Upon its initial release in 2014, The Sims 4 had a lot going for it, but it was always a little lacking in the clothing department. The latest installment of the Sims franchise saw the addition of a click-and-drag character creation option that hadn’t been seen in previous iterations, which allows you to sculpt and shape your Sim to your exact specifications with ease.
But building such a dynamic method of character creation resulted in a major fashion emergency — without preset body types, clothing designs have to be dynamic, too. One set design just doesn’t cut it anymore; Sims’ clothing, much like real-life clothing, needs to be able to change and adapt just as the body does.
For plus-sized Sims, the options were initially extremely limited. Lingerie, in particular, was in short supply; with an already small pool of options to choose from, Sims creators began to face the same issues in-game that many people experience daily, erasing part of the Sims’ escapism experience. Many Sims had to choose between sleeping in either baggy T-shirts and pants or ill-fitting lingerie sets with stretched, slightly pixelated dimensions. It wasn’t a great look.
The release of the Simtimates collection, released last week, changes all that.
The entire point of simulation games is to provide you with an experience you wouldn’t otherwise have — or, in some cases, to perfect an experience that’s flawed in real-world execution. Simulation games span a huge spectrum; they allow you to run a colony of diverse survivalists like Rimworld, or participate in heists like the GTA franchise, or live out your cottage-core dreams without needing to spend all that time brushing up on gardening and DIY techniques. Everyone deserves the opportunity to see themselves represented in a sim game, because what’s the point otherwise? Everyone needs that chance at escapism.
The Sims 4 has since begun to rectify these issues. Patch 34 in particular was groundbreaking. Released in 2016, the patch added detailed gender customization options that allowed you to dictate your Sim’s physical frame, ability to get pregnant, and clothing preference separately. This patch also removed the gender locks on clothing, accessories, and hairstyles to allow for full customization.
Sims 4 players have also received a ton of new stuff packs over the years, containing clothes for just about everything, from elegant partywear, to bowling kits, to Halloween costumes. And finally, at long last, we’ve been gifted the crossover kit we’ve all been waiting for: the Simtimates collection. This new item kit contains brand-new lingerie born from a collaboration with MeUndies, a body-positive underwear brand that strives to create the perfect pair for each and every person.
Matching patterns across different cuts of garments mean that bras and underwear can now be mixed and matched to best suit your Sims’ gender expression and body type. There are teddies, matching open shirt and pant sets, and (for the discerning eye) eggplant-patterned clothing galore; styles range from sexy to comfortable, ensuring your Sims’ needs are met whether they’re trying to WooHoo with that special someone or just sleep comfortably.
As a disabled person, my body doesn’t look like everyone else’s. Sometimes I want my Sims to represent my ideal self, picture perfect and magazine ready. But sometimes, I want to insert myself (or people like me) into the narrative. I want to see disabled bodies represented; I want to see Sims that look like me and the people I love exploring a hidden jungle, or finding love, or adopting a hundred cats with the help of a mod that eventually breaks the game and corrupts the save.
That’s exactly why this new kit is a huge step in the right direction for body-positive representation in games. There’s something for every build, and the diversity of style options and interchangeable pieces ensure that every Sim is covered no matter their gender expression. As in Patch 34, The Sims has once again made an effort to provide representation for all of its players. Everyone deserves to feel sexy, whether they’ve made their lookalike in game or whether they’re searching for clothes out in the real world. Thanks to MeUndies in both realities, we’re much closer to making that dream come true.
