Work Text:
What does a ‘Person Of Colour’ look like in the AO3 Ship Stats?
(Or: Fandom’s Colourism Problem)
Above are images of all 40 Characters of Colour in the 2017-2019 Top 100 list for the AO3 Ship Stats. What do they have in common?
Over the span of the AO3 Ship Stats project, the number of characters categorised as POC in the Top 100 has been steadily increasing. However, presenting a simple number hides a second, more subtle trend in the data: the 2017-2019 list was the first in the project’s history which contained no Black characters whatsoever.
Instead, the increase of POC is accounted for by a surge in East Asian characters, primarily originating from a mix of K-Pop and anime fandoms. Although some Latino characters, and a single character played by Native American actor, make the list from appearances in Western media, there is a clear and obvious preference for lighter-skinned characters, some of whom are “white-passing.” (One of the three women of colour shown here is played by a white actress, although the character is explicitly identified as Latina.)
The popular fandoms surrounding the above Characters of Colour are definitely a step in the right direction in a fandom culture dominated by white characters. However, it is always important to question which groups are being represented in fandom and which groups are being left out. For further reading, please see my 2016 essay on the topic.
Bonus: characters described as “Ambiguous” on the list, barring “Reader” characters, are shown below. A full transcription of the data, including character names, is given below.
Data, shown in the format Peak Position In Top 100 - Character Name - Fandom - Number of entries in the Top 100, where more than 1.
1 - Lance (Voltron) - Voltron: Legendary Defender - 3 entries
4 - Magnus Bane - Shadowhunters (TV)
5 - Jeon Jungkook - Bangtan Boys | BTS - 3 entries
5 - Kim Taehyung | V - Bangtan Boys | BTS - 3 entries
9 - Min Yoongi | Suga - Bangtan Boys | BTS - 5 entries
9 - Park Jimin - Bangtan Boys | BTS - 4 entries
10 - Shiro (Voltron) - Voltron: Legendary Defender - 4 entries
12 - Bakugou Katsuki - Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia - 4 entries
12 - Midoriya Izuku - Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia - 3 entries
13 - Katsuki Yuuri - Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
14 - Kirishima Eijirou - Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
17 - Kim Namjoon | RM - Bangtan Boys | BTS - 2 entries
17 - Kim Seokjin | Jin - Bangtan Boys | BTS - 2 entries
19 - Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug - Miraculous Ladybug
20 - Todoroki Shouto - Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia - 2 entries
22 - Jung Hoseok | J-Hope - Bangtan Boys | BTS
36 - Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead - Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
36 - Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic - Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
39 - Dazai Osamu - 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
39 - Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) - 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
47 - Lee Donghyuck | Haechan - NCT (Band)
47 - Mark Lee - NCT (Band)
53 - Byun Baekhyun - EXO (Band)
53 - Park Chanyeol - EXO (Band)
57 - Bellamy Blake - The 100 (TV)
60 - Michael Mell - Be More Chill – Iconis/Tracz
62 - Hanzo Shimada - Overwatch (Video Game)
64 - Theo Raeken - Teen Wolf (TV)
72 - Otabek Altin - Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
74 - Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī - 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
74 - Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn - 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
77 - Do Kyungsoo | D.O - EXO (Band)
77 - Kim Jongin | Kai - EXO (Band)
82 - Noctis Lucis Caelum - Final Fantasy XV
86 - Evil Queen | Regina Mills - Once Upon a Time (TV)
94 - Maggie Sawyer - Supergirl (TV 2015)
95 - Ayanga - 声入人心 | Super-Vocal (TV)
95 - Zhèng Yúnlóng - 声入人心 | Super-Vocal (TV)
99 - Uchiha Sasuke - Naruto
99 - Uzumaki Naruto - Naruto
Bonus: Ambiguous Characters
1 - Keith - Voltron: Legendary Defender - 4 entries
54 - Hermione Granger - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - 2 entries
63 - Adam - Voltron: Legendary Defender
69 - Venom Symbiote - Venom (Movie 2018)