the
prospector
801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS
THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959
VOLUME 62, ISSUE 7
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2023
Reaching For Representation
Debates over diversity and inclusion in media loom over Gen Z MOLLIE KEARNS Editor-in-Chief
W
hen she was a young, elementary school girl, now-senior Elise Gadson’s primary example of how she saw herself reflected in movie characters was through Princess Tiana from “Princess and the Frog.” While she and her older sister became enthralled in the fairy tale, she didn’t realize this early lack of representation in the media she consumed as a child was an issue until later discussions and debates. “My sister and I both had ‘Princess and the Frog’ dolls and we went to Disney right around that time as a family trip and we brought the dolls with us so it was great to have that experience, but other than that [representation] wasn’t really available,” Gadson said. As conversations about representation of minority groups grow, companies such as Disney and Marvel have responded by increasing diversity in their productions, most notably in casting. Even as criticism looms over live action remakes like “The Little Mermaid,” Gen Z heavily debated the role of diversity in the media. Media Analysis teacher Cambria Myers believes that while representation is increasing,the way that characters of different races and religions are being portrayed plays a critical role in how media consumers view themselves. “It’s not just about numbers or representation, it’s about quality of representation,” Myers said. “What kind of messages are being sent to audiences through the stories that are told and the actors we see or don’t see on screen?” Since 1923, The Walt Disney Company has been one of the leaders in film in Hollywood, breaking box office records worldwide and providing generations of children with fairy tales and heroes to look up to. Yet even with the 100 years of existence, there has been a severe lack of representation in these films, most notably with the Disney Princesses. For instance,“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first Disney Princess movie, was released in 1937 while “Aladdin” was released in 1992, meaning it took 55 years for there to be a princess of color in the Disney universe. Since Princess Jasmine’s debut, there have been five other lead princesses of color. Ebony Club sponsor and counselor Tim Franklin believes that many of the remakes are a way for Disney to make up for their non-inclusive past. “The issue that I think is happening now is that all of these remakes are ‘Oh, let’s just switch out this character with a different race and we’ll call that representation,’” Franklin said. Senior Carmela Annmarie Delvo, who is Filipino, has felt this lack of representation. Delvo had to rely on Filipino movies and TV shows to find characters that reflected her family’s values given that there were no Filipino Disney characters to see herself in. She said that characters of color were only the white main character’s sidekick or were completely unrepresented. Delvo also feels that there are often stereotypes displayed in the media in order for companies to “check a box” to say they had diversity in their cast. In regards to Asian stereotypes, Delvo has seen characters appear as nerds and unathletic because of their race. She saw this most recently in the Netflix show “Never Have I Ever” where the main character Devi, an Indian high school girl, followed the stereotype of being academically inclined. “I became white-washed because everyone who I saw on television didn’t have the same values as me, or I would follow something that happened on the television and my mom would
say ‘that’s not how we do things’ or ‘that’s not Disney have portrayed POCs has been a positive how Filipinos do things,’” Delvo said. change. While none of the famous Disney royals are “In the past black people specifically have of Filipino descent, Delvo felt most connectbeen portrayed in such a negative ed to the way through Chinese warrior Mulan as a child, as her movie showcased values such as paying respect to elders and the importance of bringing honor to the family. the media,” “The first time I watched ‘MuGadson said. “ lan’ I was like ‘there’s finally an … I definitely Asian girl’ and I know it’s not the appreciate that same as being Filipino … but I Disney is dofound a bit of my culture still in ing this, espethe values in the movie. I rememcially with the ber when they came out with the ‘Black Panther’ REACT: Tweets in response franchise and live action one I was really excited,” Delvo said. how well it repto the live action Both Myers and Franklin said resents black “The Little Mermaid” cast that media portrayals influence excellence and announcement. how children view their race since black success.” they are often exposed to the meSeeing prodia. When the trailer for the live action “The tagonists of color is especially empowering for Little Mermaid” film was released, videos cirPOCs since it shows that one can be a hero no cled around on social media platforms of young matter their gender or race. black girls saying “she looks like me!,” showing It is equally important for those of all races their shock and excitement to see a princess to see people of all races portrayed as heroes. with the same color skin as them. As Gadson said, in Marvel’s “Black Panther,” “I think it’s really cool how at an early age T’Challa represented the country of Wakana kid can be so excited about seeing represenda as the mysterious Black Panther. While the tation on the screen,” Delvo said. “That was film showcased intense action sequences, it also something that was clearly missing in my life.” Additionally, as people of color (POC) can often be portrayed in a negative light in the media, such as black people being called violent and Muslim people being labeled as terrorists, having positive representation in Hollywood is important because of how a child views their race. Myers said that there is research that says if young kids do not see themselves represented in the media, it will take a toll on their self esteem. G a d son feels that the way companies like
FRONT ROW SEAT: Ms. Marvel, Black Panther and Ariel, three of the most diverse characters in the media, sit in a movie theater and view the importance of seeing themselves on the screen. (illustration by Luca Nicolaie)
gave viewers a glimpse into traditional African family dynamics and traditions. In Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel” TV show, viewers see a high school aged girl named Kamala Khan struggle with her social and academic life with her new-found powers. It also explores the Muslim culture and beliefs, while showing that a mosque is no different than a church or that Muslims should not be defined as villains. Senior Maliha Waheed, who is Muslim, feels that many films and shows unfortunately do misrepresent Muslim culture. Unlike “Ms. Marvel,” they tend to follow the same stereotype that Muslims have a violent nature. “The misrepresentation of Muslims around the world who have been labeled ‘terrorists’ after the 9/11 attack is beyond heartbreaking,” Waheed said. “… The problem lies back to people being uneducated regarding this matter. Many films do tend to associate Muslims in that manner which can imply misrepresentation.” While lack of representation of different races and religions can negatively impact POCs, as a multitude of studies have confirmed, it can in turn impact those of the white majority. Myers said that having multidimensional characterizations of white characters in movies or books doesn’t allow for that demographic of people to have a window into other cultures. “Everyone deserves to see not only themselves in what they are consuming and to have someone to relate to on some level, but also to have a wide variety of representation and storytelling so we can know more about other people in the world around us,” Myers said. “We’re only able to understand other people if we have the means to do that and the media has this huge power and potential to be able to do that.”
SEE “MIRRORS” ON PAGE 10