Are You Represented?

[Kana]

This thread is a long time coming and is related to Blaze's thread about the "Tara McClay Effect".
Yes, this thread is about diversity, but more than that, it's about whether or not you feel your demongraphic is relatively well represented in media.

Now chances are, if you are a white, cis-gender heterosexual male aged between 18-65, chances are you will be quite well represented. Everything from the 'Action Hero' wish-fulfilment to the 'Loser Is You' trope will include that demographic.

However what if you're a person of colour? A woman? Queer? Now I'd contend that women have a much better representation in media than they used to, but do we have, for example, many queer protagonists who just happen to be queer rather than it being a major plot point? How many people of colour shy away from the stereotype?

Interestingly enough, as a black person, I find more in common with many of the white characters than any person of colour represented in media. That could be because I grew up in a predominantly white area but it also could be that white people will invariably have more diversity in character.

It's not something that bothers me that much. I mean, I barely kept my eyes open over the whole "White Oscars" situation, but it would be nice to see a character that's shares my ethnicity that's closer to my temperament. However, I tend to focus more on the character, rather than the demographic they represent, understanding that while context helps to build the character, person identity can often transcend the person's race, gender etc and our respective individuality can connect us to others in numerous and interesting ways.

So, what about you guys? Do you feel you're represented in media well? Do you find yourself identifying with characters who share your ethnicity, gender, etc? Or is it the opposite? Are you a girl who mainly identify with male characters, for example?

Please share your experiences...

 

[ILLYRIAN]

After having a tumour discovered in Nov 1999 I was given 4 weeks to live. Since having the tumour removed in Dec. 1999 I was left mentally and physically disabled. There are a few characters who come close but they are annoying sh . . s. Then add to that I am celibate and have been since 1995. Oh yes, and I'm a fourth generation witch. The possibility of finding anyone in the media who I see as representative is about nil, but I am hoping for a vampire or a wizard who I could look to.

 

[Kana]

After having a tumour discovered in Nov 1999 I was given 4 weeks to live. Since having the tumour removed in Dec. 1999 I was left mentally and physically disabled. There are a few characters who come close but they are annoying sh . . s. Then add to that I am celibate and have been since 1995. Oh yes, and I'm a fourth generation witch. The possibility of finding anyone in the media who I see as representative is about nil, but I am hoping for a vampire or a wizard who I could look to.

Yeah, I don't see a great representation of the differently abled in media. I believe they make up about 17% of population in the UK, which is a higher contigent than black people! I suppose they may be difficult to write for some who is abled I guess.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I don't really see ethnicity, gender, etc in well-written characters, but that's all you seem to see in poorly written ones. Then caricatures have to rely on you seeing it foremost.

 

[sosa lola]

I'm a woman and a PoC. Let's just say my people aren't represented well in the media except on a few shows. It doesn't really bother me if I'm not represented as I can identify with characters regardless of their skin color or culture or orientation, and yes, that includes heterosexual white males - hell0, Xander Harris - so I don't really look for diversity in shows as long as it's enjoyable.

 

[Blaze]

As some may have guessed, I don't feel very well represented as a queer woman. But it goes beyond just having gay characters, it's about having either stereotypes, queerbaiting, and token characters. And when you do have a character which is queer, their storyline usually revolves around it. It's rare to have a main character who's storyline is completely unrelated to their sexuality, or that at least has more to it. And when we do get a very good queer character, it usually doesn't last. And I do feel like media representation hurt my perception of what it meant to be gay when I was growing up.

I can still identify with any other characters, white, black, straight, man and woman, but I will identify with aspects other than their sexuality, if that make sense. For example, I identify with Faith, but it has to do with her personality, and what she deals with, and not her sexual/romantic life. There are plenty of straight characters that are my favourite in shows, oftentimes over gay characters. Although, I do have a very hard time shipping a straight ship and identifying with it (with a few exceptions), which is why I usually watch shows that are focused on things other than romance.

Another point to be considered is that I suffer from mental illness and I don't feel like this is represented at all on shows or movies. This is a bit trickier because it is very hard to properly portray the emotions of what it is to live with mental problems, because it's like a ghost illness, oftentimes you can't really see it, just feel it. So most shows that do try to portray mental illness, usually fail at showing how it feels. Because of that reason I don't mind that there is not much representation of it. (some media still get it right, Hunger Games did a fairly decent job I thought).

There was also a lack of cool female lead characters, but that has mostly been fixed in recent years, although we can always use more of those 😀 But I'm happy with what were getting!

 

[GwenRaiden]

mental illness and I don't feel like this is represented at all on shows or movies. This is a bit trickier because it is very hard to properly portray the emotions of what it is to live with mental problems, because it's like a ghost illness, oftentimes you can't really see it, just feel it. So most shows that do try to portray mental illness, usually fail at showing how it feels.

I guess that depends on your own personal perspective. I can think of quite a few films that do justice to how mental illness/depression feels (for me). Revolutionary Road, Melancholia, American Beauty, Martha Marcy May Marlene, etc, etc. But I do get your point, the "romanticised" version of mental illness is more common and usually misrepresents those who suffer with those mental health issues. I think it boils down to personal taste and your own feelings on your health.

 

[Blaze]

@GwenRaiden I own the same title in my group, but only because I won't approach a comedy with a 10ft pole, I hate comedies! They think I'm buts for liking sad stuff.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

I am over-represented (white hetero adult male).

What surprises me is the complete lack of Hispanics in a story set in California where they are 49% of the population. Kennedy, who was supposedly an East Coast girl, probably from Massachusetts, was played by a girl born in Guadalajara, Mexico and is in 16 episodes. Willy the Snitch was played by Saverio Guerra and is in 5 episodes. The only other Latino appearances were all in "Inca Mummy Girl" and if I missed any, they also only got one episode. BTW @Kana, I love your Freudian slip in this sentence:

"Yes, this thread is about diversity, but more than that, it's about whether or not you feel your demongraphic is relatively well represented in media."

Very clever! Maybe I'm actually Fyarl and I did get represented in "A New Man"!

 

[Professor Walsh]

It is something I don't think about often, but whrb

As some may have guessed, I don't feel very well represented as a queer woman. But it goes beyond just having gay characters, it's about having either stereotypes, queerbaiting, and token characters. And when you do have a character which is queer, their storyline usually revolves around it. It's rare to have a main character who's storyline is completely unrelated to their sexuality, or that at least has more to it. And when we do get a very good queer character, it usually doesn't last. And I do feel like media representation hurt my perception of what it meant to be gay when I was growing up.

Now, I've mentioned this quirky miniseries a couple of times already, I promise I won't go on dragging it up everywhere, but have you seen "Deutschland 83". I enjoyed how the show has three gay characters (two major, one minor) with a parallel storyline that had a ton of significance for them, without being what defined the two of them who are major characters in the show. (Whether they will last or not, should there be a second season, is more of a question. I keep my fingers crossed for at least one of them.)

As for me, white, cis woman, married to a man, three children. Represented. Yes. Particularly interesting characters? Not all that often.

 

[Athena]

As a white woman in her thirties married to a man, I would say I'm well represented, but like @miromurr, the characters are never really that interesting and tend to only be there as decorative furniture for a much more successful husband character, which annoys me, but at least there is representation there....

Also, I don't have children (yet), but the vast majority of these women on-screen do, and those who don't are normally portrayed as bitter and twisted, or a slave to their careers, or someone who treats her husband like dirt..... normal, funny, sweet and kind women can be childless too y'know....

Other than that, I don't have very many complaints. Diversity is a wonderful thing. There's lots of in in the world but there's not enough of it on TV/film. I want to see more of it in mainstream media.

 

[Lyri]

No, I don't feel that I'm represented.

I'm a white female in her thirties, yes, but I'm also asexual and aromantic. There are no asexual or aromantic people in anything I watch, male or female.

I do and can relate to characters, I don't have an issue with that, but it would be nice, just once, to find someone at least similar to me.

 

[brinkster130]

On a superficial level, yes, I am represented. As a white heterosexual woman who's nearing the big 3-0, yeah, there are tons of characters who fall into that same category. But I wouldn't say I feel represented by them, necessarily. While we may line up in some ways I can't think of a single character who I've identified with because of those similarities. I tend to feel represented by characters whose values, beliefs and actions mirror mine - their ethnicity, sexuality, and gender typically don't play into it. I suppose that could be my privilege talking - I've never been in a group that's been totally invisible so I've never felt that sense of not belonging or not being included.

I do think television is getting better in terms of diversity and representation. It's been a slow (and long overdue) thing to happen but I think we are finally seeing characters of all backgrounds who are more than just their background; which is nice. IMO, having the token PoC or queer character doesn't matter if those characters never become more than that token identity.

 

[Bluebird]

I'm a white straight female, 30, and I see a lot more young women in tv than I did growing up. Sure you're likely to see a female lead on a show nowadays but women still have the extra hurdle of age that men don't have. In that way your worth is still based on how desirable you are and not your acting ability. After 30, and definitely after I reach 40, I doubt I'll see much women of my age on screen.

It depends on what media you prefer too. Women are still widely underrepresented in video games, to the point where almost all the marketing in the industry is geared towards teenage boys. As a teenager I was intensely involved in playing video games, but I still knew it wasn't made 'for me'. I felt very out of place in the gaming world, even though it was my favourite hobby as a child/teenager. To go into a shop and see a half naked girl whose only purpose there was to shill a game was depressing. I've long ago fell out of favour with games - there's not been that much change - so I'll only pick up 1 or 2 a year.

With Buffy I didn't feel much in common with her because outside of being the slayer her 'normal' life looked very comfortable. She has a big house and they don't worry about money, while living in sunny California, was not how I grew up. I felt more in common with Faith or Gunn, and it's why I preferred Angel over Buffy. So yeah, I feel more for the 'poorer' characters who've had interesting lives growing up. And that generally transcends race and gender, especially on tv since they're usually the token non-white character.

 

[Blaze]

It depends on what media you prefer too. Women are still widely underrepresented in video games, to the point where almost all the marketing in the industry is geared towards teenage boys. As a teenager I was intensely involved in playing video games, but I still knew it wasn't made 'for me'. I felt very out of place in the gaming world, even though it was my favourite hobby as a child/teenager. To go into a shop and see a half naked girl whose only purpose there was to shill a game was depressing. I've long ago fell out of favour with games - there's not been that much change - so I'll only pick up 1 or 2 a year

That is really interesting, I hadn't really thought about video games when I read this thread. Weirdly for me, video games were always less of a problem. Maybe it's because I enjoy getting to control somebody else entirely so it's almost better when I don't relate. Or maybe I just don't care much about character and I'm more about gameplay and story. I really don't look at gender in video games, heck I don't even mind the sexualization that much. I think in a way what's great is I see lots of female players playing male character, and I see lots of male players playing female characters, even when the choice is available, and that's great! And for many RPG games, you choose gender, but the character stays the same, or evolves as you'd like it too, I find there is just more of a control of making a character to you liking. That being said, I rarely identify with game characters, as I said I usually play for the story.

It is true that as a female gamer, you are usually viewed on a different level as male gamers though, but I think I've never personally had much of an issue with it. Maybe that's why I have a decent view of the gaming world.

 

[Athena]

It depends on what media you prefer too. Women are still widely underrepresented in video games, to the point where almost all the marketing in the industry is geared towards teenage boys. As a teenager I was intensely involved in playing video games, but I still knew it wasn't made 'for me'. I felt very out of place in the gaming world, even though it was my favourite hobby as a child/teenager. To go into a shop and see a half naked girl whose only purpose there was to shill a game was depressing. I've long ago fell out of favour with games - there's not been that much change - so I'll only pick up 1 or 2 a year.

I find it so odd, because statistics show that almost half (I think it's 47% but please don't quote me on that!) of gamers are female, yet the market is solely still aimed at men.

When I was younger I gravitated more towards the platform games, where the female character tended to be the one who needed saving, such as Mario, Zelda etc but I never really thought much about why that was until I was older.

I worked for a very well known UK games retailer for a few years and I was seen as somewhat of an anomaly, because I was a girl and I loved gaming. Tomb Raider was massive back then and although Lara Croft did do something to help female representation in VG, she mainly hindered IMO. Young girls didn't buy it, but young boys did in their droves because... well....

Perfect Dark was a fantastic game, one of the best on the N64 and one of the few with a female lead character, but we hardly sold any copies of it. To men or women. Women only tended to come in to buy 18 rated games for their 13-14 year old sons. (That was mainly Grand Theft Auto)

Speaking of GTA. I know it's probably one of the most misogynistic game series' out there (where women are either ladies of the night or cannon fodder), but I still love to play it and have done ever since the first incarnation of it on the original PlayStation. GTA 5 is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. And I'm in no way represented at all in that world, it's just an enjoyable game to play (and trust me when I say, I am not the sort of person who enjoys shooting cops, stealing cars or taking drugs IRL! lol). I think that's the point though, you can still enjoy something even if you don't feel that link to it.

It is true that as a female gamer, you are usually viewed on a different level as male gamers though, but I think I've never personally had much of an issue with it. Maybe that's why I have a decent view of the gaming world.

The first (and only!) time I played GTA Online, I played as a female character. As soon as I entered the world, some guy started chasing me down in the game and verbally abusing me. Every time I respawned, he found me and killed me, again and again. When I ran away in the game, he started calling me vile names. I never went back to GTA Online. 🙁

I do worry though, those people who can't switch off from that mentality.

 

[Bluebird]

That is really interesting, I hadn't really thought about video games when I read this thread. Weirdly for me, video games were always less of a problem. Maybe it's because I enjoy getting to control somebody else entirely so it's almost better when I don't relate. Or maybe I just don't care much about character and I'm more about gameplay and story. I really don't look at gender in video games, heck I don't even mind the sexualization that much. I think in a way what's great is I see lots of female players playing male character, and I see lots of male players playing female characters, even when the choice is available, and that's great! And for many RPG games, you choose gender, but the character stays the same, or evolves as you'd like it too, I find there is just more of a control of making a character to you liking. That being said, I rarely identify with game characters, as I said I usually play for the story.

It is true that as a female gamer, you are usually viewed on a different level as male gamers though, but I think I've never personally had much of an issue with it. Maybe that's why I have a decent view of the gaming world.

Oh don't get me wrong, I love games then and now, the worlds and characters they create. My issue is more with the marketing - it seems counterproductive.
Gaming was a big part of my life in the 90s/early 00s, to the point where I had hundreds of magazines and general crap to go along with my games. My obsessive personality lol. But when I opened these mags in later years I knew I wasn't their audience. They would even sell them in 'men's interest and hobbies' section, so being a 16 year old girl standing around in the men's interest section is an odd feeling. My money wasn't wanted even though I spent a lot of money on it.

 

[Puppet]

I rarely feel under-represented, being a Caucasian female in my twenties, however, there's something that's always personally annoyed me; Willow's sexuality.

It annoys me that she identifies as gay, not because she doesn't have a right to, but because I doubt she is thanks to a very loving and meaningful past relationship with Oz, and her life long feelings for Xander. It also doesn't help that I feel like bisexuality is very under-used in media today. I'm not trying to undermine the importance of representing all colors of the LGBT community, but I often feel like bisexuals aren't taken seriously.

Hell, I've heard other LGBT members making fun of bisexuals, calling them greedy heteros... super depressing.

 

[thrasherpix]

I also tend to focus more on the character than demographic, though it should be noted that I grew up on some media in which demographics didn't matter much (and white is the default which I am, and that probably helped as well). This included positive gay male and lesbian characters as well, and best of all, it was usually treated as normal as opposed to being a big deal (but then so were much weirder and non-human beings). These were not popular at the time, and most of this was scifi/fantasy (Star Wars and Star Trek showed it to a much lesser degree, though it still tended to be better in this regard than most everything else in pop media), and geekdom wasn't cool when I was growing up. And though the more popular media typically excluded such characters, it was often to the point of not being mentioned or shown so that it didn't contradict the more inclusive media I was more used to.

I do recall feeling a mix of betrayal and disappointment when I was a child and saw some game books (choose your adventure type book where you make the choices for the character and turn to the page for that choice, and thus had multiple possible endings) that were aimed at females, but my excitement quickly faded as they turned into romances and being rescued so my character (and thus myself) was more the smitten, cheer leading sidekick than the heroine, even if my character "gave him strength" and he loved my character so. (Interesting enough, the game books aimed at a general audience would sometimes make the character you made choices for female, and other females could be brilliant detectives and scientists and the like, and it didn't seem to make a difference to the story or character overall. I don't recall any protagonists in such game books being people of color, however.)

Ha! I just remembered reading the War of the Lance series (I'm almost certain it was the original trilogy that started it) when I was 16 and in the middle of vicious fight with monsters the two best fighters (male and female) declare their passion for each other, and the man carries the woman off as they're kissing passionately (the details are murky in my memory) while the rest of the party was forced to fight the rest of the monsters still left. I later found out the series was written that way because they were trying to attract more of a female demographic for better profits, but as a female myself I did not relate to either of them (making it two lesbians wouldn't have helped, though this was before I firmly realized I was gay) and found their behavior grossly stupid and irresponsible (and given that I was still a reckless teenager at the time, that's saying something!), though props for her being such a brave warrior rather than a damsel in distress in need of saving.


I've been asked before who I imagine myself as, or who I project myself into, and it's a question that confuses me. It took me a long while before I could think of it, but I think of those characters as distinct from me (and as much as I loved/hated The L Word, I'd hate to think someone got the bulk of their knowledge about lesbians from it, and I didn't feel like any of the characters, though I could relate to plenty of the situations). This could be because of the media I raised myself on in which the social roles of race, gender, and other aspects were not so restricted so that I didn't feel it mattered, which meant if a straight white male could do it then so could a gay black female. Or it could be that my tribal instincts didn't fully develop due to various reasons, which means that I don't need "someone like me" to relate to or I feel excluded. At a gut level it just doesn't mean much to me, though certain stereotypes and tropes do become irksome after awhile (in part because of how predictable it becomes).

At a mental level I understand how such inclusion helps others, and therefore think it should be included for that reason alone (though I think focusing on a specific demographic for its own sake so it's a "big deal" is counterproductive in that it's actually reinforcing how unusual it is for such a character to "stand out" from their demographic, and can also make them shallow and ironically unrelatable to the demographic supposedly represented, especially if such a character is too perfect), though I also think the inclusion of such characters also make the story more interesting anyway.

And I don't even mind the blatant stereotypes (so long as they're still distinct characters that happen to fit within the stereotype rather than just a generic stereotype without any depth) as long as there are other characters of the same demographic that are very different (preferably multiple such characters, each with their own individual motivations that define them as individuals rather than a demographic). For example, if one woman is the stereotypical love-obsessed character who can't think beyond her feelings, it doesn't bother me and I might even like the character (there really are women like that, and men as well), but if there aren't other woman to contrast her with who aren't like that then that's when it becomes problematic to me (especially as in that case she likely serves only as a love interest and plot device to the more developed male characters), and can alienate me (just one of the reasons me and others did not like Kindred: the Embraced, btw, for those who heard of it, a poor TV adaption to Vampire: the Masquerade that came out a year before the TV series BTVS did).

 

[Bite-me]

Shame I am of Jamaican descent and never felt a iota of identification with Kendra but then again is it? you don't go around connecting to characters because they share the same skin hue but still representation is very important, a psychic discord or disconnect happens when every representation one identifies with looks nothing like them and every one that does is negative and stereotyped.

I think I am aware that even if you are a blonde thin young women you do not necessarily see yourself in characters with those traits or even at all cause others may categorize you with those thing but when somebody points out somebody else out on the street who looks like you, you wouldn't think so yourself. I have a affinity for curly haired actresses of every hue though lol it is so hard to find hair aspiration role models.

I have started to watch Doctor who and I love how diverse that show and british television is, it feels like a multiracial society. There is Blackish, Altanta and Insecure but notice those shows are segregated. I do think it is changing but color blind casting isn't as far along as it should be. New Star Wars come to mind tho