Let's Talk Representation.
BY ANUSHA SENAPATI '24
Picture this: you're lying in bed on a normal Saturday night, and a movie marathon is calling your name. As you scroll through your options, you come across a film starring your favorite person of color (POC). You kick back, relax, and enjoy. Unbeknownst to you, that movie will change your life forever. This seemingly dramatized phenomena actually occurs often. Media can easily influence our lives—sometimes in a more drastic way than you might predict. In fact, it can dramatically shape our perception of POC. Although representation of minorities and POC is slowly growing in both Hollywood and positions of power, expectations at school, college, and work continue accumulating, impacting the relationships between POC and the rest of society.
When we demanded representation, the media tried to deliver—but is it really enough or even an accurate portrayal? Last year, Never Have I Ever made its debut on Netflix. It depicted the life of an Indian-American teen, Devi, and her struggles in high school. Almost immediately, the show introduces Devi’s academic excellence. While a show (finally!) stars a teen POC, it also perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Of course, anyone can show academic excellence, but Asians in particular tend to be characterized as “smart” in the media, and Never Have I Ever contributes to this trend. Likewise, other POC characters that bolster stereotypes include Zuri from Jessie and Tiffany from Bunk’d. In Jessie, Skai Jackson plays the role of Zuri Ross, “the sassy Black girl,” and Nina Lu, playing Tiffany Chen, is depicted as “the nerdy Asian girl.” Minorities are constantly stereotyped in popular shows, and the underrepresentation of Asians in particular only aggravates these harmful typecasts.
Since ABRHS is a particularly diverse school, most of us recognize that a POC’s identity does not always fit these stereotypes. To state the obvious, students of the same race are clearly distinct, even if, to a certain extent, race does mold a person's upbringing. However, many Americans don’t grow up in particularly diverse areas or schools like ours. When they turn on the TV to watch the classic West Side Story, for example, they see the “Latinx are gang members” trope, and these false stereotypes are solidified even further. Because some experience little to no diversity in their lives, television informs their expectations of entire racial groups.
These movies become particularly harmful when shallow expectations guide our teachers, professors, and bosses: movies can dangerously form a false depiction of minorities. This narrow perception causes some to treat certain students or employees differently, setting expectations that the POC cannot handle. When a teacher treats a student differently from others whose ethnicities are commonly portrayed in the media, that student’s education quality immediately deteriorates. According to a 2012 study, teachers believed that their African Americans students were 47% less likely to graduate from college than their White classmates, and Hispanic students 42% less likely. Since their teachers have lower expectations for them, these students are often forgotten and don’t receive adequate attention in the classroom.
Though school only constitutes a small piece of our lives, once education is affected, its impacts are long-term. When every Asian on TV gets straight A’s, an Asian-American student is expected to mimic this behavior, eventually resulting in a self-deprecating workaholic who never takes care of themself. When a Latinx student is assumed to be “reckless” and “lazy” because of last Sunday’s movie night, teachers don’t expect their academic success, so they remain unsupported. When a Black student is seen as “not good enough,” or “only good for sports,” that student is denied access to opportunities that could have bolstered their education. Regardless of racial group, expectations in school hurt these individual people. And because economic stability often relies on a solid education, these stereotypes that affect a student’s treatment in school not only influence their entire lives but also their posterity. Over time, these stereotypes continue to solidify and form a frustrating, endless cycle of baseless expectations.
Yet, breaking this cycle is feasible: we can stop this cycle of expectations. To begin, we must be more selective in our movie choices and recommendations. Stereotypes, and the expectations they perpetuate, should never be taken lightly. So next time, choose a unique POC-empowering movie for Sunday night rather than the most popular show overflowing with stereotypes. Challenge your own expectations for others, and aim to see others as individual people, not an entire racial group.
When we demanded representation, the media tried to deliver—but is it really enough or even an accurate portrayal? Last year, Never Have I Ever made its debut on Netflix. It depicted the life of an Indian-American teen, Devi, and her struggles in high school. Almost immediately, the show introduces Devi’s academic excellence. While a show (finally!) stars a teen POC, it also perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Of course, anyone can show academic excellence, but Asians in particular tend to be characterized as “smart” in the media, and Never Have I Ever contributes to this trend. Likewise, other POC characters that bolster stereotypes include Zuri from Jessie and Tiffany from Bunk’d. In Jessie, Skai Jackson plays the role of Zuri Ross, “the sassy Black girl,” and Nina Lu, playing Tiffany Chen, is depicted as “the nerdy Asian girl.” Minorities are constantly stereotyped in popular shows, and the underrepresentation of Asians in particular only aggravates these harmful typecasts.
Since ABRHS is a particularly diverse school, most of us recognize that a POC’s identity does not always fit these stereotypes. To state the obvious, students of the same race are clearly distinct, even if, to a certain extent, race does mold a person's upbringing. However, many Americans don’t grow up in particularly diverse areas or schools like ours. When they turn on the TV to watch the classic West Side Story, for example, they see the “Latinx are gang members” trope, and these false stereotypes are solidified even further. Because some experience little to no diversity in their lives, television informs their expectations of entire racial groups.
These movies become particularly harmful when shallow expectations guide our teachers, professors, and bosses: movies can dangerously form a false depiction of minorities. This narrow perception causes some to treat certain students or employees differently, setting expectations that the POC cannot handle. When a teacher treats a student differently from others whose ethnicities are commonly portrayed in the media, that student’s education quality immediately deteriorates. According to a 2012 study, teachers believed that their African Americans students were 47% less likely to graduate from college than their White classmates, and Hispanic students 42% less likely. Since their teachers have lower expectations for them, these students are often forgotten and don’t receive adequate attention in the classroom.
Though school only constitutes a small piece of our lives, once education is affected, its impacts are long-term. When every Asian on TV gets straight A’s, an Asian-American student is expected to mimic this behavior, eventually resulting in a self-deprecating workaholic who never takes care of themself. When a Latinx student is assumed to be “reckless” and “lazy” because of last Sunday’s movie night, teachers don’t expect their academic success, so they remain unsupported. When a Black student is seen as “not good enough,” or “only good for sports,” that student is denied access to opportunities that could have bolstered their education. Regardless of racial group, expectations in school hurt these individual people. And because economic stability often relies on a solid education, these stereotypes that affect a student’s treatment in school not only influence their entire lives but also their posterity. Over time, these stereotypes continue to solidify and form a frustrating, endless cycle of baseless expectations.
Yet, breaking this cycle is feasible: we can stop this cycle of expectations. To begin, we must be more selective in our movie choices and recommendations. Stereotypes, and the expectations they perpetuate, should never be taken lightly. So next time, choose a unique POC-empowering movie for Sunday night rather than the most popular show overflowing with stereotypes. Challenge your own expectations for others, and aim to see others as individual people, not an entire racial group.
