| rdfs:comment
| - In anime, the foreign characters will all too often be given physical features that fit the Japanese stereotype of that nationality, regardless of how common such traits actually are in that part of the world. Someone who is foreign, But Not Too Foreign will often look totally non-Japanese, to distinguish him or her from the rest of the cast. Frequently applied to the Occidental Otaku. Compare Mistaken Nationality, which often occurs when phenotype prejudices clash with the reality of the situation. In work with People of Hair Color, stereotypical eye colors are often used as well.
|
| abstract
| - In anime, the foreign characters will all too often be given physical features that fit the Japanese stereotype of that nationality, regardless of how common such traits actually are in that part of the world. In real life, Japanese supposedly have a tendency to assume that all white people that show up in their country are from the United States (statistically, most aren't), and by extension often assume that all non-Japanese travelers or immigrants with palefaces are American. And, in Japan, the stereotype of someone from the U.S. is usually a blond and blue-eyed person (Again statistically more common in Britain than the U.S.) . Because of this, if foreign characters in anime are white, in most cases they will be blond, blue-eyed and tall Americans, unless there's a plot reason for them to be from another country or have another look. This is especially common in anime that use non-traditional Hair Colors and eye colors; any other combination is fair game, but if you see blond with blue on a non-main character, that'll be the foreigner.
* Similarly, Irish characters are very likely to have red hair. Most Irish are actually brown-haired; red is simply proportionally more common with Irish than other Europeans.
* In a similar vein, if a character is black, he or she is most likely to be from the United States, rather than from an African country or somewhere else. The character may be drawn with poofy hair, if not an afro, as hair texture is otherwise tricky detail in low-budget animation.
* Also Germans, especially in context of Those Wacky Nazis, (or simply characters Putting on the Reich) are most often portrayed as overwhelmingly blonde, and often very light, by media all over the world; in reality, Germans are mostly browns and dark blondes, with lighter blondes rarer, and white blond practically nonexistant. Someone who is foreign, But Not Too Foreign will often look totally non-Japanese, to distinguish him or her from the rest of the cast. Notice that this does happen in real life, the assumption usually being how close that person looks to someone you'd already be familiar with. In Mexico, for example, blondes are automatically assumed to be American or Canadian, while in France, those who have a brown skin are assumed to be Arabs or Turkish. Americans that subscribe to Political Correctness Gone Mad tend to consider all black people "African-American" without asking, which many recent immigrants (ranging from Austronesians to Antilleans and French-born Magrebis) and people who identify otherwise typically resent. As well, someone who either is or who could be mistaken for Hispanic will often be believed to come from whichever Latin American country is closest (Cuba, Mexico, etc.) to that region of the US. And let's not forget the assumption that all Asians are from Japan or China. Frequently applied to the Occidental Otaku. Compare Mistaken Nationality, which often occurs when phenotype prejudices clash with the reality of the situation. In work with People of Hair Color, stereotypical eye colors are often used as well. Examples of Phenotype Stereotype include:
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)