The longer I read about Nagini the woman, the more upset I get.
J. K. Rowling used to be a hero of mine. Now, I can't help but be disappointed.
I have been a die-hard Harry Potter fan since the moment I could read. I was 4 years old when the first movie came out and my father took me to the movies to see it. I might not have understood it, but I did enjoy it.
As the years have gone on, I've noticed a trend in mega authors and mega television writers. Fanservice. A lot of the times when an author writes a series that becomes successful, they throw caution to the wind and do what they think will make them more money. (Sarah J. Maas, for example.) It becomes less about what the author or writer wants and more about what the fans want.
We live in a diverse world and representation is called for. But not in a way that is harmful and disrespectful to women and people of color, not in a way that is harmful to LGBT+.
My problem with Nagini is this: she is a woman of color who is kept in a cage by a white man. She is an Asian woman who is associated with snakes and later villainous deeds. As an Asian woman, I can't stand for something like this. I love Claudia Kim, I do, and I do not place blame on her for taking this role. She has bills to pay and a dream to chase and I applaud her for it. I do blame J. K. Rowling and the scripting team who thought this was appropriate.
I also do not appreciate her mislabeling the mythology behind Nagini. While there are tales of snake creatures in almost all Asian cultures, Nāga comes from India and Indian mythology. That is the origin of the myth and legend. She is using a Sanskrit word meaning "snake". So when she incorrectly labeled nāgin, nāgini, or nāga as Indonesian, I was upset.
This is not the first time Rowling has said something without base in the books. I understand the need for time and place with backstory, but there were opportunities for many expansions in the books.
When she announced Dumbledore was gay, there was no contextual evidence supporting that. Again, I'm all for it, but I don't understand why she would say that and there be no evidence, especially when there were numerous times for his sexuality to be brought to light. I understand this is Harry's story, but there were plenty of moments to explain this.
When "The Cursed Child" was being cast, there were many people outraged about Hermione being black. Rowling fought back and said that it was a beautiful image and she left Hermione's appearance in the books ambiguous enough that it wouldn't make a difference. Again, I am here for a sis of color making money and chasing her dreams. I'm not here for Rowling taking credit for someone else's casting choice.
Continuing with casting choices, I believe it is a mistake to leave Johnny Depp in the movies. After his divorce from Amber Heard, Rowling infamously was liking tweets on twitter calling Heard a liar and gold digger, saying she lied about Depp's domestic abuse. Rowling, a self-proclaimed feminist, should support all women...right?
I hope with all of the backlashes against these choices Rowling keeps making, she will eventually learn how to effectively give representation. And I hope that one day in the future, it doesn't feel forced because representation and diversity is what the people want.
