There’s no question that Wang XX is a seal enthusiast. For over 10 years, the comic artist — who prefers to go by her artist moniker — has been drawing a chubby character, Seal, as the protagonist in a semi-autobiographical series that tackles the trials and tribulations of modern life.

What Wang didn’t expect was how much readers would resonate with Seal’s journey, tracing her achievements, setbacks, and confusions — or how Seal would become a springboard for tackling thorny subjects relating to love, life, and even consent in a time where China’s youth need to deal with ideals increasingly rooted in appearance and an endless race to the top.

According to Wang, Seal and her broader animal universe is “60% innocence, 20% confusion, 15% love and courage, and 5% mystery.” Rather than chasing perfection and high-stakes competition, the cute marine mammal and her friends practice “sealf-care,” dealing with anxiety as they seek a work-life balance and finding wisdom in restful living.

It’s a life philosophy Wang learned while working in Italy between 2012 and 2014. At that time, she was in a residency program and worked as an illustrator for Treviso’s magazine COLORS. While there, she was struck by the locals’ craving for rest and relaxation and how they’d make a point to enjoy simple pleasures rather than maximize every occasion, such as spending an evening lying on a rooftop to watch the stars.

For Wang, who said she had been dealing with an inferiority complex, stress, and uncertainty toward the future since adolescence, that carefree, less rigid lifestyle was inspiring. And so, on a summer day in 2013, after a friend asked her about her favorite animal, Wang spontaneously drew a chunky, androgynous white seal with an innocent smile — consciously eschewing the gendered stereotypes of cartoon characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Since that fateful day, Wang has posted her Seal illustrations and comics online, attracting over 1 million followers.

“At first, I just wanted to create an especially cute, wonderful creature who could live in comfort,” Wang tells Sixth Tone. “But later, I didn’t find this satisfying and began placing her in human situations to deconstruct complex ideas and misunderstandings and see how this little creature would deal with them. You could call it an experiment of mine.”

In Wang’s new comic anthology “What Do I Want Today,” published earlier this year, Seal addresses issues such as body image, relationships, and consent. She discovered that everyday questions like “What do you do when your parents are pushing for marriage?” or “How to distinguish between friendship and romance?” — her most popular comic strip to date — and “How do I know when I’m ready for sex?” struck a chord among readers, especially young women, for whom frank discussions of sex and sexuality remain relatively rare. 

By introducing friends, Wang could have Seal tackle increasingly complex matters via her self-described “sealf-care” ideology. For example, when it comes to telling the difference between love and friendship, two seals — one wearing a wig, the other a paper bag — have a serious discussion wherein they realize they can confirm their feelings simply by communicating their needs. Regarding sexual consent, Seal tells other seals that if they are worried about what they do or don’t want, then the answer should be “No.”

“The topic of sexual consent originally came from my experiences, as well as those of my friends,” Wang says. “I’ve found that there’s a wide gap in opinions across social media.”

After watching the viral sex educational video, “Tea and Consent,” which used people’s desire, or lack thereof, to drink tea as a metaphor for sexual consent, she felt it didn’t include more nuanced situations. “What if a free, autonomous person still doesn’t quite understand if they consent or not?” she says. “Very few discussions touch upon this ambiguity, and I wanted to share my view.”

When Sixth Tone attended Wang’s new book signing alongside roughly 50 fans, numerous cited Seal’s friendly demeanor — making thornier subjects more approachable and understandable — as the reason for enjoying Wang’s work.

“Many recent award-winning novels or films have focused on women’s bodies, power, or their personal psychological states. Yet most people, upon seeing them, still respond with shock or numbness,” 25-year-old student Beibei said. “But Seal is harmless and cute. It’s less jarring and easier to accept when a cute figure shares ways to better take care of yourself.” 

Beibei adds that she relates to the way Seal handles topics like sexual consent and that she always shares the comic strips with her roommates. For Seal’s 36-year-old creator, who says she fully intends to keep making “bizarre and absurd stories,” sharing her illustrations and discussing them is what it’s all about.

“I hope to bring people together through my book, so they don’t feel alone anymore,” Wang says. “Even if only a few people read it — as long as someone realizes, ‘Oh my god, there are actually people who worry about this,’ then I think it’s all been worthwhile.” 

Editor: Hannah Lund.

(Header image: Courtesy of Wang)