So my art is apparently at worst racist and at best colorist ? (LONG RANT)

[CallMeMattheww]

Okay so here is some backstory about this issue, I have a small group of friends that I show my work to who are kinda like my personal support group / critics now a few days ago I drew this picture of my OC Jayden with a tan

Now here is where the trouble began one of my friends said they found the picture very offensive because he initially said this was blackface which I had to correct him as Jayden is actually Asian and Asian people do get sun tans to this degree and some Asian people have tan skin naturally

Now with that first issue settled and my friend understood that this wan't blackface he then decides to say that this picture isn't actually racist but actually it's colorist because usually this is how I draw Jayden

So here is where the issue lies, he claimed that when I draw Jayden with light skin I'm portraying him as fashionable, cute and chic but when I drew him with dark skin I portray him as rural and simple

Now I can see where my friends coming from but at the same time I feel like he's ignoring the context behind the first picture, it's supposed to portray the concept that Jayden just decided to go fishing and he didn't bother to dress up or come prepared for the activity and in turn he got sunburn from staying out for so long

I feel like in some aspects yes i can see why one could say this is colorist but at the same time I kinda feel doesn't context nullify such misunderstandings but anyway I figured I'd ask around to see if I'm actually in the wrong here and if I am i do apologize if this is in anyway offensive

[mrtoontastic]

I don't see anything wrong with it. At most, it sounds like your friend must've been drinking the Kool-Aid or never seen this kind of art at all.

As long as you know what your art is, you shouldn't have to change it as long as you have the right idea to back up your own work. Sometimes friends' critiques can be wrong, and a little clarity can easily clear things up. (I wish we never had to do this, but it's something we have to do now because art's been muddled in confusion and unclear motives).

[CallMeMattheww]

What frustrates me the most is how even when you try to explain things no one ever seems to listen or care, it's like as soon as they have an idea / narrative in their heads there's no changing their minds

[vothnthorvaldson]

I don't see a problem with these pictures as I see them now.
Yep, people tan when they go in the sun. That's a fact and that won't be changed because it's offending someone. Light colored people sometimes tan in an impressive manner. (as an eg. my spouse and I (farmers) have almost the same skin color at the end of summer even if in winter we have drastically different skin colors from being of different ethnicities. I tan like crazy, my spouse does (almost) not).
Tans may look rural because people in the countryside are often more exposed to sun. Someone could even tell your friend it is unfair to insinuate that being rural and simple is a negative thing, and it's a bit ironic in the context of their original complain.

Tans are fashionable in certain regions, not in others. You could even argue that by drawing a youthful, happy character with a tan, you are challenging the negative view of tanning being unsophisticated.

[dawgofdawgness]

So here is where the issue lies, he claimed that when I draw Jayden with light skin I'm portraying him as fashionable, cute and chic but when I drew him with dark skin I portray him as rural and simple

Perhaps you should give your friend a crash course on suntanning because they clearly are under the impression that the sun is racist when it is in fact, not racist.

According to an article I found:

The sun's rays contain two types of ultraviolet radiation that reach your skin: UVA and UVB. UVB radiation burns the upper layers of skin (the epidermis), causing sunburns.

UVA radiation is what makes people tan. UVA rays penetrate to the lower layers of the epidermis, where they trigger cells called melanocytes (pronounced: mel-an-oh-sites) to produce melanin. Melanin is the brown pigment that causes tanning.

Basically, the sun makes your skin slightly browner when you're exposed to it for a while. This is called "tanning". "Tanning" is often times confused with "blackface". Obviously I'm being sarcastic, nobody confuses tanning with blackface what the fuck

[Wumbl]

It sounds like the person accusing you is more racially ignorant than you are, really. They simply need to understand that asian people are really prone to tanning in summer, but that we're pale when it isn't particularly sunny. It's simply a tan. Tanning is not racist.

[AllynCrowe]

It's actually totally blackface. Since, you know, black people have more melanin, and so do tanned people. You're so appropriating melanin, you should be ashamed! /s

Your friend is just outraged to be outraged. If a tan sets them off, then pray they never find their way to California, it may make their head explode.

[GesuGesu]

I don't think that one person deserves your time. Just don't put up with their arguments because they are not fully informed yet refuse to listen to your opinion or try to do some more background research. I hope the rest of your friend group is supportive at least.

[sprite_1ww]

Some people are just like that. It's best to ignore them and move on. If it's a friend you can't easily forego, might be best to just stop showing them your art. Such as the saying goes "out of sight, out of mind"

[imiogri]

My sister is Korean. I'm white. When we got a tan I got red as a lobster and she always tanned very well. I can't speak for all Korean people but she got very brown, and she isn't anymore because she hasn't gone abroad in a while and she lives in Sweden. This just sounds ridiculous... Trying to get offended by an issue that doesn't affect you is just ignorant. If you can't communicate this in a peaceful manner to your "friends" they're not your friends.

[Kelheor]

This is actually so stupid, that I'm glad everyone already gave you the answers. It is absolutely normal that he is tanned in more rural environment, because vacation, grandmom's village, seaside, fishing, etc. is actually where most people get a tan. Not in a city, wearing jeans, hoodies and probably a sunscreen!
Also if you really feel bad that you draw your character in chic clothing only without tan, just draw some pictures of him being fashionable and having a tan... or vice versa

[ble]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[zammap]

I can kindaaaa see what they mean with the connections of tan=rural farmer, which is class issue among asians BUT he clearly has a tshirt tan line. Someone who works and isn't a city boy would be evenly tanned. It is by no means blackface tho, and not actually a racial issue, just an asian class issue.

[CallMeMattheww]

Perhaps you should give your friend a crash course on suntanning because they clearly are under the impression that the sun is racist when it is in fact, not racist.

LMAO the sun is racist

[ar-ninetysix]

There's people that actually get tans like that in the real world, are they racist for just existing that way with the skin they can't do anything about once they stay out in the sun for too long??? I guess light-skinned people can't get tanned anymore, it's an attack on a race, whoops

So here is where the issue lies, he claimed that when I draw Jayden with light skin I'm portraying him as fashionable, cute and chic but when I drew him with dark skin I portray him as rural and simple

Now I can see where my friends coming from but at the same time I feel like he's ignoring the context behind the first picture,

This is all the context he needs, that should've been enough to kill the accusation, but that's not good enough apparently. Tell you what, I think rejecting the context of that art to fit a narrative that makes someone say that their friend is racist is just awful. It's just art, man. A series of colors and lines.. A guy fishing out in the summer when he's not prepared for the sun is gonna get a tan or sunburned. Apart from that, like.. what, do they expect him to be wearing the latest chic trends as he's fishing?? He'd ruin his clothes, ya big dumb, simple clothing's the way to go

I'm sorry you gotta put up with that, dude, just keep up what you're doing

[spicy_sweets]

....?? He just has a tan, and may like to fish. It doesn't seem colorist/racist at all, the hell

[Rhonder]

So here is where the issue lies, he claimed that when I draw Jayden with light skin I'm portraying him as fashionable, cute and chic but when I drew him with dark skin I portray him as rural and simple

So like most of the important things have already been said, but just to add on to this like... you get tans when you spend time out doors. Maybe you just don't draw this char outdoors too much but your friend seemed to just ignore the context and was trying to push some agenda on you xD sure Fishing is "simple and rural" but he could have gotten the same type of tan playing beach volley ball or anything. that's just how sun + skin works

[SleepingPoppy]

Draw a cute fashion chic picture of your OC post tanning, problem solved~

If you always drew the tan version of your OC in strictly "rural and simple" ways, and always drew the pale version as fashionable cute and chic, that would be a troubling trend. One picture does not make a trend, though.

Sorry you're dealing with this with a friend. I imagine it's really uncomfortable, and I hope you two get to a better understanding. =(

[Nachi]

Wow, that is just ridiculous Sorry, I can't really say anymore about it...

Also in Japan I believe it is fashionable to have skin as white as possible (ever saw a gaisha make-up)? So people are also avoiding sun as I think the tan in the past basically showed everyone that you were poor and had to work outside. Or something along those lines. So even if you portrayed your Asian character as fashionable with white skin, I would say it is perfectly fine.

[Freemints30]

Wow that sun must be pretty racist to give these poor folks such an um......_interesting _ tan. Really its just a tan Fair skin people in real life naturally tan or just burn like one of my friends(Sun is also the worlds biggest bully, to keep doing that shit to them)