What’s Your Money Story?
One of my first students at Pockets Change told me, “If I don’t have a plan for my money, my money’s gonna have a plan for me.”
It’s a simple statement that also happens to be some of the best financial advice I’ve ever heard.
We start forming relationships with money between 3-7 years old; while we’re listening to Elmo sing about getting new shoes or sneaking to the doorway as our parents watch Succession. Fictional characters’ wants and needs fill more than screens; they shape our financial narratives.
Across storylines, characters exemplify money personalities in action. Every iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles spends their (literally) hard fought loot on pizza, but each member embodies distinct habits & tendencies. That’s why our multigenerational Hip Hop & Finance programs start with finding your money personality. We use a simple, 2 question money personality quiz to determine one of four money personalities. The questions are rooted in financial psychology and behavioral economics.
Through money personalities, Students, teachers, and family members of all ages have been able to forgive themselves and move forward. The 4 personalities are full of relatable tendencies that make sense of the seemingly irrational ways we deal with money. Do you only buy things on sale? You may be a complicator! Do you end up blowing the big check you just got because it was from an Evil Corporation? You might be a money monk.
The money havers and knowers love telling young adults about the necessity and urgency of making a financial plan. Set long term goals, invest for your future, make a vision board, max out your 401k, build generational wealth.
Save, invest, and protect the right percentages of your wages, advocate for raises, stick to your plan, and everybody will be wealthy and we’ll have world peace. Do the right thing? Spike Lee made a film about how easy it is to do that.
It’s why many officials want financial education taught as a part of math class. Hard work + discipline = success… except when it doesn’t.
There’s no mathematical or magical formula for perfecting our finances. Budgets are personal and cash flow projections are literal guesses. If all that seems fake, and made up, good! So is money.
Take a breath. [Editor's note: ‘take a breath’ is the definition of inspiration]
Money is about more than numbers, it’s a tool to create change. As storytellers, content creators, and community builders we have a tremendous power to deconstruct money myths and cultivate empathy for the financial exploitation, discrimination, and oppression young adults are being called to navigate.
Our research partner, Knology, found Pockets Change’s approach highly effective in building financial resilience through hip hop pedagogy. Through shared practices and resources we have meaningful money conversations across mediums.
Storytelling creates a transformative space for real, open, and empowering conversations about money. As our students explore their own relationships with money, multimedia creates paths to overcome obstacles, encourage empathy, engage curiosity, and envision possibilities.
Our shared money stories shift narratives that have held back our communities for generations. We encourage content creators and program leaders to reflect on where financial themes could enrich their next project.
Bring Money Stories to Life with Actionable Insights:
Expand storytelling beyond the “middle–class centric” values and assumptions too often depicted. Explore the breadth and depth of how our relationships with money show up.
Share empowering stories of navigating uncertainty and enhancing financial wellbeing even when money is scarce or employment precarious.
Promote self-acceptance and efficacy with the message that “whatever it is you have; these are the ways that you’re able to save and this is what you’re able to do to grow.” As one individual told us, the program approach was valuable because it taught youth how “not to have money control you.”
Media’s Role in Shaping Your Perception of School
Your snooze your alarm for the last (and fifth) time before finally lugging yourself out of bed to get ready for first period. You have an AP test today you’ve barely studied for after getting home late from volleyball practice, a sport you’re only doing so you can write a college essay about your budding athleticism. Speaking of, applications are due this week and you need to recount every instance you’ve done something meaningful in the hopes that your accomplishments will be niche enough to get you an acceptance.
You’re walking to campus, weaving through the heavy press of people all trying to get somewhere, probably to their lectures that started 15 minutes ago because contrary to what your high school teachers told you, professors don’t care about attendance. You’re left to your devices which is why your last meal was an expired bowl of ramen noodles and you forgot about today’s club meeting. Maybe if you budget your time right (consult your local business major) you can still make it to the party tonight with all of your friends who insist going out is what college is about!
High school and college, both critical points in the lives of any young adult and yet simultaneously the most confusing of years. You have two goals that seem irreconcilable - socially developing and thriving and building an impressive academic repertoire. You are stuck on this seesaw of life, trying to balance and stay steady but you always find yourself tipping towards one end or the other.
Finding this balance between two equally important aspects of life is a challenge adults haven’t mastered quite yet. With the heavy presence of social media, TV and film, this pressure worsens. Youth feel the need to fit into the mold of a high school or college student that the media they so heartily consume has dictated to be true.
Movies that come to mind include “Legally Blonde” and “Pitch Perfect” both of which portray an unrealistic and damaging view of what it means to be a college student. In the former, Elle Woods gets into Harvard Law School with minimal qualifications and in the latter being part of the acapella club supersedes all other areas of life including academics and family.
These are two of many examples where media creates unrealistic and unattainable expectations for budding students or it narrows its focus on either the social or academic aspect of school, but never both in conjunction. All of this may contribute to the declining mental health and increased stress of students who feel cheated out of their life experiences when they arrive at school and find it to be nothing like what the media predicted.
The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments reported that 44% of college students across 133 campuses reported feeling depression, 37% had high anxiety and 15% said they considered suicide. Creators can do their part to shift this narrative and produce content that alleviates students of the unfair or unrealistic expectations they believe to be associated with school.
Student #1, a senior at UCLA, looks back on what defined her high school experience and what served as the unrealistic standard she tried to uphold in college. Others students shared that high school involved playing a sport, after school activities and endless outings with friends but Student #1’s emphasis on stress stood out.
“I view [high school] as being unreasonably stressed about college and always going through weird character-developing moments to help you figure out who you are and who your friends are. ”
While the awkwardness of discovering oneself is a normal progression of high school, Student #1 explained that many TV shows made her believe that she could only embark on this self-discovery journey if the things she experienced were extreme, dramatic or all-consuming. She referenced TV shows like Euphoria, Gossip Girl, the OC and 90210 for creating scenarios that would never happen in real life and for fueling her disappointment when high school and college inevitably weren’t like that. It prompted her to wonder if she was forgoing a good high school experience or not preparing enough for college and life beyond.
Euphoria was celebrated for its honest portrayal of drug addiction amongst teens but it also bookmarked every high school experience with drugs, sex and crazy parties, something Student #1 felt shouldn’t be favored over showing an ordinary, awkward and sometimes boring but equally formative time in high school.
Student #2, a sophomore at UCLA agreed and said high school was more about “being socially awkward and having bad friends.”
She adds that TV shows also rely too heavily on stereotypes of high school students and cliques that can perpetuate toxic environments in real life. Rather than focus on unrealistic and isolating tropes like “the jocks” or “the popular kids” or “the nerds” she encourages the media to portray high school as a safe place to explore oneself and be ordinarily extraordinary.
The media has been criticized for this in the past and one of the underlying problems is casting. Teen characters are often cast as unrealistically and stereotypically attractive adults rather than teenagers. Myrna Hart, researcher at UCLA Center for the Study of Women, says this feeds into a larger issue about body-image, role models and perception of age.
“Viewers never really know what an older woman, say 50 or 60 or 70, should realistically look like,” she says in an interview with Teen Vogue. “This precludes women from having any positive role models for aging.”
A 20 or 30 year old adult’s appearance is fully developed and stays the same, which doesn't reflect the fluctuation of features that teenagers experience. If a character that a young viewer idolizes lacks the imperfect skin, changing weight and messy hair typical of a pubescent teen, there is a harmful disconnect from reality.
PhD and clinical psychologist Barbara Greenberg in an interview with Teen Vogue says that this "leads to all kinds of body-image and social-comparison issues and we know that social comparison can be a thief of joy.”
Students #1 and #2 push for more teenagers being cast as teen characters and for more ordinary and simple depictions of the high school experience. They believe there is value in capturing the quiet but important moments of self-discovery and identity exploration too.
The portrayal of college students in the media also creates a heavy disconnect between the screen and real-life. The use of stereotypical characters and romanticized plot lines contributes greatly to the schism students feel between being social and academic and their overall fear and uncertainty about the future.
When asked, students insisted that the media taught them college was not just about doing everything, but being good at everything too. It was about partying, drinking, having a friend group but also going to all your lectures, getting all As, volunteering, doing internships and holding board positions in clubs.
An example of one extreme is the TV show Girl Meets World where students abandon academic pursuits and treat the classroom like an open forum to discuss friendships, family and identity formation. On the other end, shows like Big Bang Theory show characters whose every aspect of life is defined by school and work. The show demeans characters who have aspirations and interests outside of academia and STEM.
Student #3, a sophomore early in her time at UCLA agrees it is important to be academically successful but wishes that the media portrayed academic interests in a more holistic manner.
“Doing good academically is actually important. In movies the people who work hard in school are made fun of but in reality it’s so important”
On the other hand, Student #4, a senior ending her time at UCLA, says she found college did embody some of the social stereotypes she saw on TV.
When asked what she sees as a typical college student she says, “it is a greek life college kid who focuses on classes but also goes out on weekends and is pretty lazy other than that.”
The conflicting opinions of students proves that yes, college life looks different for everybody but more importantly, that the media doesn’t show the importance of balancing both lifestyles, of pursuing a social life without forgoing an academic one and vice versa. This well rounded reality is a hard one for students to accept when they don’t have a clear and accurate example of it in the media.
Student #5, a senior who is the voice of many misrepresented students, wishes the media was instead honest about school and life falling somewhere in the middle.
“I wish the media addressed the way everyone wants college or their lives to look awesome and as good as possible and showed the moment of finally talking about how it isn’t perfect”
It is important to both study and socialize but there are healthier and more effective ways to maximize your time in college. The key is not falling into an extreme category of just partying and drinking or dedicating all your time to school and studying, rather structuring your time in college can help you balance it all.
The Jed Foundation encourages students to order their priorities, show up to class as much as possible, join clubs and socials and expect the path to be imperfect.
“Adjusting to college life isn’t easy for anyone, but in time you’ll figure out what works best for you,” the Jed Foundation says. “And, at any time along the way, you can reach out for the support you need and deserve.”
College is also a time of struggle for students discovering not just their academic interests but who they are and who they want to be. According to social comparison theory, people, especially students, determine their personal, social and academic worth and interests by comparing themselves to others. In fact, some peers are more likely targets of this attention than others based on their visibility and levels of perception.
With today’s youth easily and constantly perceiving television and film, it is no wonder students look toward their screen-counterparts for how to behave, look and act. Social media has also greatly contributed to this kaleidoscope of perception. With influencers and celebrities up close and personal, it’s easier for consumers to think their life should mimic theirs. As a result, average consumers build a warped idea of wealth and success but also a narrow idea of what it means to socially and academically thrive.
Some influencers are not in school and they find happiness in the daily content they post. Other influencers are in school but also balancing brand deals and red carpet events. Social media’s persuasive nature can convince impressionable youth that their success should look identical to that, that their lives need to be parallel to Charli Damelio’s or Kim Kardashian’s. In reality, social and personal success is multifaceted and a college student with 0 Instagram followers can be just as happy and prosperous.
With self-development falling directly into the hands of what we see in the media, it is more important than ever to abandon outdated and damaging stereotypes in favor of honest and authentic representation and to offer support to students who need it.
Student #4 encourages the industry to “ talk more about the mental health aspect of the high school/college experience” while Student #5 wants them to address “more issues with eating disorders and people trying to be stereotypically skinny and perfect.”
For kids approaching the milestone of high school and college, these changes could alter their perception of what it means to be a successful and happy student.
As Student #2 so aptly says, school is not a race to being the most beautiful, most successful, most intelligent, it is about learning something meaningful every step of the way.
“It is about preparing for life. Educate yourself and find how to problem solve in academics and your social life. Have fun and experience things to learn the correct way to respond and to be happy. ”
Iridescence: Empathy Through Storytelling
AAPI Heritage Month Feature
When the rise of Asian hate crimes became so prevalent that it reached national headlines, I felt lost. As a child of Chinese immigrants who grew up in Southern California my whole life, it made me question my relationship with my own culture in a way that I never had before. What could I do to help my community? How could I do my part in trying to heal the polarizing divide in our country? My answer to these questions? Write the story of my life.
How Iridescence Came To Life
I believe that hate comes from a lack of empathy, and that media has the unique capability of giving the viewer a glimpse into someone else’s life, finding a universality in the personal. It might not change their mind completely, but at the very least, it can potentially challenge their preconceived notions on who someone is. So, I wrote a deeply personal short titled Iridescence that explores intergenerational trauma, mental health, and toxic masculinity. I utilized the Center for Scholars & Storytellers’ Boy’s Tip Sheet as a reference in shaping the dialogue and interactions of the characters. I also had the script workshopped in our CSS weekly lab session where multiple lab members gave me resources to research on authentically portraying cultural conflict and Asian mental health. Afterwards, an excerpt from my script was also used as an icebreaker in a CAPE x Center for Scholars & Storytellers think tank on how to authentically portray mental health in media. At the think tank, CAPE Executive Director Michelle Sugihara, congratulated me on my work and I was given invaluable feedback from scholars and storytellers alike on how to improve the script. Fast forward several months later and Iridescence is now making the rounds in the film festival circuit, where it’s placed as a Semifinalist in the Los Angeles Chinese Film Festival and a Finalist for the Independent Shorts Awards among several other accolades. It also has been spotlighted by the Daily Bruin and reviewed by a disability led non-profit organization that I hold near and dear to my heart, RespectAbility.
Breaking Stigma Through Conversation
While winning awards is a cool experience, I view it as secondary to my primary goal with the film which is to destigmatize mental health in the AAPI community. With that, I made sure to create a podcast to accompany the film where I interviewed the cast and crew regarding important taboo topics such as growing up as a minority, mental health allyship, understanding the love languages and cultural differences of our parents, and storytelling as a mechanism for change. I’ve had members of the cast and crew open up to me about how working on the project made them more willing to have those tough conversations with their family and friends, which has been indescribably fulfilling to me.
The Power of Authentic Storytelling
With a cast and crew largely consisting of women and the AAPI community, the film embodies the type of stories I want to tell. Being that the script is based on my own family, I did a table read with them. While my brother and mom were quick to congratulate me, my dad was silent. However, similar to the theme of the film itself, he sent me a long text afterwards, confiding in me that although he never was the type to say “I love you”–he really does. That moment of catharsis is the power of storytelling. As a DEIA advocate, I view authentic storytelling as a moral responsibility. It’s so important to do the research and consult with organizations with your stories because they have real world ramifications on the culture and society. Moving forward, I want to tell authentic stories that bridge the divide in our world and help us see each other not as archetypes, but as human beings. And organizations like the Center for Scholars & Storytellers as well as the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment equip me with the resources and skills to do just that.
Jeremy Hsing
Writer/Director, Former CSS Intern
Boosting Asian American Women's Visibility Through Comics
AAPI Heritage Month Feature
As a little girl I watched Mulan six times a day, no seriously, six times. I sat with my lola on the couch all day fixated on this girl who left everything she knew to fight for the honor of her family and her country. I think subconsciously I was drawn to Mulan more than the other Disney princesses, not simply because she looked like me, but because she was a girl who didn’t need saving from any prince; she saved the day herself. As I grew up, I continued to keep my eyes glued to the silver screen because the magic of storytelling made me feel so alive. It asks the audience to step outside of themselves, to have genuine care and curiosity about another person’s life, to dig deep into another’s soul, and that is powerful.
Rushing to be where all the storytelling action was, I moved to Los Angeles with my mom at 17-years-old. I remember coming out of auditions and realizing that not a lot of people looked like me. Was it because the roles that were written weren’t really written for people that looked like me? Was it because Asian Americans aren’t typically thought of as leading ladies? All these questions were circulating in my mind until one day I decided to do something about it. I realized that if I’m not seeing the roles for young girls out there that look like me, then I was going to have to be part of the solution.
Instead of waiting around and taking a passive seat to all the major players in the entertainment industry, we decided to take action. My mom and I began discussing what this representation could look like. Being the sci-fi, fantasy, superhero-loving family that we are, we thought, “why couldn’t we imagine a world in which a young Filipina superhero exists?” That’s when we decided to take control. Let’s just create the stories we wanted to see and not ask for permission to be seen. As we continued to play around with the idea of a story rooted in Filipino culture, we began diving into the different mythos of the Philippines and realized how fantastic and magical these tales were. With superheroes being a huge part of the comic book genre and the world of Philippine mythology so vibrant, we thought the best way to tell this story would be through the visual medium of comic books.
Despite female readers accounting for half of the comic book audience in its early popularity in the 1940’s, history has shown that women continue to be left out of the narrative. As major comic book companies grew, such as Marvel and DC, the focus shifted to the superhero genre that was tailored toward male viewership. Female representation is seriously lacking both on and off the page. Research shows that despite the growth in female artists and writers in the comic book industry, women are still heavily underrepresented with female creators accounting for 16-17% of Marvel and DC’s talent pool. This underrepresentation can further explain why women are left off the page and not represented as the main character with just 12% of mainstream superhero comics showcasing female protagonists. Out of these few female protagonists, many are drawn with unrealistic bodies and exaggerated features that hyper-sexualize the female body and cater specifically to the male gaze. These stories are often filled with a surplus of sexist undertones and provocative poses that send unattainable messages of striving for an impossible body. So where does that leave young female readers? Who do they have to not only look up to, but see themselves truly reflected in? Where are the characters that make them say “I know her. I am her.”
Of course, these types of characters are not likely to be written in an authentic way (or at all) if the people from our communities aren’t welcomed in the writers rooms. Representation is not true representation if it is only seen in one sector of the industry. When we mean representation we mean visibility both on and off the screen and page. Asian American female writers and artists are necessary to tell these stories authentically. So when we were creating our team for our comic book company, it only made sense that the mission of our company, which is to highlight “Asian” and “women”-driven narratives, was reflected in the team itself. This led us to create the first all Asian women comic book company.
The first series of Kwento Comics, The Mask of Haliya, tells the story of a Filipina-American teen, Marisol Reyes, who goes to the Philippines after the death of her great-grandmother. There, she finds a mysterious wooden mask at the wake where she not only finds herself imbued with incredible powers, but at the epicenter of an ancient war between Philippine shamans and gods of the Underworld. When introducing our main character, we wanted to break the stereotypes of women in comic books that had unrealistic body types and create an accurate depiction of a young Filipina girl growing into adulthood. A girl who isn’t perfect, who messes up and is trying to figure it all out, an unlikely hero. Asian American women have been scarcely represented in US media. In a study conducted by UCLA’s 2022 Hollywood Diversity Report, Asians represented 5.6% of film leads with women representing less than half of those leads. When they are represented, historically they have been depicted as stereotypes from the “Dragon Lady”, “China Doll”, or “The Nerd”. It was imperative that we break this cycle at Kwento Comics and shine a light on untold narratives and dynamic, fully fleshed out characters. Through the discovery of her family’s ancestral past and Filipino culture, Mari will go down a journey of self-discovery and an understanding of who she is truly destined to become.
Another important element of our storytelling is the inclusion of Philippine mythology. Audiences have seen everything from Greek to Roman to Norse Mythology with the likes of Zeus, Jupiter, and Thor, however there are a plethora of other mythologies in the world that never get the spotlight. As a young Filipina girl growing up, I was never exposed to the vibrant world of Philippine mythology that existed. Similar to our main character who goes to the Philippines where she discovers her Filipino heritage, the comic book was a way for me to dive deep into my own culture and share it with the world. It is through working on this comic book that I have taken true pride in where I come from and hope that others will feel inspired to do the same by creating more content that lifts up Asian American visibility in media.
Actionable Insights:
Do research on your own culture and see what folks, legends, and myths your ancestors told to each other.
Show more women in comics with real and authentic bodies.
Create dynamic female characters that follow the Bechdel Test.
When assembling your creative team, include those part of marginalized communities - BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women.
Waverley Lim
Former UCLA Student
Read more about Kwento Comics in The Daily Bruin.
Authentic Diversity in Movies Wins at the Box Office and with Kids
New research reinforces the value of authentic representation in film.
This post originally appeared on Common Sense on May 31, 2022.
Turns out that having diverse representations in our movies—real, authentic portrayals of people from a variety of backgrounds—is good for kids and the filmmaking industry. Recent research shows that films with more diverse casts are out-earning movies with less diversity. More diverse representations are also good for kids' emotional development and well-being.
Here's what the latest research reveals about where we're making progress with diversity in film, where we are not, and how the film industry's actions when it comes to more diversity and high-quality representation in movies impacts kids and families.
Films with more diverse casts drive higher movie ticket sales and revenue
The recently released Hollywood Diversity Report 2022: Part I was the ninth in a series of studies conducted by the Division of Social Sciences at UCLA. The study showed positive progress on diverse representation in film. In 2020, representation of people of color in front of the camera was proportional to the population for the first time—and this held true in 2021 as well, at 38.9% among film leads and 43.1 % for total actors in films.
Plus, bringing more diverse casts to the screen translated to financial results. The same report revealed that in 2021, films with casts that were 21% to 30% people of color enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts, while films with casts that were less than 11% people of color were the lowest performers, continuing a trend seen in the past four years.
Today's audiences seek out nuanced, high-quality portrayals of diverse characters
Films that scored higher on a measure of "authentically inclusive representation" (AIR) did better at the box office and received more acclaim from critics and audience members. The AIR 2.0: Driving Box Office Performance Through Authentically Inclusive Storytelling report from the UCLA Center for Scholars and Storytellers, Creative Artists Agency, and the Full Story Initiative found that large-budget films in 2021 performed better when they had more authentic representation. For every point increase in a film's AIR score, box office earnings increased by $18.8 million. High AIR films also scored 6% higher on Rotten Tomatoes audience scores and 22% higher on critics' scores.
The AIR 2.0 report's evaluation considered several factors. First, it looked at whether people from diverse backgrounds were on screen and behind the scenes, and if diversity was present, whether characters and stories genuinely reflected the cultures being portrayed instead of relying on stereotypes. Researchers also examined to what extent a film's representation increased the complexity of a general audience's understanding of that cultural group.
The influence and preferences of diverse audiences are driving these findings. The Hollywood Diversity Report 2022 also found that people of color accounted for the majority of domestic ticket sales for six of the top 10 films in 2021. Households of color accounted for a disproportionate share of the households viewing each of the top 10 films released on streaming platforms. And Black households gave their highest ratings to streaming films with greater than 50% minority cast share while White households gave films that were 21-30% minority their highest ratings.
Families prefer more diverse representation in films. Our own report, The Inclusion Imperative: Why Media Representation Matters for Kids' Ethnic-Racial Development, revealed that all parents prefer more diversity in the programming their kids watch.
The trend toward greater diversity in films is healthy for kids
More authentic diversity in media is a positive trend for kids' racial development. Ethnic-racial development starts early. Patterns suggest that even babies receive, notice, and organize information relevant to ethnicity-race. Over time, the portrayals a kid sees in the media can inform their sense of identity and where they fit in the world.
Among young people of color, watching favorable and authentic depictions of their own ethnic-racial group can have a positive impact on self-perceptions and views about their ethnic-racial group. In contrast, studies examining how media use influences Black children and adolescents have found that exposure to stereotypical media representations was related to lower self-esteem, satisfaction with one's appearance, confidence in one's own ability, feelings about their ethnic-racial group, and academic performance.
According to our study, Asian, Black, and Hispanic/Latino parents are much more likely to feel that the representation of their own ethnic-racial group in media is stereotypical than White parents do.
What makes a high-quality portrayal? Research informs how we rate diverse representation in media. My colleague Li Lai, senior director of content at Common Sense Media, puts it like this: "When we rate diverse representation in a film or show, we are looking for three-dimensional, whole characters who are more than their racial identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Even positive traits can be perceived as stereotypes. It's more helpful for kids to see multidimensional characters."
More diversity in front of and behind the camera will lead to more authentically inclusive portrayals
Encouragingly, roughly four out of five lead actors in 2021 were people of color. The Hollywood Diversity Report 2022 states that Black actors were 15.5% of film leads in 2021, just above proportional level (13.4%). Multiracial lead actors were proportional as well, at 10.3%. Yet the numbers for Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native American, and Middle Eastern and North African leads were still underrepresentative in 2021 compared to their percentage in the general population.
When it comes to those behind the camera, representation has been much slower to shift, as reflected by the fact that writers and directors are still predominantly White males. The same report shows that only 30.2% of film directors and 32.3% of film writers were people of color.
The question of who's in control behind the camera can affect how authentically the characters are drawn in the script, who lands the audition, and how sensitively the characters are presented in the screenplay.
More diversity across the board is the only way to ensure films are more realistic and equitable in their representation. Given that the payoff is there for kids and for the business, we expect to see more movement toward diversity and authentic representation in all arenas of movie development and production. We look to the entertainment industry to continue to track progress and work to accelerate this trend.
It's not only good for the bottom line, it's important for the healthy development of kids.
Michael Robb
Senior Director of Research, Common Sense Media
More Than an Afterthought: Authentically Representing Intersectionality in Media
HIGHLIGHTS
• It is important to not think of intersectionality as simply adding up multiple identities that have no influence on one another.
• Without taking intersectionality into account, progressive ideas and movements lack substance.
• When creating a character, list out the intersectional elements of their identity and consider how to work these into all aspects of their characterization on-screen.
In college, I was briefly part of an organization that advocated for gender-oppressed people’s rights on campus. The group had themed weeks, like Sex Education Week and Period Awareness Week. The last theme of the semester was Intersectionality Week.
As a woman of color, I laughed. Intersectionality is not something I could wait weeks to live out. It’s my daily life. But too often, I find that advocacy groups and well-meaning people who are trying to support movements do the same thing. Intersectionality consistently shows up as an afterthought when it really should be a part of their mindset from the beginning, given that most movements have been started by the most marginalized people.
Intersectionality refers to the way that different identity markers, such as race, gender, sexuality, and class, interact and affect each other. These “intersections” produce experiences that are distinct to those who have the intersectional identity. Kimberle Crenshaw, the legal scholar who coined the term, wrote about Black women’s experiences in the workplace, saying that “the intersectional experience is greater than the sum of racism and sexism.” Crenshaw analyzed the way that the legal system separated Black women’s identities into “Black” and “woman,” but refused to account for how those two characteristics would overlap in a way that is unique to Black women.
Intersectionality is often treated like an addition problem. Women of color experience oppression because they are women + because they are people of color. A queer woman of color would experience homophobia + misogyny + racism. However, this goes against the foundation of what intersectionality is.
While it may seem like the Addition Problem Approach is a sincere attempt at understanding oppression, it can actually center privileged people instead. This is because there cannot be a universal experience of homophobia added to a universal experience of misogyny added to a universal experience of racism. Each one of these forms of oppression is influenced by the other, and the result is not an overlap of different shades of discrimination, but its own entity.
Too often, when we think about sexism, what we’re actually thinking about is the sexism that white, cis women face. When we talk about homophobia, we’re actually referring to white queer people’s struggles. When discussing racism, we generally think of the ways that it affects men of color. These associations are problematic because we believe that we can then understand intersectional identities and issues, but we’re just adding variables that never fit the equation in the first place.
The Addition Problem Approach has been used to explain intersectionality to people who have never heard about it before, but it cannot be the tool that we use when trying to actively work towards inclusion. Rather, there needs to be a consistent and active focus on intersectionality.
Let’s talk about what that might look like. In the context of gender, the starting point of a conversation cannot be an assumption that everyone understands femininity to be the same thing. A lot of conversation surrounding feminism and gender identity seems to push back against the idea of women being feminine. However, it’s important to understand that our society’s “default” ideas of gender are intertwined with whiteness, and so anyone who isn’t white will have a different interaction with the construct.
For instance, Black women are often hypermasculinized, meaning that their femininity is not just doubted, but rejected. The way that non-Black people enforce gender on Black people has roots in slavery, where the destruction of people’s identities was essential to their dehumanization and enslavement. Hortense Spillers, a Black feminist scholar, famously delves into the relationship between gender in Black communities and slavery in “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe: An American Grammar Book.”
In media, there are patterns of Black women being portrayed as masculine. Consider the way that media outlets have talked about Serena Williams and Michelle Obama. In movies and television, similar patterns appear. This may manifest as casting a Black woman or girl in minor roles where she is only a prop for a white main character’s development, she is never thought of as a love interest, or her romantic life is a joke to other characters and the audience. In Pitch Perfect, Cynthia-Rose’s sexuality and romantic relationships are made fun of constantly, and the jokes about her make up nearly her entire character. In Sex and the City, Jennifer Hudson’s character, Louise, is more of a pitied character than a fully realized one.
Given the context of Black history, how would shunning femininity be the solution to misogyny? Of course, there are many Black people who don’t want to be feminine. But the point is that society’s current approach to gender is steeped in anti-Blackness and racism, and mainstream feminism’s idea of rejecting femininity as a form of freedom only works for a few people. If we don’t think about the way people with intersectional identities experience gender, then it’s just another case of supporting a kind of activism that doesn’t actually help people who are being hurt.
Conversely, East Asian women are hyperfeminized, and consistently characterized as submissive and only useful for sexual gratification. Examples include characters in Miss Saigon or Memoirs of a Geisha. While femininity is something that East Asian women are given access to, the interaction between race and gender is something that is marred with force and harm.
As a South Asian woman, I know people who look like me are either fetishized and seen as some exotic, sexual toy, or are ridiculed and thought to be sexless. One example that is branded in my mind is an early scene in How I Met Your Mother, a show that dominated my early teenage years. The men of the main cast are sitting in a taxi with Ranjit, a driver who reappears multiple times throughout the series. They ask him where he’s from, and he replies, “Bangladesh.” When Ted, Marshall, and Barney follow up by asking, “Are the women in your country beautiful?”, Ranjit shows them a picture of his wife. The protagonists respond by looking at each other and choking out, “He could have just said no.” This one scene is the only time I have ever heard an American show mention the name of the country that half of my family is from. It made my stomach drop, and as a tween watching the show, immediately convinced me that I would always be laughed at, always thought of as ugly. These aren’t just instances of racism; it is discrimination that works specifically because of intersectionality.
All of these examples demonstrate that the goal of blindly destroying masculinity and femininity as constructs is narrow-minded. The separate associations of femininity to domesticity and sexualization or masculinity with apathy, violence, and machismo undermine the layers of institutional oppression that people of color experience. To be clear, breaking down gender norms and the gender binary is key. However, doing so without actively centering histories of enslavement, genocide, and imperialism is not only irresponsible but harmful.
Problematic representation can also appear indirectly. Netflix's Moxie aims to tell a story about students engaging with feminism, but is ultimately a white feminist portrayal of social justice. Though historically, advocacy movements have consistently been started and led by Black women, Moxie places Black women and other characters of color to the side and characterizes white women as rebels. This not only ignores Black women's prominence in activism, but also paints over the suppression that intersectional people have faced in building advocacy groups.
I’ve given a few examples of the way race and gender intersect. There are thousands of layers within each category, and I haven’t even talked about intersections that involve socioeconomic status, religion, sexuality, neurodivergence, or disability. Intersectionality is not simple. It cannot be something that content creators and writers think about at the end of a project.
Instead, intersectional identities and histories need to be the mission from the beginning. Privileged people need to work more on understanding their roles in creating and contributing to discriminatory systems rather than assuming they know how to talk about or even create content portraying progress. Intersectionality is deeply complex, but it merits prioritization and continuing efforts to educate oneself.
For example, Pose offers insight into the way that the lives of trans women of color are also completely shaped by gender and race in ways that are different from cis women of color. Again, trans women of color often have to fight for femininity. Pose starts with intersectionality, rather than tacking it onto the end. While the show had limited representation of dark-skinned Black trans women, it provides a look into what mindful content creation looks like. Other examples of works that have prioritized intersectionality include Grown-ish, One Day at a Time, Grey’s Anatomy, Moonlight, and Girls’ Trip. While these works vary wildly in genre and tone, all of them include plotlines that are influenced by characters’ identities without identity markers making up the entirety of the characters.
This work extends beyond who’s in front of the camera. In addition to content creators and writers needing to research and learn about their characters’ identities, it is essential that there be diverse representation throughout a film or television show’s development, production, and distribution. For instance, the iCarly reboot has not only cast multiple Black characters, but has also hired Black hairstylists like Cora Diggins. The result has been stunning hairstyles for the characters in the show, as well as an outpouring of praise and support for the show’s decisions. Intersectionality was not just an afterthought here, but clearly something that was carefully considered throughout the process.
Ultimately, intersectionality is key. Without taking intersectionality into account, progressive ideas and movements lack substance. Progress doesn’t begin until intersectionality shows up, so it is critical to consider where in the work the subject is brought in. Shows and movies that attempt to lift up marginalized communities without thinking about intersectionality are only perpetuating different systems of prejudice and oppression. While it may feel daunting or overwhelming to think about the countless identity markers that people and characters have, there is beauty in investigating. Intersectionality isn’t an invisible or elusive concept: there are people with intersectional identities everywhere who live rich and deeply complex lives.
Actionable Insights
Prioritize telling stories with leading characters that have intersectional underrepresented identities.
When creating a character, list out the intersectional elements of their identity and consider how to work these into all aspects of their characterization on-screen.
Think about characters with multiple marginalized identities, and tell stories that do not consist solely of their struggles with those identities.
When telling stories of characters with intersectional identities, hire cast and crew members who can draw from their own intersectional identities to positively influence the authenticity of the overall storytelling.
When telling stories that aren’t “part of the real world,” like fantasy or science-fiction works, ensure that intersectional identities are represented without writing marginalization into their characters (i.e., make sure the characters are not just representations of their real-world oppression).
5 Content Creators to Listen To:
@kennathevampireslayer (TikTok)
@daejahtalkstv (TikTok & YouTube)
@crutches_and_spice (TikTok)
Khadija Mbowe (YouTube)
@thecounsciouskid (Instagram)
Jasmine Baten
Master’s student in Media and Communications, American University
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers.
How Activist Audiences Are Changing the TV Industry
This article originally appeared on Shondaland.com
Television, like all other art forms, has gone through various eras over the years. Often the era corresponds with what is happening within the culture, particularly the generations coming of age during that time. We are now in the streaming era of television, the a la carte programming boom that allows users to watch whatever they please, whenever they please. Gen Z, the politically active and outspoken adolescents of today, have different TV habits than previous generations. Even when binge-watching Friends, this group is unafraid to poke holes in the television industry’s framework and call for content that respects their values.
I work with UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS), where we harness the power of storytelling to help the next generation thrive and grow. In the lab, we study adolescents to understand their media habits and the effects that media have on young minds. Social media is a fixture of daily life, particularly during the pandemic, and it has become a place for activism and political engagement that allows young people to become informed on causes happening around them.
Gen Z is more racially diverse, educated, and queer than any of our previous generations. This group uses social media to develop their identities and engage with heterogeneous peers that might not be living in their hometowns. As a result, this progressive group has become interested in representation in media and social impact entertainment, seeking diverse and authentic casting and storytelling on- and off-screen. They are vocal about wanting to see themselves and their peers reflected back to them on-screen, carrying the torch from Millennials and Gen X’ers — notably Black women — who spearheaded movements like #TimesUp and #OscarsSoWhite.
“Storytelling thrives when audiences sense the truth and lived experience driving what occurs on-screen.”
In recent years, content has been shifting to be more diverse and inclusive, particularly when looking at adolescent-focused shows. Diverse programming in this space is not new — I grew up with That’s So Raven and True Jackson VP — but these series did not capture the attention of adults. Now, spaces that have been vehicles for complex adult programming such as Netflix and HBO are producing shows that feature adolescent characters that appeal to wider-ranging audiences — and might even prompt parent-child conversations.
Some recent examples are Sex Education, Never Have I Ever, Euphoria, and We Are Who We Are. All of these shows feature people of color prominently in the principal cast and deal with mental health and racial, sexual, and gender identity. HBO Max’s most recent debut Genera+ion, is an intriguing addition, as it was created with significant contributions from a 19-year-old. As a new socially conscious generation comes of age, more change must be on the horizon for the industry, even outside of adolescent-focused programming.
In order for this to happen, entertainment companies have to take a hard look at their hiring practices and slates of content. One company that has been doing this is STARZ. While the global media company serves an adult demographic (with a majority coming from the 18-54 range), their programming captures the attention of some Gen Z viewers in the stage of late adolescence. Through my work with STARZ, I have come to see that their leadership team understands the necessity to make changes within their organization to be more inclusive of underrepresented groups, both in front of and behind the camera. STARZ recently launched the #TakeTheLead initiative, which kicked off in February with a research report that I co-authored, and will continue with a series of monthly “Transparency Talks” throughout the year leading up to an industry-wide summit in the fall focused on representation that STARZ will host.
In late 2020, STARZ asked CSS to assess the diversity within their shows — both in front of and behind the camera — and their leadership team, relative to the rest of the television industry. Our team began by reviewing all of the recently released industry reports analyzing representation in front of and behind the camera to get a sense of the landscape. We chose three reports to illustrate the comparative numbers for the industry: UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report 2020, Part 2: Television, the Writer’s Guild of America West (WGAW) Inclusion Report 2020, and Boxed In 2019-20: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes in Television from San Diego State University (SDSU). We then dove into the numbers for STARZ, focusing on race and gender for their senior leadership, showrunners, executive producers, directors, writers, series leads, and series regulars. In order to provide more accurate comparisons to the industry, we used the criteria from the industry reports to better define the data analyzed for each category. We were encouraged by our findings.
The numbers showed that STARZ exceeded industry hiring practices for people of color by more than 123 percent at the showrunner level and more than 85 percent at the executive producer level. People of color also make up over 53 percent of the writers’ rooms on STARZ’s series and nearly half of all episodic directors. As a result, many of the stories that STARZ is telling — the Power Universe franchise and the upcoming series Run the World and Blindspotting — are refreshingly diverse and representative of communities often ignored by Hollywood.
A standout is the STARZ original P-Valley, which showrunner Katori Hall adapted from her play with an uncensored name, about the inner workings of a strip club in Mississippi, The Pynk. The show received critical and audience acclaim when it launched last summer for its nuanced depictions of the dancers and the southern strip club scene. The secret to the success of P-Valley is how the series puts the spotlight on women of color on-screen and behind the scenes, including in the director’s chair and writers’ room. The show demonstrates that when the people who are telling stories behind the camera truly represent the actors who bring those stories to life, what we gain is a richness often only seen in stories about white men.
Recent research reports from SDSU and UCLA have demonstrated that more diverse representation in leadership roles translates to more diverse representation at every level of production.
In our work at CSS, we analyze Authentically Inclusive Representation (AIR), taking a deeper look into the substance of the storytelling and noting intersectionality, tropes, and stereotypes. We used Mediaversity’s extensive grading system to create a sliding scale to rate where a work ranks relative to the norm of having some — often stereotypical — representation across gender, race, and LGBTQ+ or disability. Films and TV shows score above the norm for AIR much more often when members of underrepresented groups are heavily involved in the storytelling process, as with P-Valley.
What is most important is that executives and content creators work together to make AIR a priority within their shows or risk negatively affecting perceptions of self within audiences of color.
Viewer habits and appetites are changing. Content creators looking to capture the short attention span — about 8 seconds — of Gen Z need to focus on making their stories authentic reflections of the world as this young audience experiences it — diverse, inclusive, and honest.
Demand for this kind of content is also increasing rapidly amongst Millennial and Gen X audiences.
An important first step toward change is to invite underrepresented groups into the rooms where decisions are being made and to give these individuals real decision-making power.
Storytelling thrives when audiences sense the truth and lived experience driving what occurs on-screen. Actors, writers, directors, producers, showrunners, and executives all have a part to play here, and when their voices come together in a positive way, it can shift audience attitudes and promote tolerance. Organizations like CSS can offer guidance on how to make changes to promote more responsible storytelling, but ultimately it is up to the leaders in the entertainment industry to make the decision to start the process.
Program Director, Center for Scholars & Storytellers
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers.