Here’s a model sheet for Gabrielle I did for the 2nd part of Go West Young Warrior, from the #Xena Virtual Season 7. It’s an early concept, the only part finally used was the Shakira bra from her video. It’s made of caiman skin, & resembles Gab’s vest in The Bitter Suite. Her skirt was later changed(not by me) to a tiny belt with a thin loincloth, & Gab hesitates before trying it on.

A concern we have these days when main characters visit another land of indigenous peoples is whether the main characters are appropriating the look, are white saviors, or are in the role of colonizers. And are the tribes portrayed as exotic Others?

These were concerns at the time, & I think they were handled with sensitivity. One of my colleagues was actually from this region, & helped illustrate this episode. The way the ep is written, you’re introduced to the “Amazon” tribe from their point of view, & we get a sense of just how strange #Xena & Gabby look to them. They’re essentially not any different than Greek Amazons, they’re just not familiar with Greek culture, & consider their own superior. It’s actually a lot of fun looking at things through their eyes, which is quite logical. 

Given the extremes of the tropical climate, it’s essential that #Xena & Gab adopt local dress, & it’s necessary socially to establish their association with the tribe. I discovered from my research that for some, hair ornamented with white or yellow clay signified inexperience of youth, & this leads to a comedy of errors as the Amazons assume blonde Gab must be inferior or incompetent. The elaborate designs of the tribe might seem to some like exoticizing, but they’re actually the norm, which #Xena & Gab adopt to blend in. 

Of course, 2 Greeks foreshadowing Columbus might get compared to colonizers,  but we’ll see that this trilogy has more in common with the India eps, in which the characters are transformed by the land, not the other way around.