Let’s get rid of the whitewashing Isabela mods!
Would you believe me if I told you that one of the most popular downloaded mods on NexusMods for Dragon Age II, is a mod called “Sexy Fair Skinned Isabela”? If you’re at all aware of the anti-Black racism that exists in fandom spaces, then I imagine you would.
Well, now we have the power to do something about it.
The current File Submission Guidelines for NexusMods includes a section on Inappropriate Content. Under this section, reads the following:
“Content that may be generally construed as provocative, divisive, objectionable, discriminatory, or abusive toward any real-world individual or group, may be subject to moderation. This includes but is not limited to content involving politics, race, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or social class. We tolerate content related to real world issues and events as long as the appropriate tag ("Real World Issues") is used and the content is handled in a tasteful, respectful, and non-inflammatory manner. Users who do not wish to see such content should make use of our content blocking feature.”
Now, unfortunately this rule has been abused by folks who want mods that add inclusivity taken down. (I myself had my mod that gave BG3’s Shadowheart darker skin removed.) HOWEVER, it has also been successfully used to get rid of whitewashing mods within the Baldur’s Gate 3 modding community! So, why not for Dragon Age as well?
Dragon Age II may be an older game now, but that does not make it any less against these guidelines to have mods like the following remain up:
Sexy Fair Skinned Isabela v2 by lustrianna
Sexy Outfit for Fair Skinned Isabela by lustrianna
Dark Celtic Isabela by Ravenwolfie
Dark Celtic Isabela Head 1 by Ravenwolfie
Alternative Isabela by omegadeity
iveys Isabela by jandwivey
Isabela Improved Armor by Stacycmc
(There are, of course, other whitewashed mods as well, for Fenris and Sebastian. But I think NexusMods might be more receptive if we have a targeted campaign at a time. So, I personally think the best strategy is to currently focus on Isabela. She definitely has the most.)
1. Under the “About This Mod” section on the Mod Description tab, there is a “Report Abuse” button.
2. A pop-up will appear asking why you wish to report the mod. Select, “I believe this mod is breaking the rules” and click “Next”.
3. When asked how you believe the mod is breaking the rules, select “Inappropriate Content” and click “Next”.
4. When asked why the content is inappropriate, select “Other Terms of Service violation” and click “Next”.
5. This is where you must describe how the content is breaking the guidelines. I strongly suggest quoting the guidelines themselves. Don’t make it too long, but remember you must outline why this is wrong as if you are speaking to an ignorant baby. Here’s an example message I’ve written:
Isabela is a Black character, as confirmed by game writers Sheryl Chee and David Gaider. This mod changes Isabela to make her white, and breaks the Inappropriate Content guidelines: “Content that may be generally construed as provocative, divisive, objectionable, discriminatory, or abusive toward any real-world individual or group, may be subject to moderation.” As such, this mod should not belong on NexusMods and must be removed.
Is this quite a tedious task to report all these mods? Yes. But I believe it is a worthy one, if we can successfully get rid of them. This will only work if a lot of people come forward and participate. So please, if you use NexusMods, take a few minutes to help clean up this racism!
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