I’m putting it out there that using round wide eyes to implicitly state innocence and purity in a character; and small “slanty” eyes to convey dishonesty and deceit in your antagonist is actually racist lmfao.
I see some of you bring out this concept in you character designs over and over and yeah it’s not a conscious thought process but thinking “this is the evil character who is morally decrepit – how should I really bring that out in their image?” And then linking that immediately to drawing smaller eyes is racist yellow peril derived stereotyping.
I’m sure most of us have been guilty of this at some stage including myself so can we all just grow up and leave this bullshit behind in this year? 谢谢
Other “evil” looks based in bigotry:
– dark/heavy/thick eyebrows (racism/antisemitism)
– hooked noses vs “cute”/button/patrician (ditto)
– faces described as angular (as opposed to like strong-boned or whatever)
– “swarthy” complexion (thanks tolkien)
– blonde hair/blue eyes = hero/ine
– accents.
– “shifty eyes” iirc, I remember learning they just indicate a lot of thinking, which could be lying, yes, orrr dealing with a second language/unfamiliar dialect, or dealing with NTs as someone who’s not, or trying to figure out if the authority figure is trying to get you to agree to something they can use against you, or…
Bigotry around disability that often intersects with racism includes making villains or “shifty” characters dramatically scarred and/or having acne/acne scars, missing eyes or limbs/digits, walking with a limp and/or cane, missing and/or crooked teeth (this one can also be pretty classist, and “buck teeth” and a gap between the front teeth have a history of anti-Asian and anti-Black caricature behind them, respectively), overweight in a way that’s portrayed as “disgusting” proof of their “greed” or like moral decay or whatever, etc!
These visual markers often get layered on top of the above racist stereotypes to make a character’s design seem more “untrustworthy” or “creepy” or “unsettling,” hypersexualized/fetishized/desexualized, “aggressive” or “passive”, “mean and “scary” or “cowardly and despicable”, and so on and so on – always ask yourself and your subconscious WHY they do these things! And ABSOLUTELY hold yourself accountable for this, (my fellow white artists especially!!!)! Fighting the racist messages we’ve taken in our entire lives takes work, and it takes time, and it’s always worth doing.
Read this and don’t forget it!
Some people need a break from Tumblr and this is a prime example literally go outside. How can u read this and not think “Jesus fucking Christ be mad about something that’s real”
hey are you aware that drawn racial caricatures have been used as very real tangible propaganda that had very widespread real tangible effects on the way white people saw poc
have you ever noticed that people with thick eyebrows or big noses or darker skin or small eyes are bullied in schools because the only way the kids at said schools saw those traits attached to bad people, obnoxious people, or villains on tv or in fiction?
have you ever noticed how the only disfigured people you see on tv or in film are villains? how do you think that would effect the self esteem of any people with disfigurations? how would it effect how the people around them see them? would it, maybe, possibly, just perhaps, be demonizing? would it lead to further social ostracism?
do you have any idea of exactly how much prominence the demonization of racialized facial features and the effects of racial caricatures in propaganda and media truly have? do you realize exactly just how many there are, how much historical anti-asian, anti-black, anti-native, antisemitic propaganda pieces feature racial caricature?
tldr: you seem to be the one that needs to go outside, my good bitch. read a book.
also why the fuck did you reblog this from me. if you’re following me then either educate yourself or smash that unfollow because if you aren’t willing to think then i don’t have the patience for someone like you clogging my notifs with garbage.
“Some people need a break from Tumblr and this is a prime example literally go outside..“
People like you need to take a break from 4chan and other anti SJW forums if you really think that intersectional feminism only exists on tumblr.
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