Representation in Media and Why it's Important
/What is representation? Representation is a depiction of a minority, such as people of a different sexuality or race. While it may seem like overkill to some, representation is very important to marginalized groups; people that grew up consuming media where no one looked like them or had the same struggles as them. In recent years, we are seeing more diversity in the media we consume, especially in books and TV shows. In this blog I will be discussing the impact of representation to the human mind and society. So, why is representation important?
“Group of people standing indoors”, photo by fauxels on pexels.
First and foremost, positive representation is a big factor in making marginalized groups feel like they belong. When they consume media about people that they can see themselves in, whether it be physically or mentally, they feel as if they have a place in this world. I’ve seen a lot of white, cishet people discussing how representation is being forced into the media, but that’s a very shallow way to think about it. They have grown up with representation their entire life, so they don’t have to imagine a world without it. Whenever you open a streaming service or pick up a book, how many white, straight, cisgender characters do you see? Compare that to the amount of LGBTQ+ and/or people of colour characters. Don’t you notice a difference?
The children of this generation can and should grow up with characters that look like them, as growing up without them negatively impacts their mental health. The Conversation shares how “[..] there’s a relationship between low self-esteem and negative media portrayals of racial groups.” This is backed by field studies. When children aren’t exposed to characters that look like them in a positive light, they will feel self conscious about it.
A lot of people don’t understand how important it is for children to consume media with representation, and we can see how this affected people who grew up without it. In an article by Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal, he talks about growing up as an LGBTQ+ person of colour and the struggles he faced. He says how in “[his] teens, it was heartbreakingly lonely to witness everyday homophobia (especially unnecessary homophobic language) in almost all television programming.” He even mentions how a lack of representation was a big part of why he stayed closeted for years.
“men leaning on railing”, Photo by Nicholas Swatz on pexels.
No one should have to feel like they’re invisible, which leads me to how representation impacts society as a whole. Representation impacts society as it exposes people to these minorities early on instead of having them be something we don’t understand later. Positive representation without stereotypes can build an understanding of these people and how despite being different, they’re human just like everyone else, especially in young children who are still developing.
An example of media impacting societal views can be seen through Modern Family. Modern Family is a TV show that ran from 2009-2020 featuring Cam and Mitchell, a gay couple who later adopt a daughter. The show introduced people to a more positive depiction of a gay couple, resulting in a new wave of support for gay people in real life. Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic shares the results of a 2012 poll where 27% of voters said that “[..] depictions of gay characters on TV made them more pro-gay marriage.” Later, some of these voters said that Modern Family was a part of this change of heart.
Cam and Mitchell were not the only representation featured in Modern Family, as there was also Gloria and her son Manny. Gloria is from Columbia, and this part of her is something she is proud of. When her and her son moved to America, she married a white man. So, gay marriage was not the only kind of marriage normalized, but also interracial.
Representation is a slippery slope. Good representation can help influence society and laws, but bad representation could create social stigmas against the minority groups being portrayed in this negative light. Even though representation is a good thing overall, it’s important to remember that it shouldn’t be used as proof that you’re a good person, but should be created to uplift other people. Representation creates a world where everyone feels like they belong, where minorities don't have to feel like they’re just an afterthought.
Emily Crawford is one of the writers involved with Prose and Cons. She is a student at Algonquin College’s Professional Writing program, and has been involved with the writing industry since her youth. Even in kindergarten she has been writing; with that hobby becoming something more as she got older. Nowadays she is still in love with writing, and is even planning on starting up an online shop to start custom writing commissions. The topic of fiction and how it impacts reality is something that interests her, and she’s even done some research on it before entering this group. She hopes to share her knowledge in a meaningful way through this blog.