Step 6: Consider The Following

Since I don't have any news to report on the literary front, and since this blog is my own little corner of the web for me to do as I please, I'm going to discuss my feelings on something that has been making the rounds of the internet the last few days. I recognize it's a touchy subject, and as an upper-middle class, heterosexual, cisgendered, white female, I am acutely aware of the fact that my voice will not weigh as heavily as others (which is 100% understandable and totally okay by me).

It has to do with a little movie called Ghost in the Shell.

Motoko Kunasagi or Mary Kemp? You decide.

I'm just going to get this out of the way right off the bat: I don't agree with this casting decision. I've loved Scarlett Johansson ever since I saw her in The Horse Whisperer, but this doesn't have anything to do with her acting abilities. Ghost in the Shell is an established world set in futuristic Japan, and the main character has a name that clearly reflects her ethnicity. I absolutely believe that there is a systematic cycle of whitewashing in Hollywood, and this casting choice just reinforces that fact. An amazing opportunity to cast a minority actress in the lead role has been squandered.

"But Shea!" you might say. "Ghost in the Shell is a work of fiction! She's a cyborg! Maybe she changed her face! Maybe the producers needed a big name attached to the movie to get it funded! Aren't you happy that a beloved manga and anime series is getting a Hollywood adaptation?"

My response to all of the above is: Perhaps. Yes, I'm happy to see that Hollywood is showing interest in some of my favorite stories. Yes, it is a work of fiction, and we've seen a few directors step up to cast actors that go against the established grain, like Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm. But before you unleash your cries of unfairness and double standards, let me just point out that there is no shortage of movies for white actors to star in. All minorities want is their slice of the pie.

...without being the token black guy. There, I said it.

I don't think that's asking for too much. And with Ghost in the Shell, there's an added layer of insult to injury in the fact that Hollywood has backed a movie clearly set in Neo-Japan, but decided that the one thing that would make it better is by casting a white actress in the lead role that was clearly intended to be an Asian character. You know what that's called? Cultural appropriation.

Say it ain't so!

Now, cultural appropriation is a loaded term. There are some instances that are so obvious we as a society have (completely mostly somewhat) eradicated them from our system. Black face is one example, as is wearing a Native American headdress if you haven't touched an enemy in battle.  There are other instances that fall more into a grey area, like caucasians wearing their hair in traditionally black styles; I would love to sport braids, but I have listened to what people of color are saying, and out of respect I have opted not to wear them.

So what about instances where a society encourages other ethnicities to embrace aspects of their culture? Is it still cultural appropriation if someone of said culture says it's okay? I'm not asking this as a rhetorical question--I actually need to know. Because if it isn't, I have a pretty uncomfortable revelation for you: I have cosplayed as Motoko Kunasagi myself.

Dun dun DUN.

In fact, it isn't even the first time I've cosplayed as someone Japanese...

Sakabatō fictionalized for dramatic purposes.

...or changed my skin color to more accurately portray a character...

Does this chainmail make my ass look big?

Granted, Fran from Final Fantasy XII is technically an alien species, but when I put on the makeup for the first time in 2007, admittedly cultural and racial appropriation was not on my mind. It has since been brought to my attention that darkening your skin--even for silly purposes like cosplay--is not kosher in this day and age, and I would hesitate to do it again.

There's obviously a wide gap between cosplay hobbyists and Hollywood, and I never considered attempting to make myself look more Asian anytime I wore a culturally-specific costume, but it's still food for thought. I am an active member of the cosplay community, and the last thing I want to do is trample on other people's feelings in a misguided effort to show my love for a fandom. To that effect, I am still trying to understand the nuances of appropriation within the grander scheme of things, such as casting a Chinese actress in a Japanese role, or a cisgendered actor in a transgendered role. There is something to be said about taking baby steps when it comes to bringing a traditionally closeted subject to the forefront of Hollywood--I am thankful that shows like Ghost in the Shell and Transparent are finally getting the spotlight they so richly deserve--but how long can we give them a pass in favor of exposure before getting to the heart of the matter and pointing out why they are flawed?

The world may never know.