it differentiates. Think about it like this- Bungie is obviously going to go for huge amounts of player customization (I'm hoping for a lot more than Reach or Halo 4... I'm hoping WoW level, hah). I imagine it will be possible to choose a male and female character. so the question becomes... why would you pick female? Why pick it if it looks just like a dude? By picking female characters, you get to show that your character is a woman. It makes it more obvious. In Mass Effect if I had my helmet on all day on my Femshep character and had regular armor? No difference between my Shep and my Femshep. They're giving you the option to differentiate yourself. Provide more character customization. Though I will concede that the first picture might not be... well, exactly suitable or necessary. Though I do approve of it as a man. ^.^