Hi everyone, welcome to Guest Blog! The following article is written by Madeline Deppe to share the importance of media representation.
Storytelling is a tool, a powerful one. It entertains; it informs; it teaches us about the world around us. With the overturning of Roe V Wade, the current efforts being made to get rid of DEI initiatives, and many many bills passed against LGBT+ individuals, especially the transgender community, it can feel like the world turned against one's self or community. While many think children do not pick up on the complexities of politics and the world as a whole, children do. Children see societal patterns and biases that can affect how they see themselves and others. Books can change one's perspective. Stories have always been a catalyst for change, but that change only happen if those tales are given a chance.
Stories come in different forms: one of them is experience. There are experiences, experiences of euphoria and community, and isolation and discrimination that are hard to explain, even to one's closest family and friends. Media can show those experiences, put you into these experiences you would have never even thought of as being bad or good. “In ASL,” Gabriella Williams, an 11th grader at Oakton High School said, "My class focuses on seeing Deafness as its own culture, rather than a disability. And that's a mindset or lense, I'd like to have a look at a lot of things. Something specific I've learned in that class is that the difference between 'Deaf' and 'deaf' is that deaf refers to the disability, while Deaf refers to the culture. And it's something I wouldn't have known without taking the class, but it's such a beautiful form of representation because it was pretty much a completely natural way to learn about an experience outside my own.” Yet not everyone has the resources to gain these types of perspectives first hand through school, or through other opportunities such as travel. Media, on the other hand, whether books, tv, or movies, is so widely available at this day in age that it has the ability to be that teacher. According to a 2020 GLAAD study, acceptance of LGBT+ people increases by 10% for those who regularly see queer representation in the media they consume versus those who don't. So, representation is beneficial, but what is good representation?
There are many ways to represent a community. One way is through stereotypes. Obviously this isn't the best, as stereotypes tend to perpetuate harmful ideas and generalizations, boxing people into who they are and what they think they can be. One such character is Alastor from Hazbin Hotel, as stated by another highschool student who wished to remain anonymous: “The only asexual character is an apathetic cannibal serial killer who is manipulative who shows no care for anyone and is only motivated by his own self interest. This is extremely harmful to the asexual community as a common derogation is ‘asexual people are heartless’, and that ‘asexual people are inhuman because to be human is to love’ and all that. Whether it was intentional or not it's very dehumanizing and furthers that harmful stereotype.” Having a character be, for example, a gay man who likes fashion isn't inherently bad, it becomes bad when it's all the character is. This can further stigmatize, isolate and reject the experiences and cultures of others. This then lowers self esteem, which, according to a study by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center can increase the likelyhood of many issues from depression and anxiety, to substance abuse and suicide. These effects are especially harmful to children, who are just figuring out who they are.
Similarly, queerbaiting is when a fictional character is implied to be LGBT to lure in LGBT audiences in hopes of representation, and then to never deliver on this. Many think ‘well, what's the big deal? Technically it's not even doing anything,’ and yet “Queerbaiting in media typically is used in a humorous context, degrading the experiences even further by making being queer a practical joke” Gabriella Williams says, then adding, “but not actually! Since the character isn't queer to begin with! [Then people are] confused, is being queer normal or is it a joke? Do people even experience this or are they just doing it for attention like that character on TV?” Having but not committing to diversity is almost as bad as stereotyping. It's incredibly demeaning as it treats something massive to who you are as a joke or something that can easily be pushed aside. Identity is so much more complex and important to people than this, and while it can be joked about if done well, it in itself isn't a joke.
In contrast, good representation is simply put, more than just a label. “The Owl House has great representation because it portrays a bunch of diverse characters with their strengths and their flaws, but when a character is in the wrong or acts strange it's never because of their race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity etc.” Anonymous said “And the show takes time to unpack why the protagonists act the way they do, in a way that’s healthy and natural. It shows that these characters are people with feelings” If you create a villain, slap a nice big scar and maybe a malformed leg, and say that they kill puppies and kittens because they are upset and no one will love them because of their leg. This would not be considered good representation. This teaches people to fear differences, especially physical ones, and teaches disabled people to be ashamed of who they are. A character can be evil and still be good representation, it only becomes bad when that bit of them is the reason for their negativity. A good character is more than just what they look like or whom they like, they're a good character because of their depth, and that depth makes them good representation.
Representation, when done right can be a powerful tool. The want for good representation isn't about slapping a label on a character and calling it a day. It's for understanding, empathy and most importantly for interesting, multifaceted characters who are more than just a label.
Reference:
McClure, Auden C et al. “Characteristics associated with low self-esteem among US adolescents.” Academic pediatrics vol. 10,4 (2010): 238-44.e2. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2010.03.007 Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
"Proctor and Gamble and GLAAD Study: Exposure to LGBTQ Representation in Media
and Advertising Leads to Greater Acceptance of the LGBTQ Community."
GLAAD, 27 May 2020, glaad.org/releases/
procter-gamble-and-glaad-study-exposure-lgbtq-representation-media-and-advertisin
g-leads. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
As Always, thank you so much for reading this article by Madeline. Props to Madeline for sharing this article. Business News and More is a blog that gave a voice to different perspectives in our society. If there is anything articles you'd like to share, dm me on instagram @businessnewsandmore
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