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Legend of Zelda Wait... so is Sheik racist to Shekiah?

Champion of Hyrule

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Think about it: after BotW the Shekiah really became more of a culture then they were before. So shouldn’t it be cultural appropriation to the Shekiah for Zelda to dress up like one of them? I’m not really getting angry at Nintendo or anything, it’s just a thought and please don’t take it to far. This is not a political statement, more of just a joke.
 

Diddy Kong

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Well, the only logical reason why Zelda would be disguised as Sheik is because she escaped the castle with Impa. And Impa being the only Sheikah in Ocarina of Time, and also close to Zelda being her bodyguard and nursemaid and all, must've trained Zelda in the Sheikah ways. So is that cultural appropriation or not? I don't think so personally.
 

Champion of Hyrule

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Well, the only logical reason why Zelda would be disguised as Sheik is because she escaped the castle with Impa. And Impa being the only Sheikah in Ocarina of Time, and also close to Zelda being her bodyguard and nursemaid and all, must've trained Zelda in the Sheikah ways. So is that cultural appropriation or not? I don't think so personally.
Yeah. That seems about right... well she wasn’t trained by Impa in Hyrule Warriors, because you can see Impa’s confusion, so it probably is in that game
 

Diddy Kong

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Yeah. That seems about right... well she wasn’t trained by Impa in Hyrule Warriors, because you can see Impa’s confusion, so it probably is in that game
Totally. Impa isn’t buying it either. Which is why Impa in a badass in HW. How I wish she was included in Smash Ultimate......
 

KMDP

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Think about it: after BotW the Shekiah really became more of a culture then they were before. So shouldn’t it be cultural appropriation to the Shekiah for Zelda to dress up like one of them? I’m not really getting angry at Nintendo or anything, it’s just a thought and please don’t take it to far. This is not a political statement, more of just a joke.
The very concept of Cultural Appropriation is silly.

Actual members of cultures supposedly being appropriated don't tend to care all that much.

And even then, Zelda in Ocarina of Time tacitly had permission to dress up as a Sheikah, not that she really needed it.

Apologies for bumping a week old thread, and I know you're not making the statement seriously, but claiming people who aren't of a certain culture can't dress up as that culture aggravates me.

Think about it, do you think that real Japanese people care if you wear a Kimono? Would you care if a Japanese person dressed up as a Cowboy? Or a Victorian Gentleman? Or a Golden Age Pirate?

It's really not all that important.
 
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Champion of Hyrule

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The very concept of Cultural Appropriation is silly.

Actual members of cultures supposedly being appropriated don't tend to care all that much.

And even then, Zelda in Ocarina of Time tacitly had permission to dress up as a Sheikah, not that she really needed it.

Apologies for bumping a week old thread, and I know you're not making the statement seriously, but claiming people who aren't of a certain culture can't dress up as that culture aggravates me.

Think about it, do you think that real Japanese people care if you wear a Kimono? Would you care if a Japanese person dressed up as a Cowboy? Or a Victorian Gentleman? Or a Golden Age Pirate?

It's really not all that important.
So... what in replying about dosen’t really have to do with Smash but whatever. First thing: you’re basically just assuming I’m not Japanese. Which I am not, but anyways it’s still inconsiderate.
And anyways, the problem with cultural appropriation is when people sum up your entire culture in simple portrayals. You probably don’t like when stereotypes are made about your own country, so why are you saying its okay to do that?
 

KMDP

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First thing: you’re basically just assuming I’m not Japanese. Which I am not, but anyways it’s still inconsiderate.
I used Japanese as an example, I could have used any cultural clothing at all and my argument wouldn't have changed.
You probably don’t like when stereotypes are made about your own country, so why are you saying its okay to do that?
I'll start off by stating that I'm British, and I seriously don't care about stereotypes about my culture; not one of them, not the one where Americans think we have weird teeth, not the one where other cultures think our dishes are unpalatable, not the one where people think we're uptight, tea-crazed loons; we find the stereotypes just as funny, if not moreso, than the people who came up with them.

An American person could dress up as a Queen's Guard and I wouldn't care, like at all, even if they erroneously called themselves a "beefeater" (which is similar, but not the same thing).

Think of it this way. T-Shirts were invented in America, and could therefore be considered a part of American culture, would you deny someone from another country the ability to wear a T-shirt? Equally, Tuxedos were originally a British thing, would it be right for British people to say other countries can't wear them because we came up with them first?

With the Sheik thing, there are more layers to it than just "pretending to be a Sheikah", she's also honoring her (possibly deceased) mother figure by wearing the garb of her people.

One can wear the clothing of another culture while still respecting that culture, and just because someone wears a costume, that doesn't make the portrayal inherently disrespectful.
 
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1FC0

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Back when OoT came out people where not as dumbed down as they are today so no one really cared if you dressed up in another culture's clothes. Almost no one had even heard of the word or concept of cultural appropriation. Just think about it: How do people oppress you by dressing up in your culture's clothes and pretending that they are from your country? Answer: They do not. Just stop caring about it and all your cultural appropriation problems are solved. Easy!

As for in universe: Impa was the only Sheikah and obviously Impa would not complain about Zelda opressing her by dressing as a Sheikah. Impa probably wanted Zelda to dress as a Sheikah and taught her how to act like a Sheikah in order to save both Zelda's life and Hyrule. Maybe Impa is one of those biggots that have better things to do than seeking out things to be offended by.
 
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