EXCLUSIVE/LEAKED Unreal Engine Developer Video EXPOSES Root Cause of 'Man-Jaw' Women

A Game Developer’s Scathing Exposé on Metahuman’s Feminine Failures...

The gaming industry has been grappling with an ongoing issue that many players have noticed but until now, only few have fully actually understood—why do so many female characters in modern games have masculine facial structures?

Why do so many of them seem to have an uncanny, unappealing look, lacking the natural aesthetics of femininity...? Not to mention... the "Journo" defense that's been run on this problem for years now:

An anonymous game developer reached out to me with a bombshell reveal: the root of this problem lies in Unreal Engine’s Metahuman character creator, and you won't believe just how BAD it gets...

In a scathing exposé, she showcases her frustration with how the tool generates female models by default—models that, rather than appearing naturally feminine, instead... start off looking like dudes.

This developer, who has asked to remain anonymous but also provided video proof of her findings, explaining in full detail about Unreal’s Metahuman tool - and how it is undeniably cutting-edge when it comes to fidelity—with every pore, blemish, and skin reflection being rendered in stunning detail. BUT (and this is a big but), this comes at a massive artistic cost: the base models are fundamentally unappealing, and often outright unattractive...

The starting point for a female character appears extremely unnaturally androgynous, requiring extensive tweaking and significant efforts from artists themselves... just to achieve a traditionally feminine look. I can think of three reasons why they don't do it. Lazy or untalented developers... or those androgenous developers themselves that want to see themselves in their work.... Any of those options will ultimately end up having their character look like a dude. That's why this is happening so often!

The ‘Man-Jaw’ Epidemic in Gaming

One of the most striking issues highlighted in the video is the facial structure of Metahuman’s female models—particularly the prominence of strong jawlines, high foreheads, and heavy-set features that read as masculine. 

These issues aren’t just minor quirks; they require a considerable amount of work from game artists to reshape into something that would finally actually resemble a woman. This, according to my source, is most likely the reason why we’re seeing more and more female characters in AAA games come packed in with the now-infamous "man-jaw" look—because the starting templates are already leaning heavily masculine.

But the problems don’t stop at the face. Metahuman’s approach to the female body is equally strange... or honestly, even more extreme for the worse. As my source pointed out, the default models lack any kind of actual curvature—flat chests, non-existent hips, and unnaturally compressed proportions. 

The female form, rather than being a distinct and well-defined silhouette, has been reduced to a featureless husk.

Is This a Design Choice or an Agenda?

This all raises that obvious critical question: is this just simply a technical oversight, or is it part of a much larger ideological push for inclusivity? ...and we already know that if Epic Games were to respond, they'd likely argue something along the lines of “We’re trying to be inclusive—this is how real people look.”

But that argument falls apart when you consider that the entertainment industry has always been about creating compelling, aspirational, and appealing characters. I don't play a game to see every character look like a mundane 'people of Walmart' experience.

There's a reason why artists in animation, comics, and gaming stylize characters to emphasize certain features—whether it’s sharper jawlines for heroic male leads or softer, more delicate facial features for feminine characters. We play games for escapism... Not whatever the hell this is.

If realism was truly the goal, why do all the male characters still get to retain their broad shoulders, strong chins, and well-defined musculature? Why does “inclusivity” always seem to disproportionately affect female character design? Do we even need a tin foil hat on at this point..?

The Impact on the Industry

This issue here, at least from my perspective, isn’t just about aesthetics—it affects how games are perceived, how players connect with characters, and even the industry’s creative direction. If tools like this Metahuman always automatically default to making women look androgynous or masculine, then all these studios that rely on them will intentionally... or unintentionally... push that slop aesthetic directly onto players.

It’s no wonder we’re seeing more games with unappealing female protagonists that fail to resonate with audiences. When character artists have to fight up stream, against the grain against the very tools they’re using just to make a woman look like a woman, it’s no surprise that we keep getting female characters who look like they were designed by committee rather than by artists with an eye for appeal. It all makes perfect sense now.

The Bigger Picture

At its core, this isn’t just a minor technical issue—it’s a philosophical one. Gaming has always been a blend of art and technology, and a core to society at large since inception... But when the tools being provided are actively working against artistic creativity, it raises serious concerns.

If Metahuman and Unreal Engine continue down this path, we're bound to see a future where all female characters have to conform to this flat, androgynous, “realistic” look. Hell, some would argue we are already living in that very future right now. Game studios have lost their ability to create visually distinctive and appealing characters simply because their tools don’t allow it... or their 'artists' are too lazy/untalented to do better. Maybe its a time issue. Maybe its a mental one. Regardless of the reason, its happening, and this program is the epicenter of the problem.

The developer who reached out to me has provided me with some pretty compelling evidence, and I’ll be sharing that video to let you see the truth for yourself. In an industry where aesthetics matter, and where art should be free from ideological constraints, this issue deserves attention.

It’s time for Epic Games to answer to all gamers - why the default female models in their premier character creator tool look like men—and why game developers have to fight so damn hard... just to bring femininity back into gaming. It really shouldn't be that difficult, yet... here we are.

~Smash