Hello! So I’m writing a parody story (a story that basically makes fun of typical Episode trending cliches/tropes).
I’m not POC btw.
I noticed that a lot of authors/readers and particularly POC are upset that many authors use big lips for clearly white/pale characters. I understand this as cultural appropriation and tend to avoid this in my stories, however, I wanted to use this in my parody story because it’s just so prevalent in trending stories and my point is to make a commentary on those stories. However, I didn’t know if it was my place to do such. I can easily leave it out, however, literally, ALL Episode MCs have bigger lips, and I wanted to parody that in my own because it’s ridiculously common.
Do you guys have thoughts? I understand if it’s not my place to comment on POC issues or to enforce cultural appropriation. I was thinking of having some info at the end on how many stories do these kinds of things. I can easily leave it out if that would make people uncomfortable even for me to do as a parody.
As a POC, I’ve honestly never seen another POC complain about using “big lips” on a non-POC character, especially since although its not common its also not rare for a non POC to have “big lips”. However, I have seen reasonable complaints on using cultural hairstyles, dialect\slang\AAVE and so forth. But a parody seems fun so I’d say go for it once you’re received enough feedback on the topic
Wait, people get upset when some people use big lips on white characters?! This is the first I’ve heard, but I’d be quite annoyed by that, if it’s true… because I, myself am white… and I have naturally big lips! [Mine are exactly like the “full round pouty” lips that you’ll find in the portal. I used to hate them when I was kid… but now I love them.] And for people to think that they own a certain lip type, that’s wrong.
Big lips do not belong to any specific skin colour! [Look at Angelina Jolie for example.]
Anyway because of my own big lips, I occasionally make my MC’s have lips like mine!
Plus some of the big lips in the mouth section [like Full Flat Top Pouty] look a lot like fake lips [such as when females have lip fillers and plastic surgery… which again is very common, especially among celebrities.]
I agree, and I really doubt there’s been complaints since that’s ridiculous, but I also don’t believe Angelina Jolie is a good example as celebrities often get numerous surgeries, lip fillers etc.
I’ve never seen it, either… and tbh, that’d be a very odd thing to complain about.
However… I think Angelina is a good example of big lips on white women, because even photos of her as a high schooler show she always had big lips… long before she began to plump them up a little more.
Adele has big-ish lips too. Not quite as large as Angelina’s… but still big.
Yeah I’ve heard so many people say this, like an overwhelming amount. They say that usually the only people that have big lips are people of black origins. I believe at least, again I’m not POC so I can’t really speak and opinion on the issue.
Well, what I mean to say is that I don’t know much about it other than I’ve seen a lot of people complaining and wanted to avoid it in my own story.
I have no opinion on it other than I will not put it in my story if it’s offensive, however this is hard because of differing opinions as you’ve just shown.
And this is not me trying to shut down your opinions lol, thanks a lot for the help and discussion! I’m just saying this cuz I’m trying to see opinions and not have a bias myself because I honestly know nothing.
Very true. I do remember Adele’s lips being quite tiny some years back though and then we have to take overlining in terms of makeup application in consideration as well (lol thats the makeup artist in me) so overall I don’t think celebrities are good examples., but you definitely have a point
If you haven’t personally obtained fan-mail saying those things I’d say just do what you want, there’s no owning of physical features despite certain ones being more common to one race or another. It’s like saying you can’t give a POC blonde hair, even though its not common there are still POC who naturally have blonde hair.
I feel like the lip thing might not work too well for a parody/comedy… because as you now know, white women can have big lips.
I think the only way it’d work is if you were gonna put both sides of the argument into your story. Perhaps some of the white women do have fake big lips, but then another could argue that hers are real?!
I mean it’s entirely your choice how you display the story, but some people might not understand what you’re getting at, or why it’s supposed to be comedic when naturally big lips on white women[although they’re not too common] are actually a thing.
Oh the thing I’m trying to parody is how often the main characters have big lips in these story or look the same! I agree with you guys now on the race thing, but for some reason every Episode story on the trending page has an MC with big lips and they all look the same.
Haha, yes most of them do… but then again I can’t say much about how common it is, because my own story happens to be one of those trending stories… and the white MC has big lips like mine.
That’s fair! Ofc you’re allowed to represent your own experiences lol. I just thought that it was funny it appears so often, along with other features of course. What’s your story?
It sounds tone deaf in here regarding what you’re bringing up so imma step in.
I don’t speak for all Black people (I say Black people and not POC because it’s genrally an issue about our natural features being referenced to) but generally when we bring up the issue of large lips being used on white people, it’s referring to the prevalent use of it on white characters and then in turn it not being used at all on Black characters.
This topic has layers that goes over a bunch of people’s heads as you can see. Large lips, dark skin and even culturally Black hairstyles are placed onto white characters and seen as attractive, unique, cute, etc while those same features on a Black person are seen as the exact opposite. Some even go the distance to reverse it, giving Black characters mostly euroecentric features.
Imagine how terrible it is to have your natural features that show predominantly in people just like you be praised on everyone but you and that group.
But most people like to argue it’s just a look or this person has that so it can’t be offensive and no race owns this or that. I can’t stress enough how contextually tone deaf those arguments are because they’re used to deflect from the actual topic at hand.
Yes, non-Black people can sometimes have naturally large lips, non-Black people can also have dark skin (there are many Southeast Asians who have a significant amount of melanin). Is that the point? No.
The point is the constant battering and beating down on everything that has to do and relate to Black people not being recognized or appreciated on Black skin.
As for including it in a parody, I’ve seen a bunch of them use this in them but it was merely to mimic how trending stories look, but there was no actual conversation on it.
I agree with the stuff you’ve said here and think you definitely illustrated the points well! Thank you!
Should I include conversation about it? I probably could in some form but I wouldn’t know if that would be overstepping when the issue doesn’t affect me as white person.
I can’t give you a yes or no answer because at the end of the day, it’s your story. It depends whether you perosnally want to or not.
If you do, it doesn’t have to be some 15 minute speech about it or anything. But a lot of non-Black folk don’t tend to think about it so there should still be a worthwhile convo on it with enough context set up for them to grasp what exactly is being said.
Looking up topics like blackfishing and whatnot fall into this topic a lot as well.
This is the first I’ve heard, but I’d be quite annoyed by that, if it’s true… because I, myself am white… and I have naturally big lips! [Mine are exactly like the “full round pouty” lips that you’ll find in the portal. I used to hate them when I was kid… but now I love them.] And for people to think that they own a certain lip type, that’s wrong.
and then we have to take overlining in terms of makeup application in consideration as well (lol thats the makeup artist in me) so overall I don’t think celebrities are good examples., but you definitely have a point 
