreak alternative outfits... *shakes head*

Army gear can work, though it is honestly heavier to move around in although it would provide more protection - I just tried on some of my old Scout's stuff, my Mother's old Air Force uniform with my combat boots and although it's a cool night - I was boiling away immediately and it just felt too stiff to move in, let alone quiet for movement to avoid detection from the undead in.

Well, a t-shirt and pair of shorts are alright but it mostly depends on what the material is though it can still work nonetheless. I've ripped far too many of either doing everyday stuff to being half way up a sheer cliff-face, which is why I was more or less supportive of the mini skirt as it could simply be rolled and/or pulled up if needed to.

Though, with the B.O.W.s running around Raccoon the usual sort of first aid I was taught - any part of Jill's clothing could also be used in an emergency situation to bandage a wound, immobilize a limb and/or sling one or even cut off the circulation considering the belts on her boots.

[kevstah2004]

It's not a Biker costume it's Paula from DC2.

[News Bot]

So because most of her force was killed that means she changed occupation and lost her fashion radar or what?

"Hey, I'm no ordinary civi."
"Damn right you aren't, you're the cheapest ho in town."

Justifying this bullshit is even worse than her character design.

Uhh, yeah. That is pretty much the case. Jill resigns from S.T.A.R.S. and the unit is disbanded completely. And "fashion radar"? Would you rather expect her to be running around in her BH1 outfit still, despite y'know, not even being a police officer anymore?

Also, Jill's "I'm a member of S.T.A.R.S." is because she, Chris and Barry still maintain their "identity" after the unit is disbanded. Same with Chris' "As a surviving member of S.T.A.R.S., I have to finish this" line at the end of CVX.

We don't even know Jill's circumstances prior to her being blown out of a building at the beginning of BH3. Have you ever thought that, just maybe, she wasn't able to get changed? It happens you know. Not everyone has the ability to change clothes on the fly. The outbreak comes as a complete surprise to everyone. Even though monsters were appearing in the city in August, the full-scale outbreak occurred completely out of nowhere and took the entire city off-guard. Are you trying to say that Jill should be psychic now? Do you honestly expect a civilian to suddenly undergo a "Commando" transformation scene or some dumb shit?

And again, a tube top isn't exactly as scandalous as you make it out to be, especially in hot weather. Same with a skirt. I dread to wonder if you've ever actually seen a girl in shorts and a bikini before if you're seriously so uppity about Jill's clothes. Going by your logic, almost every female in the summer is a ho.

It is NOT as ridiculous as you make it out to be. That is what I am trying to say. And I'm glad there are some who agree.

[Vector]

This is starting to get silly. No matter which way you guys try to spin it, no matter how convincing your argument may be(Enetirnel), you can't change the fact that her outfit in RE3 was for sex appeal. Nothing more, nothing less. There's no sense in trying to justify it.

She's a lead female character in a video game. She didn't just come from the laundromat or just get out of the shower, because she's not real. She's fake, and she was designed to wear that outfit to appeal to the mostly-male, mostly horny video gaming masses. That's it and that's all.


Even with most of the Jill fanboys eradicated from this board, her tits are still a topic. I really wish we could put it to rest.

[Enetirnel]

It's not a Biker costume it's Paula from DC2.

Aren't those some of the guys, as I recall Paula wearing shorts..like in this one compared to the outfit in 3

The outfit isn't exactly the same either, the top has the same cut but there are differences like the boots are knee-length and other differences between them.

This is starting to get silly. No matter which way you guys try to spin it, no matter how convincing your argument may be(Enetirnel), you can't change the fact that her outfit in RE3 was for sex appeal. Nothing more, nothing less.

She's a lead female character in a video game. She didn't just come from the laundromat or just get out of the shower, because she's not real. She's fake, and she was designed to wear that outfit to appeal to the mostly-male, mostly horny video gaming masses. That's it and that's all.


Even with most of the Jill fanboys eradicated from this board, her tits are still a topic. I really wish we could put it to rest.

To be honest, but considering that there has been a fair amount of female gamers to the time 3 was released and taking into mind characters like Carlos, I wouldn't say completely and utterly targeted at the male audience only. Not all of Jill's outfits would really be considered "sexy" considering, that white disco one with the pink top and a couple of the other additional ones.

I mean, taking into account that Namco had some very blatant sex-appeal things when you look back over Tekken 2, then when you look at Biohazard at most you get a couple of slightly skimpy outfits, Alexia's transformation.....

If it was for absolute, utter sex appeal for males only then Jill probably would have been overhauled to appear like say, Square's Tifa Lockheart. Oh wait, that technically happened but overhauled like Namco's Nina Williams after the Pachislot footage to draw attention of males to play it & the ridiculous Umbrella Chronicles scene which makes 3 look extremely tame in contrast to the newer renditions.

So, while yes - partially at the time there may have been slight sex appeal to the design it wasn't as rampant as it has been more recently in my opinion and with the explanation of the outfit's design - it has honestly never looked like a "sexy" design to me and I've only ever really seen it been referred to as that by fan-boys/girls and of which, not everyone that bought and/or played 3 was of Jill. To me, it's a simple outfit. Nothing more, nothing less.

[News Bot]

Maybe I'm just used to seeing clothes like Jill's (or in most cases, worse than Jill's) in public, but her outfit in BH3 never struck me as being purely for sex appeal. I mean, its definitely a factor (if you get a stiffy over the slightest sight of skin, maybe) but its definitely not the only thing which influenced her design.

[Darkmoon]

It wasn't terrible, no. The more recent development has been a lot worse. But I don't think any one would argue that Jill in RE5 or Excella weren't designed to be sexy. The problem with RE3's outfit is that it is more subtle, so there are two distinct camps.

Personally, I'm never gonna like the thing. I think it's meant to be sexy and that things like 'it's hot' and 'she was away from home' are, quite poor, justifications for a sexy outfit because, in essence, they don't fit the Jill character. She's not an average young woman...she's ex Delta Force. I simply find it unlikely that she'd choose to wear an outfit that exposes a ton of flesh when there are a plentiful supply of alternatives.

The argument that it's tight and comfy just doesn't work for me...the chances of a tightesh jacket getting hooked or grabbed aren't exactly astronomically high, and the argument that she wanted full movement in Raccoon City, town of the narrow streets and winding back alleys, doesn't sit well with me either. Half the time you didn't have room to put the not vast additional movement to use.

Now, if we're talking across open ground, I can see it. In a series of enclosed spaces, where damged cars and broken rubble are limiting my movement? I'd take the extra protection something as basic as a buttoned up jacket would provide and sweat a little, and give up a tiny ammount of mobility. Leon doesn't melt into a puddle in full RPD gear, the riot cops don't disolve. Yoko doesn't spontaneously combust in Outbreak.

Still, this is a two views, no solution situation.