Photo credit: Michael Dodge / Getty images
A Japanese noodle company is facing a lot of scrutiny after a anime-style advertisement video, shows the U.S. open winner, Naomi Osaka, with what appears to be white skin. The tennis player is biracial, half- Haitian, half-Japanese.
The video has been now retracted, since the backlash the company has been facing. The video surfaced the Internet and social media users feel as though the image doesn’t capture the player’s full heritage.
According to The New York Times, the illustration was drawn by Takeshi Konomi, a well-known manga artist. The company, Nissin, said Konomi worked with the young tennis player’s team to develop a character that was “in line with his series.”
Osaka responds to controversy, “I don’t think they did it on purpose to be, like, whitewashing or anything. But I definitely think that the next time they try to portray me or something, I feel like they should talk to me about it.”
See the picture below.
Some thoughts on Nissin’s Whitewashing of Naomi Osaka and what it signifies. https://t.co/DIcKYVmuQN #BlackEye pic.twitter.com/RZ5ey9v10s
— Baye McNeil (@BayeMcneil) January 19, 2019