#askbog

Usually, the very first piece of characterisation you see is the character design. There are many important elements to it, but an important one is the silhouette, and two main things stand out in Pekoyama’s: the sword bag, and the ribbons. I believe these represent the two most important aspects of her character.

Overall, Pekoyama is dressed very practically without much individual flair, I believe there's even a reference sheet that states that everything other than her swordbag was provided by the academy (and while I think that's a little bit of an overexaggeration, she probably had a glasses prescription), I think it says a lot about her character context. She's wearing a standard uniform, and her hair is tied into braids, which is practical and not super unique.

And then there's the ribbons, which contrast this image by offering a softer, more individual touch. I've always seen the dichotomy between these two elements of her design as symbolising those two key elements of Pekoyama's personality: her duty, and her softness.

The thing about the ribbons is that wearing them is a choice Pekoyama has to make every single morning. It is a choice she has continued to make, despite the fact that so much has changed from the CG of her as a child where we first see her with them. And I think that says as much about her character as the ribbons themselves do. (For more in-depth looks into this, read woven.)

(I do also agree with them symbolising her clinging to her femininity, I just see it as a smaller part of this wider element.)

Peko flat out say she doesn’t think anyone sees her as cute or feminine (specifically Fuyuhiko).

I don’t think being ‘cute’ or ‘feminine’ (or reflecting on her aesthetics other than for practical contexts) is something Pekoyama really thinks about. Especially since she’d see them as useless in regards to her duty.

I think what that birthday tweet tells us indirectly is that Pekoyama’s use of the ribbons is something she does purely for herself, without thinking about how it affects other people’s perceptions of her. Pekoyama doesn’t think anyone sees her as cute or feminine, because I don’t think she sees herself as cute or feminine. She allows herself that small, personal pleasure, but not anything deeper, otherwise it will become more apparent that it clashes with her main motivation (her duty). 

I said that Pekoyama has a dichotomy in her personality. I think she gets over it by pretending the more personal motivations aren’t there. (Though they still inevitably drive her, because she is a human being with wants and interests, no matter how much she doesn’t believe that.)

Then in her anniversary outfit, when she’s supposed to look nice, she has a detailed hair ornament. So Peko does want to look nice but doesn’t think she’s worth the time and will only do it for fancy events.

Drawing conclusions about Pekoyama's character from her anniversary outfit is iffy to me, because it's sort of in a vacuum from her character. Like... it's not an extension of a story about the characters going to prom, its purpose first and foremost is to be a cool design. There just isn't enough context for me to make any firm analysis (e.g. we don't know if Pekoyama is in her tool mindset or not, to give one example.)

But to give at least some kind of answer, perhaps this is an example of Pekoyama leaning more into her own desires about how she wants to dress, perhaps rationalised and downplayed under the excuse that she needs to dress formal, and these are the expectations of her.

I.e. the parts of her character that led to her wearing the ribbons in the first place being put more in the spotlight.

-

Now, let me talk about something you did not mention but I mentioned in my reblog, because I think it's also relevant. Which is why I like seeing ribbons appear in post-canon Pekoyama designs, also for symbolism's sake.

A lot of post-canon Pekoyama designs have Pekoyama let her hair down from her braids, which can also be seen symbolically as her departing from the practicality that her duty required. (hair loose = greater opportunity to be grabbed and dragged, and a counterweight you have to account for with every move you make.)

However, Remnant Pekoyama’s design also has her mostly let her hair down, also to contrast her original design, with the the symbolism here probably indicating that this woman is off the rails. 

Does this mean that I automatically associate Pekoyama with her hair down with her Remnant design? No. But I think if the hair down and the ribbons are combined in post-canon, it takes on this new symbolism of representing those two key eras of Pekoyama’s life, and thus showing how she’s lived and grown from those experiences. 

Also, I think that Pekoyama’s ribbons can take on meaning if she wears them post-canon from the fact that they are absent from her Remnant design. Therefore showing that she’s returned more to herself, and specifically is doing what she wants to do, rather than what she’s been manipulated into believing she should do.

Conclusion:

Pekoyama has two key driving elements of her personality: her duty and her humanity. I think the contrast of the ribbons, which have no practical reason to be worn other than her own pleasure, symbolises the latter. I think Pekoyama downplays this fact to herself in order to keep her worldview in tact. I think the ribbons can take on new meanings of growth and humanity if used in post-canon.