EMAIL: contact@zag-inc.com
SUBJECT: CONCERNS TOWARDS MIRACULOUS LADYBUG
Hello, I am [Name] from [Country], and I have been an avid fan of Miraculous Ladybug since [Year]. I am emailing today on behalf of many other fans with concerns towards past actions by both Thomas Astruc and Wilfried Pain, actions that have yet to be acknowledged by either of them or merely brushed off. I am also concerned with many racist stereotypes used in the show and the lack of diversity in the writing team, both things that I believe can be amended and do not line up with the core values of Miraculous Ladybug.
In 2017, the Miraculous Ladybug comic titled “Miraculous Adventures” was released, and later in the year on September 30th, 2017, a concerned fan asked Thomas Astruc on Twitter about comic panels and the racist writing and depictions of black men in the comic. Thomas Astruc brushed off concerns by stating “Have you fully read this comic?” and then responded with “Then please read it fully before going all SJW with me. Thanks.” By doing so, he avoided further questioning about it, and gaslighted the fan in an attempt to make them feel in the wrong.
This action was not only tone deaf but also offensive to the Black community, as the panels are in fact racist, and depict black men as dangerous and threatening to Marinette – who was also unclothed at the time and dressed in only a box. In the panel, Marinette says “So, I see you’re looting… I mean, moving out! You’re right, it’s safer, considering the situation… please don’t kill me.” This idea reinforces the belief that POC and Black communities “loot” or steal and that they are not to be trusted, and that those reading should also fear them, a harmful thing to assume when many of the fans who engage in Miraculous Ladybug content are young audiences and can be easily influenced by the dialogue. Furthermore, one of the men in the comic are introduced as being named “Ghetto Blaster”, the use of the word “ghetto” a harmful word in itself that has long since been associated with racial segregation and harmful stereotypes that carry far past Black communities into its Jewish roots.
Thomas and his attempts to brush off the significance of the panels are in need of an apology, no matter the amount of time that has passed since then. By attempting to ignore this and brush off the concerns, he is allowing the cycle of oppression and harmful stereotypes to continue. We, the fans, need an outright apology and acknowledgement of this, otherwise his tweets now in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement are not only ones we cannot truly believe come from him genuinely, but tweets that are downright disrespectful.
Furthermore, there are issues in the show. Alya is depicted with the “Sassy Black Best Friend” trope, has slowly been moved to a background character, and when she is mentioned, it’s with Nino. Nino is also a victim to being disregarded, as he is continually not on any merchandise, ignored in many superhero lineups, or like Alya, is not a core character in episodes unless he is with Alya. Alya has also been attacked for months on end by fans in the form of racist fanart, fanfictions, and think pieces penned by people in the Miraculous Ladybug community due to episodes aired that put Alya in a bad light, such as Chameleon and Reflekdoll, where many people defended their actions by stating that she was a bad friend. Max was noticeably lighter when he transformed in Party Crasher as well, which many fans found issue with due to the fact he is one of the only dark-skinned characters in the show. Lila is also noted to be lighter in several scenes and episodes too, which begs the question as to whether this is an intentional move to alter the tanner or dark-skinned characters over time or simply an issue with the various studios working on these episodes. Along with this, Marinette is noticeably white-washed, with bright blue eyes and features that do not resemble someone of Chinese-French descent, although this does not go without saying that there are people of Asian or mixed descent who can have similar features to Marinette and should not be ignored or erased from the conversation. While we understand the show is made with Western animation and wants to reach fans around globally, there are clear issues with the representation we’ve been given, especially when Marinette’s uncle was akumatized and given the name “Kung Food” back in season one, and should be amended and acknowledged.
Where the past paragraph has been devoted to address the problems with the representation in the show, it is also necessary to address the issues that are not in the show, namely the fact that Miraculous Ladybug does not have a Hijabi wearing or Muslim character in the show. Thomas Astruc responded to a fan’s questions on this in February 16, 2018, saying that he was “fine avoiding: religion having a deep impact on young audience through a cartoon I’m responsible for” and that having a person wear a hijab in the show was “a religious symbol nevertheless.” Now, we are aware that France is a secular country, and that there are always precautions to ensure that everyone is treated equally and fairly in the country, along with laws that prevent religious symbols or have outright banned certain wardrobe, like the ban on burkinis that dates back to 2009. However, it begs the question whether some of these precautions are becoming extremist, and that by not allowing Miraculous Ladybug to show some positive representation that can help send a message globally, that you too are contributing to the issue at hand. To use the words from another person who has written to you earlier, “This is not about promoting a religious symbol. It’s about allowing young people of all backgrounds to see themselves in the media they consume and feel worthy of their inclusion.”
There is also clear hypocrisy to excuse not adding a hijabi character or any character with such representation by saying you want to avoid having anything that will have “a deep impact on young audiences through a cartoon” only to turn around and have Christmas geared episodes and making Nathaniel Jewish. You cannot say that you are trying to avoid putting ideas in children’s heads or making a deep impact through watching your cartoon, and then continue to include holidays that have long since been associated and connected to other religions whilst profiting off of fans who are a part of the religions you’re excluding.
And it is understandable to sit and say “This is a kid’s show, it’s not that serious” but that does not give the show an excuse to portray their characters as such, or to excuse the comics. Many shows geared for young children such as Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, She-ra: Princesses of Power, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Adventure Time were all shows geared towards children and young audiences, had similar fanbases as yours, and worked hard to show representation in their characters that did not feel forced, while also bringing awareness to social issues and working hard to avoid offending its fanbase or disregarding fan concerns. They all have also published comics or books with the characters in it and have avoided the racist commentary depicted in Miraculous Ladybug’s. Clearly, this is an internal issue, and one that needs to be addressed.
With that in mind, this email and message cannot end with acknowledging another issue, of Wilfried Pain’s past drawings and art that depicted Ladybug in sexually suggestive poses, an underaged character and the main character in a show that his name is attached to. These are drawings that simply cannot be ignored, and it is a right to all members in the fandom to get an apology and response concerning these. No matter what is his reasoning, there is absolutely nothing that can be provided as good justification for that, nor something that we can hope has since ceased, but simply acknowledging this can help the fanbase move forward and amend some of the issues of the past.
Best wishes,
[Name]
Sources to topics in this email:
Thomas’ first response: https://twitter.com/thomas_astruc/status/914303511843737600?s=21
Second response: https://twitter.com/thomas_astruc/status/914320290443866112?s=21
Third response: https://twitter.com/thomas_astruc/status/964572927189573633?s=21
Fourth response: https://twitter.com/thomas_astruc/status/964574865729773569?s=21
History into the word “ghetto”: https://time.com/5684505/ghetto-word-history/
Links to Wilfired’s drawings: