Table of Contents
Daria Paterek When Netflix announced a Winx adaptation, Fate: The Winx Saga – fans of the original cartoon were thrilled. Whitewashing refers to the practice of casting a white actor to represent a non-white character, and it is a deeply problematic issue ingrained in the media industry. This casting decision demonstrates how Asian characters are often played by actors who are only partly Asian, and white-passing.
This not only demonstrates whitewashing, but it also illustrates the erasure of POC characters in the show. Netflix’s Winx casting was a massive disappointment to fans worldwide since the original Winx series made POC children feel seen and represented within the media. So why, if Netflix is open to casting and representing POC, did they whitewash two Winx characters?
Even when POC actors are hired, they are likely to be cast by mixed or light skin actors, perpetuating whiteness as the norm. Whitewashing denies jobs to minority actors; while POC actors compete with white people for POC roles, it is rare to see white characters portrayed by POC. It also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media Whitewashing not only reduces opportunities for POC actors, but it also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media; it perpetuates racist ideas that POC are not important enough to be represented.
While whitewashing may seem like a concept that has been challenged and overcome in recent productions, I want to bring attention to a recent Netflix production that includes similar concepts to whitewashing, including race-baiting and performative diversity – Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative Despite Bridgerton being advertised as a fully inclusive, colour- blind series, Youtuber Khadija Mbowe highlights the problems in Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative.
Despite claiming on their website that ‘since 2017, we have been building the foundation for inclusion to take root within Netflix’, this is not reflected in their recent productions. Fate: The Winx Saga not only whitewashes existing POC characters but also erases POC characters and enforces white dominance within popular culture. Daria Paterek Featured image courtesy of Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash.
What Anime-Inspired Series Has Been Hit With Backlash For Whitewashing Characters?
Netflix’s anime-inspired series “Fate: The Winx Saga” has been hit with backlash for “whitewashing” characters in adapting the series to live action. The series follows a group of teenage girls attending the Alfea College for Fairies; each has the ability to transform into a fairy with unique powers, which they use to fight all manner of monsters. According to ScreenRant, two characters — Musa and Flora — are depicted as women of colour in the animated series; in the live-action version, however, Musa is played by a white actress, while Flora (who is Latina in the original) has been replaced by a new white character, Terra.
Elisha Applebaum, who plays Musa, spoke with Digital Spy about the controversy. “It’s really sad to see that fans were upset with the casting,” she said. “I wasn’t involved in the casting but I hope that what they’ve seen and how I’ve portrayed Musa was to their liking.
Eliot Salt, who plays Terra (who’s introduced as Flora’s cousin), said she hopes that Flora will be introduced in the second season. “I think it’s really important that we do see [Terra and Flora together] and if we’re lucky enough to get a season two that’s my greatest hope,” she said. “I think the conversations that have happened around that have been really important and I’m really glad that they’ve happened,” she added.
Who Created Fate: The Winx Saga?
New Netflix live-action adaptation Fate: The Winx Saga, however, not only whitewashes pivotal characters from the original series, but it also loses the cutesy magic of the original cartoon fantasy. Created in 2004 by Italian animator Iginio Straffi, Winx Club was ahead of its time. The fantasy genre was anything but diverse in the mid-2000s, but Winx Club changed that by showing young girls from various backgrounds, each with her own multi-dimensional portrayal.
It reminded me of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and how drastically different it was to the original, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Like CAOS, it’s clearly a new show for a new audience. However, that writing choice just makes the blatant erasure of characters of color even more apparent.
It was very common to depict white characters in fantasy stories, centering white heroes while characters of color were ignored. We see that even in beloved works: in Princess and the Frog, where Tiana is a frog for the majority of the film; in The Emperor’s New Groove, where Emperor Kuzco was portrayed as a llama; and in American Dragon, where Jake Long becomes the titular creature. We saw it again in the movie Soul — main character Joe is a jazz musician and band teacher, yet when he travels to another dimension, he is transformed into some blob-like being.
Winx Club was the exception to that rule. Both Bloom and Stella are portrayed as white fairies in the cartoon, whereas our fairies of color were Flora (generally inferred to be Latinx), Aisha (who is Black) and Musa (who is thought to be Chinese).
What Is The Name Of The Magical Boarding School In Otherwood?
For those unfamiliar with Winx Club, it’s a show about a group of fairies who attend Alfea, a magical boarding school in Otherwood (that gives us major X-Mansion and Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters vibes).The show follows Bloom (Abigail Cowen), Musa (Elisha Applebaum), Aisha (Precious Mustapha), Terra (who’s Flora, but Netflix decided to change her name; she’s played by Eliot Salt), and Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen), with Bloom as their team leader of sorts. “Bloom has the potential to be one of the most powerful fairies the world has ever known,” the trailer voiceover says.
What Did Some Fans Of Fate: The Winx Saga Bring Up After The Trailer’S Debut?
Some fans of Fate: The Winx Saga fans have brought up the whitewashing of characters, particularly Musa and Flora, after the trailer’s debut. Netflix launched the trailer for its upcoming live-action adaptation of the Winx Club animated series, Fate: The Winx Saga, yesterday on YouTube. Fans of the Winx Club series have begun to point out that the series has whitewashed two of its most prominent characters.
The absence of another character, Tecna, was also addressed as well as unflattering comparisons drawn between Fate: The Winx Saga’s aesthetic and that of shows like Riverdale. Wasn’t Musa asian, and Flora definitely wasn’t white also where tf is Tecna #WinxClub pic.twitter.com/D04LPBZqtE — ❄️ Nyxc (@NyxxCraft) December 10, 2020 WHAT IS THIS?!1?!,’!;¿!? WHY DID TJEY WHITEWASH MUSA AND FLORA?!!?!?
WHERE’S THE GLAM THE STYLE?!!? THIS ISN’T WINX THIS IS RIVERDALE WITH FAIRYS pic.twitter.com/Va337O1d3d — lela☁️ slightly ia (@tbhcabel) December 10, 2020 Created by Iginio Straffi, Winx Club follows the adventures of a fairy named Bloom who enlists in Alfea College to hone her skills alongside her friends. Fate: The Winx Saga follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.
Eve Best (Nurse Jackie), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Josh Cowdery (Legends), Alex Macqueen (Peaky Blinders) and Eva Birthistle (The Last Kingdom) also star. The series premieres Jan. 22, 2021 on Netflix.
What Is The Name Of Netflix’S Young Adult Adaptation Of Winx Club?
Netflix released a trailer for their upcoming young adult adaptation of the popular Italian-American animated series Winx Club, titled Fate: The Winx Saga, and it is as sadly generic young adult fantasy as one would expect. Fate: The Winx Saga, coming January 22 pic.twitter.com/VWEyfTLWRB — Netflix (@netflix) December 10, 2020 When I think of The Winx Club as a series, I think of the bright color palette, the over-the-top costumes, and the pure, sparkly magical girl elements of the series. This ain’t it.
Except why would adult fans of a magical girl animated cartoon want a show that does not incorporate any of the aesthetic of the series? Also disappointing is the whitewashing of Musa and the erasure of Flora. Aisha, thankfully, is included and is a dark-skinned woman, but this means that rather than an even split of racial and ethnic diversity among the core six, there is now only one major character of color in the cast.
We want sparkles. There is a pandemic! Also, where are the witches of Cloud Tower serving high goth petty realness? (image: Screengrab/Netflix/Nickelodeon) Want more stories like this?
Daria Paterek When Netflix announced a Winx adaptation, Fate: The Winx Saga – fans of the original cartoon were thrilled. Whitewashing refers to the practice of casting a white actor to represent a non-white character, and it is a deeply problematic issue ingrained in the media industry. This casting decision demonstrates how Asian characters are often played by actors who are only partly Asian, and white-passing.
This not only demonstrates whitewashing, but it also illustrates the erasure of POC characters in the show. Netflix’s Winx casting was a massive disappointment to fans worldwide since the original Winx series made POC children feel seen and represented within the media. So why, if Netflix is open to casting and representing POC, did they whitewash two Winx characters?
Even when POC actors are hired, they are likely to be cast by mixed or light skin actors, perpetuating whiteness as the norm. Whitewashing denies jobs to minority actors; while POC actors compete with white people for POC roles, it is rare to see white characters portrayed by POC. It also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media Whitewashing not only reduces opportunities for POC actors, but it also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media; it perpetuates racist ideas that POC are not important enough to be represented.
While whitewashing may seem like a concept that has been challenged and overcome in recent productions, I want to bring attention to a recent Netflix production that includes similar concepts to whitewashing, including race-baiting and performative diversity – Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative Despite Bridgerton being advertised as a fully inclusive, colour- blind series, Youtuber Khadija Mbowe highlights the problems in Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative.
Despite claiming on their website that ‘since 2017, we have been building the foundation for inclusion to take root within Netflix’, this is not reflected in their recent productions. Fate: The Winx Saga not only whitewashes existing POC characters but also erases POC characters and enforces white dominance within popular culture. Daria Paterek Featured image courtesy of Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash.
What Anime-Inspired Series Has Been Hit With Backlash For Whitewashing Characters?
Netflix’s anime-inspired series “Fate: The Winx Saga” has been hit with backlash for “whitewashing” characters in adapting the series to live action. The series follows a group of teenage girls attending the Alfea College for Fairies; each has the ability to transform into a fairy with unique powers, which they use to fight all manner of monsters. According to ScreenRant, two characters — Musa and Flora — are depicted as women of colour in the animated series; in the live-action version, however, Musa is played by a white actress, while Flora (who is Latina in the original) has been replaced by a new white character, Terra.
Elisha Applebaum, who plays Musa, spoke with Digital Spy about the controversy. “It’s really sad to see that fans were upset with the casting,” she said. “I wasn’t involved in the casting but I hope that what they’ve seen and how I’ve portrayed Musa was to their liking.
Eliot Salt, who plays Terra (who’s introduced as Flora’s cousin), said she hopes that Flora will be introduced in the second season. “I think it’s really important that we do see [Terra and Flora together] and if we’re lucky enough to get a season two that’s my greatest hope,” she said. “I think the conversations that have happened around that have been really important and I’m really glad that they’ve happened,” she added.
Who Created Fate: The Winx Saga?
New Netflix live-action adaptation Fate: The Winx Saga, however, not only whitewashes pivotal characters from the original series, but it also loses the cutesy magic of the original cartoon fantasy. Created in 2004 by Italian animator Iginio Straffi, Winx Club was ahead of its time. The fantasy genre was anything but diverse in the mid-2000s, but Winx Club changed that by showing young girls from various backgrounds, each with her own multi-dimensional portrayal.
It reminded me of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and how drastically different it was to the original, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Like CAOS, it’s clearly a new show for a new audience. However, that writing choice just makes the blatant erasure of characters of color even more apparent.
It was very common to depict white characters in fantasy stories, centering white heroes while characters of color were ignored. We see that even in beloved works: in Princess and the Frog, where Tiana is a frog for the majority of the film; in The Emperor’s New Groove, where Emperor Kuzco was portrayed as a llama; and in American Dragon, where Jake Long becomes the titular creature. We saw it again in the movie Soul — main character Joe is a jazz musician and band teacher, yet when he travels to another dimension, he is transformed into some blob-like being.
Winx Club was the exception to that rule. Both Bloom and Stella are portrayed as white fairies in the cartoon, whereas our fairies of color were Flora (generally inferred to be Latinx), Aisha (who is Black) and Musa (who is thought to be Chinese).
What Is The Name Of The Magical Boarding School In Otherwood?
For those unfamiliar with Winx Club, it’s a show about a group of fairies who attend Alfea, a magical boarding school in Otherwood (that gives us major X-Mansion and Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters vibes).The show follows Bloom (Abigail Cowen), Musa (Elisha Applebaum), Aisha (Precious Mustapha), Terra (who’s Flora, but Netflix decided to change her name; she’s played by Eliot Salt), and Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen), with Bloom as their team leader of sorts. “Bloom has the potential to be one of the most powerful fairies the world has ever known,” the trailer voiceover says.
What Did Some Fans Of Fate: The Winx Saga Bring Up After The Trailer’S Debut?
Some fans of Fate: The Winx Saga fans have brought up the whitewashing of characters, particularly Musa and Flora, after the trailer’s debut. Netflix launched the trailer for its upcoming live-action adaptation of the Winx Club animated series, Fate: The Winx Saga, yesterday on YouTube. Fans of the Winx Club series have begun to point out that the series has whitewashed two of its most prominent characters.
The absence of another character, Tecna, was also addressed as well as unflattering comparisons drawn between Fate: The Winx Saga’s aesthetic and that of shows like Riverdale. Wasn’t Musa asian, and Flora definitely wasn’t white also where tf is Tecna #WinxClub pic.twitter.com/D04LPBZqtE — ❄️ Nyxc (@NyxxCraft) December 10, 2020 WHAT IS THIS?!1?!,’!;¿!? WHY DID TJEY WHITEWASH MUSA AND FLORA?!!?!?
WHERE’S THE GLAM THE STYLE?!!? THIS ISN’T WINX THIS IS RIVERDALE WITH FAIRYS pic.twitter.com/Va337O1d3d — lela☁️ slightly ia (@tbhcabel) December 10, 2020 Created by Iginio Straffi, Winx Club follows the adventures of a fairy named Bloom who enlists in Alfea College to hone her skills alongside her friends. Fate: The Winx Saga follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.
Eve Best (Nurse Jackie), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Josh Cowdery (Legends), Alex Macqueen (Peaky Blinders) and Eva Birthistle (The Last Kingdom) also star. The series premieres Jan. 22, 2021 on Netflix.
What Is The Name Of Netflix’S Young Adult Adaptation Of Winx Club?
Netflix released a trailer for their upcoming young adult adaptation of the popular Italian-American animated series Winx Club, titled Fate: The Winx Saga, and it is as sadly generic young adult fantasy as one would expect. Fate: The Winx Saga, coming January 22 pic.twitter.com/VWEyfTLWRB — Netflix (@netflix) December 10, 2020 When I think of The Winx Club as a series, I think of the bright color palette, the over-the-top costumes, and the pure, sparkly magical girl elements of the series. This ain’t it.
Except why would adult fans of a magical girl animated cartoon want a show that does not incorporate any of the aesthetic of the series? Also disappointing is the whitewashing of Musa and the erasure of Flora. Aisha, thankfully, is included and is a dark-skinned woman, but this means that rather than an even split of racial and ethnic diversity among the core six, there is now only one major character of color in the cast.
We want sparkles. There is a pandemic! Also, where are the witches of Cloud Tower serving high goth petty realness? (image: Screengrab/Netflix/Nickelodeon) Want more stories like this?
Daria Paterek When Netflix announced a Winx adaptation, Fate: The Winx Saga – fans of the original cartoon were thrilled. Whitewashing refers to the practice of casting a white actor to represent a non-white character, and it is a deeply problematic issue ingrained in the media industry. This casting decision demonstrates how Asian characters are often played by actors who are only partly Asian, and white-passing.
This not only demonstrates whitewashing, but it also illustrates the erasure of POC characters in the show. Netflix’s Winx casting was a massive disappointment to fans worldwide since the original Winx series made POC children feel seen and represented within the media. So why, if Netflix is open to casting and representing POC, did they whitewash two Winx characters?
Even when POC actors are hired, they are likely to be cast by mixed or light skin actors, perpetuating whiteness as the norm. Whitewashing denies jobs to minority actors; while POC actors compete with white people for POC roles, it is rare to see white characters portrayed by POC. It also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media Whitewashing not only reduces opportunities for POC actors, but it also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media; it perpetuates racist ideas that POC are not important enough to be represented.
While whitewashing may seem like a concept that has been challenged and overcome in recent productions, I want to bring attention to a recent Netflix production that includes similar concepts to whitewashing, including race-baiting and performative diversity – Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative Despite Bridgerton being advertised as a fully inclusive, colour- blind series, Youtuber Khadija Mbowe highlights the problems in Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative.
Despite claiming on their website that ‘since 2017, we have been building the foundation for inclusion to take root within Netflix’, this is not reflected in their recent productions. Fate: The Winx Saga not only whitewashes existing POC characters but also erases POC characters and enforces white dominance within popular culture. Daria Paterek Featured image courtesy of Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash.
What Anime-Inspired Series Has Been Hit With Backlash For Whitewashing Characters?
Netflix’s anime-inspired series “Fate: The Winx Saga” has been hit with backlash for “whitewashing” characters in adapting the series to live action. The series follows a group of teenage girls attending the Alfea College for Fairies; each has the ability to transform into a fairy with unique powers, which they use to fight all manner of monsters. According to ScreenRant, two characters — Musa and Flora — are depicted as women of colour in the animated series; in the live-action version, however, Musa is played by a white actress, while Flora (who is Latina in the original) has been replaced by a new white character, Terra.
Elisha Applebaum, who plays Musa, spoke with Digital Spy about the controversy. “It’s really sad to see that fans were upset with the casting,” she said. “I wasn’t involved in the casting but I hope that what they’ve seen and how I’ve portrayed Musa was to their liking.
Eliot Salt, who plays Terra (who’s introduced as Flora’s cousin), said she hopes that Flora will be introduced in the second season. “I think it’s really important that we do see [Terra and Flora together] and if we’re lucky enough to get a season two that’s my greatest hope,” she said. “I think the conversations that have happened around that have been really important and I’m really glad that they’ve happened,” she added.
Who Created Fate: The Winx Saga?
New Netflix live-action adaptation Fate: The Winx Saga, however, not only whitewashes pivotal characters from the original series, but it also loses the cutesy magic of the original cartoon fantasy. Created in 2004 by Italian animator Iginio Straffi, Winx Club was ahead of its time. The fantasy genre was anything but diverse in the mid-2000s, but Winx Club changed that by showing young girls from various backgrounds, each with her own multi-dimensional portrayal.
It reminded me of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and how drastically different it was to the original, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Like CAOS, it’s clearly a new show for a new audience. However, that writing choice just makes the blatant erasure of characters of color even more apparent.
It was very common to depict white characters in fantasy stories, centering white heroes while characters of color were ignored. We see that even in beloved works: in Princess and the Frog, where Tiana is a frog for the majority of the film; in The Emperor’s New Groove, where Emperor Kuzco was portrayed as a llama; and in American Dragon, where Jake Long becomes the titular creature. We saw it again in the movie Soul — main character Joe is a jazz musician and band teacher, yet when he travels to another dimension, he is transformed into some blob-like being.
Winx Club was the exception to that rule. Both Bloom and Stella are portrayed as white fairies in the cartoon, whereas our fairies of color were Flora (generally inferred to be Latinx), Aisha (who is Black) and Musa (who is thought to be Chinese).
What Is The Name Of The Magical Boarding School In Otherwood?
For those unfamiliar with Winx Club, it’s a show about a group of fairies who attend Alfea, a magical boarding school in Otherwood (that gives us major X-Mansion and Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters vibes).The show follows Bloom (Abigail Cowen), Musa (Elisha Applebaum), Aisha (Precious Mustapha), Terra (who’s Flora, but Netflix decided to change her name; she’s played by Eliot Salt), and Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen), with Bloom as their team leader of sorts. “Bloom has the potential to be one of the most powerful fairies the world has ever known,” the trailer voiceover says.
What Did Some Fans Of Fate: The Winx Saga Bring Up After The Trailer’S Debut?
Some fans of Fate: The Winx Saga fans have brought up the whitewashing of characters, particularly Musa and Flora, after the trailer’s debut. Netflix launched the trailer for its upcoming live-action adaptation of the Winx Club animated series, Fate: The Winx Saga, yesterday on YouTube. Fans of the Winx Club series have begun to point out that the series has whitewashed two of its most prominent characters.
The absence of another character, Tecna, was also addressed as well as unflattering comparisons drawn between Fate: The Winx Saga’s aesthetic and that of shows like Riverdale. Wasn’t Musa asian, and Flora definitely wasn’t white also where tf is Tecna #WinxClub pic.twitter.com/D04LPBZqtE — ❄️ Nyxc (@NyxxCraft) December 10, 2020 WHAT IS THIS?!1?!,’!;¿!? WHY DID TJEY WHITEWASH MUSA AND FLORA?!!?!?
WHERE’S THE GLAM THE STYLE?!!? THIS ISN’T WINX THIS IS RIVERDALE WITH FAIRYS pic.twitter.com/Va337O1d3d — lela☁️ slightly ia (@tbhcabel) December 10, 2020 Created by Iginio Straffi, Winx Club follows the adventures of a fairy named Bloom who enlists in Alfea College to hone her skills alongside her friends. Fate: The Winx Saga follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.
Eve Best (Nurse Jackie), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Josh Cowdery (Legends), Alex Macqueen (Peaky Blinders) and Eva Birthistle (The Last Kingdom) also star. The series premieres Jan. 22, 2021 on Netflix.
What Is The Name Of Netflix’S Young Adult Adaptation Of Winx Club?
Netflix released a trailer for their upcoming young adult adaptation of the popular Italian-American animated series Winx Club, titled Fate: The Winx Saga, and it is as sadly generic young adult fantasy as one would expect. Fate: The Winx Saga, coming January 22 pic.twitter.com/VWEyfTLWRB — Netflix (@netflix) December 10, 2020 When I think of The Winx Club as a series, I think of the bright color palette, the over-the-top costumes, and the pure, sparkly magical girl elements of the series. This ain’t it.
Except why would adult fans of a magical girl animated cartoon want a show that does not incorporate any of the aesthetic of the series? Also disappointing is the whitewashing of Musa and the erasure of Flora. Aisha, thankfully, is included and is a dark-skinned woman, but this means that rather than an even split of racial and ethnic diversity among the core six, there is now only one major character of color in the cast.
We want sparkles. There is a pandemic! Also, where are the witches of Cloud Tower serving high goth petty realness? (image: Screengrab/Netflix/Nickelodeon) Want more stories like this?
Daria Paterek When Netflix announced a Winx adaptation, Fate: The Winx Saga – fans of the original cartoon were thrilled. Whitewashing refers to the practice of casting a white actor to represent a non-white character, and it is a deeply problematic issue ingrained in the media industry. This casting decision demonstrates how Asian characters are often played by actors who are only partly Asian, and white-passing.
This not only demonstrates whitewashing, but it also illustrates the erasure of POC characters in the show. Netflix’s Winx casting was a massive disappointment to fans worldwide since the original Winx series made POC children feel seen and represented within the media. So why, if Netflix is open to casting and representing POC, did they whitewash two Winx characters?
Even when POC actors are hired, they are likely to be cast by mixed or light skin actors, perpetuating whiteness as the norm. Whitewashing denies jobs to minority actors; while POC actors compete with white people for POC roles, it is rare to see white characters portrayed by POC. It also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media Whitewashing not only reduces opportunities for POC actors, but it also has deep psychological consequences for minority children who are not fully represented in the media; it perpetuates racist ideas that POC are not important enough to be represented.
While whitewashing may seem like a concept that has been challenged and overcome in recent productions, I want to bring attention to a recent Netflix production that includes similar concepts to whitewashing, including race-baiting and performative diversity – Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative Despite Bridgerton being advertised as a fully inclusive, colour- blind series, Youtuber Khadija Mbowe highlights the problems in Bridgerton. Even in shows that Netflix claims to be diverse and inclusive, diversity is merely performative.
Despite claiming on their website that ‘since 2017, we have been building the foundation for inclusion to take root within Netflix’, this is not reflected in their recent productions. Fate: The Winx Saga not only whitewashes existing POC characters but also erases POC characters and enforces white dominance within popular culture. Daria Paterek Featured image courtesy of Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash.
What Anime-Inspired Series Has Been Hit With Backlash For Whitewashing Characters?
Netflix’s anime-inspired series “Fate: The Winx Saga” has been hit with backlash for “whitewashing” characters in adapting the series to live action. The series follows a group of teenage girls attending the Alfea College for Fairies; each has the ability to transform into a fairy with unique powers, which they use to fight all manner of monsters. According to ScreenRant, two characters — Musa and Flora — are depicted as women of colour in the animated series; in the live-action version, however, Musa is played by a white actress, while Flora (who is Latina in the original) has been replaced by a new white character, Terra.
Elisha Applebaum, who plays Musa, spoke with Digital Spy about the controversy. “It’s really sad to see that fans were upset with the casting,” she said. “I wasn’t involved in the casting but I hope that what they’ve seen and how I’ve portrayed Musa was to their liking.
Eliot Salt, who plays Terra (who’s introduced as Flora’s cousin), said she hopes that Flora will be introduced in the second season. “I think it’s really important that we do see [Terra and Flora together] and if we’re lucky enough to get a season two that’s my greatest hope,” she said. “I think the conversations that have happened around that have been really important and I’m really glad that they’ve happened,” she added.
Who Created Fate: The Winx Saga?
New Netflix live-action adaptation Fate: The Winx Saga, however, not only whitewashes pivotal characters from the original series, but it also loses the cutesy magic of the original cartoon fantasy. Created in 2004 by Italian animator Iginio Straffi, Winx Club was ahead of its time. The fantasy genre was anything but diverse in the mid-2000s, but Winx Club changed that by showing young girls from various backgrounds, each with her own multi-dimensional portrayal.
It reminded me of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and how drastically different it was to the original, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Like CAOS, it’s clearly a new show for a new audience. However, that writing choice just makes the blatant erasure of characters of color even more apparent.
It was very common to depict white characters in fantasy stories, centering white heroes while characters of color were ignored. We see that even in beloved works: in Princess and the Frog, where Tiana is a frog for the majority of the film; in The Emperor’s New Groove, where Emperor Kuzco was portrayed as a llama; and in American Dragon, where Jake Long becomes the titular creature. We saw it again in the movie Soul — main character Joe is a jazz musician and band teacher, yet when he travels to another dimension, he is transformed into some blob-like being.
Winx Club was the exception to that rule. Both Bloom and Stella are portrayed as white fairies in the cartoon, whereas our fairies of color were Flora (generally inferred to be Latinx), Aisha (who is Black) and Musa (who is thought to be Chinese).
What Is The Name Of The Magical Boarding School In Otherwood?
For those unfamiliar with Winx Club, it’s a show about a group of fairies who attend Alfea, a magical boarding school in Otherwood (that gives us major X-Mansion and Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters vibes).The show follows Bloom (Abigail Cowen), Musa (Elisha Applebaum), Aisha (Precious Mustapha), Terra (who’s Flora, but Netflix decided to change her name; she’s played by Eliot Salt), and Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen), with Bloom as their team leader of sorts. “Bloom has the potential to be one of the most powerful fairies the world has ever known,” the trailer voiceover says.
What Did Some Fans Of Fate: The Winx Saga Bring Up After The Trailer’S Debut?
Some fans of Fate: The Winx Saga fans have brought up the whitewashing of characters, particularly Musa and Flora, after the trailer’s debut. Netflix launched the trailer for its upcoming live-action adaptation of the Winx Club animated series, Fate: The Winx Saga, yesterday on YouTube. Fans of the Winx Club series have begun to point out that the series has whitewashed two of its most prominent characters.
The absence of another character, Tecna, was also addressed as well as unflattering comparisons drawn between Fate: The Winx Saga’s aesthetic and that of shows like Riverdale. Wasn’t Musa asian, and Flora definitely wasn’t white also where tf is Tecna #WinxClub pic.twitter.com/D04LPBZqtE — ❄️ Nyxc (@NyxxCraft) December 10, 2020 WHAT IS THIS?!1?!,’!;¿!? WHY DID TJEY WHITEWASH MUSA AND FLORA?!!?!?
WHERE’S THE GLAM THE STYLE?!!? THIS ISN’T WINX THIS IS RIVERDALE WITH FAIRYS pic.twitter.com/Va337O1d3d — lela☁️ slightly ia (@tbhcabel) December 10, 2020 Created by Iginio Straffi, Winx Club follows the adventures of a fairy named Bloom who enlists in Alfea College to hone her skills alongside her friends. Fate: The Winx Saga follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.
Eve Best (Nurse Jackie), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Josh Cowdery (Legends), Alex Macqueen (Peaky Blinders) and Eva Birthistle (The Last Kingdom) also star. The series premieres Jan. 22, 2021 on Netflix.
What Is The Name Of Netflix’S Young Adult Adaptation Of Winx Club?
Netflix released a trailer for their upcoming young adult adaptation of the popular Italian-American animated series Winx Club, titled Fate: The Winx Saga, and it is as sadly generic young adult fantasy as one would expect. Fate: The Winx Saga, coming January 22 pic.twitter.com/VWEyfTLWRB — Netflix (@netflix) December 10, 2020 When I think of The Winx Club as a series, I think of the bright color palette, the over-the-top costumes, and the pure, sparkly magical girl elements of the series. This ain’t it.
Except why would adult fans of a magical girl animated cartoon want a show that does not incorporate any of the aesthetic of the series? Also disappointing is the whitewashing of Musa and the erasure of Flora. Aisha, thankfully, is included and is a dark-skinned woman, but this means that rather than an even split of racial and ethnic diversity among the core six, there is now only one major character of color in the cast.
We want sparkles. There is a pandemic! Also, where are the witches of Cloud Tower serving high goth petty realness? (image: Screengrab/Netflix/Nickelodeon) Want more stories like this?
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