Is it just me or the majority of people in the AC fandom are 'lookists'?

[Goldi Locks]

I'm not lookist. I bully Beardo AND Judy. One is a lot more popular than the other, but I make their lives as difficult as I possibly can, since I hate them both so much

 

[AkiddoRBTwentySix]

I'm not lookist. I bully Beardo AND Judy. One is a lot more popular than the other, but I make their lives as difficult as I possibly can, since I hate them both so much

This is not about you. This is moreso about people mocking other people who liked a villager they exclaimed as ugly. Again, you're fine.

Post automatically merged: Sep 23, 2023

I remember my late grandmother saying to me, when I was just a young child, "Remember, looks don't matter, especially if your an anthropomorphic animal in a japanase video-game." - and looking back today, I guess she was right... Thanks Nana. x

Aww, that's just nice. <3 Your grandma was a wise woman.

 

[Goldi Locks]

This is not about you. This is moreso about people mocking other people who liked a villager they exclaimed as ugly. Again, you're fine.

It is all about me if I make it all about me!

 

[Dunny County]

Aww, that's just nice. <3 Your grandma was a wise woman.

She destroyed our family.

 

[Goldi Locks]

She destroyed our family.

She was a wise woman. Anyway, do you mind? We're talking about me!

I enjoy bullying the characters who I sort of base on people I dislike, because I use Animal Crossing to make stories. Sometimes one villager might be based more on a few people, or a particular type of person. If it's one person or a type I dislike, they're getting pushed into pitfalls, whacked with nets, the lot! It makes for good pictures when they're stomping around in a rage lmao.

It's their own fault for looking like these terrible people or talking like these terrible people. I don't specifically bully them for their looks, I don't think. Other than if they look like a person I hate of course.

 

[Bluebellie]

I do think some villagers are ugly, but I find that most people think my villagers are the ugly ones. I don’t mind that they are hated though or what people think about them. I’m not going to change my villagers just because others dislike them.

I personally have Barold on my island, and I know he’s not a favorite.

I also have: Raddle, Mathilda, Avery, Roscoe, Rodeo, Agnes, Cole, Nan, and Cube. Most of these don’t fall into the top tier favorites.

I don’t go around talking bad about other villagers, but I do judge them by look. I also never judge others by what villagers they like. I simply don’t want them on my island, but don’t care if they are in yours. The villagers above I selected by their looks specifically. I kind of select my villager how I select my clothes. I would rather wear the clothes I like than the clothes I don’t. I would rather have the villagers in my island that I like instead of the ones I don’t.

 

[himekirako]

this is interesting! personally i do come across certain villagers that aren't my cup of tea but i would just leave the island or my campsite

i do love the popular villagers but some of my favourites are also less popular! i grew to really love sparro, jitters, and apple i've seen some youtube videos where they would make fun of them but i don't get it because they're so cute to me </3

some of the less popular villagers grow on me after i let them move in and i play with them, i get attached to them and grow fond of them

 

[AkiddoRBTwentySix]

this is interesting! personally i do come across certain villagers that aren't my cup of tea but i would just leave the island or my campsite

i do love the popular villagers but some of my favourites are also less popular! i grew to really love sparro, jitters, and apple i've seen some youtube videos where they would make fun of them but i don't get it because they're so cute to me </3

some of the less popular villagers grow on me after i let them move in and i play with them, i get attached to them and grow fond of them

In all honesty I feel like maybe some AC YouTubers are more selective than everyone else, and I feel like most AC YouTubers liked to judge some villagers just because they are ugly even though they're there because it's a reminder that ugly people in real life exists.

Speaking of AC YouTubers, has anyone knew KK Clue? He does make some mod makeovers, and do you think some mod makeovers that improves the look of villagers a great idea, or just pointless?

 

[Romaki]

I mean, yeah. Characters are appreciated by design, whether its beautiful, ugly or just unique.

You can't really differentiate all those characters otherwise with a limited amount of personalities.

 

[Shawna]

I like and love a lot of villagers I consider cute, beautiful, and handsome. I dislike villagers I consider ugly. I think it’s natural to want the good looking villagers. There’s popular villagers I really like/love (Ankha is the main example), but there is also a lot I don’t necessarily care for. For example, I love Judy’s color scheme, but other than that I don’t really care to have her on my island. I also like villagers people consider ugly, Velma being the main example. there are villagers I consider ugly, but other people consider good looking. There are villagers I considered good looking, but other people consider ugly. Beauties in the eye of the beholder.

I think as long as you’re not attacking people for their opinion, you’re fine. Unfortunately, people do that. :/

With that being said, I think this lookist behavior is toxic in the real world. Like a previous poster said, this is an issue in general. It is not an Animal Crossing thing. People are expected to conform to beauty standards, which can get extremely toxic and people who don’t are thought of as less of a person.

 

[Cowplant]

I disagree. You mention people appreciating villagers for their looks and not their qualities but what qualities do they have? Even in Animal Crossing Gamecube (where I personally think the dialogue was strongest in the series) you would still run into repetitive dialogue and one dimensional personalities. A snooty villager will always have the same hobbies and interests as another snooty villager. What defines a villager from one another isn't their personality, it's their looks, their catchphrases, and their interior design. Players may incorporate storytelling into their gameplay by reading into certain villager actions, but the truth of it has always been a system based on chance. Villagers aren't moving on top of your flower garden or gifting trashcans in the mail to spite the player, but a lot of people like to pretend they are to spice up their gameplay.

However, Nintendo has largely removed a lot of these abilities from villagers. Villagers can't paint your house without your permission, or start rumors about you, or be mean, or move into your town without your help, etc. So people are limited in their interactions and, thus, their relationships with the animals. If every villager is as pleasant as the last and if there's less and less opportunities for villagers to make an impression through their actions or dialogue, then inevitably, more and more people are going to start noticing the only things that do matter: looks.

Secondly, I get what you're saying and I do think there's an interesting conversation to be had about what features people like to see in cartoon characters or anthropomorphized animals. That being said, that doesn't seem to be the conversation that's being had here. I don't think people bullying pixels they find ugly is a big deal nor do I think other people should take it seriously if their favorite villager is the subject of someone else's hate. And I say this as someone who loves seeing what random villager pulls into town, regardless of whether or not I find them cute. I think some people in this thread are getting a little too close to passing unfair judgements on people who are playing the game differently than them.

 

[Khaoticnoize187]

Honestly i would say yeah a good percentage of the fandom are lookists ngl, like if Isabelle had the personality of tom nook, she would have been defended non stop kind of reaching at a glance but nothing really phases me at all anymore so there is people sadly like that best you can do is block them and keep it moving.

 

[lemonpielvr]

i mean all the personalities are pretty much the same and the dialogue is repetitive so obviously people are going to choose based on other things, for example their looks (since it's the only difference between the personalities). most of the time it's a joke also hating other people for liking certain villagers is a joke, if everyone liked every single villager it would be boring.
lookism is real but bullying pixels because they're ugly isn't a big deal and sensationalizing it as if it's some "huge injustice that needs to be adressed" is weird and parasocial lmao. it's a game let people have fun (especially now that villagers have the personalities of soggy bread), me hating on beardo shouldn't affect you in any capacity tbh

 

[AkiddoRBTwentySix]

i mean all the personalities are pretty much the same and the dialogue is repetitive so obviously people are going to choose based on other things, for example their looks (since it's the only difference between the personalities). most of the time it's a joke also hating other people for liking certain villagers is a joke, if everyone liked every single villager it would be boring.
lookism is real but bullying pixels because they're ugly isn't a big deal and sensationalizing it as if it's some "huge injustice that needs to be adressed" is weird and parasocial lmao. it's a game let people have fun (especially now that villagers have the personalities of soggy bread), me hating on beardo shouldn't affect you in any capacity tbh

Oh, I never said it does affect me in any capacity. It's just that AC seemed to be the only fandom I know that some people will be quite picky.

Thank you for your input, by the way!

 

[kisaker39]

i have been meaning to post in this thread for a little while, but it seems i forgot.


i agree with this. it is blatantly obvious, even. i hold no ill feelings towards those who base their favourite villagers on appearance, however. you cant really blame them, especially if they play New Horizons, because villager personalities have certainly.. gotten bland.

while having preferences on villagers appearance is one thing, holding disdain towards villagers they consider ugly is just childish. disliking "ugly" villagers is.. fine, but going out of your way to hit villagers with your net because they are "ugly" or anything of the sort is completely useless. it doesn't accomplish anything at all. there was a myth that mistreating villagers led them to move out quicker, but it is nothing more than a myth.

in my opinion, finding certain villagers pretty and others ugly is fine. after all, it is subjective and does not effect anything, really. however, mistreating your villagers solely because they are "ugly" is incredibly immature and does not solve anything.

 

[liliyoa]

the only villager i hate because of their appearence is Rilla, who looks like a not-nice caraciture putting it nicely. other than her i dont think any of the villagers look particularly ugly, and i didnt know hazel was considered an "ugly" villager, i think she's adorable, she was one of my favorites in my original new leaf town.

 

[DJ-Mika]

This is a very complicated and sensitive subject that everyone has made some good points on from different sides.
I can only speak from my personal experiences, but here goes:

Ignoring the real-life implications you were trying to point out, I do think that people can be entitled to liking whichever villagers they want to, as Animal Crossing is a video game at the end of the day and the people who bought said game should be allowed to play however they want to free from accusations.
The people who choose only the "popular" villagers can also get backlash for it, being called "shallow" and "basic", or not a true AC fan, when in fact it really doesn't matter cause, you know, funny fake animal friends have no impact on your life.
Choosing the good-looking "popular" thing is just how it is in real life unfortunately, and it happens in other fandoms/hobbies too.

Now all of that being said, I also DO think that some people can take the hate too far and it can spill into real-life hate.
I will share my experiences from that: there was a New Horizons Discord server I used to be a part of, and one of the more active members was very very harsh on villager looks. She would get graphic with her comparisons, saying that some villagers looked "like corpses" or "disfigured". She was not shy in criticizing others for the villagers they liked, and many people would hide who they liked for fear of the criticism (I saw this happen in other servers too, the hiding who your favs were).
There was a villager hunting channel in this server where people could post about who they were after and who they ran into, and she would frequent this channel and lambast every villager she found disagreeable. She got into many fights with others and not many liked her outside of the super active in the server, who held similar opinions as her.

Another experience I had, on a completely different New Horizons Discord server; I was in the General chat and the topic everyone was talking about was who their favorites where. The mood seemed positive so I jumped in saying who my favorite was, and the chat immediately turned on me. They mocked my favorite saying they were a "bad" villager, told me I had no taste, and laughed me out of the channel. I was embarrassed and upset after that for a long time, and I shouldn't have been made to feel that way.
Another thing I saw was a Facebook post someone made, where they refused to advance the story/plot to K.K.'s concert cause they felt the "ugly" villagers on their island "didn't deserve to enjoy it". This isn't as bad of course, but I just found it so hilariously petty to halt your entire game progress over THAT

In conclusion, yes some people do get nasty and clique-y about it, and I'd rather not see the millionth post about how such-and-such is just oh so ugly and gross and [insert popular villager here] is soooo much better blah blah, it gets old.
BUT also, it's just a game in the end, and villager choices are overall harmless and not meant to be a personal attack on anyone. If someone wants to get nasty and mean and make it an attack, your best bet for your own mental health is to ignore and block, cause letting someone disturb your inner peace over something that small is just not worth it.

 

[AkiddoRBTwentySix]

This is a very complicated and sensitive subject that everyone has made some good points on from different sides.
I can only speak from my personal experiences, but here goes:

Ignoring the real-life implications you were trying to point out, I do think that people can be entitled to liking whichever villagers they want to, as Animal Crossing is a video game at the end of the day and the people who bought said game should be allowed to play however they want to free from accusations.
The people who choose only the "popular" villagers can also get backlash for it, being called "shallow" and "basic", or not a true AC fan, when in fact it really doesn't matter cause, you know, funny fake animal friends have no impact on your life.
Choosing the good-looking "popular" thing is just how it is in real life unfortunately, and it happens in other fandoms/hobbies too.

Now all of that being said, I also DO think that some people can take the hate too far and it can spill into real-life hate.
I will share my experiences from that: there was a New Horizons Discord server I used to be a part of, and one of the more active members was very very harsh on villager looks. She would get graphic with her comparisons, saying that some villagers looked "like corpses" or "disfigured". She was not shy in criticizing others for the villagers they liked, and many people would hide who they liked for fear of the criticism (I saw this happen in other servers too, the hiding who your favs were).
There was a villager hunting channel in this server where people could post about who they were after and who they ran into, and she would frequent this channel and lambast every villager she found disagreeable. She got into many fights with others and not many liked her outside of the super active in the server, who held similar opinions as her.

Another experience I had, on a completely different New Horizons Discord server; I was in the General chat and the topic everyone was talking about was who their favorites where. The mood seemed positive so I jumped in saying who my favorite was, and the chat immediately turned on me. They mocked my favorite saying they were a "bad" villager, told me I had no taste, and laughed me out of the channel. I was embarrassed and upset after that for a long time, and I shouldn't have been made to feel that way.
Another thing I saw was a Facebook post someone made, where they refused to advance the story/plot to K.K.'s concert cause they felt the "ugly" villagers on their island "didn't deserve to enjoy it". This isn't as bad of course, but I just found it so hilariously petty to halt your entire game progress over THAT

In conclusion, yes some people do get nasty and clique-y about it, and I'd rather not see the millionth post about how such-and-such is just oh so ugly and gross and [insert popular villager here] is soooo much better blah blah, it gets old.
BUT also, it's just a game in the end, and villager choices are overall harmless and not meant to be a personal attack on anyone. If someone wants to get nasty and mean and make it an attack, your best bet for your own mental health is to ignore and block, cause letting someone disturb your inner peace over something that small is just not worth it.

Remember that meme about how communities/fandoms for a mature game is more chill, while fandoms for a lighthearted game can be hell?

She seemed like the perfect example of that. And for the part where people prefer the more popular ones only to get mocked, I feel like this could be true, as well.

And the fact that they didn't let K.K. sing a song for them? That's just absurd levels of hate. Imagine being this spiteful over a damn character that doesn't exist IRL. I've seen handful of people who were at first, hated getting what they thought was the ugliest villager but then they slowly became nicer and nicer to them and warmed up to them. At least to me, they seem pretty chill about ugly villagers at first glance, they just don't wanna show it.

Someone on this thread did say that there are 'ugly' people in the world, and they (NTDO) wanted to make sure AC is just as close to how it is in the world, and it's sad some of them, or most (idk) treated the game as a playground for harassing or bullying whoever they can classify as undesirable.

I'm sorry that you've been mocked and insulted by these people on these NH servers.

 

[AkiddoRBTwentySix]

the only villager i hate because of their appearence is Rilla, who looks like a not-nice caraciture putting it nicely. other than her i dont think any of the villagers look particularly ugly, and i didnt know hazel was considered an "ugly" villager, i think she's adorable, she was one of my favorites in my original new leaf town.

Rilla looks alright. I don't see any problem with that. Jane's Japanese design however... Can't say the same. I think it's safe to say that Jane's Japanese design is the one that has implications of blackface (or brownface?), which later changed her design to cater to the North American/European players to have a pink fur instead.

Jane

“It's about time you showed up, chimp!” ― Jane, Animal Crossing Jane (フィーバ, Fība?, Fever) is a snooty gorilla villager from the Animal Crossing series. She only appeared in the early games of the series. The combination of her name, species and initial catchphrase, "chimp", reference Jane...

animalcrossing.fandom.com

 

[liliyoa]

Rilla looks alright. I don't see any problem with that. Jane's Japanese design however... Can't say the same. I think it's safe to say that Jane's Japanese design is the one that has implications of blackface (or brownface?), which later changed her design to cater to the North American/European players to have a pink fur instead.

Jane

“It's about time you showed up, chimp!” ― Jane, Animal Crossing Jane (フィーバ, Fība?, Fever) is a snooty gorilla villager from the Animal Crossing series. She only appeared in the early games of the series. The combination of her name, species and initial catchphrase, "chimp", reference Jane...

animalcrossing.fandom.com

I've never seen Jane's Japanese design before, very upset by it! Yeah not cool Nintendo