“Nicewashed” Tarot Decks
What is Nicewashing? Nicewashing is when the darker elements of a tarot deck are removed. Cards that normally scare people, like the 10 of Swords, Death, the Tower, etc. are changed to a more "light" version. Some of the darker imagery might be removed or modified and the creator of the deck might offer a different, gentler perspective for the card.
Why is Nicewashing Such a Hot Topic? Some tarot practitioners believe that by removing the heavy imagery from the deck, it creates an imbalance with the deck. Some people feel that the shadow aspects of a tarot deck are an important building block and by removing them, you are ruining the integrity of a tarot deck. Some people believe it's spiritually bypassing and tricking a reader or querent into thinking that there is no "negativity" in the reading.
Is there ever a time where nicewashing might be appropriate? Nicewashing can be appropriate in certain situations. If someone has just lost a loved one, for an example, you're not necessarily going to want to break out your heavy-hitting decks by default. If a querent is going through it, sometimes they need a more uplifting message. For some clients, some imagery like in the 10 of Swords can be triggering, especially for someone who was or knew a victim of violence. And other times, you might have a client who is afraid of tarot and you don't want to feed into that fear and scare your client. Is this "babying" your querent? Not necessarily. The core meanings of the cards are still the same, but sometimes a gentler perspective or visual is needed. As long as you are taking into account the core meaning of the card, you can still read perfectly well with a nicewashed deck.
When is a nicewashed deck problematic? The only time a nicewashed deck is really problematic is if someone is purely using it to spiritually bypass and ignore any negative aspects in their lives. But truthfully, these types of people don't need a nicewashed deck to accomplish this. You can give this type of person the darkest, grungiest deck on the market and they still find a way to apply toxic positivity to all of the cards throughout the deck. Using a deck with a gentler visual perspective does not automatically put a person into this camp.
Where do you stand in the debate of nicewashed decks? Personally, it doesn't bother me. There are such a variety of decks on the market that there are decks for everyone. There are still darker decks being produced. There are still neutral decks being produced. And there are more light-hearted decks being produced. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think nicewashed decks read any differently for me. I've used the Happy Tarot here and there, and while it looks like a cutesy, lovable deck, it reads like an absolute savage that is roasting my entire existence. On the other hand, my copy of the Tarot Restless, which looks like an absolute eldritch horror, reads like a gentle baby to me and highkey has "pls protecc" energy to it. The idea that you can't get nitty gritty readings from a deck with light-hearted imagery is flawed, in my opinion. That being said, if you're using a deck to just spiritually bypass and pretend like everything is fine in your life, maybe don't. See my post on shadow work. This is an important part of yourself to face if you want to grow as a person. So at the end of the day, to me it's not a deck issue. If a nicewashed deck is going to be problematic, it would be more on the reader's side and how they use the deck. If you're drawn to "nicer" decks, then by all means have at it. Just make sure you're taking into account all aspects of the cards contained in the deck.