Untraditional Families in Media

Students discuss the recent surge in media that features diverse types of families, and why consumers are drawn towards it.

By Madisyn Stogsdill

Shifting away from the white picket fences and family structures of the past, new generations are changing what the typical family looks like. People rely on technology to communicate and share their ideas. Recent films and series such as “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” and “Ginny and Georgia” feature families navigating situations that wouldn’t be deemed ideal by the majority of viewers. Younger audiences have demanded storylines that they can actually relate to, rather than dream of.

Junior Tisya Yhamida has watched this content for years and commented on how it has developed.

“I’m really happy that these movies and shows are coming out. As an immigrant, it’s really refreshing to see actual portrayals of what I’ve gone through and to also see those actors win awards,” Yhamida said. “It’s important to deconstruct typical families in the media and inspire people like me. The biggest example … would be obviously ‘Everything, Everywhere, All at Once’. I’ve watched that movie three times; I love it. It’s definitely very emotional but worth a watch.”

By featuring the generational and cultural issues faced, the movie portrays a perspective common throughout history but rarely seen in media. Featuring a middle-aged Chinese immigrant, several cultural and social issues intertwine with the film’s storyline. The depiction of generational trauma is revealed through the mother’s journey into a multidimensional timeline with the motive of saving her daughter from destroying the world. Other types of family dynamics are displayed through the protagonist’s marital issues and acceptance of her daughter’s sexuality. Yhamida describes how she relates to the protagonist’s experiences.

“I connect with it so much because as someone in an immigrant family, any motherdaughter relationships are usually very tense, and it’s just really nice to see the characters be at odds with each other and be both wrong and right in their respective ways,” Yhamida said. “It’s confusing, but it is real. I wanted to connect with my mom and we just had this barrier between us because we grew up different, just like in the movie.”

Shows such as “Modern Family” feature different families including an LGBTQ+ couple with adopted children.

Although junior Sam Lozaw isn’t an avid watcher of the entertainment itself, he’s noticed the uptick in media showcasing all types of family dynamics.

“Personally, I haven’t seen enough that I’ve encountered [atypical family dynamics] naturally and ended up watching like a full show or a movie about it,” Lozaw said. “I do think there’s good representation, if you are seeking that out. It’s very easy to find something that could help normalize these types of family structures in society.”

Media and Pop Culture teacher Brian Box analyzed the shift in trends.

“There’s a lot more kind of representation of non-nuclear families happening that probably wasn’t there for quite some time,” Box said. “I also think that untraditional structures used to get portrayed more harmoniously as if life was only great. You had the mom, the dad, the kids and a dog and everything was awesome. But now they’re more willing to show ... that the traditional family structure isn’t necessarily just going to provide you great a life no matter what and that perhaps there’s other ways that people can be raised.”

Media is showcasing all types of family structures and dynamics, connecting with more people than those simply part of nuclear families. Companies such as Netflix and Hulu created more projects catered towards this representation. Yhamida said she is worried that financial gain dilutes the messages of marginalized communities, and cites creations such as “Ginny and Georgia”, which depicts a family with a single mother struggling to open up with her daughter. Moving to a new state alongside several arguments reveals the stark contrast between instability and what is considered a traditional family, but this doesn’t seem to break many barriers to all audiences.

“Only making these movies for money rather than inspiring people is a big fear of mine. I’m going to be honest, ‘Ginny and Georgia’ is not a very good show,” Yhamida said.

Lozaw said he is similarly worried that the meaning of stories will be diluted by the chasing of money.

“I do think that financial motivation does withdraw a lot from messages people try to make in these movies,” Lozaw said. “However, I still don’t see rainbow capitalism as a bad thing. It’s just not as good as natural progression but it’s still enforcing media that represents a minority part of the population. It’s just not as natural … but it’s better than nothing.”