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23 comments

I mean it could also that ugly corporate art style that just won't go away

It seems deliberate. The pastel hair, gigantic bosom, absolutely straight side/back, with nary a hint of hips or a waist, micro-mini skirt with high black boots. I mean, nobody on Duolingo exactly has a figure, but you can tell who's what (well, someone here says they also non-binaryed Lin, but she's still obviously meant to be female)

I don’t think a company would portray a TIM like that unless they were trying to be TERFy

That's kind of the irony of the whole situation. In order to show trans representation, they have to show someone sounding/looking/acting in ways opposite to their birth sex, which must also be obvious. But it puts paid to the fantasy that they are just the same as people born to sex they wish they were.

Breast but no hips or hips but no breasts is what the webcomic "Order of the Stick" does for androgynous elves (those two things being the only markers of sex in a stick figure comic), so I see your point.

Hi, fellow OotS fan!! I got really into the webcomic a few years ago and binge read it until I was current. I stopped reading for a while but one day I'm excited to binge read the whole thing again.

What makes you think it’s a TIM?

See response below. Toned down cross-dresser? I've been on Duo for years, and this character was just added. It'd be nice to think he's just a GNC man, but the hallmarks are all there.

[–] WitchKitty 3 points Edited

We shouldn’t use duolingo, their official TikTok account made fun of Amber Heard during the depp trials. Even though they deleted the comment and apologised still you can’t be sure it was a rouge employee, they might just have backtracked to avoid the backlash.

I had no idea. Why would a language app even have an 'opinion' on current events???

I just now did a few lessons in two different languages and didn’t see this. My app is updated to the new format. Maybe they’re trying it out in French first?

FWIW I did see “he wears a skirt” in a lesson a few days ago.

During the BLM riots my language frequently had "the police station is on fire."

It was one of those things where you couldn't quite say anything, because you'd look nuts, but you could kinda tell it was deliberate.

Nooooooooooooooooooo. Their new format sucks hard enough as it is. Now this?