There is much to be said about the fun that comes with creating your avatar, but it can also become a humbling and alienating process when you realize there are few options that represent you. When my friend mentioned that she couldn't find an avatar hairstyle or skin tone that came even close to resembling her, I was reminded what it was like growing up as a child without toys and/or dolls that looked like me. I vividly remember the first time Barbie dolls and Cabbage Patch Kids came in darker hues and with darker hair. I finally had a chance to become "mom" to dolls that came close to resembling what my real children might look like.
We often use the term "common" very loosely, which can unintentionally marginalize people who are not thought of when these labels are given but are absolutely impacted when the labels don't fit them. This is not to belittle or condemn tonight's avatar challenge or the spirit behind it. This is just a reminder that we still have great strides to make toward a true goal of inclusivity.
I'm so glad you wrote about this. I wrote a post about the avatar problem, too. As I did some research, it seems to be a huge issue in the gaming and VR world, which makes me wonder why it isn't being addressed more aggressively and proactively. How difficult can it be to make some more options?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post. My knowledge sharing project was directly linked in a way to your post. Media tends to erase black women across the board. I've mentioned in my blog that my daughter has stopped purchasing merchandise from one of her favorite surf gear lines on Instagram because they use no people of color in their advertisements. We know well the apparent absence of women of color in the Ivory Tower but they are there and doing a great job! It can be like small microaggressions when you realize that some producer/retailer/makeup line totally disregards your existence or conveys that there isn't variance or has no interest in conveying variance in the representation of people of color. I send you and Dr. Dennen a fist bump. Name it then dismantle the systems that make it acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate Dr. Dennen and you for your posts on this issue! It's amazing to me just how toys, books, movies, etc used to be so white washed compared to present day. Even now there are still issues that arise (i.e. the avatars) which I still can't believe.
ReplyDelete