Soooo…I thought I’d offer my opinion on the subject of Nessa’s design.
Since I don’t want to just say I’m black and then go into discussion. I’d like to preface this with a little more on my background. Cause there are many different cultures within the black community.
My family and I are Haitian, with me and my cousins being the first generation Haitian-Americans. We currently live in South Florida and we are relatively close to the beach. (Just a 30-40 minute drive without traffic from Miami) It gets really hot down here and black girls/women can often be seen wearing shorts, crop tops, tank tops, bikinis, etc. Here, exposing skin isn’t seen as provocative, it’s just normal given the environment. (The same could be said for Haiti)
So when I saw Nessa’s design I was like, “Hell yeah! She looks so cool!”. But then I go online and see discourse around her being…sexualized? I was so confused. So like, I knew there was gonna be a discussion about artists whitewashing her either on accident or on purpose (or people just not knowing how to draw black people) But the people claiming that Nintendo made her sexy? That’s a little wack.
But hey, This was just me. So I decided to consult with my sister and cousins in a group chat about her design. And here was our discussion:
C = My Cousin (a black man)
A: There was a character that was revealed in a new upcoming Pokemon game. She’s a water type gym leader who appears to be black.
B: What does she look like?
A: *posts an image of the concept art above* She looks like this.
B: Okayyy. What’s the problem, she looks badass. No big lips or other stereotypical features.
A: I know right! I thought so too! But like…some people are making the claim that Nintento has sexualized her in some way?
C: They are reaching on that one.
B: Because her stomach is out? It’s not like she has those massive anime boobs or big hips.
A: I think It’s because of the fact she is wearing a bikini. But then, there are other characters in the game that also wear bikini’s but no one seems to be saying anything about them?
B: The plight of the black woman smh.
A: There are also people going around redesigning her to cover up more skin. And although I don’t dislike them, I can’t help but feel that there is something inherantly…unsettleing about the fact that expossing skin is seen as lewd or sexualized. Especially since we come a region like south Florida where this suff is sort of the norm.
B: And I’m pretty sure they haven’t had these conversations about the plethora of white characters that have their stomachs out or DO have those boobs over all the anime shows out there.🙄🙄
(Little break here, Note that my sister isn’t very into anime. I’m still getting her into it. Just know that when she says “white characters” she means light-skinned characters. Don’t worry I’ll clear her up on that later. Also, I’m sure that many people arguing over her design have probably discussed the boobs in other shows before. This is just her current observation based on what she has experienced so far.)
A: Although, I can kind of understand how they might come to this conclusion. I’ll admit that there is media in Japan that does fetishize black woman/ dark skin charcaters. But then, is the solution to have ALL black women cover up in media? What kind of message does that send?
B: Of course but to have her that skinny with no hips or boobs and virtually look like the other characters besides skin color. Is a reach.
A: I suppose so. Maybe people are overreacting to this. I’m just happy there are more black people in Pokemon lol.
C: *posts a funny gif of “Nailed it”* They are overreacting.
And that’s basically our opinion on it. Nessa’s design has our star of approval from this corner of the black community. We think she looks sporty and cute.
Now, of course, I can’t speak for all black people on this. There could be others out there that have an issue with it. I’d actually really like to hear from other black people on this topic!
To those who aren’t black, it’s ok to reblog. Non-black people need to see this perspective as well. I’m not saying you can’t offer input. but if you do, please be mindful of what you say and please be respectful.
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