Coded (Slang)

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About

Coded is a slang term used online to describe people or fictional characters when they resemble or show traits that are not associated with their literal selves. Though originally being used in discussions relating to animated characters exhibiting Black traits while not depicted as Black, the term began to see usage primarily whenever something reminds a person of a concept, such as a K-Pop idol being labeled "Golden Retriever Coded."

Origin

Coded was originally born out of the conversation about things being "race coded," which started on Tumblr during discussions about Steven Universe and the gem characters who are meant to be asexual and nonracial since they come from space.

In late 2015 a larger discussion took place within the fandom about the character Garnet specifically, with her being labeled as "Black Coded" by many, leading to the phrase being used numerous times and slowly spreading from there. On September 3rd, 2015, Tumblr user em4realsj^[1] responded to a question on their Tumblr and broke down the discussion on Race Coding (shown below).

sked anonymous a What's your opinion on the deterioration of the SU fandom via SJWs? I'm not a big fan of how the fans have made it all about race and representation and the lengths they'll go to bash on other artists and even locations (Keystone Motel incident) em4realsj answered It's a darn shame is what it is. Here you've got this really great show that has some positive messages for kids, and as per usual someone comes along and ruins it for everyone else. The gems are space rocks. Space rocks have no gender. In her AMA on Reddit, Rebecca Sugar responded to many questions, some of which people were repeatedly wanting to know the genders and races of the gems. Her responses were essentially "No. Gems are gems. And then she moved on to the next non-race baiting thing This is one of many reasons I was chased off Tumbir before Fandom of any sort does not mix well with the SJW agenda, and usually ends up causing these sorts of environments for fans. I'm very familiar with the Keystone Motel incident. I've stayed there on vacation visiting family, and it's a pretty decent place. What they did by attacking that business via bad and faked reviews is not only a terrible waste of their own time, but is also legitimate grounds for the business owners to sue for libel and defamation which has harmed their business. Unfortunately the cowards who did it hide behind throw away accounts and URLS And this race coded mess needs to stop. It's based off grossly inappropriate stereotypes and reinforces them. “Garnet's black because big lips and big hips and an afro!" No. She's not. She's a gem. She's a space rock. She's a space rock made of two other space rocks. "Amethyst is Latina because she's loud and brash and-" No. Just no. She's purple. She's also younger than the other gems, hence the childishness. Hence the loudness. And her body type? Not specifically Latina either. "Pearl is why because she's strict and pale and-" No. Pearl is "white" because she is the color of a pearl, not because of some conspiracy Rebecca Sugar is in on to make people feel validated and reinforcing stereotypes. White people can have big hips and lips. Black people can be loud and brash. Latin@s can be pale and strict. Heck, ANYONE can be loud and strict and brash and big hips and lips and if they've got the hair for it, have an afro. And before anyone pulls out the "But Garnet's voice actress is black, so Garnet is black! No. Stop. If we used that logic, then Samurai Jack isn't Asian, he's black And Apu from the Simpsons isn't Indian, he's white A lot of the messages from this show are acceptance of others for their differences. Acceptance of things that make us all unique individuals. And yet the only things I ever see coming out of that fandom are based purely on stereotype and bile. it's ridiculous and ignorant All in all, as an artist myself, I understand the need for positive representation across the board. But jamming it down people's throats, and actively IGNORING THE CREATOR'S STATEMENTS ON IT are completely uncalled for and grossly inappropriate The SU fandom started out as a safe, fun space for people of all ages, and it's been twisted, as Tumblr usually does to good things, into this toxic hate-filled SJW minefield, and it's uitterly disgusting the disrespect these people are showing to other fans who love the show, too and just wish to show their appreciation for it Do I think all of the racebent art is awesome? No, I don't. Some of it has been VERY offensive, especially the ones posted by 4chan users here. But to outright attack someone for simnply drawing a picture and showing their love for a show? Drawing a picture and doing the exact same thing many other fans are doing. just not in the same manner? THIS is what drives people away from really great shows and comics and stuff that they love The gatekeeping ways of Fandom. Southern Mod Source: em4realsj 633 notes

On November 19th, 2017, the discussion on Black Coded characters made its way over to Twitter with the user @DJTreG^[2] uploading pictures of different childhood animated characters and declaring that green- and blue-skinned characters were meant to be Black (such as Skeeter from Doug), helping to spark discourse and later adoption of the phrase on that platform (shown below).

Suge McDuck @DJTreG Y'all ever noticed that most cartoon characters that are colored green are coded as Black? I'm curious as to why that is. Lloyd in space, Piccolo, Skeeter, John Jones, etc. @BlackGirlNerds @BlkNrd Problems thoughts? 10:13 AM Nov 19, 2017 .

Spread

The term, typically used as a suffix or added onto the end of a word with or without a hyphen, slowly grew in usage online and eventually received a definition on Urban Dictionary on August 23rd, 2021, by user Muttemor^[3] who wrote that "coded" meant a something or someone that has stereotypical traits based on race, gender, sex or age. This definition quickly became the most liked for the word, with it receiving over 100 likes in two years (shown below).

Coded f A something or someone, that has stereotypical traits based on race, gender, sex, sexual orientation or age. I hate that character SO much! They are totally 'black coded... by Muttemor August 23, 2021

Coded started to have its meaning altered in 2023 as it began to be used to more generically refer to things that remind the person of other ideas.

An example of this was uploaded to X on August 19th, 2023, by user @jaekuus,^[4] who uploaded a video of Drake having a fan interaction moment in which he stops what he's doing to complete a finger heart started by the fan. The caption called Drake "Baby Girl Coded" and was meant to mean that Drake is acting similar to the concept of what a Baby Girl Kawaii stereotype would be (shown below).