# Thoughts About the New Hairstyles (Gatekeeping and Restrictions)



## Dracule (Nov 18, 2020)

Okay, y’all. I wanna state first that I want this to be a kind discussion, because what I’m about to talk about and inquire into has to do with the new ACNH hairstyles that are more ethnic-based.

So, when I saw the new hairstyles, I was super excised and loved the “buns” and “poofy” hairs (I was planning on trying them out on a few characters, especially ones I have who are darker and more Hispanic-looking to fit my culture). However, I was JUST recently looking at Twitter and randomly came upon a whole group of people basically gatekeeping the hairstyles and saying how white people shouldn’t be allowed to use them ever. (I wasn’t even expecting to see this, nor do I follow people who were tweeting about it, but one ACNH account that I’m following liked a post that was telling white people in all caps not to use the hairs). For context, I’m half-white and half-mexican, but me and my siblings are VERY pale and always get told how white we look.

This honestly made me really sad, because I know not every one of these styles is specifically inherent to ethnic cultures (I’m more so thinking of the “poofy” hair—and I’m not counting the “bald” style in this discussion). Even though I was super excited to try the hairs and see how cute they looked with outfits, faces, etc, I don’t even feel like I should use it, otherwise it’s some how racist if I do. Has anyone else come across this on Twitter or other social medias where you follow a lot of ACNH accounts? If so, what are your thoughts? I more so wanted to reach out to the TBT community and have a calm discussion with y’all, cus there’s no way I’d have a reasonable discussion with anyone on Twitter... lol.


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## aoiMusubi (Nov 18, 2020)

I think there should be common sense.... Image if geisha wig can be used only by japanese, sombrero only by mexicans, kaffiyeh only by middle eastern and so on. Integration is normalizing and respecting everyone regardless of ethnicity. Exclusivity is the opposit of acceptance and integration. I will use every single hair style, I can't wait to see how cute they are.


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## g u a v a (Nov 18, 2020)

imo these hairstyles were added for a very specific reason: giving black people access to accurately portray themselves in game. this is something that non-black people had from day 1, access to a myriad of options to feel represented in their own game.

maybe seeing it this way explains some of the 'gate-keeping' you are seeing on twitter.

as to whether or not you decide you can use it is up to you.


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## Dracule (Nov 18, 2020)

aoiMusubi said:


> I think there should be common sense.... Image if geisha wig can be used only by japanese, sombrero only by mexicans, kaffiyeh only by middle eastern and so on. Integration is normalizing and respecting everyone regardless of ethnicity. Exclusivity is the opposit of acceptance and integration. I will use every single hair style, I can't wait to see how cute they are.


I really like the way you articulate that! I’ve been kind of thinking the same way, but I always get doubtful as to whether something is “okay” to do or say, because I’d rather not deal with the backlash from it. I appreciate your thoughts! uwu

	Post automatically merged: Nov 18, 2020



guav@ said:


> imo these hairstyles were added for a very specific reason: giving black people access to accurately portray themselves in game. this is something that non-black people had from day 1, access to a myriad of options to feel represented in their own game.
> 
> maybe seeing it this way explains some of the 'gate-keeping' you are seeing on twitter.
> 
> as to whether or not you decide you can use it is up to you.


Oh no, I totally get your thoughts on this. I have no problem with integrating more hairstyles so others can feel represented—especially in a game like this!

My question though was more so why others want to “gatekeep” these specific hairstyles from a certain group of people. Your first part doesn’t really explain the “gatekeeping” aspect to me, so I’m still not exactly sure why others are ranting or arguing for white people never to use these hairstyles. >_<

And that’s true. At the end of the day, we can still make our own decisions. I guess I just feel hurt by the negativity on Twitter. :u


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## aoiMusubi (Nov 18, 2020)

Dracule said:


> I really like the way you articulate that! I’ve been kind of thinking the same way, but I always get doubtful as to whether something is “okay” to do or say, because I’d rather not deal with the backlash from it. I appreciate your thoughts! uwu


ty for appreciating my comment ^^  I think we, against discriminations, should be the first to work togheter and not separated. There are so many reasons and pretext for people to fight and be against each other finding new ones is quite no sense...


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## Nefarious (Nov 18, 2020)

Like you, I am also half white and half Mexican, so I really don't have an answer to why it would be gatekept, but I think you should be fine using those poofy puns. I do see quite a few Latina women wear very similar hairstyles, whether darker skinned or lighter. Same for the afro, Bob Ross had one. My dad, who is white, had an afro when he was younger, it was fairly popular in the 70's folk rock scene.


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## Rosch (Nov 18, 2020)

I hate gatekeeping. It's like saying women can't be bald, or men can't have long hair.


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## Mick (Nov 18, 2020)

First mistake was looking at Twitter. Twitter has only one hobby & it's complaining about everything even when it has a positive side. 

Honestly I think it's pretty simple. If you don't use it with bad intent, then there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## John Wick (Nov 18, 2020)

To me, it didn't look like much effort or thought went into them.

Almost an insult to those cultures, not doing them the justice they deserve, IMO..


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 18, 2020)

Don't people know you can be half white half black half white half African and be super pale but have kinky curly hair? While curly kinky hair may be a unique feature to poc (like me) it isn't limited to just us and that's what makes our hair so unique. You can be so super pale and still be half whatever and have curly kinky hair. It has been done and I have seen it before. People on Twitter are being ingorant toxic idiots,,


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## mirukushake (Nov 18, 2020)

Why take what weirdos/overreacting teenagers say on Twitter seriously? I guarantee most POC don't care, and thus don't need to go yelling on social media about it.


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## Berrymia (Nov 18, 2020)

God I know what you’re talking about. I saw so many posts about how non black people aren’t allowed to wear them. 
I’m super happy we got more diverse hair styles and probably won’t use them myself but why telling others what they’re allowed to do and what not?  
If non black people want to wear them in game why not? 
Maybe some black people in this forum can give an input?


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## Feunard (Nov 18, 2020)

I don't understand why your skin colour should restrict the hairstyles you want to wear. I mean, who does even care if you're black or white or whatever? It's a _game_ where you can be anyone you want. Why should you be prevented from trying out new styles? I seriously cannot understand what's the issue with this.


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## Millysaurusrexjr (Nov 18, 2020)

THis may be a bit of a hypocritical statement, but people who gatekeep have no business playing Animal Crossing. There are so many items (both furniture and clothing) in the game from various cultures - are they gonna try gatekeep every single culture? My mexican friend had no problem with me wearing the sugar skull mask and the china poblana, in fact she thought it was really cool. 

I've learned a lot about Japanese culture from this game alone. Animal Crossing really encourages the sharing of other cultures, and that shouldn't stop because of cool new hairstyles.


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## GothiqueBat (Nov 18, 2020)

I don't wanna cause an argument or cause any bad feelings, by saying this I do respect everyone's views and everyone's entitled to their own opinions. 

My view is everyone should be able to use every hair style? The particular tweet


Dracule said:


> white people shouldn’t be allowed to use them ever.


Really... Makes me feel a bit uncomfortable although I can see where their comimg from. However if someome was to say people who arn't.. I guess 'white' / have the hair type the other AC hair styles are based on, arn't allowed to use those hair styles, immediatly tones of people would call them racist ect. 

My view is it's all just a game, I'm glad they've added more hair styles that are a little more accurate to different hair types, similarly very happy when I saw they added more skin colours (like as in before NH was out) and it wasnt just 'tanned' like in the older games. But it's literally just a game set in a world with walking and talking animals. Your character is fictional and as long as no ones going out their way to be deliberately hurtful with the customisation options, then I don't get the issue. 

Personally some of these new hair styles look super cute and I will definitely be using them on my characters. I'm super white and no way could I achieve some of those on my natural hair, but my character doesn't have fingers, they are not me, and I'm not going out my way to make people upset? So sure my characters hair can/will be however I want.


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## Bugs (Nov 18, 2020)

People gatekeep about hair styles in real life too, so it's an extension of that. I remember a while ago people were saying white people shouldn't braid their hair because apparently that's an ethnic thing only (even though historically Vikings also braided their hair, and they were European, so, ????) 

It's one of those things that probably started with good intentions, don't want people to like, fetishize over a different culture as if it's a novelty, that's the argument, but at the same time if somebody wants to have a particular hair style because it suits their personality and resonates with them, why should it matter what their background or skin colour is? Like others have said, it just serves to push us further apart. People fighting over things like this is what we're supposed to be going away from to stop racism and encourage diversity. If you aren't allowed to have a hair style because only black people are allowed to have it, then that's hypocritical! Are you going to also tell black people they can only wear their hair in that way and can't experiment or use hair styles from other ethnicities? It's all nonsense. Let people wear what they want! As long as it's not actually offensive (geisha makeup, black face, etc) then it shouldn't matter in the slightest. Let people express themselves no matter what colour they are.


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## Imaginetheday (Nov 18, 2020)

One of my daughter’s best friends is very white and has extremely kinky, curly hair. Seriously. Those hairstyles would fit her perfectly.


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## princess.looking.for.frog (Nov 18, 2020)

Gatekeeping anything because it ‘belongs’ to specific by-birth characteristics is just wrong. Like poofy-curly hair isn’t a hair style that only Hispanic peoples have, some pure Europeans have curly hair too. I have met many non-Hispanic people with curly hair and they are excited these hairstyles are added in, but this would really hurt them if they saw that online. I think if you choose to use the hairstyles, it’s up to you. I would probably actually use the curly hairstyles on my resident because I love how they look!


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## niko@kamogawa (Nov 18, 2020)

Honestly, I would praise Nintendo if they don't impose restrictions from using any hairstyle. I believe that Animal Crossing is a platform of where you can freely express yourself!


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## Silkfawn (Nov 18, 2020)

As usual, some people make a fuss over nothing. <facepalm> 

As a middle eastern, I wouldn't be offended if someone used the kaffiyah or the kandoora..
I'm also sure plenty of non Japanese people wear the kimono and/or geisha wig.

Your AC character *doesn't *have to look like you! My character has short and pink hair... doesn't look like me irl!

Some people are just difficult! Reminds me of that one person who hates time travelers so much they asked any TT'ers to unfollow them on twitter lmao.


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## RileyRose (Nov 18, 2020)

Acnh Twitter say white people can't use them but Acnh reddit says that we can. I posted on reddit that I like them but I won't be using them out of respect because I'm white. I got a bunch of downvotes for saying that. 

I want to make a point and saying I have seen people on Twitter go through irl pictures of people and color match them to make sure they aren't using darker characters... they can be very vicious about things like that so if you are going to use them use them with caution I guess.


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## TheDuke55 (Nov 18, 2020)

Mick said:


> First mistake was looking at Twitter. Twitter has only one hobby & it's complaining about everything even when it has a positive side.
> 
> Honestly I think it's pretty simple. If you don't use it with bad intent, then there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Twitter will find a way to argue about everything. Even if it doesn't offend them in any way, I hate that place.

I like that bald is now an option. I can now make Lex Luthor.



RileyRose said:


> Acnh Twitter say white people can't use them but Acnh reddit says that we can. I posted on reddit that I like them but I won't be using them out of respect because I'm white. I got a bunch of downvotes for saying that.
> 
> I want to make a point and saying I have seen people on Twitter go through irl pictures of people and color match them to make sure they aren't using darker characters... they can be very vicious about things like that so if you are going to use them use them with caution I guess.


Do what you want to with your character. People get so hung up about everything these days. You aren't disrespecting anyone by having your character look a certain way. Unless it is done maliciously, which in your case I doubt it is. Social media is toxic af. Twitter, reddit, ect. They're all a bunch of children.


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## MiniPocketWorld (Nov 18, 2020)

Don't worry about them. Hair styles and even textures aren't locked behind one ethinicity, race, gender, or color. Plus like you have mentioned, lots of people are mixed. That's a ton of variety genetically.


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## Berrymia (Nov 18, 2020)

Yeah , and I bet y’all there will be cancel sprees on people who used them and are not black IRL or not even “black enough”. It makes me sad


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## RileyRose (Nov 18, 2020)

TheDuke55 said:


> Twitter will find a way to argue about everything. Even if it doesn't offend them in any way, I hate that place.
> 
> I like that bald is now an option. I can now make Lex Luthor.
> 
> ...


I would never just make my character black because I'm actually really pale lol but I can see some points lots of people are making. Black people want to enjoy something that should be theirs but I know some people like dressing up as other characters in video games so they might want to do that in acnh. 

I didnt make my character pale because I tan in the summer so I'm not always just pale.


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## naranjita (Nov 18, 2020)

guav@ said:


> imo these hairstyles were added for a very specific reason: giving black people access to accurately portray themselves in game. this is something that non-black people had from day 1, access to a myriad of options to feel represented in their own game.
> 
> maybe seeing it this way explains some of the 'gate-keeping' you are seeing on twitter.
> 
> as to whether or not you decide you can use it is up to you.


this is my take on it. like, you can use whatever hairstyle you want, it's just a video game lol, but I can understand black people feeling protective over the few options they do get after being overlooked by Nintendo for months

I also think it can look kinda weird. maybe not in AC since the style is so cartoony, but WoW recently added a bunch of textured hairstyles (after like 15 years woohoo) and it's sooo weird to see people combine them with the white people skintones (and they're _specifically _white people skintones and not just "light skinned PoC", due to how WoW character customization works). like I have to laugh when I see someone's old white man looking character wearing cornrows. king, it's not for you lol

also I feel like, if you're going to make a character who is clearly wearing a type of hairstyle that is very clearly black, why not make your character black too? if your response is "because I want my character to look like me", why are you making your character have a type of hair that you don't have irl? idk, it feels a lot like taking the aspects of black culture that you find cool or attractive or whatever, and ignoring the aspects that have been seen and still are seen as undesirable (dark skin). I'm not black so like take this with a grain of salt, but I feel like that's where black people are coming from.


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## TheDuke55 (Nov 18, 2020)

Berrymia said:


> Yeah , and I bet y’all there will be cancel sprees on people who used them and are not black IRL or not even “black enough”. It makes me sad


Just do what I do and ignore social media. It's a cyst pool. It used to bother me and how everyone ate up their toxicity, but I can't control them or the people foolish enough to follow in their footsteps. Hopefully they'll one day see the error of doing essentially what they're fighting against, but who knows? If enough ignore them they'll go away.



RileyRose said:


> I would never just make my character black because I'm actually really pale lol but I can see some points lots of people are making. Black people want to enjoy something that should be theirs but I know some people like dressing up as other characters in video games so they might want to do that in acnh.
> 
> I didnt make my character pale because I tan in the summer so I'm not always just pale.



I also didn't say make them black just for the hell of it. I meant if you have a character that you want to create a certain way, don't stop because some loud fools tell you that you can't. Like say you wanted to create John Stuart's Green Lantern and Twitter tried to gatekeep you for wanting to create Green Lantern Corp island. Ignore them and create your fantasy super hero island.


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## Skandranon (Nov 18, 2020)

Cultural appropriation is bunk and pushed by white activists more than anyone else. Best example I have of this was in san francisco they opened a new Japanese exhibit and a bunch of mostly white protestors gathered outside it, calling it rascist. Want to know who showed up and told them off? the local san fran japanese community, they said it wasn't insulting to them, it was nice. When you use and appreciate other cultures stuff you are silently saying you think they had a great idea and wish to share in it.


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## RileyRose (Nov 18, 2020)

TheDuke55 said:


> Just do what I do and ignore social media. It's a cyst pool. It used to bother me and how everyone ate up their toxicity, but I can't control them or the people foolish enough to follow in their footsteps. Hopefully they'll one day see the error of doing essentially what they're fighting against, but who knows? If enough ignore them they'll go away.
> 
> 
> 
> I also didn't say make them black just for the hell of it. I meant if you have a character that you want to create a certain way, don't stop because some loud fools tell you that you can't. Like say you wanted to create John Stuart's Green Lantern and Twitter tried to gatekeep you for wanting to create Green Lantern Corp island. Ignore them and create your fantasy super hero island.


Oh, I know you didn't say that lol I was just saying that in my case I wouldn't do it.


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## TheDuke55 (Nov 18, 2020)

Skandranon said:


> Cultural appropriation is bunk and pushed by white activists more than anyone else. Best example I have of this was in san francisco they opened a new Japanese exhibit and a bunch of mostly white protestors gathered outside it, calling it rascist. Want to know who showed up and told them off? the local san fran japanese community, they said it wasn't insulting to them, it was nice. When you use and appreciate other cultures stuff you are silently saying you think they had a great idea and wish to share in it.


This is the case most of the times, from what I have noticed.


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## Chris (Nov 18, 2020)

As always in these situations, it shouldn't be strictly about the appearance but also about how that person behaves. If you're going to sport something typically associated with another race or culture, make sure you're not reinforcing stereotypical behaviours or otherwise portraying yourself in a way that will make others associate your negative behaviour with that group of people. Be respectful and have some sense of awareness.

Side note: as someone who was bald at the launch of ACNH I'm really glad to see it being added!


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## Skandranon (Nov 18, 2020)

RileyRose said:


> Acnh Twitter say white people can't use them but Acnh reddit says that we can. I posted on reddit that I like them but I won't be using them out of respect because I'm white. I got a bunch of downvotes for saying that.
> 
> I want to make a point and saying I have seen people on Twitter go through irl pictures of people and color match them to make sure they aren't using darker characters... they can be very vicious about things like that so if you are going to use them use them with caution I guess.


that is crazy, your avatar in the game doesn't have to look like you. its an escape from reality where you can be anything you want. My character is a dog thanks to the updates, so comparing my real life photo wouldn't match at all with the pure white skin and white hair


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## MidnightAura (Nov 18, 2020)

I agree with this. None of my villagers in any of my AC games look like me. One or two are even Male and I’m Female.
In my New Horizons game today, Nan gifted me a kimono, it’s very cute. I don’t see anything wrong with it.

At the end of the day, it’s pixelated hair in a video game and anyone is free to use it.


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## lemoncrossing (Nov 18, 2020)

There will always be people who get pissy over things like that, and I’m not surprised that people online have already started gatekeeping hairstyles in a family-friendly video game. Disappointed but not surprised.

I’ve known people in real life who are not black but still have that poofy, textured hair. (Not white people, but several Hispanic and middle Eastern people.) Who’s to say these new hairstyles are only for the black community to use? Also... as long as you’re not making a blatantly racist caricature (which I’m not sure you even can in AC), you should feel free to make your islander look however you want. That’s... literally why Nintendo gave us so many customization options.

I have several human villagers living on my island, some of them being people of color. Does that mean I’m not allowed to use these new hairstyles on them because I am, in fact, a white girl? I think internet people just like to stir up controversy just for the sake of it. Especially people on Twitter.


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## kayleee (Nov 18, 2020)

Tbh people will find absolutely anything to be mad about these days. If they want to waste time/energy being angry about what hairstyles other people choose to wear in a VIDEO GAME then that’s on them... I’m not losing sleep over it. 

On another note I think the hairstyles are really cute and I’m really happy they added them. Not allowing non-POC to appreciate them seems... counterintuitive to inclusivity. But that’s just my opinion


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## DrewAC (Nov 18, 2020)

Your first mistake was using Twitter for anything other than updates from companies on their products.

Everyone knows the other side of Twitter is trash, and a complete waste of time when treated anything remote to credible.


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## ACMike700 (Nov 18, 2020)

The idea that Nintendo added these hairstyles to be more inclusive is amazing! The idea that the fan base is trying to be less inclusive by restricting them is just sad. People need to calm down and express themselves however they want, it's a game at the end of the day.


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## ekcomyth (Nov 18, 2020)

see, this is why you dont go on twitter. Full of idiots there. Its just a game dammit


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## tajikey (Nov 18, 2020)

That's like saying male characters shouldn't be able to wear female attire, and vice versa. Equality shouldn't exist only when it's convenient, it should exist regardless. Nintendo isn't in the business of making those choices for us, nor should they be (or anyone, honestly).


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## ACMike700 (Nov 18, 2020)

tajikey said:


> That's like saying male characters shouldn't be able to wear female attire, and vice versa. Equality shouldn't exist only when it's convenient, it should exist regardless. Nintendo isn't in the business of making those choices for us, nor should they be (or anyone, honestly).


Exactly this. This is why they took out the dialogue of Mable judging you for wearing opposite gendered clothes, this game appeals to literally everyone so why restrict players from expressing themselves? AC is the most wholesome game and we should all be supportive and friendly to one another, there's no need to tell anyone what they can or can't do in AC.


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## Imaginetheday (Nov 18, 2020)

RileyRose said:


> I want to make a point and saying I have seen people on Twitter go through irl pictures of people and color match them to make sure they aren't using darker characters... they can be very vicious about things like that so if you are going to use them use them with caution I guess.



I want to make a new character on my island and have them be black. It will probably be a black male. I already have 2 white females and want some diversity. I don't see what's wrong with that. I live in a very diverse area and have black people in my family. I'm not going to feel guilty for doing that.


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## EmmaFrost (Nov 18, 2020)

Certain people from certain groups will always try to gatekeep certain things. It's not reflective of everyone in said group(s), obviously. I think people are looking to bring cultural appropriation discourse into Animal Crossing with the implementation of these hairstyles and I'm not sure it really belongs there. Animal Crossing contains different items from different cultures and I haven't seen this type of discussion happening before. AC has historically been really terrible about black representation. I think maybe some folks are very thrilled for representation and they want to protect it from misuse. But...it's Animal Crossing. And I think that anyone who chooses to sport one of the new Afrocentric-leaning hairstyles will do so in a respectful manner. And as people have said, the hairstyles aren't necessary exclusive to one race.

Side-note: I'm biracial (white/black) and I am EXTREMELY happy that my black cousins who play ACNH will be able to have hairstyles/hair texture that better reflect them. Whiteness should never be the default in video games. There should ALWAYS be an option to make your character look like you if you choose to.


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## Mezzanine (Nov 18, 2020)

deleted


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## ACMike700 (Nov 18, 2020)

EmmaFrost said:


> Certain people from certain groups will always try to gatekeep certain things. It's not reflective of everyone in said group(s), obviously. I think people are looking to bring cultural appropriation discourse into Animal Crossing with the implementation of these hairstyles and I'm not sure it really belongs there. Animal Crossing contains different items from different cultures and I haven't seen this type of discussion happening before. AC has historically been really terrible about black representation. I think maybe some folks are very thrilled for representation and they want to protect it from misuse. But...it's Animal Crossing. And I think that anyone who chooses to sport one of the new Afrocentric-leaning hairstyles will do so in a respectful manner. And as people have said, the hairstyles aren't necessary exclusive to one race.


Yeah that's what's so weird about people making a fuss about it. Animal Crossing has always been about celebrating all the different cultures that it features either in holidays or items or clothing. As an American I don't get offended by people celebrating Western holidays in Animal Crossing, I think it is so cool that we can speak totally different languages but explore each other's creativity and culture through this great game series. I have learned to much about eastern holidays and clothing from NH alone.


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## Hypno KK (Nov 18, 2020)

Obviously, it's impossible to stop people from playing their game however they want. I'd say that white (or generally non-black people) should be aware of the context of these hairstyles, plus not using them for characters that might be racist caricatures. That's the only thing I've seen that's even remotely like gatekeeping. 

I probably won't use them unless I make an actual black (or mixed race) character. Yes, white people can have curly hair, but the texture is typically very different from the one used in these hairstyles.

Tbh a bigger issue with these game are all the weeaboos obsessed with Japanese items lol

	Post automatically merged: Nov 18, 2020



Bugs said:


> People gatekeep about hair styles in real life too, so it's an extension of that. I remember a while ago people were saying white people shouldn't braid their hair because apparently that's an ethnic thing only (even though historically Vikings also braided their hair, and they were European, so, ????)



I'm sorry but I really doubt this. What you probably saw wasn't about braids in general but about specific styles.


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## RileyRose (Nov 18, 2020)

Hypno KK said:


> Obviously, it's impossible to stop people from playing their game however they want. I'd say that white (or generally non-black people) should be aware of the context of these hairstyles, plus not using them for characters that might be racist caricatures. That's the only thing I've seen that's even remotely like gatekeeping.
> 
> I probably won't use them unless I make an actual black (or mixed race) character. Yes, white people can have curly hair, but the texture is typically very different from the one used in these hairstyles.
> 
> ...


I saw people talking about the braid deal but I don't think they were specific to what kind of braids so it confused me.


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## Sheando (Nov 18, 2020)

First of all, I am white, so my voice is not any kind of conclusive statement on this issue. I understand why it feels frustrating to have strangers on the internet insisting you should play your video game a certain way, and why it doesn’t feel disrespectful to use POC hairstyles in a video game—after all, that means you like them, right?

I’m not sure it’s true that white people should literally never use them, and I can’t fathom why a non-black POC whose hair is actually that texture shouldn’t use them. But in my opinion, a lot of these comments are hugely missing the point. Asking white people not to appropriate black hair and culture in a video game isn’t remotely like “saying you can’t wear opposite gender clothing” or whatever. First of all, both masculine and feminine players have access to clothing designed for both sexes, and in real life, men who wear women’s clothing and women who wear men’s clothing both face stigmas and judgment. It’s not a one-sided thing. In my experience black players are upset not because they’re pointlessly gatekeeping, but because it is frustrating to see white people “try on” traditional black hairstyles in a virtual world like “teehee so cute!!! uwu” when actual black people in real life are still fighting for the right to show up to work with their hair looking the way it normally looks. When black hairstyles are stigmatized as unprofessional, unkempt, and even threatening. When modern white people with dreadlocks are trendy minimalist hippies and black people with dreadlocks are assumed to be addicts or criminals. When Nintendo has spent the past 18 years catering to light-skinned Asian and European Animal Crossing players with the available clothing and hairstyles, and then the second that an actual black person with braided hair FINALLY gets the chance to look like themselves in the game (in an update added almost a year after the initial release—I mean, looking like Frankenstein was an option before having an afro was an option) and white people are jumping all over the hairstyles like “How DARE you infringe upon my god-given right to have absolutely every single element of this game be for me and about me and accessible to me!!!” I get that AC is about customization and creativity, so limiting options feels unfair and antithetical to the spirit of the game, but maybe remember that POC who have been playing these games actually face real discrimination for these hairstyles and can’t just pop them on for fun for an afternoon and then take them off to avoid workplace harassment, and they’ve had to deal with absolutely nothing in Animal Crossing ever being designed with them in mind for the past 18 years up until this moment. Maybe they would like to have something be black on purpose in the same way that older games’ character design options were white on purpose?

Again, I’m not saying the answer is simple. I personally don’t even consider my AC characters to be any kind of persona for myself, and I enjoy having multiple residents, so I could see myself creating a black character who then chose a traditionally black hairstyle, because I like my in-game creations to reflect real-world diversity. I would not put those hairstyles on a white character because I do think it would not be appropriate, and for what it’s worth, I don’t wear the moccasins or the middle-eastern clothing styles, etc., because that also feels a bit iffy to me. I respect that others will disagree, but at least think critically for more than half a second about WHY this is different than telling somebody they’re not allowed to decorate with a pumpkin table.


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## tessa grace (Nov 18, 2020)

Well, my family is completely white and my sister has very curly, poofy hair. I think everyone should choose their hairstyles as long as they aren't being racially offensive. Especially the last hairstyle that showed the girl with the grey hair, I think that there are many people who aren't black who have poofy hair. 

It's not like I make my animal crossing character exactly like me, I always change it up a while. I think everyone else should have the right to change it up too.

	Post automatically merged: Nov 18, 2020



Hypno KK said:


> Obviously, it's impossible to stop people from playing their game however they want. I'd say that white (or generally non-black people) should be aware of the context of these hairstyles, plus not using them for characters that might be racist caricatures. That's the only thing I've seen that's even remotely like gatekeeping.
> 
> I probably won't use them unless I make an actual black (or mixed race) character. Yes, white people can have curly hair, but the texture is typically very different from the one used in these hairstyles.
> 
> ...



for the record, the kimonos are seriously so pretty and really fun to wear


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## charmingpeach (Nov 18, 2020)

I think Animal Crossing, especially New Horizons has done extremely well in celebrating different cultures and letting us discover them throughout the game's lifespan so far. Remember that we had things like the grape harvest in nook shopping where they'd tell you a tradition and where it comes from? I don't think they are appropriating, they are celebrating those and letting people know about them, plus I find them very interesting to be fair. Imagine how empty the art gallery at the museum would be if we didn't have all of the rich cultures mixed in there! 

I do understand black people might feel protective about the hairstyles, but as long as people don't mean harm and don't go out of their way to mock them, I think everyone should express themselves as they are. Now, mocking and humiliating their culture/race as a whole as well as their history is something you shouldn't get away with at all.


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## Hypno KK (Nov 18, 2020)

Sheando said:


> First of all, I am white, so my voice is not any kind of conclusive statement on this issue. I understand why it feels frustrating to have strangers on the internet insisting you should play your video game a certain way, and why it doesn’t feel disrespectful to use POC hairstyles in a video game—after all, that means you like them, right?
> 
> I’m not sure it’s true that white people should literally never use them, and I can’t fathom why a non-black POC whose hair is actually that texture shouldn’t use them. But in my opinion, a lot of these comments are hugely missing the point. Asking white people not to appropriate black hair and culture in a video game isn’t remotely like “saying you can’t wear opposite gender clothing” or whatever. First of all, both masculine and feminine players have access to clothing designers for both sexes, and in real life, men who wear women’s clothing and women who wear men’s clothing both face stigmas and judgment. It’s not a one-sided thing. In my experience black players are upset not because they’re pointlessly gatekeeping, but because it is frustrating to see white people “try on” traditional black hairstyles in a virtual world like “teehee so cute!!! uwu” when actual black people in real life are still fighting for the right to show up to work with their hair looking the way it normally looks. When black hairstyles are stigmatized as unprofessional, unkempt, and even threatening. When modern white people with dreadlocks are trendy minimalist hippies and black pepper with dreadlocks are assumed to be addicts or criminals. When Nintendo has spent the past 18 years catering to light-skinned Asian and European Animal Crossing players with the available clothing and hairstyles, and then the second that an actual black person with braided hair FINALLY gets the chance to look like themselves in the game (in an update added almost a year after the initial release—I mean, looking like Frankenstein was an option before having an afro was an option) and white people are jumping all over the hairstyles like “How DARE you infringe upon my god-given right to have absolutely every single element of this game be for me and about me and accessible to me!!!” I get that AC is about customization and creativity, so limiting options feels unfair and antithetical to the spirit of the game, but maybe remember that POC who have been playing these games actually face real discrimination for these hairstyles and can’t just pop them on for fun for an afternoon and then take them off to avoid workplace harassment, and they’ve had to deal with absolutely nothing in Animal Crossing ever being designed with them in mind for the past 18 years up until this moment. Maybe they would like to have something be black on purpose in the same way that older games’ character design options were white on purpose?
> 
> Again, I’m not saying the answer is simple. I personally don’t even consider my AC characters to be any kind of persona for myself, and I enjoy having multiple residents, so I could see myself creating a black character who then chose a traditionally black hairstyle, because I like my in-game creations to reflect real-world diversity. I would not put those hairstyles on a white character because I do think it would not be appropriate, and for what it’s worth, I don’t wear the moccasins or the middle-eastern clothing styles, etc., because that also feels a bit iffy to me. I respect that others will disagree, but at least think critically for more than half a second about WHY this is different than telling somebody they’re not allowed to decorate with a pumpkin table.



Yes, this exactly. People are lumping in a bunch of things together without considering how it might be different. Part of the thing about diversity is understanding that people can have different experiences in real life because of their background. You hit the nail in the head with the stigma about black hairstyles. It's absolutely real in a way that it isn't for white people, especially white people wearing equivalent hair.

	Post automatically merged: Nov 18, 2020



thetessagrace said:


> for the record, the kimonos are seriously so pretty and really fun to wear



cool story, bro


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## Maiana (Nov 18, 2020)

Sheando said:


> In my experience black players are upset not because they’re pointlessly gatekeeping, but because it is frustrating to see white people “try on” traditional black hairstyles in a virtual world like “teehee so cute!!! uwu” when actual black people in real life are still fighting for the right to show up to work with their hair looking the way it normally looks. When black hairstyles are stigmatized as unprofessional, unkempt, and even threatening.


Perfectly stated.

Personally (I am black), I do not see a problem with people wearing these hairstyles in-game, as they are in-game hairstyles. Your character DOES NOT have to look like you, and I'm just extremely happy Nintendo is bringing forth these hairstyles I can put on my character to look more like myself. As long as someone is not using these hairstyles to mock or offend black/brown people, I'm fine with it. It also wouldn't hurt to learn or enlighten yourself (*anyone in this thread, not specifically OP*) about the history of these styles (specifically the cornrows one) to possibly understand why people may be gatekeeping. At the end of the day, it's Animal Crossing. Create your character(s) however you want as long as you aren't being offensive. <3


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## EmmaFrost (Nov 18, 2020)

Maiana said:


> It also wouldn't hurt to learn or enlighten yourself (*anyone in this thread, not specifically OP*) about the history of these styles (specifically the cornrows one) to possibly understand why people may be gatekeeping.


Exactly. It's important to know WHY some people are upset/uncomfortable with non-black players using the hairstyles.

For anyone interested in learning a bit, this article has some great information and points. Here is a quote from it:


> For white women, these hairstyles are a personal choice rooted in vanity that can be easily removed or washed away, just like a beachy wave or a high ponytail. There is immense privilege in choosing to wear Black hairstyles when it suits one’s aesthetic, while also having the ability to opt-out of the prejudice associated with these hairstyles in instances when this aesthetic is not deemed acceptable.



And before anyone says "it's jUsT a gAmE!!!" .... the personal is always political. Representation matters everywhere and black people have a right to feel however they feel about this.


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## Dunquixote (Nov 18, 2020)

Dracule said:


> Okay, y’all. I wanna state first that I want this to be a kind discussion, because what I’m about to talk about and inquire into has to do with the new ACNH hairstyles that are more ethnic-based.
> 
> So, when I saw the new hairstyles, I was super excised and loved the “buns” and “poofy” hairs (I was planning on trying them out on a few characters, especially ones I have who are darker and more Hispanic-looking to fit my culture). However, I was JUST recently looking at Twitter and randomly came upon a whole group of people basically gatekeeping the hairstyles and saying how white people shouldn’t be allowed to use them ever. (I wasn’t even expecting to see this, nor do I follow people who were tweeting about it, but one ACNH account that I’m following liked a post that was telling white people in all caps not to use the hairs). For context, I’m half-white and half-mexican, but me and my siblings are VERY pale and always get told how white we look.
> 
> This honestly made me really sad, because I know not every one of these styles is specifically inherent to ethnic cultures (I’m more so thinking of the “poofy” hair—and I’m not counting the “bald” style in this discussion). Even though I was super excited to try the hairs and see how cute they looked with outfits, faces, etc, I don’t even feel like I should use it, otherwise it’s some how racist if I do. Has anyone else come across this on Twitter or other social medias where you follow a lot of ACNH accounts? If so, what are your thoughts? I more so wanted to reach out to the TBT community and have a calm discussion with y’all, cus there’s no way I’d have a reasonable discussion with anyone on Twitter... lol.




If you like the hair styles, I don’t see why you can’t use them regardless what skin you choose. As long as you’re not using them to take screenshots to send some sort of offensive message to or about people (which I am sure you wouldn’t do since you seem like a really nice person and the fact you made this thread worrying about it confirms that quite a bit), I think you should be able to enjoy using them as you see fit. You don’t have to be a certain ethnicity or color to be able use certain hairstyles or hats. There are no rules set in NH (aside from being sure to be respectful to people and not posting offensive comments or designs). I think part of the fun of NH is you can freely change your appearance and mismatch outfits; I see the different outfit combinations as a way to be creative.. I think most people will understand that you’re just using the hair styles or hats as the game lets you and have no malicious intent.   

I don’t pay much attention to comments on social media sites or anywhere besides here, so, I wasn’t aware that these type of comments were being made (not really surprised though). Nothing wrong with people giving them feedback there as long as they are respectful to others, however, when it comes to comments like those, I’d stay away and ignore them. I have anxiety so I know it is easier said than done to walk away without saying anything to offensive behavior, but trust me, no point arguing with them or making yourself sick over them.


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## Aardbei (Nov 18, 2020)

charmingpeach said:


> I think Animal Crossing, especially New Horizons has done extremely well in celebrating different cultures and letting us discover them throughout the game's lifespan so far. *Remember that we had things like the grape harvest in nook shopping where they'd tell you a tradition and where it comes from*? I don't think they are appropriating, they are celebrating those and letting people know about them, plus I find them very interesting to be fair. Imagine how empty the art gallery at the museum would be if we didn't have all of the rich cultures mixed in there!
> 
> I do understand black people might feel protective about the hairstyles, but as long as people don't mean harm and don't go out of their way to mock them, I think everyone should express themselves as they are. Now, mocking and humiliating their culture/race as a whole as well as their history is something you shouldn't get away with at all.



You picked the wrong example, I'm from France and that grape harvest thing is absolutely not a celebration in Europe


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## Romaki (Nov 18, 2020)

Three of the hairstyles are explicitly styled to represent afro-textured hair. If people without that kind of hair do these hairstyles, they look completely different. I'd love to use the double bun hairstyle, but the braided hair on the scalp does not represent me or white people like me. It would feel incredibly awkward to use it, I don't have textured hair like that and I couldn't recrate it if I tried. It would be different if they also introduced curly hairstyles as well, but they didn't. It's explicitly to represent a culture they've failed to represent since 2001. I really don't understand the need to play the victim when the only downside is telling you people it's kinda weird that your character is white with an afro. Like there's no gatekeeping, no one cares. You're not gonna be banned from sites or islands or whatever. Just do what you like, who cares.

But I think the issue is that Animal Crossing is only adding 6 hairstyles that basically covers everybody they forgot until now. They're all needed options, but what we really need is more options. As a curly-haired lady I'd like to see some waves and longer hairstyles, especially since a Reddit user already made these fantastic examples:


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 18, 2020)

Cultural appropriation may be a thing and I do agree that some things should never be done Like Koreans with dreads at the end of the day it's just a game. You can have whatever hair you want. If you're white and you wish to have an afro go for it. It's a game it's like sims you can create a character to look however you wish. I get that cultural appropriation is a thing and i'm not saying a white person should go out and try to act black or a korean try to be black or really anyone try to be something they are not but I mean again there's a difference between a game and reality.

	Post automatically merged: Nov 18, 2020



Romaki said:


> Three of the hairstyles are explicitly styled to represent afro-textured hair. If people without that kind of hair do these hairstyles, they look completely different. I'd love to use the double bun hairstyle, but the braided hair on the scalp does not represent me or white people like me. It would feel incredibly awkward to use it, I don't have textured hair like that and I couldn't recrate it if I tried. It would be different if they also introduced curly hairstyles as well, but they didn't. It's explicitly to represent a culture they've failed to represent since 2001. I really don't understand the need to play the victim when the only downside is telling you people it's kinda weird that your character is white with an afro. Like there's no gatekeeping, no one cares. You're not gonna be banned from sites or islands or whatever. Just do what you like, who cares.
> 
> But I think the issue is that Animal Crossing is only adding 6 hairstyles that basically covers everybody they forgot until now. They're all needed options, but what we really need is more options. As a curly-haired lady I'd like to see some waves and longer hairstyles, especially since a Reddit user already made these fantastic examples:


Kinda wish these were real a h


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## Dracule (Nov 18, 2020)

Maiana said:


> Perfectly stated.
> 
> Personally (I am black), I do not see a problem with people wearing these hairstyles in-game, as they are in-game hairstyles. Your character DOES NOT have to look like you, and I'm just extremely happy Nintendo is bringing forth these hairstyles I can put on my character to look more like myself. As long as someone is not using these hairstyles to mock or offend black/brown people, I'm fine with it. It also wouldn't hurt to learn or enlighten yourself (*anyone in this thread, not specifically OP*) about the history of these styles (specifically the cornrows one) to possibly understand why people may be gatekeeping. At the end of the day, it's Animal Crossing. Create your character(s) however you want as long as you aren't being offensive. <3


Thank you for offering your input! . I actually don’t have a problem as long as the reasoning is really sound (like your mentioning the history with cornrows and specific braids that came from black cultures.) We can all definitely do better with researching and understanding the history of certain styles . I guess it’s frustrating to see a lot of white players try to gatekeep for the black community, and then say that ALL the new hairs can only be used by black players (when some of those can definitely apply to other ethnicities as well). But this is why I wanted to have a discussion, so I’m glad I got so many replies back!

Also, thank you to everyone who replied! I’m really grateful to read your thoughts on this and hear from many who are black, biracial, white, hispanic, etc!


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## Stella-Io (Nov 18, 2020)

I go on twitter and I see ALOT of that. Accounts make whole threads about how it's bad to either make your character any skin tone that isn't yours or about the whole hair thing. And if you don't blindly agree with their statement you get a swarm coming down on you saying you're wrong and bad and such. Its come to the point that even thou I go on there alot, I don't speak about certain things because I'm not a blind sheep follower who will blantly agree with someone, my views are different from their 'progressive and accepting' views that I would most likely get canceled by the crazies that are (some, not all) popular twitter people. I'm not a bad person but since I don't share the views of the uber popular accounts, I'm 'not a good person'.

See, people one twitter are... somethin. It's a whole different vibe over there. Very uptight and high strung. I've seen others who have outside experience from twitter saying that people on there are so entitled, self centered and wound up. AC twitter claims to be progressive and accepting but will QUICKLY cancel anyone for any small thing. Like they go DOWN on people there, like animals. People there are also SO PETTY OMGGGG. They will subtweet about 'this weeks racist' and when people ask who was being racist, they never answer. Like how you gonna say somethin like that and not say WHO?

More on topic about the whole hair thing, I'm gonna hope these styles were added for a more inclusive experience since so many people like to model their AC character after them. I think it's fine to some extent, like not being used in a malicious way. Also no fetishizing it. That's bad. Which is what alot of people on AC twitter also claim.


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## Hypno KK (Nov 18, 2020)

Aardbei said:


> You picked the wrong example, I'm from France and that grape harvest thing is absolutely not a celebration in Europe



Yeah, I'm also from a country that produces wine and it's not a celebration like that. There are social gatherings around it for people involved in the process or in major wine regions but it's not something like Christmas or NYE that is celebrated across the country.


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## Eureka (Nov 18, 2020)

Nevermind, not really comfortable taking part in this thread (just my own anxiety). 

Great points already been made anyway!


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## Mairen (Nov 18, 2020)

The kind of people who get super upset over hairstyles in a video game honestly scare me. That kind of behavior may have initially started as something lighter in order to remind people to be respectful of other cultures and not to turn cultural aspects into a costume/fetish, but it's taken waaay too far these days.

Especially when they threaten violence, harshly insult, and try to stop people from otherwise innocently enjoying a video game. I'm sure there's a few awful people out there who would use those new hairstyles with bad intentions in their hearts, but to try to say "only this certain race is allowed to use these certain options and we're going to bully and hunt down anyone else" is absolutely insane and clearly shows who the real bad guys are.

99% of the players will use those hairstyles because they think they look pretty. That itself should be a compliment. And for goodness sake it's a hairstyle in a cartoon game, not your grandma's heirloom, no one "owns" a hairstyle.


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## CallMeKanga (Nov 19, 2020)

This is honestly really dumb lol. Please don't let angry people on Twitter stop you from enjoying the game how you like. I personally don't feel like there's anything to be offended about. You're not oppressing anyone by dressing your virtual avatar in a certain hairstyle.

Edit: Sorry, I dont mean you're dumb I mean just the whole idea of people getting mad about this


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 19, 2020)

So apparently its now politically correct to say that all blacks should look alike?
If that isn't a yikes i don't know what is


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## annex (Nov 19, 2020)

My daughter asked me about this today. She didn't know if she should wear certain hairstyles. I personally see nothing wrong with it. I pointed out to her that she has very thick curly hair ( she's white ), and that a couple of the styles match what her real life hair really looks like. I also have a friend that's white, blonde hair and pale skin. Her hair is so naturally curly,and one of the styles reminded me of her, because it's so simular. There's always someone that's going find something to be offended about now a days. My daughter told me about someone online was harassed and called racist because she used a dark skin tone. People assumed she was white. Turned out she was hispanic. Ridiculous.


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## sunnibunniva (Nov 19, 2020)

You gotta remember a lot of twitter bs is probably started by trolls and spread by other trolls or people desperate to be woke or whatever. The goal of most of these trolls seems to be burying real discussions of real problems for real poc as well as perpetuating harmful stereotypes which is icky

Real, harmful cultural appropriation & fetishization is still happening, and hair plays a big part in that, but stuff like this makes people fighting for basic rights and respect look like they're part of a group of crazy, aggressive people (which is exactly what the trolls want! ugh!)

On a *much* more lighthearted note ac has come a loooonnnnggg way since even nl... near-random appearances, no hair texture representation, and the "tanning" system is just.. no. nh's appearance system benfits everyone! 

tldr: racism bad, puffy buns good

edit: done lol


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## Noel_in_Sunrise (Nov 19, 2020)

With sensitive issues like this it is important to find out why people feel strongly, rather than resenting that their opinion is difficult or uncomfortable to navigate. There is always the temptation to be dismissive in order to remain comfortable and feel justified in doing so. But it is important to approach the subject openly, with the understanding that most issues have a complex history, and to listen to the opinions of the people closest to the issue. 

If a post feels overly inflammatory and I want to engage with an issue, I look for places where the subject has been handled better. Then again, I don't use Twitter. 

Personally, I am okay with these hairstyles not being intended for me, and I enjoy how much they mean to other people. 

There are several posts on this thread that I think are so lovely. I have appreciated how thoughtful and insightful members of this community can be. Communication has always been rather difficult for me and I find people who can articulate their thoughts well to be profoundly impressive.


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## DaviddivaD (Nov 19, 2020)

guav@ said:


> imo these hairstyles were added for a very specific reason: giving black people access to accurately portray themselves in game. this is something that non-black people had from day 1, access to a myriad of options to feel represented in their own game.
> 
> maybe seeing it this way explains some of the 'gate-keeping' you are seeing on twitter.
> 
> as to whether or not you decide you can use it is up to you.




But not all white people have straight hair. My best friend in high school had super curly/kinky hair and he was 100% white. I myself have wavy hair. Why can't whites like my friend use these hair styles?

	Post automatically merged: Nov 19, 2020



Imaginetheday said:


> One of my daughter’s best friends is very white and has extremely kinky, curly hair. Seriously. Those hairstyles would fit her perfectly.



This is basically what I said.


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## Tinkeringbell (Nov 19, 2020)

Honestly, like others have said, let Twitter be Twitter and just do what you feel is right. 

Twitter will get mad at you for being enthusiastic and wanting to use the new hairstyles, and Twitter will also get mad at you for saying you're not going to waste Nook Miles on these hairstyles because you don't care for them. There's no way to do it right, so do what your heart tells you


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## visibleghost (Nov 19, 2020)

i think it's silly to say only certain people can use certain in game items, hairstyles or clothes.

however, the reason these hairstyles are so important is so that poc (mainly black ppl) can represent themselves in the game, making it more important for them than for other people who just think they're cute.
edit: not saying only black people have very curly hair but yeah

i wonder what the people who advocate for this have as argument as to why only certain people should be allowed to use the hairstyles. because quite frankly, i don't really understand other than having a need to gatekeep items.


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## Splinter (Nov 19, 2020)

It's my game and if I want a massive afro I'm wearing the massive afro.


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## Mercedes (Nov 19, 2020)

I’m tired of pc culture in general. I’m gen z and I find it obnoxious and annoying everyone cries and bout everything.


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## Manah (Nov 19, 2020)

You'd think people had bigger issues than hair on fictional avatars in a game. This is the reason why so many people don't take social activism serious, and honestly, can you blame them?

Not that I want to excuse racism and the like, not at all, but when screaming over folks using customization options in a game is taken as seriously as actual bad treatment of minorities, even I find myself tired of trying to support stuff more often than not these days.

I will use these hairstyles if I want and if you don't like it you're free to stay off my island.


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## saucySheep (Nov 19, 2020)

Hahh... just gotta... butt in for a sec....
well, 1st of all, i'm not entirely sure why that twitter community you saw was being rude about it like that. it seems weird to me. i suppose they're triggered because it wasn't there in the first place but white people had all the hairstyles they really needed? Idk

bUt, uh, these people are just like triggered lol. blowing hot air over nothing. I personally do not think that there should be any restrictions for anyone on what their ACNH character looks like, because it's fictional and meant to be fun. and there's nothing wrong with cross-ethnicity, too, unless it's done in a racist, mean way. Animal crossing is a place to express yourself and be free and also to do things you can't do in the real world (for example, my trashy, thin, chlorine-damaged hair will never be able to pull itself into two big pretty buns atop my head). 

So, yeah, uh. just my take on it.


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## JKDOS (Nov 19, 2020)

Honestly, it's just a game. You should use whichever hairstyle you want.


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## michealsmells (Nov 19, 2020)

As someone who's mixed, white/black, who looks extremely pale irl for never going outside, I am very, VERY happy about these new hair styles and am going to use them whether people like them or not.

The second to last new one, thats all fluffy, literally reminds me of my hair when I was little. I wish it could be that way now but the texture has naturally changed as I grew older, and I keep it short so I can actually manage it. I had my hair in little tight braids several times as a kid- and the braided bun hairstyle is genuinely to die for.

If you wanna do these hair styles in game, by all means, go for it! Use it as a way to express yourself no matter your skin tone! In real life, however, know that your hair has limitations and at times its actually impossible to pull of certain styles (ie. Dreads) due to texture. To me its less cultural appropriation at that point and more just destroying your hair


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## sleepydreepy (Nov 19, 2020)

I'm super happy they made a bunch of new hairstyles specifically geared towards the black community/those with textured hair.  Personally because I'm a hispanic with thick, wavy hair, but not textured/kinky, I will not be using these hairstyles on my character who I model after myself.  I also feel like since I don't have that hair type I don't feel comfortable saying who can and can't use it. 

As for gatekeeping cultures, I understand where they are coming from (from an American standpoint at least) because of racism/discrimination associated with those who for example, have textured hair/hairstyles.  Although ACNH is "just a game," in real life unfortunately people can face  some pretty horrible discrimination for having certain "ethnic" hair/hairstyles.  _On the other hand_, maybe including these hairstyles in ACNH that are accessible to everyone will positively influence players to view hair as just hair and discourage that kind of discrimination in real life.  I've heard so many stories of black girls/kids going to school with textured hairstyles (like protective hairstyles like dreadlocks), only to have their white teacher or principle force them to go home and change their hair to fit their "white" standards. Maybe ACNH will encourage these kids' piers to stand up for them because they have been given a connection to these hairstyles in the game.  Just a thought.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

*Note these screen shots are not of my Twitter. I don't own one these are of someone else I follow on a different social website.
So...here we go again we have more gate keeping of hair styles. Imo I don't see anything wrong with the original post and find it cute. 
DO PEOPLE FORGET THAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN ALSO HAVE CURLY HAIR ? IT IS LITERALLY POSSIBLE IRL "sHe kNew wHat sHe wAs doiNG" she's probably 12 playing acnh calling those space buns in fact I'M a POC AT 18 CALLING THEM LITTLE THINGS SPACE BUNS bruh i'm a black person saying it's just a game like chill dude it's just a game be appreciative that Nintendo even added these in. I feel bad for this player he/she probably is just twelve calling them cute space buns and I find it wholesome but sensitive people are getting so up in arms about a _video game_ it'd be different if this was irl and she was a random white girl trying to have afro puffs but even then how are to assume she's just white? She could easily be white and African and just have pale skin and curly hair that is a thing. She could be black and white and again have pale skin and curly hair seen it on youtube. Before calling out a person  out make sure you have all the facts straight. Curly hair isn't just limited to dark people not all black people look the same.
Edit: It's actually racist of _them_ to say that basically black people are only dark with curly hair. I guess mixed people just don't exist. 

That's just my take of this situation..what's your opinion of these screenshots ?


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## Dracule (Nov 21, 2020)

This has honestly been super discouraging to see. I don’t go on Twitter often, and when I do it seems that these conversations seep into my timeline even when I try to stay away from this side of Twitter (hence why I made my post about gatekeeping here). I’d totally understand if, say, a user goes, “hey, just wanted to let you know these are actually afro puffs, not space buns! I’m really glad you love them though. Here’s some more information and history on the hairstyle: *insert link about afro buns here*.” Not only have you corrected the user on the correct term for the hairstyle, you’ve brought them into a kind discussion where they can learn something they might not have before. 

I’m all for representation and love that black people (and other ethnicities) are finally getting attention in a game where this should’ve been common sense (although, being as this is a Japanese company, they might not have even been aware the impact of their game on other ethnicities—but now they know and are adjusting accordingly). When people try to rudely exclude others from their culture, they unintentionally segregate themselves from other groups, which is the OPPOSITE of what people should be striving toward. I love when people wanna learn about the white side of my family and the Mexican side. Multiculturalism is a beautiful thing in the 21st century, and so many people take this for granted, because it wasn’t even 50-100 years ago there were horrible perceptions and beliefs about minorities in the United States. We’re STILL having to fight for this in plenty of areas around the world. 

I know this is a small matter in the grand scheme of things, but it also belongs to the overarching struggle with gatekeeping and segregation. 

Thank you for sharing more on this, Milky. :’c


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## kemdi (Nov 21, 2020)

Well, I do agree that they're afro puffs.
But I don't agree that they should be locked out from some players, just because they're afro puffs. 
Just acknowledge what they are and enjoy them in the game. Like, why is that hard?


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## Noel_in_Sunrise (Nov 21, 2020)

Mm. A lot of those posts (on that twitter thread shared here) are just . . . offensive? I don't know. I guess that's the nature of twitter. I think regardless of your position, there are plenty of comments on that thread that could be cause to write up a rash response. I can see why things escalate so quickly, it is an emotional issue.

I wrote up a whole big thing on my personal feelings/stance on the issue, but I deleted it when I realized it wasn't helpful. If anyone reading this thread has personal trauma surrounding this issue and feels triggered, know that you can send me a pm and I am available to read anything that it would help you to share.

I realized that I was only offering my perspective to try to provide comfort without knowing whether what I was saying was accomplishing this.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

Dracule said:


> This has honestly been super discouraging to see. I don’t go on Twitter often, and when I do it seems that these conversations seep into my timeline even when I try to stay away from this side of Twitter (hence why I made my post about gatekeeping here). I’d totally understand if, say, a user goes, “hey, just wanted to let you know these are actually afro puffs, not space buns! I’m really glad you love them though. Here’s some more information and history on the hairstyle: *insert link about afro buns here*.” Not only have you corrected the user on the correct term for the hairstyle, you’ve brought them into a kind discussion where they can learn something they might not have before.
> 
> I’m all for representation and love that black people (and other ethnicities) are finally getting attention in a game where this should’ve been common sense (although, being as this is a Japanese company, they might not have even been aware the impact of their game on other ethnicities—but now they know and are adjusting accordingly). When people try to rudely exclude others from their culture, they unintentionally segregate themselves from other groups, which is the OPPOSITE of what people should be striving toward. I love when people wanna learn about the white side of my family and the Mexican side. Multiculturalism is a beautiful thing in the 21st century, and so many people take this for granted, because it wasn’t even 50-100 years ago there were horrible perceptions and beliefs about minorities in the United States. We’re STILL having to fight for this in plenty of areas around the world.
> 
> ...


I love this entire statement ! I just wish people wouldn't bash on each other ! Some POC really think that curly hair only belongs to them and that I guess only dark skin people can have curly hair and that makes me so sad.. like dude...again anyone can have curly hair and someone likes the hair I say let them enjoy it in a game nor harm is done..


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## EmmaFrost (Nov 21, 2020)

Not entirely sure why you posted someone else’s screenshots on here just so people would have yet another debate about gatekeeping and questioning why black people may feel a certain way? People are allowed to feel however they feel. It’s natural to be protective over something. Animal Crossing pretty much just realized black people existed with ACNH. And they incrementally added a few black hairstyles MONTHS later. People are allowed to feel what they feel; and they’re allowed to be protective.
White people being told they can’t use a hairstyle in a video game is causing way too many emotions. Imagine what black people face in real life. Just for a second.


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## HappyTails (Nov 21, 2020)

It's a video game hairstyle, that can be used on any character regardless of color. Do people really have nothing else better to do?


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## EmmaFrost (Nov 21, 2020)

Also, the picklenoodle person in these screenshots is just... yikes


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

EmmaFrost said:


> Not entirely sure why you posted someone else’s screenshots on here just so people would have yet another debate about gatekeeping and questioning why black people may feel a certain way? People are allowed to feel however they feel. It’s natural to be protective over something. Animal Crossing pretty much just realized black people existed with ACNH. And they incrementally added a few black hairstyles MONTHS later. People are allowed to feel what they feel; and they’re allowed to be protective.
> White people being told they can’t use a hairstyle in a video game is causing way too many emotions. Imagine what black people face in real life. Just for a second.


I just thought I'd share these and make a discussion and shed more light on this topic is all. As a black person I do know what a black person feels like but at the same time I don't always agree with all of my people's actions tbh


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## Chris (Nov 21, 2020)

EmmaFrost said:


> Not entirely sure why you posted someone else’s screenshots on here just so people would have yet another debate about gatekeeping and questioning why black people may feel a certain way? People are allowed to feel however they feel. It’s natural to be protective over something. Animal Crossing pretty much just realized black people existed with ACNH. And they incrementally added a few black hairstyles MONTHS later. People are allowed to feel what they feel; and they’re allowed to be protective.
> White people being told they can’t use a hairstyle in a video game is causing way too many emotions. Imagine what black people face in real life. Just for a second.


The post you are responding to was made by a black woman. It's a topic she appears to be passionate about and if she wishes to raise it for discussion then that's perfectly okay!

I've merged this into the existing thread so that all conversation on this topic is in one place.


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## Chungus (Nov 21, 2020)

Gatekeeping/"cultural appropriation" is malicious at its core, whether it's intended to be or not. It polarizes people and puts them on "sides," which is counterproductive. It is not racist to like another hairstyle and wear it. People don't adopt hairstyles because they're trying to make fun of it. If they're wearing it, they're liking it! And historically, people of all races have worn their hair in all sorts of different ways. No culture "owns" a specific style.

Those are my two cents. It's sad to me how we can't come together. Instead, we remain divided.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

Chungus said:


> Gatekeeping/"cultural appropriation" is malicious at its core, whether it's intended to be or not. It polarizes people and puts them on "sides," which is counterproductive. It is not racist to like another hairstyle and wear it. People don't adopt hairstyles because they're trying to make fun of it. If they're wearing it, they're liking it! And historically, people of all races have worn their hair in all sorts of different ways. No culture "owns" a specific style.
> 
> Those are my two cents. It's sad to me how we can't come together. Instead, we remain divided.


I wish the clap emoji was a reaction here because wow this is a really good response


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## TheDuke55 (Nov 21, 2020)

lol @Milky star I knew as soon as I saw that pic you posted what it was going to be. lmao it's so funny. Just do what I do and ignore them. Twitter is trash.

Someone is having fun and posting a pic and the people know they can just mind their own business, but they got to ruin it and piss in everyone's parade for no other reason then to start a fight. Like really. There's no reason.

I think part of the problem with Twitter and places like it is that instead of people trying to educate people better they scream and treat them like crap. That just puts people on edge. Like why would anyone respect someone who starts a conversation like a B-word? If people would just have an ounce of compassion for each other, the place would be so much better. But not let's just scream at each other cause that's clearly worked out for the site before.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

TheDuke55 said:


> lol @Milky star I knew as soon as I saw that pic you posted what it was going to be. lmao it's so funny. Just do what I do and ignore them. Twitter is trash.
> 
> Someone is having fun and posting a pic and the people know they can just mind their own business, but they got to ruin it and piss in everyone's parade for no other reason then to start a fight. Like really. There's no reason.
> 
> I think part of the problem with Twitter and places like it is that instead of people trying to educate people better they scream and treat them like crap. That just puts people on edge. Like why would anyone respect someone who starts a conversation like a B-word? If people would just have an ounce of compassion for each other, the place would be so much better. But not let's just scream at each other cause that's clearly worked out for the site before.


Sometimes it's just good to follow by a good classic mom rule "_If you have nothing nice to say then don't say it. Unless...it's going to be helpful."_


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## coldpotato (Nov 21, 2020)

This is sad to see. I agree that this type of hair LOTS of people can have. It also makes me sad that nintendo came out with such a limited amount of options to represent people that they feel like they have to be protective of the small amount they have.
Nintendo should still release a wider variety of skin tones and more hairstyles, in my opinion.


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## HappyTails (Nov 21, 2020)

The cool thing about games where you can customize your characters is that there is no rules on how you have to go about doing so. Like in this game, not only did they finally give us the option to change our skin tone, they gave us the freedom to give our female characters hair boy hair and vice versa. And to say that white people can't or shouldn't use the afro puff hairstyle is just plain ignorant. People can do whatever they want in this game. If you want to let your character run around in the default "naked'" outfit of white shirt and shorts and no shoes, you can because it's creative freedom. I've seen white people in real life with their hair done up like that. I've seen white people in real life with their hair in cornrows or braids. Hairstyles aren't and shouldn't be labeled based on race.

The fact that Nintendo added a hairstyle that somewhat represents black culture while not restricting it to just black characters was pretty cool of them.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

coldpotato said:


> This is sad to see. I agree that this type of hair LOTS of people can have. It also makes me sad that nintendo came out with such a limited amount of options to represent people that they feel like they have to be protective of the small amount they have.
> Nintendo should still release a wider variety of skin tones and more hairstyles, in my opinion.


I'm just happy Nintendo is trying. Considering it's a Japanese based company I try not to bash on them to hard. I don't think they're trying to exclude us..I think they simply don't know how to properly include us. So for them to add these hair styles was a major big deal and I can kinda see why people are protective but at the same time it's horrible to see my people attack someone for using the hair style in the game instead of just educating someone.


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## naranjita (Nov 21, 2020)

EmmaFrost said:


> White people being told they can’t use a hairstyle in a video game is causing way too many emotions. Imagine what black people face in real life. Just for a second.


right? like, you think being told this hairstyle isn't for you is painful? imagine how it feels to be told you didn't get the job because of how your hair naturally looks.


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## TheDuke55 (Nov 21, 2020)

Milky star said:


> Sometimes it's just good to follow by a good classic mom rule "_If you have nothing nice to say then don't say it. Unless...it's going to be helpful."_


I've seen a lot of it firsthand since a lot of my friends refuse to migrate from twitter. If it wasn't for them, I'd never touch the crapsite. Some people are just misinformed/ignorant on certain situations. That doesn't make them bad people. But the other side will just tear them apart instead of having a level-headed conversation/reply. And at that point, do you not expect to come across opposition?

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen a level-headed conversation on twitter where one side wants to inform the other member of whatever it was. Like about the hair-buns issue on the other page.

If places like twitter would just die off from the net and not be replaced by something worst the internet world would be a better place.


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## coldpotato (Nov 21, 2020)

Milky star said:


> I'm just happy Nintendo is trying. Considering it's a Japanese based company I try not to bash on them to hard. I don't think they're trying to exclude us..I think they simply don't know how to properly include us. So for them to add these hair styles was a major big deal and I can kinda see why people are protective but at the same time it's horrible to see my people attack someone for using the hair style in the game instead of just educating someone.



Yes, I definitely am happy they are trying too. I only recently discovered the only way you can have a darker skin tone in new leaf is by tanning, and I think that's pretty uh... horrible. I think nintendo has been very slow at including all sorts of people but am glad to see they are trying in this game.


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## HappyTails (Nov 21, 2020)

To be honest, black people face so many doggone problems, what people are calling or how they are using a video game hairstyle is not what most people are angry about right now. 

I called them odango buns when I first saw them because they reminded me of Sailor Moon. I would have been burned at the stake. XD


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

If people weren't so sensitive to a video game and what people choose to do in the video game I don't think it would such an emotional topic but because people keep bashing on people for basically having fun it became a more problematic topic than it needs to be..


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## EmmaFrost (Nov 21, 2020)

Milky star said:


> I just thought I'd share these and make a discussion and shed more light on this topic is all. As a black person I do know what a black person feels like but at the same time I don't always agree with all of my people's actions tbh


That’s fair, neither do I. I just think those particular screenshots do nothing to make either side look good.


Milky star said:


> I'm just happy Nintendo is trying. Considering it's a Japanese based company I try not to bash on them to hard. I don't think they're trying to exclude us..I think they simply don't know how to properly include us. So for them to add these hair styles was a major big deal and I can kinda see why people are protective but at the same time it's horrible to see my people attack someone for using the hair style in the game instead of just educating someone.


They knew how to properly include/accommodate “tanning” for fairer skin tones prior to NH but couldn’t accommodate naturally deeper skinned folks though? Make it make sense.

I’m not so quick to absolve Nintendo of being exclusionary. But I understand and respect your opinion to view them as not excluding black people.

I am unable to divorce this issue from the pervasive, deeply ingrained anti-blackness and colourism in general in certain Asian cultures (oh hai billion dollar skin whitening cream industry) and in my personal opinion that filtered into Nintendo not seeing or acknowledging black people early on.

it’s more than a game to me. But I understand everyone’s views. Also though the opinions/retorts of that pickle person in the screenshots were nauseating. So I see no reason to engage with people like that- they don’t seem worth the labour of individual education when Google is free.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 21, 2020)

EmmaFrost said:


> That’s fair, neither do I. I just think those particular screenshots do nothing to make either side look good.
> 
> They knew how to properly include/accommodate “tanning” for fairer skin tones prior to NH but couldn’t accommodate naturally deeper skinned folks though? Make it make sense.
> 
> ...


I don't think the tanning part was added to accommodate darker skin tones I just think it is what it is..tanning. You got to an island or to the beach and your skin get darker that's just a natural thing our skin does. Now that Nintendo is older thy officially added skin tones to Happy home and acnh and that's cool. I mean again Acnh is made by a Japanese company and they believe that dark skin is weird and nasty and blah blah so I can't be too mad for them not adding darker skin in acnl and i'm hapy it's now and official selection in acnh so,, I don't know,, acnh is Japanese and i'm not going to scream at them for just now including us and i'm not going bash anyone who does use the new hair.


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## TheDuke55 (Nov 21, 2020)

NewLeaf also came out in 2012 and is close to being 10 years old. So that's quite a bit of time from then to here. They made some progress, I will give them that. Hairstyles were only a thing in NL I think. The other games still had you wearing those goofy bull-horns.

Also, the pickle-rick guy wasn't the OP though. The person who was getting ripped apart was probably some young kid who could had just been properly informed instead of having what I can only assume were a handful of adults picking on a child. I mean the OP could very well be an adult. Either way, treating people with respect is something that is foreign to twitter.


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## kemdi (Nov 21, 2020)

TheDuke55 said:


> NewLeaf also came out in 2012 and is close to being 10 years old. So that's quite a bit of time from then to here. They made some progress, I will give them that. Hairstyles were only a thing in NL I think. The other games still had you wearing those goofy bull-horns.



um, lol no. Harriet was introduced in Wild World, so hairstyles in AC have been a thing for a while. The only game you had to wear horns or triangle hat was the gamecube one.


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## Berrymia (Nov 21, 2020)

Here are some more thoughts on that matter. I want more diverse hairstyles. For all ethnicities. Like, a bigger variety  

And I think that the new hair styles should be added as a starter hair style imo. Like, when you start your island. I agree it took too long that Nintendo added these but better later than never i guess?

Also, a hijab for our Muslim friends? Represention matters


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## Dracule (Nov 21, 2020)

kemdi said:


> um, lol no. Harriet was introduced in Wild World, so hairstyles in AC have been a thing for a while. The only game you had to wear horns or triangle hat was the gamecube one.


That’s why the OP said “I think”—they weren’t entirely sure, but the point still stands about the length of time it’s taken for AC to reach real global popularity. It blew up in quarantine, so now Nintendo had no choice but to start hearing and incorporating other ethnicities.

Harriet’s salon was incredibly limited. Just look here: https://nookipedia.com/wiki/Hairstyle. Basically, as the AC community expanded, so did the list of hairstyles. Now in NH we have skin colors, way more hair colors, and now different types of hair textures and styles. This stuff takes time when there isn’t a big enough voice to make Nintendo (a JAPANESE company) take notice. We still have a long way to go, but this is what I love about the community and how it shows the good in activism. C:

	Post automatically merged: Nov 21, 2020



Berrymia said:


> Here are some more thoughts on that matter. I want more diverse hairstyles. For all ethnicities. Like, a bigger variety
> 
> And I think that the new hair styles should be added as a starter hair style imo. Like, when you start your island. I agree it took too long that Nintendo added these but better later than never i guess?
> 
> Also, a hijab for our Muslim friends? Represention matters


I would love head scarves and wraps! I’ve seen so many beautiful ones worn by black people and muslims.


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## kemdi (Nov 21, 2020)

Dracule said:


> That’s why the OP said “I think”—they weren’t entirely sure, but the point still stands about the length of time it’s taken for AC to reach real global popularity. It blew up in quarantine, so now Nintendo had no choice but to start hearing and incorporating other ethnicities.
> 
> Harriet’s salon was incredibly limited. Just look here: https://nookipedia.com/wiki/Hairstyle. Basically, as the AC community expanded, so did the list of hairstyles. Now in NH we have skin colors, way more hair colors, and now different types of hair textures and styles. This stuff takes time when there isn’t a big enough voice to make Nintendo (a JAPANESE company) take notice. We still have a long way to go, but this is what I love about the community and how it shows the good in activism. C:
> 
> ...


...
Ok, so please don't take this the wrong way, but like, are you guys new? Like is NH your first AC game ever? Uh..yeah, I really don't know how to ask without sounding like a grindy jerk, so I'm genuinely sorry if I come off that way. But I'm really curious.


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## Dracule (Nov 21, 2020)

kemdi said:


> ...
> Ok, so please don't take this the wrong way, but like, are you guys new? Like is NH your first AC game ever? Uh..yeah, I really don't know how to ask without sounding like a grindy jerk, so I'm genuinely sorry if I come off that way. But I'm really curious.


I’ve played Animal Crossing since it first came out for GameCube. I remember my older brother first bringing home AC for all of us to play. It had just enough house slots for me, him, and our two other siblings. We’ve all played the different additions throughout the years—but I wasn’t always able to get certain AC games because I was young and didn’t have the money. I still kept up with it the best I could through my siblings who could afford it.

But, to be honest, you even phrasing it this way makes it sound like you’re more knowledgeable and therefore our opinion is wrong compared to your initial statement. The certain words/phrases you use like “like,” “uh.. yeah,” “are you guys new?,” come off extremely passive-aggressive. In combination, these might be connected to negative vocal tone as well, so reading this already makes me listen to what the sound of your voice could be, even if it’s not your intention. What’s more is that I gave a link for you to check out Harriet for yourself and the hairstyle history, but you don’t offer any counter-argument to what I have to say. Instead, if any of us were to even say we’re new to AC, then you’d likely use it against us as a way to make your argument more sound. (I don’t know why else you would ask the two of us if we were new and if NH was the only version of AC we’ve played.)

(Got into a bit of an argument, but kemdi and I needed to work it out better, so I do stand with my initial post—but I should’ve worded myself better and not as argumentatively!)


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## kemdi (Nov 21, 2020)

Dracule said:


> I’ve played Animal Crossing since it first came out for GameCube. I remember my older brother first bringing home AC for all of us to play. It had just enough house slots for me, him, and our two other siblings. We’ve all played the different additions throughout the years—but I wasn’t always able to get certain AC games because I was young and didn’t have the money. I still kept up with it the best I could through my siblings who could afford it.
> 
> But, to be honest, you even phrasing it this way makes it sound like you’re more knowledgeable and therefore our opinion is wrong compared to your initial statement. The certain words/phrases you use like “like,” “uh.. yeah,” “are you guys new?,” come off extremely passive-aggressive. In combination, these might be connected to negative vocal tone as well, so reading this already makes me listen to what the sound of your voice could be, even if it’s not your intention. What’s more is that I gave a link for you to check out Harriet for yourself and the hairstyle history, but you don’t offer any counter-argument to what I have to say. Instead, if any of us were to even say we’re new to AC, then you’d likely use it against us as a way to make your argument more sound. (I don’t know why else you would ask the two of us if we were new and if NH was the only version of AC we’ve played.)


Yeah, I kind of write how I talk. It's a personal habit. But I'm working on it! And yes, I did check out your link. I had no contention with it though. Its just there wasn't much there for me to discuss because I didn't disagree with it. I know when Harriet came, that's why I was asking if you guys(well moreso the other person) were new. Harriet coming in WW isn't an opinion its a fact. I had no issue with the link. :/ I read what they said, and I was just saying that hairstyles have been a thing for like, a long time. I don't have an argument because there isn't one. The other guy said Hairstyles weren't a thing until NL, I said that wasn't true. My tone can't be heard through the internet, so that's my fault. But it wasn't meant to be rude. And then you kinda just came at me like a bull for saying that? So I was asking if you guys were new, cause that's a really off thing to do when I said hairstyles have been a thing for a while. I wasn't being passive aggressive. From my perspective, you're really...not even passive, just...aggressive.


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## Dracule (Nov 21, 2020)

kemdi said:


> Yeah, I kind of write how I talk. It's a personal habit. But I'm working on it! And yes, I did check out your link. I had no contention with it though. Its just there wasn't much there for me to discuss because I didn't disagree with it. I know when Harriet came, that's why I was asking if you guys(well moreso the other person) were new. Harriet coming in WW isn't an opinion its a fact. I had no issue with the link. :/ I read what they said, and I was just saying that hairstyles have been a thing for like, a long time. I don't have an argument because there isn't one. The other guy said Hairstyles weren't a thing until NL, I said that wasn't true. My tone can't be heard through the internet, so that's my fault. But it wasn't meant to be rude. And then you kinda just came at me like a bull for saying that? So I was asking if you guys were new, cause that's a really off thing to do when I said hairstyles have been a thing for a while. I wasn't being passive aggressive. From my perspective, you're really...not even passive, just...aggressive.


I sometimes have a habit with certain ways I phrase things, so I totally understand. And honestly, I’m very sorry I came across so defensively and strongly. The response sounded passive-aggressive, so I went into argumentation mode, and I really should’ve just responded with my first paragraph and asked why you wanted to know if we were new. I guess I got more defensive with the wording and also cus you didn’t mention anything else about my Harriet response, so that only enhanced how I was writing. Sorry, friend . And I also wasn’t trying to be passive-aggressive back, nor aggressive, but basically defensively argumentative, which I guess is worse in a lot of ways :u. Unless people put all sorts of emotes, or phrase things softer, then idk how to take it, so I usually try to respond nicer—unless it’s like in this context with our conversation. Again, I should’ve checked myself better, and I’m glad you owned up to your own faults with typing.


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## Bilaz (Nov 22, 2020)

Yeah I have to agree though New Leaf was really the first game where you could properly *see* the hairstyles. In city folk and ESPECIALLY Wild World they were just kinda... alterations of the gamecube girl ‘hair’ and it was kinda hard to tell what it even was? Like you could imagine those hairstyles as poofy or straight as you wanted because the resolution was so low


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## Faux (Nov 22, 2020)

Legitimately saw someone saying white people who play as POC people in video games are doing it for kicks, and are able to ' turn off their blackness and go back to their privileged lives ' whenever they want, whereas POC people cannot, and I just.  I had to sit down for awhile after that.

Like.
Do you suddenly gain white privilege when you play as a white character in a game?  No???  I wonder why that is ... ?  _Because it is a video game and your avatar is not you_.  It _can be _a self insert if you want it to be, but it's still not *you*.  It does not impact your life in the way an IRL interaction can.

People need to stop with this crap.


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## Bilaz (Nov 22, 2020)

I have a question I hope someone could help me answer. I’d ask on other social media but I’m afraid of asking in case I say something wrong.

It’s about the cornrows hairstyle.
So far what I understand is that it’s a protective hairstyle for black people’s hair. That it has massive cultural significance amongst American black people due to a long history and that black people are protective of their hairstyles because they face discrimination for it
I definitely understand all of this.

What I’m confused about is that I distinctly remember in summers in the 2000s that there were a lot of North African and Middle Eastern women braiding tourists’ hair like that along the coast in like Spain? For money?

Is there also a history of this hairstyle around the Mediterranean or was that a trend based off of black people’s hair like it is now? I really want to be educated about this but I can’t find anything about it other than the history of it in America alone.

Thanks if anyone knows the answer!
As for the Animal Crossing hairs, I won’t be using it myself but I really appreciate the opinions of black people who have spoken up about this here, and I’m glad there are finally different hair types!


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## Crowsie (Nov 22, 2020)

<- Black person. Here are my two cents:

I've been wearing odango hair, ao dais, saris, cheongsams, geisha wigs, china poblanas, and kimonos since the game launched and no one's said anything to me about appropriation. I'm not Asian or Latina, so going by these rules I should be 'disallowed' from dressing up in another culture's garb? No. Because it's a game.

When it comes down to it, I _get _where they're coming from. Like, I _get _it. Us black people have long had to endure people taking things considered 'uncouth' or 'unprofessional' on us only to turn them around, give them quirky-cute name like 'mini knots', then turn them into a trend much more palatable to the greater, less melanated, populace. It's the bread and butter of the Kardashian-Jenners and everyone knows it. There's a lot of residual upset in the community over this. We're told time and time again that styles and fashions that we've coined are ghetto and ugly when we wear them. But once an outsider comes in and cops it, it's all of a sudden cute or a daring statement. 

But like, in AC? Gatekeeping and throwing arbitrary rules on who can wear what on their little bundles of pixel and code? Nonsense. They're fighting a battle that just isn't there and making themselves look all the way dumb in the process.



Non-issues like this are why people's eyes roll when 'cultural appropriation' even gets brought up.

It's a video game. Let people wear whatever hair they want.


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## ForgottenT (Nov 22, 2020)

They're numbskulls addicted to hate, outrage, and control/power.
Just ignore them.


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## Neprezi (Nov 22, 2020)

To be honest, I haven't actually seen any PoC who are upset about this. 90% of twitter controversy just seems to be white people getting mad on behalf of black people.


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## Crowsie (Nov 22, 2020)

Neprezi said:


> To be honest, I haven't actually seen any PoC who are upset about this. 90% of twitter controversy just seems to be white people getting mad on behalf of black people.


As always...
I didn't want to say-so before in order to not speak for any POC who may have any (unwarranted) upset over this, but it's really how it is. Out of all the outrage I've seen, only one or maybe two confirmed POCs have chimed in. Other than that, it's just been white Gen Z twitter denizens who rally their troops at the slightest provocation.


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## Maiana (Nov 22, 2020)

Crowsie said:


> <- Black person. Here are my two cents:
> 
> When it comes down to it, I _get _where they're coming from. Like, I _get _it. Us black people have long had to endure people taking things considered 'uncouth' or 'unprofessional' on us only to turn them around, give them quirky-cute name like 'mini knots', then turn them into a trend much more palatable to the greater, less melanated, populace. It's the bread and butter of the Kardashian-Jenners and everyone knows it. There's a lot of residual upset in the community over this. We're told time and time again that styles and fashions that we've coined are ghetto and ugly when we wear them. But once an outsider comes in and cops it, it's all of a sudden cute or a daring statement.
> 
> But like, in AC? Gatekeeping and throwing arbitrary rules on who can wear what on their little bundles of pixel and code? Nonsense. They're fighting a battle that just isn't there and making themselves look all the way dumb in the process.


100% agree. To me, it's not cute outside of AC because this is a real-life issue black people face Worldwide.

But in a game like Animal Crossing? People gotta let this one rest lol


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## AssassinVicz (Nov 22, 2020)

I understand the update has brought in more inclusive hairstyles and it’s great that people can now create a character which represents them.

However I feel like a lot of people are over-reacting on Twitter and the gate keeping issues is just making it worse.
Nintendo didn’t label the new hair types for anyone in particular and If your hair is any of the new types, then use them. 

That’s it.


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## eggie_ (Nov 22, 2020)

Milky star said:


> *Note these screen shots are not of my Twitter. I don't own one these are of someone else I follow on a different social website.
> So...here we go again we have more gate keeping of hair styles. Imo I don't see anything wrong with the original post and find it cute.
> DO PEOPLE FORGET THAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN ALSO HAVE CURLY HAIR ? IT IS LITERALLY POSSIBLE IRL "sHe kNew wHat sHe wAs doiNG" she's probably 12 playing acnh calling those space buns in fact I'M a POC AT 18 CALLING THEM LITTLE THINGS SPACE BUNS bruh i'm a black person saying it's just a game like chill dude it's just a game be appreciative that Nintendo even added these in. I feel bad for this player he/she probably is just twelve calling them cute space buns and I find it wholesome but sensitive people are getting so up in arms about a _video game_ it'd be different if this was irl and she was a random white girl trying to have afro puffs but even then how are to assume she's just white? She could easily be white and African and just have pale skin and curly hair that is a thing. She could be black and white and again have pale skin and curly hair seen it on youtube. Before calling out a person  out make sure you have all the facts straight. Curly hair isn't just limited to dark people not all black people look the same.
> Edit: It's actually racist of _them_ to say that basically black people are only dark with curly hair. I guess mixed people just don't exist.
> ...



yeah wow i hate everything about these screenshots. literally everyone is being reactionary and just assuming they know everything about op's life, ethnicity, hair texture, education level, age, etc based on one animal crossing screenshot.
personally i wont be using the new hair styles because i have wavy hair, not curly/kinky. theyre obviously not made for me. however, me not using them as a white person doesn't make me morally superior to any white person who does use them - it is just a game. on the other hand, i think its absolutely understandable why POC would be protective over this. 

the people commenting on her use of the afro puffs have the right intentions i think, but i do not like how polarizing they are acting. its also exhausting to have to constantly explain everything with nothing but the utmost patience, though..... i do get why people would be defensive/aggressive/snippy. but if its a typed message on social media, and not a heat-of-the-moment irl conversation, i feel its a bit different. like, youre typing it out, not just blurting these things. that obnoxious and 100% racist guy replying to everyone had the time to think and educate himself and understand why people were saying what they were saying before he commented. everyone being snippy towards the girl had the time to look at her account, make sure their assumptions are right, etc. likewise, the girl had the time to make sure she was using the correct terminology before posting. if they didnt truly have the time, none of them would be on social media typing out a response and scrolling thru their timeline, tbh. but again, i think everyones comments are basically fair - i understand what they're saying. (except for that everything zen guy god just obnoxious)


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## Vintage Viola (Nov 22, 2020)

I mean, real life is it’s own conversation, but this is a _game. _The hairstyles were put in there specially for people to use them, just like anything else. If you wanna use them for any of your avatars then go ahead. By that logic, nobody should be using any of the Japanese wigs, clothes, and furniture unless they’re actually Japanese.


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## John Wick (Nov 22, 2020)

People, black or white, can choose whatever hairstyles they like.

It's just a game!

I have a half black character in my town.
My wife plays Halle Berry's John Wick character Sofia Al-Azwar.

She can wear whatever hairstyle she wants.

I think some folks just can't exist without some form of drama.

Just move on, ignore the morons, and play AC the way YOU want to.


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## peachycrossing9 (Nov 22, 2020)

I can't remember if I have already posted in here yet- But I think people are taking it too far. Yes we should respect everyone and everyone's cultures. But this is a harmless game that we are talking about here. Most people just want to wear the hairstyles because they are cute, they don't mean any harm or bad intent by it. Or at least I don't. I personally have chosen to just not wear them, but people shouldn't be restricted from wearing something in a GAME. 

Social media is so toxic these days. I'm not surprised by the tweets people are making about the hairstyles in the ac community. I have being avoiding it as much as possible.

Anyway, you do you. As long as there is no harm or bad intentions behind wearing it, I don't think it should be a problem.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 22, 2020)

I'm just so disappointed in the ac community. A lot of people brag about us being a me of the most chill communities known today and yet we have toxic people like this telling someone they're racist for miss classifying a hair style and telling them "it's not for people like you". That's so stupid. What does that even mean ?? Ugh. I'm so upset. How do you even know who she is and to say what hair she can't have ? A lady complained about my hair irl at work and wasn't even upset and yet people trying to doxx someone and tell they they're a piece crap ?? Ugh


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## skarmoury (Nov 22, 2020)

Crowsie said:


> When it comes down to it, I _get _where they're coming from. Like, I _get _it. Us black people have long had to endure people taking things considered 'uncouth' or 'unprofessional' on us only to turn them around, give them quirky-cute name like 'mini knots', then turn them into a trend much more palatable to the greater, less melanated, populace. It's the bread and butter of the Kardashian-Jenners and everyone knows it. There's a lot of residual upset in the community over this. We're told time and time again that styles and fashions that we've coined are ghetto and ugly when we wear them. But once an outsider comes in and cops it, it's all of a sudden cute or a daring statement.


This! You've put these thoughts together so well, and I share them completely. If a group of people ridiculed and shamed me for so long then turned around and used aspects of my culture to pretty themselves up, I'd feel pretty weird and angry as well. I hope more people understand these and not dismiss the comments as moronic etc. It takes a bit to understand the other side beyond "they're just overreacting", especialy if you're not in the situation of the oppressed.

To be picky with words, I think the only people who shouldn't use the hairstyles are those who don't respect the culture it came from in the first place. If you were racist towards Asian people then used their culture to pretty yourself, that's wrong. You just come off as extremely hypocritical; you can't just call other people's styles ugly then used them for your own because you thought it would look better on you. I think that's why people are being pretty gatekeep-y when it comes to these hairstyles, especially with the rampant racism towards black people.

That being said, if you were a person with white skin and curly hairstyle, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with using curly hairstyles in-game. Genetics are vast and wide and while some hairstyles are predominant in some groups, it's not impossible for those characteristics to be passed on to other groups.

TL;DR in my opinion, just respect the culture of people before using their styles and items. If you're racist towards a group, you have no business trying to appropriate their culture.


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## Crowsie (Nov 23, 2020)

Milky star said:


> I'm just so disappointed in the ac community. A lot of people brag about us being a me of the most chill communities known today and yet we have toxic people like this telling someone they're racist for miss classifying a hair style and telling them "it's not for people like you". That's so stupid. What does that even mean ?? Ugh. I'm so upset. How do you even know who she is and to say what hair she can't have ? A lady complained about my hair irl at work and wasn't even upset and yet people trying to doxx someone and tell they they're a piece crap ?? Ugh


Unfortunately, I've long since lost faith in the community.
Okay that's a bit dramatic. Let's just say I'm no longer surprised at the fandom's antics, just disappointed.

I feel like every month since the game came out there has been some kind of nonsense. People begging Nintendo to release the game early when the worldwide release was 2 days from then. The Raymond thing. Hating 'ugly' villagers. Players fighting over time traveling. Funny business over at Nookazon. All the tattling to Nintendo on people who decorated their islands with hacked items. Arguing over the ethics of purchasing NMTs with IRL money, so on and so forth.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 23, 2020)

Crowsie said:


> Unfortunately, I've long since lost faith in the community.
> Okay that's a bit dramatic. Let's just say I'm no longer surprised at the fandom's antics, just disappointed.
> 
> I feel like every month since the game came out there has been some kind of nonsense. People begging Nintendo to release the game early when the worldwide release was 2 days from then. The Raymond thing. Hating 'ugly' villagers. Players fighting over time traveling. Funny business over at Nookazon. All the tattling to Nintendo on people who decorated their islands with hacked items. Arguing over the ethics of purchasing NMTs with IRL money, so on and so forth.


so basically this is you


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## kemdi (Nov 23, 2020)

Dracule said:


> I sometimes have a habit with certain ways I phrase things, so I totally understand. And honestly, I’m very sorry I came across so defensively and strongly. The response sounded passive-aggressive, so I went into argumentation mode, and I really should’ve just responded with my first paragraph and asked why you wanted to know if we were new. I guess I got more defensive with the wording and also cus you didn’t mention anything else about my Harriet response, so that only enhanced how I was writing. Sorry, friend . And I also wasn’t trying to be passive-aggressive back, nor aggressive, but basically defensively argumentative, which I guess is worse in a lot of ways :u. Unless people put all sorts of emotes, or phrase things softer, then idk how to take it, so I usually try to respond nicer—unless it’s like in this context with our conversation. Again, I should’ve checked myself better, and I’m glad you owned up to your own faults with typing.



Its ok, its not really your fault.  I'll try to be more careful with how I write.


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## Aloha (Nov 26, 2020)

RileyRose said:


> I saw people talking about the braid deal but I don't think they were specific to what kind of braids so it confused me.



I actually saw a few comments either on reddit or a youtube thread section where a few people were saying dutch braids are cultural appropriation. So it is unfortunate but some people that are very *VERY* extreme do exist. Although they are just a loud minority. 

My short unpopular 2 cents is that I get where the Black community is coming from and I understand it 100% with irl,where Black folks are looked down on and rejected at job interviews or even in school for wearing their hair naturally. But I feel like in a game as (I would like to think) is as wholesome and inclusive as Animal Crossing is,I feel like the twitter heads went just a bit far. As another user has stated there isn't really a way to stop players from picking the hairstyle since it was not locked to certain skin tones. For me,I thought mostly that yeah these players are picking afro puffs to wear for their characters. But if a straight hair version of the afro puffs hairstyle was to be released,or a similar hairstyle like space buns,I can't help but wonder would those players change their hair from afro puffs to the straight version? I haven't played the game in a long time and still didn't check the new update but I feel like some of the people that selected afro puffs did it because it looks cute,but there is no straight hair version so that is the closest thing they will get to double puffs/buns for their character.


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## Aloha (Nov 30, 2020)

Update: I saw that apparently twitter users doxxed the original poster of that one image of a white animal crossing avatar with afro puffs. This is the kind of stuff I disapprove of. It's way too extreme and too far.


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## Cosmic-chan (Nov 30, 2020)

Aloha said:


> Update: I saw that apparently twitter users doxxed the original poster of that one image of a white animal crossing avatar with afro puffs. This is the kind of stuff I disapprove of. It's way too extreme and too far.


Darn that's so awful wtf


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## King koopa (Nov 30, 2020)

As a black person, I like that Nintendo added the hairstyles, but they shouldn't be gatekept. Like you can't just see a white person with cornrows then say "No, only black people can have them" That's messed up! If a black person can have blonde hair, then a white person should be able to have cornrows.


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## thatveryawkwardmayor (Nov 30, 2020)

Koopadude99 said:


> As a black person, I like that Nintendo added the hairstyles, but they shouldn't be gatekept. Like you can't just see a white person with cornrows then say "No, only black people can have them" That's messed up! If a black person can have blonde hair, then a white person should be able to have cornrows.


blonde hair isn't exclusive to white people though. i could care less if someone nonblack wants to wear cornrows personally, but lets not pretend they're the same thing.


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## Rika092 (Nov 30, 2020)

This has got to be the most ridiculous thing i've heard that stemmed from the AC community. The idea of gatekeeping hairstyles in other people’s games is just silly. lol how do you monitor other people on how they play their game? and what is the punishment for not doing so? I guess the rebel in my would make me want to do it even more if someone tells me that i can't play in a certain way. After all, this is my game that I paid $ for, and i'm not taking orders from anyone else as I'm not breaking any law for using a hairstyle that may not be realistic for me to have in real life.

Additionally, I think as many have mentioned, non-black people IRL could also have puffy hairs naturally. On top of that, nowadays people style their hair however they like it in IRL, so why can't they have the freedom to so in an innocent game like animal crossing, especially if they have no malicious intent whatsoever? By the same token, just because a race, or a group of people doesn't have straight hair naturally, does this mean they can't use the straight hairstyle in the game? This all makes no sense.

Honestly, some people just get too sensitive and overreact on everything. Realistically, you also can't please everyone, because people are individualistic and they are (rightfully) entitled to their opinions, even though it may be different than ours. So just play how you want to and ignore the haters.


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## maria110 (Nov 30, 2020)

People are free to do what they want but other people are free to judge them for it.


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## Glake (Nov 30, 2020)

I'd like as many new people to use them as possible, so the chance that Nintendo ever back pedals or includes less POC styles in the future entries is decreased.


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## maria110 (Dec 1, 2020)

Glake said:


> I'd like as many new people to use them as possible, so the chance that Nintendo ever back pedals or includes less POC styles in the future entries is decreased.



I hope Nintendo would not do this.  I am white and would not wear a Black cultural hairstyle out of respect for Black women and their culture.   But if Nintendo tries to reduce the hairstyles, people will start another petition and hopefully Nintendo will listen again.  I signed the first petition and I imagine other white people did even though they didn't intend to use the hairstyles themselves.  I think Nintendo gets that.


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## John Wick (Dec 1, 2020)

I'll wear whatever hair I want.

Hair is just hair and AC is just a game.

People really need to just move on and accept that everyone has a right to dress/style hair the way they want to.

It isn't disrespectful at all.

The only disrespectful thing I see going on, is people harassing others for simply choosing a hairstyle.

Geez, move on.


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## thatveryawkwardmayor (Dec 1, 2020)

John Wick said:


> I'll wear whatever hair I want.
> 
> Hair is just hair and AC is just a game.
> 
> ...



yeah in the context of a video game I don't think it really matters but my hair is still seen as unprofessional in some schools and the workplace which is the bigger issue at hand.

also ngl it sucks that curly hair is an afterthought to most game devs. the fact it wasn't included in the beginning of the game speaks volumes (also not to mention this is the first ac game where you can customize your skin??) but I am happy it's there.


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## Mad Aly (Dec 2, 2020)

I mean... The fact that Nintendo released these hairstyles means they're intended to be used by all players. And while it's understandable why some people would gatekeep, I don't think it's anyone's place or authority to tell others what they should or shouldn't do... especially in a _game._ Over _hairstyles._ Basically, I second John Wick's comment.


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## FaerieRose (Dec 2, 2020)

Make straight and textured variants of hairstyles. Problem solved.


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## annex (Dec 2, 2020)

Milky star said:


> I'm just so disappointed in the ac community. A lot of people brag about us being a me of the most chill communities known today and yet we have toxic people like this telling someone they're racist for miss classifying a hair style and telling them "it's not for people like you". That's so stupid. What does that even mean ?? Ugh. I'm so upset. How do you even know who she is and to say what hair she can't have ? A lady complained about my hair irl at work and wasn't even upset and yet people trying to doxx someone and tell they they're a piece crap ?? Ugh


 This is how I feel, as well. And what's worse? A (possibly) white player having fun and trying new hairstyles or people treating them like human waste and trying to destroy them. Do they even understand what racism is anymore? These people are hateful, and some of them are acting racist themselves. I'm very disgusted by how this person was treated, and unfortunately it's not just the a.c. community that these people attack. Cancel culture is huge these days, and people need to stand up against it. I'm happy to see so many players on here that agree that they are wrong. It gives me faith that there's still decent human beings in the world that would never treat someone like that over something so trivial.


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## 6iixx (Dec 2, 2020)

i haven't skimmed literally every post here, but i just want to say: it's a game.  a fictional game.  if i want to have literal white skin (hex colour #ffffff), i'm allowed; they even added green skin and kept it as an available option.  i can literally make my AC rep look like anything i wanted to, especially with custom designs.  _why_ is it that much of a bother if someone wants to have a "black" hairstyle to begin with, regardless of their character's skintone.. or their real life skin tone for that matter?

growing up, my best friend's brother was white (they have native, but their skin tone is caucasian) but his hair was ridiculously curly if he left it grow out.  he was constantly made fun of for having a 'white fro', but that's just how his hair naturally was if it was allowed to grow to a certain length.  if he were to make an AC rep in his likeness, he'd be using one of the 'black' hairstyles to match his own hairstyle in real life.  is that _really_ that big of an issue?

video games are video games / real life is real life.  i don't have grey hair in real life; does that automatically mean that my island rep isn't allowed either?  no.  some people just take things ridiculously out of proportion.  at the end of the day, if what you're doing isn't malicious and you aren't hurting anyone or yourself, who feckin' cares what hairstyle you put on your animal crossing character?


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## saucySheep (Dec 2, 2020)

tbh i'd probably wear the hairstlyes just to piss them off
my game, my character, i'll do what i want, thx


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## Perri (Dec 2, 2020)

I'm half-black. Twitter is a cesspool that doesn't reflect reality. The "Space Buns" situation is absolutely ridiculous. I think it's just funny that she's wearing afro puffs with cornrows. The offensive part is her defensiveness. But, then again, Twitter isn't the place to have a well-intentioned, meaningful discussion on race, culture, and the respect of BIPOC voices. Even anti-racists will dox and threaten others. The internet's cool.  

Take into context why these hairstyles are in the game: black gamers, particularly one dedicated black woman, advocated for the further representation of black people in this game. A video game development team listened. This is a celebration for people with this hair especially, but someone without ill intention liking and using a hairstyle is not dangerous or offensive. There are black people of all shades, and there are people with curly and kinky hair of all shades. If a non-black person thinks kinky hair is beautiful, what have I lost? Let's rejoice for what we've gained.

I understand being protective, and I hope I don't come off as rude. I am sensitive to this stuff and what others are comfortable with, especially regarding respectful cultural acknowledgement. It's okay to be protective of part of your being that has been insulted and then fetishized. I am deeply upset that our natural hair has ever been treated as such. But Animal Crossing players are not the problem here. Hold real people and real systems accountable.


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## jokk (Dec 2, 2020)

while i can understand why some people feel defensive about it after being overlooked by nintendo and mistreated for having these hairstyles in real life, ultimately, it's a game. i think you can play pretend if you want to, it's not directly harming anyone


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## trashpedia (Dec 2, 2020)

Crowsie said:


>


I've noticed this too and I feel like the AC community outside of TBT (although let's be real: the release of NH was super controversial on these forums for a while) got a little bit rabid. I don't think it was this awful during the NL era, and I remember how back then people would constantly praise AC for having a "wholesome" community but not anymore. I guess this is the price from having NH be a more widespread game.



Aloha said:


>


The fact that doxing is such a common occurrence on Twitter is super disgusting. I think one user was threatening her about how she should delete the post before "something would happen" is already telling about what a horrible common tactic it is on there. Twitter really needs to work on monitoring their platform because doxing people should not be something people should do on there at all.


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## Vintage Viola (Dec 4, 2020)

I got curious and tried to look at her Twitter, and she actually deactivated it.


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## MozzarellaSticks (Dec 4, 2020)

If you're not black and black people are telling you to please refrain from something, refrain from it.


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## avieators (Dec 4, 2020)

i'm a pasty ass white girl but i 1) have decently curly kind of poofy hair and 2) have ocs that are poc, and one of the hairstyles in particular i'm super excited about bc its so close to one of my favorite ocs hair! my acnh character is not me and i plan on being a lot of different characters with all different types of skin color but theres always that feeling in the back of my head,,,am i being racist on accident? its not a good feeling and i rationalize it by telling myself theres really no harm being done, that i wouldnt, say, try and wear dreads irl. if any poc have input i'd love to hear!


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## kemdi (Dec 4, 2020)

trashpedia said:


> I've noticed this too and I feel like the AC community outside of TBT (although let's be real: the release of NH was super controversial on these forums for a while) got a little bit rabid. *I don't think it was this awful during the NL era*, and I remember how back then people would constantly praise AC for having a "wholesome" community but not anymore. I guess this is the price from having NH be a more widespread game.



It wasn't nearly this bad during the New Leaf or earlier eras. I've been saying that I felt like this current crop of AC fans is extremely unpleasant to deal with, but I couldn't figure out why I felt that way. And now I can pinpoint why, like you said, a piece of the fandom has gone rabid! Maybe I sound like a gatekeeping old hag, lol. But idk how else to describe it. Its not just this hair thing, its, EVERYTHING! And yeah you're right, outside of TBT and a few other spots that have a lot more of experienced AC players than just NH experienced ones, its pretty bad.  

Ok so like on reddit for example, TTing went from: 'I don't play that way but do what you do' to: 'you're totally playing the game wrong if you do it and you're not a real ac player, you're disrespecting the developers etc.' Like...what?? AC exited before NH you know, and there used to be direct options in the game for TTing before the system itself took over looking after the time. It really isn't that serious. 

Then there's this hair thing on twitter. Like honestly, as another Black person, I say just call them what they are, afro puffs, and enjoy wearing them in the game if you thing they're cute, because they are cute! Like nobody has a problem calling the cornrows cornrows, or the afro an afro. So why are the afro puffs such a big deal?? If you like them, wear them. I can't speak for everyone, but just for myself:  I don't care if you wear them!

Then there's this thing, idk what to call it, like this mindset...where people keep insisting that AC was totally created to be a 'therapy' game, but wanna completely forget that the GC game and WW exists, and those villagers were totally not therapy, with the way they were talking, lol. Like I get that playing NH makes you feel good, but maybe try not to load a corporate gaming company with the duty of caring for your mental health? Please get real help if you need it. 

And believe it or not, some people actually get OFFENDED for bringing up NL, because they didn't play that game, and you're just being mean to them if you talk about it, because you're just trying to shut them out of an experience they don't have...yeah, that lady seriously said that! 

And apparently having southern hemisphere friends or fishing/bug hunting/diving on a southern hemisphere island makes you a cheater. 

Oh and don't forget to spoiler tag your items...yes, your ITEMS. No, not your events, not your special character's or holidays, your ITEMS...because if I haven't seen it, even if its in the game since launch, its considered a spoiler, its only not a spoiler if I see it first.

Then there was the whole using the game as a political platform?! ..Yeah, I'm just gonna leave that one alone. 

I can keep going, but yeah, this is already long, and I think you get the idea lol.  I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant but I guess it did, so sorry about that. But yeah, you're right, the days of the 'wholesome' ac community are long gone. 2020 already sucks, I didn't think it could ruin AC for me too, but here we are.


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## helloxcutiee (Dec 4, 2020)

Just use whatever hairstyle you want on your character it's not like these people will show up on your front door step and beat you up about it so who honestly cares.


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## mocha. (Dec 4, 2020)

Like @Perri mentioned, AC players aren’t the issue here and the problem is deep-rooted in society, I feel like the anger should be directed more towards that. As much as people may try, you can’t police a game and tell people how to play. As much as someone may voice their opinion, it’s important to remember it’s not fact and the person being blamed could easily continue to use the hairstyle or dress their character however they wish without publicly sharing it. I feel like the majority of Twitter who publicly shame others for things like this are white, and although they may think they’re helping I believe they’re making things worse by demeaning real issues. Ironically, they’re speaking over POC by voicing their opinions on the matter.

Saying that, I don’t think there’s any harm in educating yourself and I thoroughly encourage it. The girl in the screenshots was clearly hostile and  showed nothing but ignorance. Twitter is one of the most toxic communities out there so it’s no surprise lol.


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## trashpedia (Dec 4, 2020)

rosefells said:


>


Absolutely not at all! I have many characters that are POC as a Southeast Asian person myself and as long as they aren't racial stereotypes, you'll be fine. I think making diverse characters (and doing plenty of research beforehand) can actually help you learn more about the world and other people.




kemdi said:


> Then there's this thing, idk what to call it, like this mindset...where people keep insisting that AC was totally created to be a 'therapy' game, but wanna completely forget that the GC game and WW exists, and those villagers were totally not therapy, with the way they were talking, lol. Like I get that playing NH makes you feel good, but maybe try not to load a _*corporate gaming company*_ with the duty of caring for your mental health? Please get real help if you need it.


I think this is definitely a strong point you made. It kind of adds on to my theory that even though Nintendo added more inclusive hairstyles, we also have to acknowledge that it also means they can make more profit off of other groups of people. At the end of the day regardless of whether the community decides to gatekeep hairstyles, Nintendo is a business and will try to expand their playerbase if it means making more money off of it. It sounds kind of messed up, but that's pretty much how most businesses tend to be.


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## Uffe (Dec 4, 2020)

mocha. said:


> Like @Perri mentioned, AC players aren’t the issue here and the problem is deep-rooted in society, I feel like the anger should be directed more towards that. As much as people may try, you can’t police a game and tell people how to play. As much as someone may voice their opinion, it’s important to remember it’s not fact and the person being blamed could easily continue to use the hairstyle or dress their character however they wish without publicly sharing it. I feel like the majority of Twitter who publicly shame others for things like this are white, and although they may think they’re helping I believe they’re making things worse by demeaning real issues. Ironically, they’re speaking over POC by voicing their opinions on the matter.
> 
> Saying that, I don’t think there’s any harm in educating yourself and I thoroughly encourage it. The girl in the screenshots was clearly hostile and  showed nothing but ignorance. Twitter is one of the most toxic communities out there so it’s no surprise lol.



Any white person getting upset over things like this are most likely doing so because they've been told, "If you see racism, call it out." Then when they do, they get mocked for it. It's never made sense to me.


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## Faux (Dec 4, 2020)

Uffe said:


> Any white person getting upset over things like this are most likely doing so because they've been told, "If you see racism, call it out." Then when they do, they get mocked for it. It's never made sense to me.



The problem is they're not understanding what racism _is_.  People need to learn when to pick and choose their battles.  It's the same level of ignorance in my mind as someone seeing a guy who likes to wear skirts running over to him and telling him unless he's a transwoman, he can't wear them, or something else equally pointless.

Sort of like neopronouns [ people trying to make bun(ny) or kit(ty), etc into a pronoun ], all this bullcrap does is make everyone who wants to be taken seriously look like a damn joke.  Like ...  As it is, it's impossible to get even singular they to be normalized with some people.



Spoiler: spoilered for unrelated lol



I tried introducing my mom to the idea of they/them using my parakeet, as they're albino and I have no idea of their gender and while my bird sure doesn't care what we call them, it felt like a good education point.  My mom countered with the fact Almonds doesn't care, and I said real people on the other hand do, and it's a good point of practice.  I heard her later talking to the bird, saying she's not gonna call my bird ' a good them, so you'll have to be a good girl or boy, ' and I ... tried telling her it's as simple as saying ' good bird ' instead, to which she just shrugged and continues to refuse to even attempt they/them.



Anyway, non POC need to stop telling other people what they are or are not allowed to do if it does not fall into _blatant_ racism.  If you're unsure, rather than acting as if you have the definitive handbook, just say something akin to, " this could potentially be seen as racist/problematic, but I'm not sure.  You should possibly consider why you are doing/wearing/saying [ x thing ]; if you feel it is entirely out of good intentions, or purely for personal choice and you do not feel it has any negative connotations to you, then go about your day. "

Acting like you're the go - to know-it-all just makes it look like everyone is ridiculous, unwilling to budge on anything at all, and refuses common sense.  It's frustrating.
Basically, stop talking for people; bring attention to issues and let other people who have the say make the decision/final call, _unless it is blatantly and unquestionably harmful_.

*edit*: spoilered my unrelated story to keep the focus on my point.


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## mocha. (Dec 4, 2020)

Uffe said:


> Any white person getting upset over things like this are most likely doing so because they've been told, "If you see racism, call it out." Then when they do, they get mocked for it. It's never made sense to me.


^ what the above user said, basically. It isn’t up to white people to decide, instead they should be elevating the voices of POC and stopping blatant racism. If someone using this hairstyle in game has attached racist stereotypes to the character then of course it’s wrong. Using a hairstyle because you like it isn’t racist or wrong, and like many POC have said they don’t mind and some are happy to see the hairstyle being celebrated.


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## Uffe (Dec 4, 2020)

Centuria said:


> The problem is they're not understanding what racism _is_.  People need to learn when to pick and choose their battles.  It's the same level of ignorance in my mind as someone seeing a guy who likes to wear skirts running over to him and telling him unless he's a transwoman, he can't wear them, or something else equally pointless.
> 
> Sort of like neopronouns [ people trying to make bun(ny) or kit(ty), etc into a pronoun ], all this bullcrap does is make everyone who wants to be taken seriously look like a damn joke.  Like ...  As it is, it's impossible to get even singular they to be normalized with some people.
> 
> ...


Perhaps they don't understand racism, but it's not just white people I saw getting offended over that one girl wearing the "space buns".

	Post automatically merged: Dec 4, 2020



mocha. said:


> ^ what the above user said, basically. It isn’t up to white people to decide, instead they should be elevating the voices of POC and stopping blatant racism. If someone using this hairstyle in game has attached racist stereotypes to the character then of course it’s wrong. Using a hairstyle because you like it isn’t racist or wrong, and like many POC have said they don’t mind and some are happy to see the hairstyle being celebrated.



Like I told Centuria, it wasn't just white people getting offended over that one girl using the "space buns". I'm about over Twitter.


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## John Wick (Dec 4, 2020)

MozzarellaSticks said:


> If you're not black and black people are telling you to please refrain from something, refrain from it.



Are you serious?

People of ALL color can choose whatever hairstyles they want.

You don't own a patent on dreads.

That's pretty racist to white folks telling us to refrain from a hairstyle in a GAME.

This whole thing is toxic, IMO.

People will always find something to moan about, even if deep down, they don't really care one way or the other.


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## Faux (Dec 4, 2020)

Uffe said:


> Perhaps they don't understand racism, but it's not just white people I saw getting offended over that one girl wearing the "space buns".



Oh, I know.  I was mostly referring to the fact you said people are criticised for pointing out what they view as racist. The reason is just what I said: they think everything is racist and that mindset needs to stop.  We also need to not assume people have malicious intent over something they could be genuinely ignorant about.

It's far from on the same level, but even crossing the wrong side of your kimono/yukata can imply something entirely different, and sometimes, even Japanese women don't know how to properly wear their kimono!  Something like 70% of women do one or two things wrong from the traditional way.  And crossing the wrong side overtop can imply you're dead, lol.

Sometimes, people just don't know, but everyone who tries to defend against racism are extremely volatile and think they need to fight everyone they see.
More often than not, the criticism people receive is well - deserved, even if their intentions were good.


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## Perri (Dec 4, 2020)

Centuria said:


> Sort of like neopronouns [ people trying to make bun(ny) or kit(ty), etc into a pronoun ], all this bullcrap does is make everyone who wants to be taken seriously look like a damn joke. Like ... As it is, it's impossible to get even singular they to be normalized with some people.



Not to derail the thread, but I'd to speak on this. I understand where you're coming from, but it's not the job of lgbtq+ people to restrict their own identities and comforts. People will be transphobic and enbyphobic regardless, and it's no fault but theirs. Personally I think neopronouns are valid. ((I'm so intensely against policing identities and gender expresson.)) I'm really not sure but I think the majority of these people don't use these pronouns outside of their social medias or close friend groups, but those who do still deserve respect.

I think your idea and consideration of others, and your parakeet, is super cool, and I hope that someday your mother will respect your wishes.


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## Faux (Dec 5, 2020)

Perri said:


> Not to derail the thread, but I'd to speak on this. I understand where you're coming from, but it's not the job of lgbtq+ people to restrict their own identities and comforts. People will be transphobic and enbyphobic regardless, and it's no fault but theirs. Personally I think neopronouns are valid. ((I'm so intensely against policing identities and gender expresson.)) I'm really not sure but I think the majority of these people don't use these pronouns outside of their social medias or close friend groups, but those who do still deserve respect.
> 
> I think your idea and consideration of others, and your parakeet, is super cool, and I hope that someday your mother will respect your wishes.



Maybe I'm just old and tired, but I really don't like neopronouns personally. I'm not gonna go out and tell people to knock it off, but I absolutely roll my eyes at them and choose not to interact with those people.  Lost a good friend trying to tell them cake is not a gender and I refuse to utilize it in that sense.  Everyone has a choice, but I think there does need to be a limit to the push for 'please understand that I look at a cat and have decided my gender identity aligns with the very being of a cat.'  Just too much for me to take seriously in any sense.  Though it's fine if people want to have their in - friend jokes about it.

As someone who's lived as non-binary for over 15 years, I just don't have it in me to deal with people who effectively make the whole LGBTQ+ group to be a joke because we try to incorporate animals and inanimate objects as gender suddenly; especially difficult with ESL people, but that's another story.  It's one thing to feel connected to something, it's another to turn something into a thing that it isn't.  Feel as soulfully moved by the moon as you would like, but it is just a rock floating through this hellspace we all live in, it is not a gender identity.

She's set in her ways, but it would be awesome if she could at least not have the typical 'men will pretend to be trans to use the bathroom and become predators' thing, someday ... haha.  Maybe I sound the same, but, so it goes, I suppose.


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## The.planets (Dec 5, 2020)

As a white person, I plan on actually using the short wavy hair for my character and the character I'm going to be making for my grandmother.

I feel like it's important that people *try* to use the correct names for the hairstyles, but not everyone knows the correct names.

Anyone can use the style they choose, as long as if it isn't to cause harm to others.



Spoiler



Also, I'd really like to see Nintendo do stuff like this more often, maybe with adding more bun-like hair, longer hair, and some older styles.

I'd literally pay Nintendo a trillion to see these hairstyles added back into the game.






The only other short hairstyle like these doesn't look close enough to either.
The first one is combed over, and long in the back, and quite full looking, while the closest hairstyle to this is very thin, and much shorter in the back.
And the second one is just fluffy, and has the bang strands very compact, while the closest one has the bangs farther apart, and is very thin.
Forgot to mention, photos are from the AC Fandom Wiki


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## chameleoncommunism (Dec 5, 2020)

It's important to listen to what black people say here, and that includes all of them. But when it comes to the fact that some black people are fine with this and some aren't, it can become difficult and confusing to know who to listen to. But every black person's views on this are as important as eachothers.

Originally I thought it was just a hairstyle in a game too, and I still believe that you can't physically stop a white person from using a black hairstyle in a game. But then I thought about hijabs, if they are ever (hopefully) integrated into the game. Would it be okay for a non-Muslim to wear a hijab in a video game? This isn't referring to creating a Muslim OC that you're playing As, but rather creating your character to reflect your own appearance and then using a hijab regardless.

I'm not Muslim and would never wear a hijab in a video game if I were playing as myself. Although the hijab is religious and black hairstyles are not, black hairstyles still have a world of culture and history that I will never fully understand. 

But then I also understand the argument that this is a Japanese game, filled with Japanese characters and furniture and culture. Many people have created Japanese themed islands with likely very little understanding of the cultural meaning or impact of which Japanese items they are placing.

I just think this is a really confusing thing and my only solid viewpoint on it is that you can't assume someone is white based on their skin colour, and some mixed race whitepassing people still have naturally black hairstyles. Other than that, I just don't know.


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## John Wick (Dec 5, 2020)

I might wear dreads today.

Yeah. I will.

And I'm white.

Who is going to see?
Who is going to care?

Nobody.


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