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"cute space buns :3" or, should white AC:NH players be able to use the new hairstyles?
- Thread starter sweetie
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Are they arguing that ALL the new hairstyles are racially coded and exclusive? I FINALLY have a curly hair option I identify as (not the one in the OP) and to gatekeep that on a perceived and expected stereotype of what white people hair texture can be (and likewise those inversely for black hair stereotypes) is WILD.
People saying 'it's just hair omg' are really showing their ignorance on the topic of the history of black hair and the prejudice against it in schools/workplaces/etc. It's easy to minimize the situation as being that simple but it's really not. Thanks for the links plactocplx.
If black people want to be upset about it, that's fine. White people - once again - seem to be the vast majority of the offended party in this case, judging by the responses on Twitter.
That being said, if you are upset about it, you shouldn't fucking dox someone over a Nintendo game. And if you're white, don't get offended in the stead of black people.
That being said, if you are upset about it, you shouldn't fucking dox someone over a Nintendo game. And if you're white, don't get offended in the stead of black people.
Sometimes people try to be an ally without actually understanding what it means to be one. Performative allyship is damaging in an insidious way that many white folk don't understand. Heart's in the right place, brain may still be playing catch up. This is just my personal experience though, I cannot speak for others.
Sweet fucking lord.What the...
Why's everyone attacking her in particular? Does she have a bad history or something? It seems out of the blue....
Read my post again. This isn't the first time the community has gotten toxic and dismissive against the black playerbase when it comes with their issues with the game's character creation options. The preceding mainline AC game, New Leaf, couldn't even let you change your skin tone other than going out and getting a temporary tan on summer days. The only black hairstyle in that game was a comically large afro wig headgear you can wear. Some players thought this was acceptable, argued it would putting undue burden on Nintendo to patch in via updates, and claimed it would clash with the aesthetics of the series if your villagers could have darker skin tones or black hairstyles.
Whatever value might have been derived from this situation was lost by the super toxic response to it. As per usual.
If this is the only option for double buns there is nothing wrong with referring to it with various names of various styles which feature double buns.
If this is the only option for double buns there is nothing wrong with referring to it with various names of various styles which feature double buns.
In a cartoony game, I'd say it's close enough.
I haven't played Animal Crossing, but my understanding is that part of the point of the game is self-expression, right? Taking the pieces given to you and putting them together in the way you want to make the thing you want?
If I put the "air vent" lego on the bottom of a thing and call it a hovercraft, that's not inaccuracy, that's creativity. If she's taking an "afro puff" hairstyle and putting it on a white avatar and seeing it as "space buns," that sounds fine to me. If she wants to then decorate her home with a bunch of beds and a swing, maybe a camera on a tripod or something, and call it her sex dungeon, well, you do you.
Seems like she's clearly not trying to appropriate a black hairstyle, she's trying to represent a white (or at least white-acceptable; I don't know the full history of "space buns") hairstyle in a game with limited options.
Anecdotally, I've seen a lot of white women put their hair in buns like that, not trying to emulate afro buns, just a different way of putting their hair up.
The game not labelling the hair style and the art style being what it is, it's not clear that they aren't "space buns" if you didn't know what the hair style was supposed to be.
The game not labelling the hair style and the art style being what it is, it's not clear that they aren't "space buns" if you didn't know what the hair style was supposed to be.
It's not my say, as I am not a black woman.
I will just chime in that people should be aware of the cultural history behind the aesthetic features they choose in games.
I will just chime in that people should be aware of the cultural history behind the aesthetic features they choose in games.
Gonna get a "yikes" on that last bit, just outright saying black people can't be in a cute game
White people should be allowed to use them and we should be allowed to roast them for calling them space buns.
Here's the thing, I don't believe the tweet had any malice towards cultural appropriation and that person probably have heard that hair style called "space buns" (never heard it called that before) but please understand the context for people of color.
Hair, especially when it comes to black people, gets unnecessarily complicated. Black people's hair has been targeted countless times for being "unprofessional" or "nappy" or any other culturally offensive thing you can think of. When it comes to video gaming in particular, video games are HORRIBLE when it comes to proper black hairstyles.
I'm a black male with medium sized dreads (like quarter back), I cannot tell you how many times I could not find video game avatar options that had hair styles that look like mine despite dreadlocks being very common black hair styles. Afro Puffs (or in this case "space buns") are damn near never represented in video games. So the fact that an update added this, which I'm pretty sure now a ton of black women can set for their avatar, means a big deal to inclusion to the game.
Now does that mean non people of color can't wear that hairstyle? Of course not. But the outcry comes from years of black hairstyles being disrespected and as soon as a white leaning hair blog takes a traditional black hair style and changes its name it suddenly becomes trendy, which is why people are upset. This shit happens constantly whether its intentional or not.
Hair, especially when it comes to black people, gets unnecessarily complicated. Black people's hair has been targeted countless times for being "unprofessional" or "nappy" or any other culturally offensive thing you can think of. When it comes to video gaming in particular, video games are HORRIBLE when it comes to proper black hairstyles.
I'm a black male with medium sized dreads (like quarter back), I cannot tell you how many times I could not find video game avatar options that had hair styles that look like mine despite dreadlocks being very common black hair styles. Afro Puffs (or in this case "space buns") are damn near never represented in video games. So the fact that an update added this, which I'm pretty sure now a ton of black women can set for their avatar, means a big deal to inclusion to the game.
Now does that mean non people of color can't wear that hairstyle? Of course not. But the outcry comes from years of black hairstyles being disrespected and as soon as a white leaning hair blog takes a traditional black hair style and changes its name it suddenly becomes trendy, which is why people are upset. This shit happens constantly whether its intentional or not.
See, the thing that makes me uncomfortable with this kind of take is that I've seen this same line of reasoning used to silence minorities, like when Hari Kondabolu produced a documentary and people (even on this forum!) dismissed it as a bunch of performative outrage from white people.
Not everyone is equally distant from the subject matter when it comes to ethnic and cultural concerns, and dismissing all concerns as performative often presents all actors as being detached and only approaching the topic academically.
It's pretty clear that the hair is different from the straight hair options tho? Like compare the puff hairstyles to how they did cornrows in the game.
Feeling bad for people who have curly and/or straight hair and don't fall into the assumed hair texture like this person here.
The term "space buns" accurately describes the hairstyle though. It was made popular in the US (and Europe) in the 90's by both Sailor Moon and the Spice Girls.
Not like the double bun was new to the US though. It was pretty popular in the early 80's thanks to Star Wars and Princess Leia.
As another poster pointed out, the double bun also has a long history in Asian cultures.
It's not a hairstyle that is specifically racially coded, but rather one that has been widely used by multiple races and cultures.
The people who are upset about this should petition Nintendo to restrict the hairstyles to black characters only. Until that happens you can't criticize people for using the feature. Ultimately it is up to Nintendo to allow these hair styles to be used by all and harassing people who do use them serves no one.
I think there's probably a nuanced discussion to be had here, but the twitter dogpile is very cringe
Yeah the skin tone representation and fall-out from it was really bad in the AC community. The developers should've known better and it shouldn't have taken them this long to get proper representation in the game. Nintendo isn't always great when it comes to these things and toxic fans don't make it any better. My point was this isn't AC specific but rather a larger issue in many Nintenedo/ internet communities. I see what you mean though.
This is dumb. The item you need to buy to get these hairstyles is called 'Top 6 Stylish Hairstyles' and the only picture you see before you buy it is a girl with a ponytail. "Going out of her way to be racist" makes zero sense because of the above alone. The only way to know what these 6 hairstyles are before you buy the item is by looking it up on the internet.
This item also includes the bald haircut. Would that make me a racist too if I make my character bald? I wouldn't have access to the hairstyle without "going out of my way to be racist" according to the person in the tweets. So every bald white guy on the planet is racist according to her. What the hell?
edit: Talking about the girl responding to the tweet in the OP, not the actual girl in OP's tweet.
This item also includes the bald haircut. Would that make me a racist too if I make my character bald? I wouldn't have access to the hairstyle without "going out of my way to be racist" according to the person in the tweets. So every bald white guy on the planet is racist according to her. What the hell?
edit: Talking about the girl responding to the tweet in the OP, not the actual girl in OP's tweet.
Hahah, honestly, kinda? I just got one for the first time a month ago... so still getting familiar how it works as a social media platform.
It's a cesspool of despair, false information, jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, and memes. Please enjoy!
Maybe sit this one out chief
The "space buns" here have a very specific, racially coded texture. Trying to invoke Asian hair buns fails because that style is already a wig in game.
It's pretty clear that the hair is different from the straight hair options tho? Like compare the puff hairstyles to how they did cornrows in the game.
I don't disagree with you there.
Its a big thing with late Teens these days. They are so woke they have gone full circle and become crazies themselves.
Yeah I'm one of those people too and i guess i'll just be quiet
OK, I will say that; as a black person, I don't think it's a terrible thing for a white person to use afro hairstyles for their in-game avatar. However, calling them "space buns" is definitely not OK, as it's just thinly veiled cultural appropriation at that point. You call it what it is; AFRO PUFFS.
Also I might as well say that the idea that white people should never use the afro centric hairstyles in any game with character customization is so far off base from what's actually important. Losing the plot with that one.
Also I might as well say that the idea that white people should never use the afro centric hairstyles in any game with character customization is so far off base from what's actually important. Losing the plot with that one.
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Yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about, harassing someone because of their animal crossing character's hairstyle is too much. I get making someone aware or providing a different point of view, but there's a reasonable limit.
You just took the words out of my mouth.
It seems like it's always white people getting offended by this kinda of crap. It's like they think us black/minorities folks need their pity and their protections because we are weak or something.
The only thing we ask is to leaves us the fuck alone and threat us as equals.
This is tiresome.
As a white guy with curly hair, I will always welcome more black hair options, because it gets me closer to my own hairstyle than traditional straight hair options.
I would recommend staying out of it unless you have a good control of social media OR need it for work purposes. It can be a horrible place, specially when you can get most of the same information in much healthier channels.
It shouldn't matter at all on who uses the hairstyle, now.. calling it "Space Buns" or even not acknowledging the fact that these hairstyles were to give more options to anyone black, then... yeah
right???? i'm white and have freaking crazy huge curly hair, i love seeing more curly hair options, gatekeeping hair is weird.
Yea this is the common sentiment among people I've discussed it with. Most don't really care outside of correcting the name.
Just another situation escalated that racists try to use to excuse their racism like they always try to do cause they're shit.
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