User:Exilexi/sandbox

Smash Sisters was an initiative founded in 2016 by American players milktea and emilywaves for Genesis 3.

The origin of Smash Sisters
Lilian "Milktea" Chen, a Super Smash Bros. Melee figurehead since 2007, was one of the first people to be openly critical of the lack of women in the Smash community, being the object of some online abuse because of her relationship with another player. In May 2014, she spoke about these issues and about "[raising] awareness in a way that did not shame male gamers" at a TED Talk.

On her end, Emily "Emilywaves" Sun, a New York-based Super Smash Bros. Melee player and tournament organizer, had been trying to organize women-focused side events at local tournaments in New York City, but didn't have much traction.

Smash Sisters events
At Genesis 3, the side event was organized with the blessing of tournament organizer Dr. Z. This event had 10 competitive players and around 30 casual players for Melee and Wii U. Other events were then organized in Northern America and in Europe, most notably at Genesis 4 and B.E.A.S.T 6 and B.E.A.S.T 7.

Controversy
Smash Sisters is a movement that is advertised as only for people who identify as women, but not an outright feminist movement. It has been accused by detractors of having the exact opposite effect that what Milktea and emilywaves sought in the first place, encouraging women to play together without making an effort to play with men in the classic tournament. Some Smash Sisters events have derailed this by only accepting players who had also registered for the main tournament.