Why is "White-washing" wrong but making a light skinned character into a dark skin character in art okay?
Note: I am talking about when whitewashing and black-washing in drawing and not in TV shows and movies. I do not know enough information in that manner. Not enough research was done while making this post. I am simply attempting to get my mind out there. If I have offended anyone who are people of color, I am deeply sorry and simply tell me what I need to fix in this post. I will even take this down.
Also, I do not support racism.
Intro
I've wondered this question for a while until I was later informed why it isn't a problem.
Whitewashing or making/drawing a darker skinned character into a skin color that is lighter than their original skin tone, is a very insulting action and racist thing you could do to a character. Whitewashing is not encouraged in any matter of the sort.
When someone does whitewash it is usually to "fix" the character. I personally don't understand what they mean by "fix" but mostly it is to fit the person's racist idea by making the character a race the person believes is superior (most of the time it's the "white" or American race).
The whitewashing could also diminish the character's personal story.
Let's say we have Bob who has dark skin. The entire story is based on how he gets treated differently by how he gets treated differently by his dark skin.
When someone makes Bob's skin into a different, lighter color we all agree it would ruin a major point in his story, right? Then it is wrong to change the character's skin color. Do not forget it is also a problem when someone changes the character's culture. You wouldn't want to see Miles Morales with white skin, neither would you see it is right to not make him Puerto Rican.
Another reason why people see whitewashing bad is because it feels as if that said person who whitewash the character as trying to
There is a pattern of racism in these actions and people don't like racism because it is bad to see one race a superior to the other and seeing a race as lower than others. Racism is bad.
If changing a character's skin color is commonly seen as bad, then why do people not show that same hatred when it is in reverse?
The action of making/drawing a character's skin into a darker color than the original skin color is commonly considered "black washing," but I would not be using that term because I heard it originated from racists to discriminate against people of color. Instead, I would refer as the act of coloring someone a darker skin color or other phrases in similar context.
When someone colors a character in a darker skin color, it is not usually seen as racist because it is not usually done in a racist manner (unless when it is which is bad).
The action of coloring a character darker is usually done because:
1) The character is relatable towards a demographic of people who have a darker skin tone than the character.
2) In order to have representation.
3) Personal headcanons or "a word used in film/television/comics/etc. fandom that refers to something a fan imagines about the characters (such as a scenario or relationship) but that doesn’t appear on screen/on the page"("Headcanon Meaning | Words We're Watching).
4)The creator of the character said the character doesn't have a race.
4) For fun.
Originally, I saw the "For fun" part really weird. Why are you changing a character's skin color for fun anyways? Until I watched a video talking about the exact topic.
I don't remember entirely the YouTube short, but I randomly encountered it while scrolling. While watching, the creator said that a character doesn't have a specific race if you could simply replace that character with anyone else from a different demographic. The character Spider-Man is a role anyone can fill and doesn't need to be any direct race or gender. However, you couldn't substitute Miles Morales with anyone else of a different race because that is a part of his character, not Spider-Man's. Another major example would be Hatsune Miku since she is a voice bank and literally anyone and anything can sing. Which is why we see a common trend of people drawing Hatsune Miku as many things since "every Miku is canon."
"But with that logic, that means whitewashing isn't bad," you might be thinking, but it is important to remember. Whitewashing is usually done to be racist towards one race or demographic or to not give proper representation of a demographic or race. Also, it is respectful to not give a darker character a lighter skin color.
Final Thoughts
I am tired of racist people or anyone looking for an excuse to hate someone because of an artwork. Encourage others and try to give more representation towards people in other demographics than your own and do it properly!
This isn't my usual content at all, so tell me if you're more interested in my own thoughts, or would you want me to see me draw more often lol.
Have a great rest of your living and death!
Also, don't be an asshole!
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