Unseen on the Screen

Unseen on the Screen

Disproportionate representation in media negatively impacts people of color

By Clara Carrabba, Design Editor and Ariana Mehdizadeh, Reporter

THE UNITED STATES is often referred to as a ‘melting pot,’ or even more accurately, a ‘salad bowl’: a diverse mix of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures. Despite the United States’ multicultural environment, the movie industry has received criticism for its whitewashing of films and its disproportionate representation of Oscar and Emmy nominees of color. Some Americans of color feel they face unequal representation in the media due to systemic racism.

Systemic racism is defined as “prejudice that is ingrained in society’s structure.” According to a National Research Group study published in USA Today, two in every three Black Americans do not see themselves fairly depicted on the big screen.

“The lack of representation makes me feel sad and disrespected,” junior Jada Gibson said. “The media represents people of color as something we are not, and it’s usually a negative image.”

In 2019, UCLA reported that just two in every ten lead actors were people of color, a statistic which is not proportional to the actual number of people of color in the U.S. This lack of diversity affects the Black community in more ways than one. Television and its cinematic productions have become an essential part of most Americans’ lives, and it is “important that all youth see themselves in the media,” according to Psychology in Action. Their research shows that a “lack of representation in media can lead to negative psychological outcomes for those with identities that are underrepresented.”

“ If kids of color were represented more, they would feel more comfortable and accepted in today’s society,” junior Fatima del Fierro said.

However, some people of color feel differently. In a student survey, 50 percent of those polled said they feel properly depicted in the media. Many point out the continuous development and achievements for implementing more diversity into Hollywood in the past decade.

“There are a number of movies where the main character is a person of color,” junior Ian Womack said, “so I don’t see a problem.”

Lack of representation goes hand-in-hand with misrepresentation of the Black community. Some students feel that harmful stereotypes such as the “dangerous” Black man or the “angry” Black woman in films twist the public perception of Black people.

“Oftentimes the media depicts stereotypes as a way to be comical,” senior Sabine Waldron said. “This often portrays people of color poorly.”

Although cast diversity has and continues to improve, casting decisions are not up to the public, but rather, to those in positions of cinematic power. Those who want to help the advancement of a more diverse Hollywood can support projects with diverse casts and crews.

“I think the media has a lot of room to grow to display more diversity,” sophomore Beth Martinez said. “Intentional funding of people of color-driven projects will encourage the media to become more inclusive.”