#but the language some people use to talk about decent researchers who simply aren't playing into their view of the past is...

[marzipanandminutiae]

What on earth is a 'corset apologist'? Like, because you acknowledge corsets were perfectly functional supportive undergarments, you're an agent of the patriarchy??

Yep, that's it exactly.

As with all the other red flags in the post, it's not a guaranteed t*rf signal. I've known plenty of non-t*rfs who expressed similar views (including the person who claimed Abby Cox was "looking down her perfectly powdered nose" at Mary Wollstonecraft for daring to [checks notes] point out that Wollstonecraft was rather judgmental about her fellow women's interest in dress). But...it's definitely a "check blog for t*rf leanings" tip-off for me.

And yes, to clarify: some people (t*rfs or otherwise) think female dress history researchers/historical costumers/vintage fashion enthusiasts who don't believe that corsets were The Root of All Evil when commonly worn are just brainwashed patriarchal shills and we can't possibly know what we're talking about.

Because that's way easier than thinking critically about the history you've been taught, and not vaguely misogynistic at all! </s>

[thatsamericano]

I feel like fans shouldn't always be blamed for not having as much of an interest in some characters (that may happen to be non-white) when the reason for the lack of interest is simply that they aren't as developed – not that they aren't white. I mean, characters like Japan and China still seem to get a decent amount of attention. Why? They're main characters.

There are a lot of underdeveloped characters with potential that people would •like• to get into, but without that development they might find it difficult. And some fans might feel too intimidated by the idea of fleshing underdeveloped characters out themselves for fear of getting something wrong.

Thoughts? (I hope this ask isn't out of place, I just couldn't help thinking about this when reading some of the claims people were sending.)

In some cases, fans might be overlooking the development that’s there with some non-white characters. It’s true that some of the non-white characters are very underdeveloped or have had minimal appearances, but there are others who get just as much development as a white character, yet the white character gets more attention from the fandom. I feel like saying “but the non-white characters aren’t as developed!” is a common way to deflect when people bring up this issue across fandoms, and that’s not an argument I want to play into here. As a fandom trend, it’s worth mentioning that the white characters in Hetalia do get more attention from the fandom, at least in English-language spaces.

On an individual level, people are often drawn to ships or characters in an irrational way, and I’m not sure how helpful it is to accuse people of being racist or America or Eurocentric simply because the characters they like happen to be white. On the other hand, it’s possible that some unconscious biases might be in play. I myself am not immune to this criticism, since I am white and do focus a lot on white characters in my own content. But I have made some stuff featuring non-white characters when I feel inspired to (ex. a couple moodboards featuring Japan ships, a TaiViet moodboard, a moodboard for CubaSey, incorrect quotes posts that seem fitting for various characters). I also like and reblog when I see content of non-white characters I enjoy, especially when it’s coming from people who have done good research into the character or are using their own personal experience and knowledge to inform their interpretations of the character in a thoughtful way.

TLDR: I feel like it’s possible to talk about these issues, but hopefully without shaming people who aren’t trying to hurt anyone.