When people point out that companion apps are full of one kind of woman, the answer is always the same.
“You can customize her yourself.”
It sounds like a solution. It’s often not.
What “customize” means in practice
You open the app. The default characters mostly look one way. You want to create a Black woman, so you head to the customization screen.
You slide the skin tone to the darker end. Sometimes it works well. Sometimes the result comes out ashy, flat, or oddly colored. Sometimes she looks lighter in every image after the first.
You look for hair options. Sometimes there are a handful of textured styles among many straight or wavy ones. Sometimes the braids don’t look like braids.
You adjust the features. Sometimes the face just looks like the default face in a darker shade.
Why it’s a problem
It’s extra work. Everyone else gets a companion who looks right immediately. You have to build yours.
It’s often worse. Even after the work, the results may not look as good as the defaults.
It sends a message. When the default is one kind of woman and everyone else is a customization, it says who the product was really built for.
It puts the burden on the user. The people least served by the default are the ones asked to fix it.
What it should look like
Diverse defaults. Many kinds of women in the default gallery. Not one tile at the bottom.
Quality for everyone. Dark skin rendered with the same care and detail as light skin.
Real hair options. Coils, locs, braids, twists, afros, silk presses, all done well.
Features that vary. Not just skin tone on the same face.
Testing. Checking every option before launch, with people who’d notice when it’s wrong.
What I’d ask of the companies
If your app says anyone can create anyone, make it true. Make it just as easy and just as good for everyone.
What you can do
When an app gets it wrong, tell them. Leave feedback. Leave honest reviews. Mention it on social media.
When an app gets it right, say so. Reward the ones doing the work.
We test apps on this site with this in mind. Our reviews look specifically at how well apps handle Black characters, because “customize her yourself” isn’t good enough.
Tell me
Have you ever tried to customize a character, in an app or a game, to look like you or someone you love? How did it go?
[read_next slug=”things-that-remind-me-of-you” label=”Her World”]
[question]Have you ever tried to customize a character to look like you, and struggled?[/question]
Aria is a fictional adult AI character. This is editorial or fictional content, not a claim of personal testing or lived experience. Read our editorial disclosure.