The Power of Representation
Give us, one of us
Hey, you! You’re most likely not represented on any of the Netflix, Hulu or Disney shows you’re currently binging on right? Well, if you are, congratulations! You’re a rare species.
Most of us aren’t even represented in movies, shows or even by social media influencers. We’re picking at the scraps of representation we get. Like that Apu from The Simpsons, who works at a 7E.
Did you know that as of 2020, approximately 42% of the population of the USA are POC? What is POC, you ask? It stands for person, or people of colour. Yes, that’s right, you beautiful black and brown folks, I’m talking about you!
I digress. Given the fact that 42% of the population of such a powerful nation is represented by POCs, it’s a wonder why they only really increased representation of POCs in media since the 90s. Are we truly that insignificant and insipid that it took us over 50 years to have a stake in media?
Anyways, back to the power of representation, which was meant to be the main topic of this article. I distinctly remember the time I first discovered “The Mindy Project”, a sitcom in which Mindy Kaling acts as a doctor. This was the very first time that I had felt somewhat represented in mainstream TV. It might seem like a small matter to you, but as a young girl of 17, it was extremely important to me. I felt inspired by the intelligent, brown goddess that was Mindy Kaling and the character that she represented in mainstream comedy.
When Mindy went on to direct “Never Have I Ever”, I truly never had ever experienced relating to the main character as much as I related to Devi, growing up in a brown household. Many of her thoughts, experiences and choices seemed to reflect my own in a way that was comforting, knowing that they were absolutely normal things to think and feel as a young brown girl.
The impact of these small bits of appropriate representation to POCs across the world is significant. We feel inspired and happy to see faces and cultures that somewhat match our own and we’re hopeful of the future to come. When young girls see representation, they see a glimpse of what they might become and they feel empowered. They strongly relate to the characters and their experiences. Not every brown person wants to grow up working at a 7E, neither do they want to be associated with such a stereotype.
If I asked you now, what a brown person’s life is like, would you know? Or would you just make the assumption that their parents run a motel somewhere and force them to become doctors, lawyers or engineers? If I asked you what some of our favourite foods are, would you ever think, for even a second, that we could love ramen and sushi or would you make the assumption that it was butter chicken and “chai tea”?
You see, some of us are normal people with diverse tastes and lifestyles, but you would never know unless you get to know us. However, why would you even want to get to know us if you think we ALL fall under the same, boring stereotypes? That right there is the power of representation. It gives people the knowledge and understanding of our diverse cultures and ways of living, and also the fact that we are all not as different as we may seem.
Knowing now how powerful representation of POC in mainstream media can be, let’s hope for the entertainment industry to evolve faster and show us more of the faces that we see every day and inspire our youth to feel empowered and most importantly, REPRESENTED APPROPRIATELY. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, “Give us, one of us”.
**Disclaimer: As a Malaysian, growing up, we mostly watched and followed mainstream American TV and media, which explains why this article is heavily based on that narrative