Thoughts About the New Hairstyles (Gatekeeping and Restrictions)

[Mairen]

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.

 

[CallMeKanga]

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

 

[Cosmic-chan]

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

 

[annex]

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.

 

[sunnibunniva]

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

 

[Noel_in_Sunrise]

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.

 

[DaviddivaD]

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

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.

 

[Tinkeringbell]

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

 

[visibleghost]

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.

 

[Splinter]

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

 

[Mercedes]

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

 

[Manah]

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.

 

[saucySheep]

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.

 

[JKDOS]

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

 

[michealsmells]

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

 

[sleepydreepy]

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.

 

[Cosmic-chan]

*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 ?

 

[Dracule]

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

 

[kemdi]

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?

 

[Noel_in_Sunrise]

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.