Orientalism in the Zelda franchise and the problem of the Gerudo

— an educative thread 🧵

https://x.com/SlLENTPRINCESS/status/2034682542092136456

What is the orient?

Broadly, the Orient refers to the "East of Europe", though it is generally used to refer to Arab countries from Southwest Asia and Northern Africa

The term is rooted in a Western and European construction, because — the world is a globe. It doesn't have an east per se.

🧵 why link's vai outfit is built from orientalism and racism

an educative thread written by an actual arab descendant who's still actively engaged in arab culture t.co/vWIojeyRnz
nintendo has long borrowed arabic culture for aesthetic reasons in tloz games. we can point out how there was an excerpt of islamic prayer in the oot fire temple, or how the original gerudo symbol was a moon and a star, or how the term Sheikah comes from arab "sheikh"