racebending:

damnlayoffthebleach:

THIS IS NICK.COM

YES, THEY WHITEWASHED KATARA…

THIS IS NOT FAN ART

THIS IS A SCREENSHOT

http://nicktoons.nick.com/videos/clip/path-to-korra-mythology-spot-65ss.html

NO…

damnlayoffthebleach points out that the Nicktoons website depicts Sokka and Katara as has having distinctly lighter skin than they are depicted as having in the show.  (For example, Katara is drawn as having darker skin than Aang in the show; here she is depicted as having lighter skin than him.)   

This isn’t the first time the character of Katara has been “whitewashed” (such as in The Last Airbender feature film and it’s media-tie ins.)

  

Fan tumblrs like damnlayoffthebleach and korraisnottan have also been examining fan culture’s tendency to describe Korra as “tan” in fan fiction or draw Korra as white in fan art.  This is an ongoing concern in fandom, and it’s troubling that it’s also happening on the official site.

What Can Fans Do to Persuade Nick to Correct the Banner?

1. Leave a Comment on the Page.  The Avatar page takes comments.  This requires creating an account on Nick.com, but if enough people leave comments publicly critiquing the graphic, they may feel pressured to change it to accurately reflect Katara’s appearance as in the animated series.  (It looks like the Nick site allows you to create your own avatar and has a lot of options for skin tones, so consider setting that up to depict you, too.)
2. Contact the Webmaster.  Go to Nick.com’s main page and scroll to the very bottom and click on REPORT A CONCERN.  A pop up window will appear allowing you to report a “technical concern.”  You can compose and send an email here.

Tips to Help Ensure that You are Heard

• Keep your comment or email short and direct.  Three sentences is great, five sentences max is best.
• State who you are (fan or parent of fan), link to the image/page in question, explain how it affects you, and remember to clearly state how they can fix it (eg. use a different image that depicts Katara with brown skin, etc.)
• Be friendly—the person reading the comment or email is likely not the person responsible for this image—they may not even be familiar with Katara or Avatar.  Share your opinion in a clear and helpful manner to make it easy for them to understand your concern.  It’s in everyone’s best interest that this be addressed!
• Let us know if you get a response!

Katara… Sokka… you were supposed to lay off the bleach! 

(Source: damnlayoffthebleach)