It it racist?

[The Texas Rattlesnakes]

Is it racist if I think Zoe Saldana is hotter when she is green in the Marvel movies. When she portrays Gamora, AKA, "The Fiercest Individual in The Galaxy"

[Sons of Anarchy]

Only a little

[xx - Team GAP]

nah

[The Sandmen]

Fully.

To understand why, you need to dig into how Hollywood deals with white-washing black people. For the purposes of this essay, we will look at how Marvel has "white-ified" a black actress, shifting her appearance to more closely resemble a white person.

In this case, Gamora is played by a black woman, who painted to look like this:



The use of red hair on green skin accentuates the contrast between skin tone, and hair colour. This is a predominately white characteristic. Because we whities have pale skin, red, brown, and black hair contrasts significantly with our skin. Conversely, black hair with brown skin has less contrast, and the tonal difference of the black to brown colour scheme is a more black characteristic. For those of you who took any art class ever, let us head over to that familiar design tool, the colour wheel, to further discuss this.

This, is a (simplified) colour wheel:


Before we dig into the meaty stuff, you can see instantly how much closer green is to the peachy-beigey colour of "white" skin. So there's that, right off the bat. But there's a lot more going on here.


In design theory, colours that work well together are called "harmonies". For this discussion, we will look at two: "analogous harmonies" , and "split complimentary" + "triadic".

Analogous harmony is 3 nearby colours on the colour wheel.
Split complimentary and triadic harmonies both work the same way, and basically say colours on opposite and relatively equal distances apart on the colour wheel compliment each other.

Bringing all this together, in design theory, what makes black people attractive is analogous harmony - their brown skin tones compliment their dark brown and black hair colours.

What makes white people attractive, is more often triadic or split complimentary harmonies - peach or pale skin tones with browns, reds, etc.

Bringing this back to Gamora. The actress has black hair, with light brown skin. Thus, she is attractive via the "analogous harmony" theory. However, once she is converted to green-faced, with red hair, she no longer fits that harmony. She is now attractive because the colours of her hair, eyes, and face compliment each other through a more triadic or split complimentary harmony.

Thus, at the most core level of her design, she was converted from a black woman, to a white woman, so we would find her more attractive.

If you don't think this colour thing makes sense, pop on over to this site and throw up Zoe Soldana's skin tone and see what its complimentary colours are. They will be an analogous harmony, with shades of browns. Then throw up Gamora's skin tones, and see where her face, hair, and eyes sit. "Triadic" harmony gives us green skin, brown eyes, and reddish pink hair. Precisely the character you are looking at above.

It's one of the more sophisticated forms of white-washing I have seen, but it is in no way new or exclusive to this character in this movie.

[The Texas Rattlesnakes]

Jan 6, 2019 23:53:04 GMT -5 The Sandmen said:

Fully.

To understand why, you need to dig into how Hollywood deals with white-washing black people. For the purposes of this essay, we will look at how Marvel has "white-ified" a black actress, shifting her appearance to more closely resemble a white person.

In this case, Gamora is played by a black woman, who painted to look like this:



The use of red hair on green skin accentuates the contrast between skin tone, and hair colour. This is a predominately white characteristic. Because we whities have pale skin, red, brown, and black hair contrasts significantly with our skin. Conversely, black hair with brown skin has less contrast, and the tonal difference of the black to brown colour scheme is a more black characteristic. For those of you who took any art class ever, let us head over to that familiar design tool, the colour wheel, to further discuss this.

This, is a (simplified) colour wheel:


Before we dig into the meaty stuff, you can see instantly how much closer green is to the peachy-beigey colour of "white" skin. So there's that, right off the bat. But there's a lot more going on here.


In design theory, colours that work well together are called "harmonies". For this discussion, we will look at two: "analogous harmonies" , and "split complimentary" + "triadic".

Analogous harmony is 3 nearby colours on the colour wheel.
Split complimentary and triadic harmonies both work the same way, and basically say colours on opposite and relatively equal distances apart on the colour wheel compliment each other.

Bringing all this together, in design theory, what makes black people attractive is analogous harmony - their brown skin tones compliment their dark brown and black hair colours.

What makes white people attractive, is more often triadic or split complimentary harmonies - peach or pale skin tones with browns, reds, etc.

Bringing this back to Gamora. The actress has black hair, with light brown skin. Thus, she is attractive via the "analogous harmony" theory. However, once she is converted to green-faced, with red hair, she no longer fits that harmony. She is now attractive because the colours of her hair, eyes, and face compliment each other through a more triadic or split complimentary harmony.

Thus, at the most core level of her design, she was converted from a black woman, to a white woman, so we would find her more attractive.

If you don't think this colour thing makes sense, pop on over to this site and throw up Zoe Soldana's skin tone and see what its complimentary colours are. They will be an analogous harmony, with shades of browns. Then throw up Gamora's skin tones, and see where her face, hair, and eyes sit. "Triadic" harmony gives us green skin, brown eyes, and reddish pink hair. Precisely the character you are looking at above.

It's one of the more sophisticated forms of white-washing I have seen, but it is in no way new or exclusive to this character in this movie.

Well, since she is green, and has red hair, and yellow eyes in the damned source material, I struggle to see how this is white washing at all. Did you think they made her up for the movie and decided they were gonna make her green cuz they didnt want her black? Wtf lol

[The Sandmen]

Jan 7, 2019 0:25:03 GMT -5 The Texas Rattlesnakes said:

Well, since she is green, and has red hair, and yellow eyes in the damned source material, I struggle to see how this is white washing at all. Did you think they made her up for the movie and decided they were gonna make her green cuz they didnt want her black? Wtf lol

None of this is relevant to my point, nor your question. My point was you like a black woman more when she is green, and the reason for that, as I outlined, is because she is designed to be white.

She is not a black woman playing a green person in the comics. She is a green person.

I do not think you are racist. I think you liking a green woman more than a black woman has to do with the whitification of that black woman, which you were not consciously aware of.

[xx - Former Bulldozers]

Therefore you are racist

[The Texas Rattlesnakes]

Jan 6, 2019 21:45:32 GMT -5 The Texas Rattlesnakes said:

Is it racist if I think Zoe Saldana is hotter when she is green in the Marvel movies. When she portrays Gamora, AKA, The Green Negress

I only just now caught Justin's edit... disappointing, really.

[The Sandmen]

Jan 7, 2019 3:20:00 GMT -5 The Texas Rattlesnakes said:

Jan 6, 2019 21:45:32 GMT -5 The Texas Rattlesnakes said:

Is it racist if I think Zoe Saldana is hotter when she is green in the Marvel movies. When she portrays Gamora, AKA, The Green Negress

I only just now caught Justin's edit... disappointing, really.

...wtf...? Check your post. It has not been edited at all...Nor does it appear to say the thing you said it said. wtf?

[The Texas Rattlesnakes]

Jan 7, 2019 8:03:11 GMT -5 The Sandmen said:

Jan 7, 2019 3:20:00 GMT -5 The Texas Rattlesnakes said:

I only just now caught Justin's edit... disappointing, really.

...wtf...? Check your post. It has not been edited at all...Nor does it appear to say the thing you said it said. wtf?

I see... and now you've figured out how to edit without making it appear that you've edited.

[The Sandmen]

Yes, witchcraft. All the witchcraft in the world.