If I recall, Cliff Bleszinski said in like Gears 3 or something that he wanted women to be like the men (buff) and not ridiculous like in other games with missing armour. But I may be totally off base
He expressed confusion about the"dudebro" image as well. For whatever ideas he had about the franchise, they didn't align with most of what those games ended up being last gen. The only glimpse of that was the conclusion of G3, where some surprising emotion was demonstrated. Glad we're seeing broader ideas now.