#design question

TLDR: I’m designing a Black character based on Rafiki, a mandrill from The Lion King, and I gave her orange lips. I’m not sure if this directly calls back to racist art of the past, but it felt wrong to think this and then not elaborate. I want to make sure I’m being appropriately sensitive in my choices of design. It would be very helpful if I were to get advice from the group this kind of art directly affects!

Hihihi! To anyone seeing this who is Black, particularly Bantu/African diaspora but generally Black as this pertains to stereotypes, I’m currently designing a character based on Rafiki from The Lion King and I’ve gotten about this far:

The orange lips and nose are a more vibrant reinterpretation of the appearance of the mandrill primate (Mandrillus sphinx), pictured here, which Rafiki is based on:

However, I understand that there’s quite a bit of deserved stigma around giving Black characters “donut lips” as this calls back to racist propaganda spread about by white folk and especially imperialists throughout the entirety of the Transatlantic slave trade. It’s not remotely my intention to be insensitive or racist and I’m doing my best to honor the cultures upon which I’ve based this character (Bantu culture as a whole and particularly that of the Fang people), and I feel like it would be a huge misstep not to make sure I’m taking appropriate steps to do so.

Hi everyone!

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What is your favorite design?

To help you chose, I join her Superfinal Fury design!

Does Gambit’s cowl serve a purpose other than like…looking neat? I know he has the altered gloves, but outside of just aesthetics I can’t sort out why he almost always has that.

My best guess other than character silhouette/recognizability is that…maybe it prevents people from touching his head/neck/accidentally setting off his powers? But then this would imply he would need full body coverage and I was always under the impression that Remy was in control of his powers. Like they can’t be set off if an object just brushes him. Considering he’s so strongly tied to a hot, humid climate as a character, it seems like it would honestly SUCK to wear in the deep south.

The only practical explanations I can think of for it are,

1.) Altered balaklava, implying he is always ready to steal something should the opportunity arise.

2.) Again, an altered balaklava. Despite being the “ragin’ cajun” he has a profound love of down hill skiing and is down to let that icy powder fly at his face, any time and anywhere. You never know if a mall will randomly have an indoor ski hill.