~Bad Hair Day~ Goma and Peach, the adorable black and white cats, have taken the world by storm with their whimsical comic skits. Developed by the talented Chinese artist Bu Jue Xiao Xiao, these characters were designed as part of the Mitao Cat brand, which borrows heavily from Japanese influences. "Goma" is Japanese for "sesame", which is often associated with the color black. So Goma is the black cat. On the other hand, "Peach" is a term widely used in Japan for cultural reasons, some of which are shared with China. In both cultures, peach is associated with longevity, immortality, and good fortune. However, the "Legend of Momotaro" (the peach boy), is definitely the most known and popular folklore tale in Japan, being deeply tied to Japan at a specific historical period it was tied to. It is also worth mentioning that "peach" is deeply engraved into Japanese literature as something "feminine", "seductive" and "alluring". This originates from the Edo Period (1603-1868), when workers of the oldest profession were often depicted in Ukiyo-e woodblock prints as courtesans eating peaches. The softness and sweetness of the fruit were seen as metaphors for feminine beauty and sensuality. In a broader context, the pink coloration on peaches is typically associated as female in most of the world. The rounded shape of the fruit is commonly associated with female hips, and when cut in half, the inner shape is often considered as "graphically female" (blush). This association continued through the Meiji era (1868-1912), when Western influences began to take hold in Japan's art and literature, officially turning peaches as the "forbidden fruit" in Japanese culture, like the apple is in the bible. Many authors wrote about the forbidden nature of desire and passion using peaches as a symbolic device. For example, Yasunari Kawabata's novel "Snow Country" features a scene where the protagonist buys his lover a basket of peaches as a gesture of his affection. This symbolic association remains strong in modern Japan. As a matter of fact, many Japanese adult video companies have a peach in their logos. So, even when Goma and Peach genders are undisclosed, if we just take it for its sheer cultural face value, Goma is male, and Peach is obviously female. So, coming from this purely cultural context, from now on you will have a completely different understanding for why "Princess Peach", one of the most recognizable female video game characters in history, was named that way. If you rescue her from the clutches of Bowser, you get Peach! LOL Image rendered in Stable Diffusion, postwork in PaintShop.