diversity in Sailor Moon

no racial diversity but plenty of diverse personalities

Diversity in Sailor Moon

In the show Sailor Moon, there is absolutely no racial diversity. If you take a look at the pictures on this web site you will not find any character that is not caucasian and I guarantee that you will not find any on another web site either. There are no black people and not even any Asian people (really surprising as this is a Japanese show) portrayed in Sailor Moon. What effect could this possibly have on young people? Well, I believe that young people of African and of Asian descent and all other non-white youngsters will feel that their race is not as important in this world as the white race. I believe that this is a form of oppression because young people (of all races) who are somehow encouraged to think that the white race is the only race or the most important race are not given the chance to grow in the sense that they might not be as tolerant to people they do not understand or value. Moreover, if a young person is shown that their race does not count then they will not be able to develop a secure sense of self.

However, despite the fact that there is no racial diversity, there is still some cultural diversity. For example, sailors Uranus and Neptune (their picture is the background on this page) are lesbians and have daughter.

Finally, there is much diverisity in the characters' personalities. When asked about the characters' beauty many people replied that the point of the show was not the characters' looks but their personalities. All of the people we interviewed went into great detail about the characters' personalities. Here were some of their responses:

"I think they portray all sorts of personalities in women for example

Serena is a crybaby and ditzy but she is a loyal friend. Amy is smart

and independant and doesn't rely on other people. Raye is

strong-willed and independant and also very pushy. Lita is a fighter

and doesn't think before acting and Mina is basically like Serena."

"Each of the girls is given a personality and it's expanded. They aren't
just sitting there like SpiderMan's Mary Jane and some of the X-Women do.
They are given all emotions and a great responsibility. I think these girls
are good role models for kids and give them good messages. I think they
teach abouut differences and teach kids not to be afraid of differences. I
personally wish they'd show all of the episodes here and stop being so
closed minded about the relationship of two of the [lesbian] Sailor Scouts. I think
that this show teaches kids about the world and about how to be strong not
just submissive. I mean, we have Usagi/Serena who acts alot like some
teenagers: Boys, no studying, shopping, ect. But at the same time, she
learns to take on a greater responsibility. Ami/Amy shows that studying
does pay off and that it leads to something greater. She can study and
still have fun. Rei/Raye is a very strong and stubborn individual who has
a spirituality and takes on great responsiblity with or without her powers.
She shows another aspect of culture as well. Mako/Lita is a tall, tomboyish
cook who really represents the other half of women. I think she is a great
character cause she will stand up for herself and she's not afraid to.
Minako/Mina is the supermodel intelligent one. She teaches that there is
brains behind beauty. Haruka and Michiru teach about having a goal and
about being different... that it can be a beautiful thing. Setsuna shows
great responsibility, ect ect. I think they are wonderful rolemodels."

I believe that giving young girls the example of many different women's personalities makes for many good role models. Because all of the Sailor Scouts are encouraged to be individuals, some of them not fulfilling the traditionally female roles, young girls watching the show may learn that girls can be many things. A girl does not have to be shy, want to stay home all the time, keep her nose in the books all the time, but she can if she wants to. I think that the various personalities exhibitied in Sailor Moon could empower young girls (except perhaps in the area of romance). It says to me: GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING! and that is a very positive thing for todays young girls who have oppertunities -- all we have to do is persue our goals!

In conclusion, although there is no racial diversity in Sailor Moon, there are other kinds of diversity. The kind of diversity in Sailor Moon does not empower people of colour (generally speaking) but it does empower young women. Once again, GIRLS REALLY CAN DO ANYTHING!!!

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