Representation Matters

Hollywood has been dominated by straight, white men forever, but with the release of films like Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we’re finally seeing better representation on screen in our daily lives.

Whether you’re a person of color, a member of the LGBTQIA community, a woman, or a combination of any of these groups, then you probably understand why representation in the media matters.

Whether it’s music, movies, TV shows, or social media, entertainment media has a powerful effect on audiences, especially young ones. Everything we see on screen has the power to shape the way we view the world and ourselves, which can be positive or negative.

For example, the Marvel superhero movies have primarily revolved around the same type of strong, powerful men who save the world and save women from themselves. This has the potential to influence young audiences into believing that the tough, strong, superman character is the norm and that they need to look and act the same way.

This narrative also pushes the idea that women need to be rescued by strong men. On the other hand, positive representation in the media such as films and TV shows like Wonder Woman and Scandal, show their audiences that women can be superheroes too, or respected and powerful lawyers.

When we see people who look like us being represented on television in a powerful way, it plants the seed in our minds that we can do it too.

Abby Steinour, a Temple student of Vietnamese heritage says, “Especially with all the Asian-focused media that’s been coming out, it makes me wish I had that growing up so that I could’ve seen other people that looked like me in the things I was watching. I could’ve learned how to do my hair and makeup in ways that flattered me instead of basing what I wore and did as a teenager on people who looked nothing like me.”

The popular Netflix movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, is a powerful example of the effects of representation in media. Jenny Han, the creator of the film, says that all of the production companies she approached, besides Awesomeness TV, demanded that Lara Jean be played by a white actress. 

However, the movie has received worldwide praise for its use of Asian American main characters and provides a positive role model for young girls by actress Lana Condor.

Diversity has also proven to be very profitable.

Black Panther was the highest grossing superhero movie of all time, grossing $501 million in North America and $897 million worldwide, exceeding the $1 billion benchmark. Crazy Rich Asians earned $25.2 million in just three days and topped domestic box offices for three weekends in a row. The film earned $111 million in less than one month, surpassing the “lifetime domestic total of 2015’s ‘Trainwreck,’ the last major studio rom-com box office success”, according to CBS.

While the TV industry has definitely made huge leaps in casting more diverse actors, it’s also important to realize that just casting minorities isn’t enough.

There also needs to be diversity in screenwriting and directing for the performance to feel like an authentic experience.

It doesn’t’t always make sense for a straight Caucasian man to write an entire script about the experiences of an African-American family or a lesbian female.

This problem can even make the portrayal of diverse characters come off as stereotypical and slightly racist. Producers should hire directors and writers who’ve had similar life experiences as the people they’re writing about. This way, young people can find role models who remind them of themselves and who also share similar cultural experiences.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before for the third time in two weeks.