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Entertainment April 2, 2020
We know representation matters - by why does it matter so much?
Representation matters.
We’ve all heard this before, but why does it actually matter?
It’s been known that marginalized groups such as women and people of color have been significantly underrepresented. This includes every aspect of the Hollywood landscape. Just over a quarter of speaking roles were cast to people of color in the top movies in 2015. Women made up less than one-third of protagonists in top films in 2016. However, according to UCLA’s 2019 Hollywood Diversity Report, there is hope for more inclusivity in Hollywood. The report stated, “diversity is essential for Hollywood’s bottom line.”
George Gerbner introduced the term, “symbolic annihilation.” Symbolic annihilation occurs when marginalized groups of people are not showcased in mass media. Why? Because they do not conform to the “normative formula.” This formula consists of young, white and “fit” people.
Nicole Martins and Kristen Harrison conducted a study regarding television’s effect on self-esteem. In that study, they focused on children and discovered TV makes their subjects feel good about themselves. But, only if those subjects are white boys. Girls and boys of color, however, report lower self-esteem.
George Gerbner and Larry Gross formulated the term with this line, “Representation in the fictional world signifies social existence; absence means symbolic annihilation.”
Without honestly acknowledging the issue in Hollywood, marginalized groups of individuals suffer. Not only do they feel less valued, but they also receive adverse treatment because of the negative representation. People aren’t randomly saying representation matters. It matters for actual psychological reasons. It matters because when a marginalized group is misrepresented, they’re the ones receiving negative backlash.
People of color are usually portrayed as peripheral roles and nothing more. It’s devastating to see movies having one or two minor parts be given to POC, and then people claim there is some form of representation. I can assure you, back then I was very grateful for the very little representation. But, now? No thanks. There is no excuse for the misrepresentation.
This also applies to the portrayal of women who have very limiting roles. Women are usually sexual objects and if not, have minor characters in the film. Even when the woman is given a powerful role, sexualization comes into play.
We have to give marginalized groups of individuals, significant roles – meaningful roles. There have been too many times where LGBT people are represented, and their main focus is on that very aspect of their lives. Humans are complicated, and you’re able to achieve that with white, cis-gendered men, so you can do the same for those subjected to marginalization.
Movies such as Black Panther and Girls Trip are perfect examples of celebrating black people without conforming to stereotypes.
The media is the message and the messenger. They deliver content shaping our society, which is why any form of representation matters. Movies can be successful with marginalized groups as long as the story itself, is good.
