reuploading my previous post because i lowk wrote it when i was a bit fustrated and i've collected my thoughts better now!!
the upcoming moonlight cosmetics do still feel orientalist. especially when pictured on the moonlight npc as shown. but i do acknowledge that it is likely meant to be somewhat based off dunhuang dance costume, since if you look at the performances you can find silhouettes not unlike what is in the early/live/beta preview. both the dance and 9cd story find their origin in the mogao/dunhuang caves, which contain murals depicting chinese buddhist tales. but to me, it is so stripped of detail that it just looks vaguely asian/arab and comes across as orientalist instead, even when you acknowledge the background.
i feel as though all that has to be done is to add more detail that makes these inspirations transparent. and i'd probably remove the veil item entirely, if not turn it into only the head marking, because to me, thats really what tips it towards orientalism.
i can also admit that you should probably take my statement with a grain of salt because im not of these cultures and i dont speak for them! i just want to voice my concerns from my research and observation of tgc having a history of not really being the best at representation, and this not being their first rodeo with orientalism (season of enchantment)
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