Overwatch’s Mei Succumbs to Body Image Issues, Loses Weight

While most of us know Sapporo for their awesome beer, Mei's drink of choice is their diet water

In a world of Lara Crofts, be a Mei-Ling Zhou. Mei fans the world over have been repeating the mantra, all too used to glamorous female characters designed to fill adolescent boy’s fantasies along with their pants. And while the venerable Ms Croft is now treated with respect, she is still mostly known as the character most likely to suffer back problems due to her ridiculously proportioned breasts of yesteryear. While the breasts have reduced to a manageable size, however, the character remains designed to look like she belongs on the catwalk more than raiding tombs.

Mei, however, is different — was different. As one of the few female video game characters with realistic proportions, she stood out from the crowd; someone with a little extra weight, uninterested in fitting the prescriptive mold of what a girl should look like. Mei was loved for that, Mei was loved for being Mei. However, with all the Laras, the Quiets, the 2Bs, the Widowmakers, Mei felt the pressure.

Mei has lost weight for her Lunar New Year celebrations in a bid to blend in with the other female characters.

Post-diet vs pre-diet

Blizzard have confirmed that Mei has lost some weight from her waist, but denies that this is a bid to fit in with the videogame norm. Posting on Battlenet’s forum in response to Mei’s weight loss, a community manager had to say the following:

There's a bug with Mei's Luna and Chang'e skins right now that's causing her waist to appear much smaller than normal. We've already fixed the bug internally, but it's going to require a patch to implement (ideally it'll be included in whatever next patch hits your gaming platform).

Thanks for the quick reports, btw. And happy Lunar New Year!

So, rather than it being a deliberate move, Bungie is using the excuse that it is a bug. That Mei never sought to lose weight to look good in her new outfit; it’s the result of a gastrointestinal bug, where she was unable to keep her meals down. Whether users choose to believe the PR or not, the important takeaway from the fiasco is that she will soon be back to her original weight.

Mei, take heart. You mightn’t fit the stereotype about what is considered to be “beautiful,” but you don’t need to. Many consider you an icon for daring to be yourself. And a quick Google search will show you that just as many people are picturing you naked with their fan art as any other character from Overwatch. Stay strong, okay?