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  [Image: actor Marwan Kenzari in 2019's Aladdin, and 2020's The Old Guard. Side by side example of the same actor in different roles from Hollywood.] What is Orientalism, and why is it bad? In this post I will explain what Orientalism is, with examples of SWANA (formerly MENA) characters specifically, and why Orientalism is a harmful trope in media. What is Orientalism? From the dictionary: Orientalism is the representation of Asia in a stereotyped way that embodies a colonialist attitude.  In my own terms, Orientalism is a depiction of the east through a very White western lens and often ends up being offensive to the very people it is portraying.  For this post I'll be focusing on MENA (Middle Eastern and North African), now SWANA (southwest Asian and North African) and Islamic examples in media. ~*~ Examples of Orientalism for SWANA: 1. Yellow filter That annoying yellow filter onscreen whenever the scene depicts a SWANA or Islamic setting.  Exa...

  [Image: actors Ennis Esmer, and Marwan Kenzari] When It Comes to Positive Muslim Rep, Where Are The Good Guys? It would be good to focus on some positive Muslim character rep for a change. The two examples I've picked aren't from superhero media per se, but I'd call them superhero adjacent. Safe to say if you enjoy superhero content, you'll probably enjoy these recs. Let's dive in. (Minor spoilers ahead.) Example 1. The Old Guard (movie, Netflix) The Old Guard is a 2020 Netflix movie starring Charlize Theron in the lead role, based on the graphic novel written by Greg Rucka.  So it is a comic book movie, and you could call it a superhero movie as the main characters have a superpower and they do superhero-ing. The story is grounded more in reality, mercenaries trying to do good, if you like that kind of theme. [Above image: The Old Guard l-t-r: Joe, Booker, Andy, Nicky, Nile] [Below image: Marwan Kenzari as Joe] The characters of Joe ( Marwan Kenzari ,...

 (Image description: Kevin Feige in front of the Ms Marvel logo) ~ I was just  praising Disney for inclusive content  making the new Ms Marvel show for Disney Plus... Then barely twenty-four hours later, news from the Ms Marvel camp blows up about casting issues on the show. Important note : Most people seem absolutely happy with Iman Vellani 's casting of the lead, Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel. All of the casting issues involve supporting cast/supporting characters only. Let's unpack this. There are at least four known issues  from the casting at Ms Marvel on Disney Plus. The issues are: 1) Casting an Indian woman to play a Pakistani Muslim woman. Zenobia Shroff was cast as Muneeba Khan, Kamala's mother . This casting is confirmed . (Image descriptions: actress Zenobia Shroff, and comic panel of character Muneeba Khan) My reaction: Well, I can't find any helpful information that even tells us if Shroff is Muslim or not, so that's my first question and I h...