Who would say that Mei Mei’s hairstyle in her newest appearance in Overwatch would spark a controversy. Does it make it more popular?
During this week Blizzard Entertainment announced through Twitter the availability of a new skin or appearance for Mei Mei, one of the heroines of Overwatch in order to Nintendo Switch and other versions. From what was seen in the video, she is wearing an outfit that is very reminiscent of that of mixed martial arts or MMA fighters. He wears not only the suit, but the gloves and even the champion belt. It is very well designed.
The name of this appearance is MM-May and some players liked it a lot. But there is a sector that disagrees with one element of this: the hairstyle of Mei Mei. From what you see, it is the one known as cornrows or stitched African braid, which some claim is unique to the African-American community. This is why they accuse the company of cultural appropriation by using it on a character who is not of African descent.
Put ’em up, MM-Mei is stepping into the ring ????
Secure this legendary Mei skin TODAY, just in time for the #OWL2021 May Melee!
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/4UFOc1uQJq pic.twitter.com/f5PnW9TQE4
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) April 28, 2021
The problem is that this style of combing, while common among African descendants, was widely used in the ancient world. There are Greek, Roman and other Mediterranean statues that show characters with this type of braids. While its origins can be traced to the Sahara, many peoples have had it. Even the Vikings had a similar style. Why shouldn’t it be used in Overwatch?
Some who used it a lot were warriors in ancient times. Interestingly, there is someone who uses it and who could serve as an inspiration to Blizzard to use in Mei Mei. It’s about the Chinese lightweight fighter Zhang Weili from UFC. She usually uses cornrows to fight and taking into account their nationality, it may have been the basis for this skin. So far this publisher and developer has not issued any comments.
Since you want to bring up “education”
This is Zhang Weili, a Chinese MMA fighter, and the direct inspiration of Mei’s skin https://t.co/HOqVQdyO7l pic.twitter.com/R4eXlTzfSO– Jεrι Jεrι Qυιτε Coητrαrγ (@tranzombie___) April 29, 2021
But it seems that MM-May It’s here to stay… for a while. This is a limited edition look. It will only be available from April 28 to May 11. Can be purchased at the store in-game from Overwatch League, and is priced at 200 tokens. To get them, they only have to see the matches of this league and nothing else. The point is that Blizzard Entertainment it has been in the “eye of controversy” due to accusations of a lack of diversity.
Yes, strange as it may be, and it is that many insist that the extensive cast of heroes and heroines needs at least one African-American female representative. It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen in the current game. But yes in Overwatch 2, and it’s about Sojourn. It may not be the only one.
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