"They told me to read the script. I read the script. It wasn't enough."
Pamela Brimmington, otherwise known as the voice of the Nintendo character "Princess Peach" has come out in public apology for the role she played in furthering gender stereotypes in The Mario Bros series, a 35 year old highly influential franchise consisting of 60 dollar video games. Since its inception, the Mario Bros. series has entertained over a million people in homes and arcades worldwide.
"The head Japanese guy, you know, with the goofy smile? They called him "Shiggy", and as I was reading the lines, he kept tapping me on the shoulder, telling me to 'sound more like a woman'." Said Pamela, about the controversy. "He just kept tapping my shoulder. Tapping away."
"There were so many taps", Pamela said. "Suggestive taps, light taps, hover taps which didnt fully make contact. So many taps."
Pamela recorded the voice overs at Nintendo development headquarters in Japan, and says that pressure was put onto her to alter her voice in a way that would sound offensive to women from Detroit.
"I already sound like a woman, so it made me confused and a little stressed out. How does a woman really sound like? You know what I mean? So I just imagined what it would be like to be more of a woman, and what you hear in the game is the result. And it's shameful."
"I doubted myself, and doubted my abilities as a professional, and as a result I compromised on my professional integrity as a voice actor, and reinforced the stereotype of women as weak damsels. I regret it, and I apologize to entire women's community of Michigan." said Pamela during our brief interview.
Princess Peach is depicted as a white woman in her 30s who lives in a castle in "The Mushroom Kingdom", a fictional place created by a fully grown Japanese man in his 30's.
Kimberly, [pictured above] 32 year old software developer from Wisconsin said, on Pamela's performance as Princess Peach "I fucking lost it. It's game over for women everywhere. I expected so much more. How could she reinforce the gender stereotypes we have bene fighting to eradicate for so long? I couldn't handle it."
We showed Kimberly Pamela's public apology and asked her what she thought. Kimberly stated "Why the fuck's she only apologizing to women in Michigan for?? There are women everywhere in America. Fuck her."
Of note, Pamela also formally stated to Shacknews that she feels "SO fucking stupid. Those recordings were so cringeworthy. I hate myself. Jesus christ. FUCK! Just, what the fuck was I thinking?"
Providing more details about the recording sessions, Pamela said "My agent said I would be reading for a character named 'Princess Peach', who was some kind of 'damsel in distress' type girl, I figured it wouldn't be too hard."
"Little did I know, I would be reinforcing toxic stereotypes which have been promoted since time immemorial, and even worse, like I said, I'd letting down women who live in Michigan."
We reached out to Nintendo but could not obtain a statement.
On her relationship with Nintendo, Pamela said "I felt like they were all laughing at me, and still are."
Continuing her statement to shacknews, Pamela said "I regret reinforcing the stereotype of women as weak. It really happened because I am weak. I'm weak, I'm stupid, I'm dumb, and I'm white. I'm ashamed of being white, I'm ashamed to call myself a woman after what I've done. I wish I was black."
"I wish I were a black woman, or a latino, or Puerto Rican," concluded Pamela, sobbing.
Pamela has since retired from voice acting, and has returned to college to study finance. She lives with her boyfriend "LeShaun Derrel-Brown Jackson" in Detroi, MI.
Image By PlayTheTunes
Mr. Sleepy is a correspondent and contributor for the internet , Musician and gamer journalist , reporting from Detroit, MI
