Hi! I’m writing a Medieval story in which one of the main characters is white and she is a princess from medieval-time France or around that area and I have made the whole royal family which means her skin colour cannot be changed otherwise there’s no continuity. I was wondering, if people were reading the story and was customizing her hairstyle, would people prefer to have the option of African hairstyles such as the Braided Bun, Long Braided, Afro and Dreadlocks for a white character? I didn’t want to be even more limiting with the customizing by deleting those options but then when I think about it, it might look a bit like cultural appropriation? What would people prefer and what are people’s opinions on this? The rest of the story is very diverse but one of the main characters is white so I wasn’t sure about her hairstyle options.
Would people prefer for these hairstyles to be kept as options or removed from the CC?
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Yes, I was thinking the same. I just didn’t want it to look dodgy and look like cultural appropriation as I’m not about that, but I also don’t want to be discriminatory against those hairstyles so I just wanted some advice.
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Um, yeah, no. You will get a lot of hate for doing so. During those times, the hairstyles weren’t like that. It was loose. They were unsecured and not tight like the Dreads and braids shown above and in the portal. I would reconsider and suggest not to use those. A word from a fellow POC/Black women myself.
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Thank you! There were a lot of points I was debating within myself about this as a POC myself, I just didn’t want to be even more limiting by deleting the hairstyle but I’ll definitely take those out now. Also, another question. I have 3 black women characters who will frequently appear in the story as important figures and one of them has an Afro, one has a braided bun and the third long braided. Should all of them have Afros instead, since what you said about the times back then with the hairstyles being unlike the ones Episode provides is very relevant?
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I meant for non-POC, as in whites. During those times, they braids they wore were loose. For blacks, it was exactly like the ones above
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Ok phew, thank you for the help! I just didn’t want people to have a problem with the CC as it is never my intention to offend or appropriate.
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I know you weren’t trying to offend anyone Lol. You don’t seem like the type to do so. 
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Haha that’s a relief, I would hate to come across as someone who doesn’t care, hence why I took to the forums to ask opinions lol but thank you so much, you’ve been very helpful 
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I really didn’t want you to get hated so I had to say something. This stuff happens a couple to nice people and I do not want that to happen to you. And you’re welcome. 
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Definitely, sometimes good intentions can look ignorant and I appreciate you taking the time to educate instead of hating. I always try to be as inclusive as possible but also without appropriating which is very important to me when writing a story! Thank you again, appreciate it so much 
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i think you should do no cc at all. main characters should be the way authors envision them and you will not offend anyone’s cultures with cc, and you’re not limiting cc because there is none
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Yes I considered doing that actually, but I also want them to be able to customise things like the lips and eye shape and eyebrows. It is limited CC but I’d want the reader to have even a little bit of control over what they look like in case not all of the features are to their liking such as eyes etc 
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And now that Episode have added more eye features, it’s hard to say no! Haha 
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of course you can do whatever but i think no cc at all would be best
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some people might get offended if the mc is not poc
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Agreeable. I was just saying so he or she doesn’t get back lash or whatever it was just kinda heads up
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Well, it matters. If the story doesn’t have diversity, then people will get offended. But people will get more offended if the customization is bad. Like, when you are dark but you parents turn out to have dry lips or white.
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