The Push for Authentic Asian American Representation in the Media
AAPI Heritage Month Feature
Jeremy Hsing, director of short films, “Iridescence” and “Fish” has been searching all his life for the perfect way to weld his creative pursuits with his self-exploration journey. In this quest to express himself and his culture, Hsing found a passion for filmmaking and uses his writing and directing skills to tell his stories and inspire others to do the same.
“Iridescence,” his short film on his experiences with family, love, and mental health within underrepresented communities, was his bold introduction to the film world. Hsing called the difficult but rewarding process of making it and sharing it his own personal form of exposure therapy.
“It’s a short that combined intergenerational healing with my Asian American culture and also has some magical realism with its animation sequence,” he said.
Hsing wrote, produced, and directed the film himself, learning as he went along and pouring his life into every scene and frame. His vulnerable depiction of his mental health struggles found an audience in his family and opened the door to important conversations that Hsing said felt lacking in his family and within his Asian American culture.
“I didn’t make it for the art, I made it for the message and I think the message really resonated with my family, both immediate and extended. It opened up our conversation and made us all more open about mental health.”
For Hsing, being able to tell his story and have his family listen, and challenge some of the stigmas of mental health, was the first step to change.
“I think it's a generational, cultural stigma that manifests in different ways for each family, but there is that overarching theme of ‘I went through all this stuff in my life and experienced all this hardship, so whether it's unconscious or not, I displaced it onto the next generation’” he said in explanation of the often implicit stress this generation of POC, particularly those whose parents are immigrants, can feel.
“My goal, because of the privilege that I have in being born after these generations of hardship, is to try to end that intergenerational cycle so that if I have kids one day, they don’t have to experience trauma.”
Hsing’s demonstration of art and film as a way to change the lives and minds of everyday people is one of many examples of the power of media. Stories and the way they are told have the intimate ability to challenge ideas, beliefs, and stereotypes and in their place plant richer, more accepting narratives.
He finds inspiration in the Asian films Hollywood has produced lately, specifically diverse stories that pave the way for those who want to subtly but powerfully incite change and understanding with their content. It is the path he took and he was grateful in acknowledging that change is a slow but steady process – in the film industry and within himself and his family.
“Every generation of my bloodline, I guess, becomes slightly more progressive and open to deviating from the social norm, so I am a byproduct of that, for which I’m grateful.”
However, the media, much like the humans that create it, is still full of many biases and unfair depictions of people and cultures. Particularly during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we recognize the lack of representation being offered and more than that, the harmful, stereotypical representation of Asian Americans that often is seen in TV and film.
While a lot of progress has been made with movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” or the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever,” there is still a well-placed burden on directors to create work that addresses not only inaccuracies in cultural depictions but also seamlessly weaves said culture into the everyday lives of characters in a subtle and destigmatizing way.
“Pieces shouldn’t rely on cultural cliches; all of these characters are their own and human and I feel like that's what makes stories so successful. Not that they are an Asian cast, but because it's just a really good story, those are the type of stories that I want to tell,” Hsing said when asked about the current Asian American representation in television and film.
For Hsing, the strongest stories are about real people and cultures, a truth that you believe in. Lived experiences breed the best storytellers and much like other young, diverse creators, he was grateful for the chance to share an authentic part of himself through his films.
Hollywood can take a page out of his book and, as Hsing highlighted, realize that the richest and best form of representation are films and shows that don’t play on or rely on the typical cultural stereotypes or ideas one unfairly associates with Asian Americans.
“I think that media and art hold a lot of merit to society and society in the United States is becoming more diverse by the day. I don’t even think it’s performative, I think it’s just accurately reflecting what society is.”
Especially now during AAPI Heritage Month, it is more important than ever to recognize the struggles this often marginalized community faces and the valuable stories they can offer the world. Creating the space to share these stories and intently listening and learning is the responsibility of every creator and consumer. Whether it be to combat the very real generational trauma Asian Americans experience or a way for us to learn and work on our own inherent biases, Hsing has shown that while the media can perpetuate negative stereotypes, it can also beautifully change them, one family and one young creator at a time.
Mireille Karadanaian
CSS Intern
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.
Turning Red: The Experience of Asian American Teenage Girls
AAPI HERITAGE MONTH FEATURE
For the celebration of AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) heritage month, we chose to highlight Pixar’s first Asian-led film – Turning Red. The coming-of-age animated movie, featuring predominantly Asian American (AA) characters, is the first to be solo directed by a woman and, more specifically, a woman of color, Domee Shi. Turning Red centers on Meilin “Mei” Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl who navigates through puberty, friendship, and cultural expectations.
To our surprise, some reviewers have criticized the film as too personal and specific to be relatable to most audiences. However, we have found that Turning Red accurately depicts what other films haven’t been able to before: our unique experiences growing up as AA teenage girls.
Asian American Mother-Daughter Conflict
The mother-daughter relationship has been the topic of many stories about young girls throughout the years. Films such as Lady Bird, Freaky Friday, and Brave have portrayed this relationship, but the intergenerational conflict between AA moms and daughters is particularly distinctive. For AA immigrant families, this conflict often stems from the disconnect between collectivism and individualism, or the core community values of Eastern and Western cultures, respectively. Turning Red follows in the footsteps of AA mother-daughter stories (such as Joy Luck Club) and adds to a growing list of films that depict this dynamic (such as Everything, Everywhere, All at Once).
The relationship between Mei and her mom, Ming, fluctuates throughout the movie. Mei tries her best to be the perfect daughter according to her family’s expectations, but begins to experience changes in her body, hormone levels, and behavior. She transforms into a giant red panda when she feels strong emotions, such as joy, anger, sadness, and embarrassment. The panda serves as a metaphor for puberty, a turbulent time for both children and parents. Mei starts to fight with her mom and goes against her mom’s expectations and family traditions. The film does not glorify disobedience; rather, it portrays the complicated reality of the parent-child dynamic during adolescence. In particular, Turning Red highlights the immigrant mother-daughter bond and the trauma passed down from one generation to the next. Like what was done previously, Ming seeks to control and suppress Mei’s red panda. As Mei learns to deal with her red panda and tackle her family’s intergenerational trauma, she and her mom realize that it is okay to embrace the messy parts of yourself.
The Importance of 4*Town
Another source of parental conflict is Mei’s desire to attend the 4*Town concert with her friends. Although many dismiss 4*Town as a comedic portrayal of the hormonal, boy-crazy tendencies of teenage girls, boy bands and fandom culture play an important role in AA identity development. For AA teens growing up on the Internet, some of the first AA media representation was through YouTube creators. Some channels explored makeup and Asian beauty, like Michelle Phan and Jenn Im, while others made comedy skits about AA identity, like Ryan Higa and Wong Fu Productions. Fans of these creators on YouTube developed a community for many AA viewers to discuss their identity openly and see people who look like them on screen when Hollywood lacked representation. Additionally, many AA teens consume media from Asia itself, such as anime and K-Pop, to connect with their identity. The term Hallyu, or Korean wave, was coined in the 1990s as Korean pop culture rose in popularity throughout Asia and the U.S. This wave has continued through today, as seen through the craze around Korean music, like BTS, and the praise for Korean dramas, like Squid Game. We even see a nod to K-Pop in Turning Red through one of 4*Town’s members, Tae Young. In an interview about the movie, Domee Shi revealed that she was influenced by both American and Korean boy bands growing up, acknowledging that the media often ridicules young girls for being a part of such fandoms. Hence, Turning Red depicts the significant influence of fandom for AA girls’ experiences and is one of the first to do so seriously, without the typical mockery of teen girls.
4*Town was also important in portraying the connection within Mei’s friend group. According to research on teenage fans, participating in fandom culture facilitates teens to establish close communities and friendships around a shared interest for celebrities. We see this phenomenon when 4*Town ties the four friends, Mei, Abby, Priya, and Miriam, together. Contrary to the typical toxic depictions of teenage friendships in television shows and movies, Turning Red provides a positive portrayal of female friendships. Mei, Abby, Priya, and Miriam are able to be themselves around each other and appreciate each other’s quirkiness. This gives audiences a fresh perspective on teenage female friendships and shows the supportive community surrounding fandoms.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Turning Red normalizes puberty (emotions, menstruation, boy-craziness, etc.) and celebrates strong female friendships, while addressing topics like intergenerational trauma and identity formation. Indeed, the film provides AA teen girls with an accurate portrayal of their experiences, but there is still room for improvement in authentic and inclusive AA representation. Future stories can include more diversity in Asian ethnic groups: current representation is overwhelmingly East Asian and lacks South Asian and Southeast Asian experiences. It is also important to consider intersectionality in AA representation, including LGBTQ+ representation, biracial and multicultural identities, and different ages.
Sisi Peng
CSS Fellow
Alexa Mugol
Former CSS Intern
Yue, 5
Media Consumption: Every day
Favorite Media: Paw Patrol/Peppa Pig/Patty Shukla Kids TV
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
When Yue was two years old, she liked dancing with Patty Shukla on YouTube. Since she was 3 years old, Yue started to watch cartoons such as Peppa Pig. Currently, her favorite TV show is Paw Patrol.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Because of COVID, Yue and her school had to use video meetings for online classes. For the past two years, Yue has been using Voov Meeting and DingTalk to take lessons from pre-school and practice dance with teachers.
What do you use media for?
Yue mostly uses media for learning and entertainment. For one, due to COVID, Yue took advantage of media to take classes with her classmates and teachers from pre-school. For another, she also uses media to watch cartoons. This also helps her to learn English.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
Yue said her favorite thing about media is that she can watch the stories of dogs in Paw Patrol. Her least favorite thing about media is that her mom turns it off after 1 hour.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
To make each episode of cartoons longer so that others will not notice how many episodes have passed.
What media are you using more now because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yue started to use Voov Meeting, Zoom, and Dingtalk more often as tools to have video meetings with her class. She uses WeChat and Zoom as a form of communication with friends and teachers, chatting online with play dates and taking dance classes when school was closed.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about changes during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
Yue gets most of the information about COVID-19 from her parents.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during the COVID-19 pandemic?
As a 5-year-old girl, Yue does not understand much about the anxiety and frustration people have regarding COVID-19. She is busy with the activities that school and her parents have planned for her. She took online lessons when the school was closed, and she was occupied with YouTube Kids and Disney movies at home when there were lockdowns. She also does crafts with online tutorials, such as making puzzles or doing paper folds.
What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is important to stay healthy and follow the rules (such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing).
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yue thinks media brings convenience to people. She thinks it is amazing that she can communicate with others through video even though they are physically apart. Yue also feels that she had learned new knowledge because of media, such as sharing.
Interviewed by: Annie Qingyang Li, UCLA Student
Hannah, 16
Media Consumption: iPhone screen time about 10 hours per day
Favorite Media/Technology: iPhone
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My dad rarely uses his phone because he consciously tries to minimize his phone usage. My mom is the exact opposite because she uses her phone for work, and she is online all day. I use my phone pretty often to use social media and watch YouTube.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
During lunchtime, even though my friends and I are sitting together, we are all on our phones. This is probably because we are not that familiar with each other. My best friends are either in Northern California or in Japan, and we interact through social media applications like WeChat and Instagram. We use iMessage to text, too.
What do you use media for?
I use media for basic communication with friends. I also browse through Little Red Book (a Chinese app similar to TikTok) and Weibo (Chinese Twitter) to kill time. I like K-pop and C-pop groups, so I need to be caught up with trends.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
Every coin has two sides. I guess my favorite and least favorite part about media is the same. My favorite part about media is that I get to stay focused and forget everything else. However, if I don’t pay attention, I waste a lot of time. It is time-consuming but entertaining.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/to interact with to know?
I think the founders of the applications don’t even use them. They should limit screen time for children and teenagers because they don’t have enough self-control.
What media are you using more now because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
2019 was so long ago, I don’t quite remember. I probably used TikTok more back then. Since TikTok is stigmatized in my friend group, I don’t use it anymore. Now I use Little Red Book more often as a substitute for TikTok.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about changes during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
I get information from my parents and friends. I seldom read the news. Even though Weibo posted some information about COVID-19, I don’t really pay attention to it.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I used WeChat and Little Red Book. One for communication, and one for entertainment.
What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic?
First, people should not go against nature. Second, human interaction is very valuable. I really miss those days when we could see people’s expressions on their faces and enjoy physical touches because it really makes a difference.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Without Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Canvas, schools cannot survive COVID-19. I am really grateful to those teaching technologies and social media platforms.
Interviewed by: Alice Deng, UCLA Student
Reckoning with Race in Adolescent Stories
Diversity and inclusion in film and television contributes to young people of color’s identity formation in positive ways when they avoid stereotyping.
This year ABC rebooted the classic 1990s series The Wonder Years, a show we discussed in our previous blog as a portal for talking about middle school and early adolescence. The time period of the late 1960s remains the same and the two series share many of the same coming-of-age themes, but there is one big difference. Instead of focusing on a middle-class white family in California, the family at the center of the reboot is a middle-class Black family living in Alabama.
Changing the race of a character or the cast of a show or film, or racebending, has a long history in America. While it has often been a tool of discrimination and whitewashing, it’s been used more recently to increase representation of people of color and disrupt established narratives. The Wonder Years reboot does the latter.
Research has consistently shown how important it is that children and young people see characters who not only look like them but also sound like them. Diversity and inclusion in film and television contributes to young people of color’s identity formation in positive ways when they avoid stereotyping (and the same can be said for LGBTQ+ youth). The new Wonder Years joins shows like Reservation Dogs and On My Block in mixing coming-of-age comedy with the drama of growing up in a society plagued by discrimination and structural racism.
Based on an early viewing, the reboot accurately depicts the universals of early adolescence - not just its awkwardness and heartbreaks, but also the ways in which young people explore their identities, make discoveries about themselves and the world around them, and benefit from the support of caring adults. It has to tread the fine line between overgeneralization and authentic portrayal of the experience of Black families in the South in the late ‘60s. In the original series, Kevin getting pulled over and ticketed is an annoyance. In the reboot, Dean gets the “police talk” from his parents well before he can even drive.
These shows have a delicate balance to strike. We know that all portrayals of adolescence better serve development when they address this stage of life not just as one to survive - filled with heightened risk - but also as a unique opportunity to build lifelong resilience and agency. That’s why narratives that effectively tackle race and equity in adolescence are ones that not only present adversity in believable ways, but also authentically show characters growing in resilience by navigating through it.
Here are a few recommendations, informed by our research, to support that approach.
Portray racism as embedded in everyday institutions, not just through transient interpersonal interactions. Highlighting how our institutions and social norms maintain racial inequality, limit opportunities, and create unequal access for people of color helps audiences to see their own roles in perpetuating these norms—and how it harms adolescents. For instance, in the fourth season of The Wire, the show portrayed to wide acclaim, an accurate view of Baltimore Schools: dysfunction, waste and mismanagement, a dearth of resources. The viewer absorbed the ways in which adolescents in such a large, underfunded school system struggle with navigating education and social pressures without the safety nets provided by more advantaged districts.
Use storylines that connect young people to their communities in positive ways. When adolescents are connected to their communities, both adolescents and communities thrive. Centering young people’s stories in the communities that shape them also makes for compelling narratives. The success of Hulu’s Reservation Dogs comes in part from its showing how the characters’ lives and outlooks are shaped by their experiences living in a reservation community. The characters and conditions that surround the four main adolescent characters are often played for laughs, but they also help make the story more meaningful.
Tell stories of resilience and agency, not just adversity. Authentic depictions of adolescents of color cannot ignore the challenges of growing up in a racist society. But depictions of some young people, particularly young Black men, being “lost” reinforces harmful stereotypes and can have a negative effect on identity formation. Stories that show young people not only confronting but also tackling oppressive, racist systems - not just racist individuals - makes for engaging storylines and shows audiences how structural racism works (see The Hate U Give).
Freelancer
Nuance Needed in Adolescent Mental Health Stories
Even before the pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of poor life outcomes for youth.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of adolescents in ways we are just beginning to understand, it’s also been a boon to our collective awareness of an issue that existed long before “social distancing” became a fixture in the national lexicon. Adolescence is a developmental period when many mental health problems like depression and substance use begin to emerge – and social and environmental factors can compound these issues. Even before the pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of poor life outcomes for youth. In the 10 years before 2019, the number of high school students reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness had increased by 40% to more than 1 in 3 students. The pandemic has only magnified these pre-existing challenges with shuttered schools, social isolation, and compounded financial and psychological strain on families.
As the pandemic continues, general awareness of the importance of adolescent mental health has increased considerably. But awareness of a problem doesn’t automatically lead to sensitive storytelling. The backlash toward the television show 13 Reasons Why from media critics, educators, and parents points to the difficulties writers face when tackling mental health crises and suicide in adolescents. Graphic, sensationalized content about teen mental health often walks a thin line between relatability and exploitation.
When done right, though, fictional stories may lead to positive outcomes by reducing stigma and normalizing conversations about mental health. This was even the case with the controversial 13 Reasons Why, as research by the Center for Scholars and Storytellers found adolescent viewers were more likely to seek information about issues depicted in the show and have conversations with friends and parents about the topics. Nuanced portrayals of adolescents struggling with mental health and even suicide can be compelling and supportive of healthy development. Here are some recommendations for how to use our research in your stories about mental health:
Strive toward trauma-informed content. This means telling stories in ways that are sensitive - rather than sensationalizing - and empowering towards characters who are experiencing trauma. In the 2012 film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, we see the main character Charlie learn to cope with PTSD from sexual abuse through an evolution of methods – from friendships, to self-medication with drugs and alcohol, and finally to inpatient treatment. The Perks of Being a Wallflower reflects what we know about resilience in adolescence while telling a beautiful (and critically acclaimed) coming of age story.
Model resilience by balancing bleakness with hope. Experts suggest that talking openly about suicide can sometimes serve as a protective factor among adolescents, and CSS’s research reinforces this finding. The 2010 film It’s Kind of a Funny Story does an effective - and affecting - job of this. The main character Craig has the self-awareness to recognize when “normal” stress responses to external pressures become unhealthy, leading him to seek help for what has become full-fledged depression. It’s important to show viewers what supportive environments and relationships look like so that young people know these resources are available.
Move beyond “bootstraps” and “individual savior” storylines. Supporting adolescent mental health is not a one-person job or a matter of self-agency as many false narratives would have us believe. In reality, creating the kinds of deep and complex connections needed is a community-wide undertaking. Think about including not just families, but also schools, community-based organizations, and the healthcare system in supporting roles.
Finding an authentic balance in stories about adolescence and mental health can be difficult. But these narratives also have the potential to accurately and inspiringly show audiences what adolescent development looks like – and how we can support young people who are struggling, together.
Freelancer
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.
AAPI Hate is a Virus: How We As a Nation Can Find the Cure
How Asian Stereotypes In Media Led to a Shocking Rise in AAPI Hate Crimes in 2020-2021 — and What You Can Do About It.
Editor’s Note:
The importance of Asian representation in media could not be more clear in light of the recent Atlanta spa shootings and COVID-19 pandemic. The killer was motivated, in part, by films' and TV's frequent depiction of Asian women as sex objects and proper targets for abuse. Conservative media's constant references to the "Chinese Virus" and the "China Virus" have fueled a rising number of hate crimes against all Asian-Americans. Read below how you can support the AAPI community by creating more three-dimensional and positive Asian characters in movies and TV shows, patronizing Asian restaurants and businesses, donating to AAPI causes, and more.
By now, you have probably heard of the senseless shootings in Atlanta that targeted Asian people at massage parlors. Eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian and seven who were women. While mainstream news outlets like the New York Times used a trite headline “8 People Killed in Atlanta Area Massage Parlor Shootings,” the fact of the matter is that this wasn’t a random act of shooting fueled by passion or impulse. It was a hate crime. Unfortunately, this watered-down reporting is not an isolated incident. Reputable news outlets have a history of dismissing racist attacks toward Asians, and this lack of widespread media coverage invalidates the increasing prejudice and physical attacks Asians are facing on a daily basis, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A History of Hatred
According to a national report by Stop AAPI Hate, there have been 3,795 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents from March 2020 to February 2021. And that does not account for the more subtle microaggressions that go unreported, such as a resentful glare at the grocery store or hearing someone call Covid-19 the “Chinese Virus” or the “Kung Flu.” While the national conversation is slowly beginning to put this issue to the forefront, Anti-Asian American hate is not new. The Chinese Massacre of 1871 murdered 17 Chinese men. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers. The Rock Springs Massacre of 1885 led to 28 Chinese miners being slaughtered and 78 homes burned. The Watsonville Riots of 1930 beat Filipino field workers and left them to rot. Executive Order 9066 forced 127,000 Japanese Americans to move out of their homes and be imprisoned in internment camps. To say that this is a recent issue is not only deeply misguided but historically inaccurate. As deep as our roots may be in American soil, people of Asian descent are viewed as foreign. White supremacy and xenophobic tendencies are baked into the heart of our nation.
Creating better Asian characters in films and TV must move beyond tokenism. Casting people from different ethnic groups, without giving them much dialogue or opportunity to advance the plot, is not enough. Read more about writing more than token characters in movies and TV shows.
Even Hollywood, which is considered liberal-leaning and is slowly beginning to incorporate diversity and inclusion into its industry, has a history of racism that is still on display today. Asian women are often hypersexualized, objectified, and abused in films. It’s no coincidence that the Atlanta murderer, who blamed his actions on his sex addiction, specifically targeted spas comprised of Asian women. His remarks are rooted in a history of misogyny and stereotypes that are all too familiar for Asian and Asian American women. There is an unspoken belief in this country that Asian women are supposed to submit to the white savior, and this isn’t just limited to the public or the workplace. A 2016 report by the National Network to End Domestic Violence found that “41 to 61 percent of Asian women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, a higher rate than any other ethnic group.” Seeing these harmful stereotypes reinforced, even in films that are supposed to advocate for our community, is dangerous due to its reinforcement of the model minority myth. So what can we do about it?
Call to Action
The police are not the answer to stopping Asian American hate; not when their origins are deeply problematic; not when they sympathize with the murderer instead of showing compassion for the victims. Rather, we must rely on the collective strength of our communities of color and meaningful allies to fight for systemic change, going beyond performative action. As Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “Dismantling racist, anti-Asian violence means standing up to white supremacy - the same ideology that asks us to empathize with those who commit racist violence rather than the families destroyed and communities targeted by it. Standing up for Asian communities means standing up to racist policy, anti-Asian tropes, & understanding the long history of anti-Asian racism fueling this violence.”
Share and amplify the stories of the AAPI community. Check-in on AAPI friends and family. Support your local Asian restaurants and businesses. Call your legislators and ask what they are doing for the Asian community. Volunteer to help escort seniors in areas that have seen hate crimes. Report if you see any instance of a hate crime. Donate to organizations that support the cause against Asian violence. Petition to hold the media accountable for covering these stories. Follow platforms that discuss AAPI issues. Provide mental health resources to those who are struggling. But most of all, do not be silent. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Reducing racial violence against Asian Americans begins at home, especially with kids' TV and movies. Find images of positive Asian characters for your children's entertainment. Help them develop cross-group friendships. Talk explicitly about racism and its influence in society. Read more about how to reduce racial bias in kids.
Hatred and violence against the AAPI community cannot and should not be tolerated. We must do whatever it takes to combat this issue while it is still part of the national conversation, not only for ourselves but for the subjugated and oppressed of the past. Then, and only then, we have a chance at curing this virus.
Actionable Insights
Support local Asian restaurants, businesses, and creatives.
Share and amplify the stories of the AAPI community who have experienced hate
Hold your elected officials accountable for what they are doing (or not doing) to help stop AAPI hate
Donate to organizations that support the AAPI community
Provide mental health resources to those in the community who need it
Create characters and content that authentically represent Asian Americans in Hollywood
Watch films that authentically represent the AAPI community
Denounce harmful stereotypical portrayals of Asians in TV and film when you encounter them
Call out yourself, friends, and family members for anti-Asian jokes and stereotypical comments
Rewrite history books in a way that accurately represents the struggles of the BIPOC community
Follow organizations that support the AAPI community and teach about their plight
CSS Intern
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 to Achieve Authentic Racial Diversity in Hollywood Media
When I was younger, between the ages of 2 to 9 years old, there were only a few Black characters with whom I genuinely connected. Of course, I found great examples of characters who shared my identity in Rugrats’ precocious Suzie Carmichael and The Proud Family’s spunky Penny Proud, among others. However, I knew what to expect as the general unspoken rule: the characters who shared my racial identity would not appear as the active protagonists in my favourite shows. The hours that I spent watching TV after school often left me feeling disappointed and hungry for the well-rounded experiences that I saw conveyed in stories about characters with other racial identities.
As I got older, the children’s media landscape began to include more Black characters who were not only present but were also richly-developed and thoughtfully portrayed. I learned about the power of these media representations first-hand in 2009, when The Princess and the Frog premiered. Princess Tiana appeared on-screen as an ambitious, hard-working, resilient Black woman and changed my world. For the very first time, I saw myself fully represented in a daring and capable being who actively pursued her own happy ending. For the very first time, I imagined myself as an adult who could overcome any challenge and achieve my biggest dreams. Soaring eagerly upon the winds of change that Tiana brought about, for the next few years I spent every waking hour telling anyone who would listen about the deep beauty that I found in Tiana’s dreams. Throughout elementary and high school, I collected every film-related book, incessantly researched the film’s development, and made a hobby out of setting and achieving big goals to ensure that I could keep pace with Tiana’s signature brand of ambition. With every stellar grade that I achieved, I was rewarded with the internal glow that I imagined Tiana felt when she got her restaurant. “Almost There” became my mantra and my anthem.
My relationship with Princess Tiana is far from unique. Across the country, children are discovering, identifying with, and learning from the characters that they encounter as they spend over 4 hours each day watching TV, playing video games, and browsing websites. During these impactful hours, children are both constructing their identities and learning how to perceive others, particularly those from social groups with which they have little contact. Indeed, the inclusion of racially diverse characters in children’s media has increased over the past 2 decades. A recent report that I co-authored with the Toronto-based Children’s Media Lab revealed that between 2018 and 2019, 49% of animated characters on Canadian children’s television shows were depicted as people of colour; an increase from the estimate of 35% that was given one year earlier in a report which focused on both live-action and animated programs. Although these changes should be commended, since kids and teens are now engaging with media more than ever before, it is crucial to move beyond simply including racially diverse characters in stories. It is time for content creators to authentically portray racially diverse characters, as this will foster a genuine appreciation for diverse identities and inclusion.
When storytellers develop narratives, characters, and worlds that support well-rounded depictions of race, they create standout content that will reach wide audiences and inspire generations of viewers to live and breathe the social harmony for which our society hungers.
Authentic Representations of Race Strengthen Kids
While there are many real-life resources that children use to shape their identities, media offers children something truly unique: the opportunity to see themselves and their cultures represented in fantasy. When Princess Tiana entered my life in 2009, not only did she inspire me to imagine myself as a talented, resourceful leader who could deftly navigate life’s unexpected bayou adventures; she also showed me that I could accomplish these things while embracing my ethnic and racial identities. As Disney’s first African American princess, she pulled me off of my couch and into her lively world so that I could become the protagonist of my own life. The long-term impacts of media characters on children are well-documented beyond my experience.
One study revealed that for children whose racial identities were misrepresented in media, watching television was linked to decreases in self-esteem due to an absence of characters who positively reflected their identities. Other studies have revealed that negative representations of Latinx and Black characters lead viewers to feel ashamed and less positive about their social groups. In a landmark study, researchers found that Indigenous American adults who saw stereotypical representations of their cultures felt less positive about their identities, and predicted that they would achieve less in the future than those who did not see the stereotypical representations.
The inclusion of authentic, racially diverse characters is particularly impactful for children who are members of underrepresented groups. Seeing characters who not only look like them but who also share their experiences can help them to absorb positive messages that boost their self-esteem. Additionally, when children who are not from underrepresented groups see these rich characters portrayed, they may learn how to respect and empathize with individuals from other racial groups.
Authentic Representations Create Excellent Content
A list of the top-grossing films of 2019 in the US shows that authenticity sells. Many of the films that appear on the list, such as Frozen 2 and The Lion King, were created by production and development teams that travelled to the countries that appeared in their films and learned about the cultures that they depicted.
Lived experiences are particularly crucial when depicting characters from diverse racial groups. Acclaimed films such as the Oscar-winning and high-earning Black Panther and Pixar’s animated Soul (which has already been nominated for 2 Golden Globes and received 3 trophies from the Critics Choice Super Awards) were developed by directors, producers, and writers who shared their characters’ identities and experiences. As a result, they captured nuances that made the films deeply resonate with diverse audiences which, in turn, enabled the films to become blockbusters.
Films and television shows that feature authentic representations of race also stand out because they depict dynamic, three-dimensional characters that defy common tropes. This is important because children more strongly remember and connect with characters who have well-rounded and relatable qualities. In fact, many leading resources that offer tips for developing compelling stories advocate for the creation of detailed characters who have believable desires and fleshed out personality traits. When racially diverse characters are depicted as dynamic individuals who both inhabit and shape their worlds, they easily captivate viewers with their enduring appeal and attract a loyal fan base.
Authentic Representations Evoke Change
While it is crucial for all children to see themselves represented on the screen, creating characters through which viewers can also hear themselves, see their diverse abilities portrayed, and embrace their unique personalities can also dismantle harmful racial stereotypes and biases. A recent analysis of contemporary media showed that Black characters are often portrayed as unemployed and aggressive individuals. Other findings were that Latinx characters tend to be portrayed as individuals who are unintelligent and short-tempered; East Asian characters are often portrayed as characters who fulfill the “Model Minority” stereotype; and Arabic characters are often portrayed as criminals. While inauthentic representations persist, research shows that positive, authentic representations of people of colour can make public attitudes towards these groups more positive.
With the exciting possibility of making an enduring impact across the media landscape, content creators have an opportunity to transform films, TV shows, and video games into powerful catalysts for positive social change.
Actionable Insights
Encourage writers, directors, artists, and other industry professionals who have diverse racial identities to share their authentic stories.
When representing racially diverse characters, consult with as many individuals who share characters’ races, cultures, and experiences as you can. Since no single experience will apply to all individuals from a given racial group, consult with diverse experts at every stage of content development and production.
Create racially diverse main characters who have a variety of personality traits, quirks, abilities, appearances, and conflicts that make them relatable and able to stand on their own.
Hire voice actors who share characters’ racial identities. Many talented voice actors are aware of the impact that authentic representations have on young audiences, and are eager to work on projects that champion authentic stories.
Hold frequent user testing and focus group sessions with members of the racial group that you are depicting, to ensure that your characters and stories are respectful and resonate with your target audience.
The compelling strength that Tiana brought to my world through her well-developed personality ignited my decision to become a children’s media consultant: a role that has enabled me to watch and contribute to the trend of increasing authentic diversity in media by supporting industry leaders. During and beyond Black History Month, I celebrate and acknowledge storytellers’ efforts to authentically represent racially diverse characters so that their stories can be remembered and relished long after the credits roll. While we have trends yet to change, I truly do believe that we are almost there.
Josanne Buchanan, BSc.
Children’s Media Consultant at OK Play / Research Assistant at Children’s Media Lab
Five Ways to Reduce Racial Bias in Your Children
How do we combat racial prejudice? New research reveals how parents influence the formation of bias in children.
Children notice difference across racial lines. Even from a very young age, babies scan a face differently if it belongs to someone of a different race, suggesting that racial bias may be hardwired.
But noticing difference is not the same as having negative or positive beliefs around difference. Those types of judgments develop over time and are influenced by many things, including the social climate children grow up in and the experiences they have that confirm or disprove their biases.
This is where parenting comes in. Though it’s clear that parents are not solely responsible for biasing their kids one way or the other, science suggests that they do play a role—and an important one. In fact, their influence may extend well beyond a child’s early years and into adolescence.
Though how this works is not totally clear, recent research has shown that the process starts early and involves both explicit (deliberate) and implicit (unconscious) messages that parents send to their children. This is the good news: Parents can be a positive force in combating prejudice in their children. But the “bad news” is that kids can easily pick up prejudice from society at large unless parents do something about it.
Here are some of the ways that parents can help reduce negative bias in their children.
1. Expose kids to more positive images of other racial groups
Kids are immersed in negative stereotypes perpetuated by the media and culture, just as adults are. To counteract that, parents can expose kids through stories, books, and films to more positive, counter-stereotypical images of people from different racial and ethnic groups—including moral exemplars like Martin Luther King Jr. or Dolores Huerta. In studies with adults, this type of intervention has been shown over and over to be one of the most effective ways of decreasing bias.
Though less is known about how this might impact children specifically, at least one study suggests that they benefit, too. Researchers presented white and Asian children ages 5-12 with four positive vignettes involving admirable black people (such as firefighters or doctors), admirable white people, or flowers and then measured the kids’ implicit biases towards black people. Being exposed to the positive vignettes significantly reduced implicit bias in children nine years of age and older—though not in the younger children.
According to lead author Antonya Gonzalez, this study suggests that showing older kids positive images of black people may counteract negative stereotypes in society.
“Hearing these stories, the kids are internalizing an association between the group they’re hearing about and positivity, and that counteracts the stereotypical associations that they may already have,” she says.
However, just because younger children were not moved by the stories in her experiment doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expose younger kids to positive images, as well, Gonzalez believes.
“If there were more exposure and more exemplars, there’s a chance that might be enough to change associations” in younger kids, too, she says.
2. Help your kids develop cross-group friendships
Research suggests that cross-race friendships are an important factor in decreasing prejudice, probably because they help decrease stress and fears of rejection that may occur in cross-group situations. Having a friend from another group may also remove barriers to empathy and caring, which in turn decreases prejudice.
Research shows that having contact with different racial or social groups—especially when that contact is warm and positive—helps to decrease prejudice and to encourage more cross-group friendships. In a study with school kids of various ages, students who had higher levels of cross-race contact—including cross-race friendships—were more likely to see the way race plays a role in social exclusion and to view that behavior negatively.
In a longitudinal study with adolescents, those who had cross-group friendships were less likely to develop biases against immigrants in their community, even if their parents or peers were biased. These studies suggest that cross-group friendships might help mitigate biases that could otherwise form.
In one study, German teens who established a cross-group friendship during a three-year period demonstrated lower prejudice toward immigrants at the end of the study than those who hadn’t. In addition, the teens were more likely to develop cross-group friendships when there were more kids from different groups and more positive social norms concerning cross-group friendships in their community. This suggests that opportunity—meaning, living in diverse neighborhoods or going to integrated schools—is important.
Psychologist Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton encourages parents to take an active role in supporting cross-race friendships in their kids by organizing play-dates, inviting kids over to their houses, offering rides to sporting events, and creating other opportunities for their kids’ cross-group friendships to form.
“The default is to do these things with people with whom you already have an affinity,” he says. “You need to help scaffold these social experiences for your kids and be more intentional if you want to be sure that cross-group friendships happen.”
3. Cultivate cross-group friendships yourself
Parents can help normalize cross-group friendships by role-modeling them for their kids. This may seem superfluous, but research has shown that children’s racial attitudes are less tied to parents’ explicit messages around race than to the racial makeup of the parents’ social network.
Why does having cross-race friendships have such a strong impact on bias? Mendoza-Denton says that when you develop a cross-race friendship, you incorporate your friend’s struggles, motivations, and thoughts into your own self-concept—not in a way that’s confusing, but more expansive. For example, he says, you start to feel what they feel and empathize with them: maybe sweating when they give a talk or suffering when they experience heartbreak. And that experience of “inclusion of the other in the self” decreases bias against that person’s social group.
“It’s so much more organic to reduce bias by developing intergroup friendships, because it changes your attitudes through a very human mechanism, which is the interpersonal,” says Mendoza-Denton.
Though adding people to your social group based simply on race is probably unwise, it’s possible to search for common interests with people of different backgrounds, making it more likely that a friendship will happen naturally. Once friendship grows, empathy develops organically, says Mendoza-Denton.
4. Talk explicitly about race and the effects of racism
Many black parents give explicit instructions to their kids about the importance of race in society and what they can do to mitigate any bias they encounter. But well-meaning white parents are less likely to bring up race with their children, perhaps fearing that doing so would mean they don’t value egalitarianism or believe in a “post-race” society. The problem with that approach is that not talking about race can create a vacuum of information, which leads children to absorb biases around them—often in ways that are counter to parents’ own held values.
In one study, researchers had white parents read books depicting racial issues to their preschool-aged children (under the guise of studying the effects of literature on learning) while being videotaped. Racial attitudes were measured and compared afterwards in both parents and their children.
Later analyses of the videos showed that many parents avoided mention of race—even if their children asked about it—and used “colorblind” approaches to the issues raised in the book. For example, they might say, “It’s important to be nice to everyone” rather than something about race. Though the parents assumed their kids would absorb their colorblind ideals and hold favorable views of African-Americans, the children’s views weren’t in line with these expectations, suggesting that a colorblind approach does not decrease biased attitudes in kids.
In fact, research suggests that parents need to be much more explicit about racism and its effects. When white parents were asked to have race-related discussions with their kids—either with or without watching educational videos about race—their children showed more favorable attitudes toward racial outgroup members only if their parents discussed race directly. Interestingly, though, the researchers had trouble getting the parents to have these discussions—even when instructed to do so as part of the study. Apparently, there are psychological barriers to discussing race among many Caucasian parents.
How can parents overcome these? It’s not easy, says Mendoza-Denton, because if you aren’t comfortable, you will avoid the topic. He suggests that parents need to increase their own comfort first by developing connections to people from other racial groups. That will make it easier for parents to have these conversations without resorting to fear and avoidance.
If you can overcome your own discomfort, there are many children’s books that expose kids to the values and experiences of different groups and could be conversation starters. Or you may want to follow Allison Briscoe-Smith’s advice on how to use the movie Zootopia to talk to your children about racial prejudice.
5. Work to combat biases in yourself
Research clearly shows that the impact of parent bias on kids shouldn’t be underestimated. Although explicit biases have negative effects on kids, implicit bias can also impact children.
In one study, researchers found that very young children exhibited more explicit negative bias if their mothers held implicit biases—regardless of their explicit messaging. There can be a mismatch between what parents say and their unconscious reactions toward minority groups—and children seem to pick up on this.
Though implicit biases may seem an impossible thing to control—after all, they are supposed to be unconscious—they are quite changeable with conscious effort. Research suggests that automatic biases can be countered by deliberate attempts to counter them, exposure to moral exemplars, or positive cross-race interactions. In other words, much of what influences children may also influence you.
Becoming more aware of subtle prejudices may be the first step, and you can always take an implicit bias test if you want to learn about yourself. But Mendoza-Denton believes that this information is most useful in parents who are truly willing to attend to their biases; otherwise, learning about their implicit biases could possibly backfire, making them feel exposed and defensive and increasing their avoidance of the issue.
In addition to developing cross-race friendships, he advises parents to read books, watch films, and consume media not aimed at them. For example, to understand the viewpoints and experiences of blacks, a white parent might read Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book Between the World and Me, or see the movie I Am Not Your Negro. Doing so may counter bias by enriching understanding of another’s point of view, especially if they are motivated to foster that understanding.
Parents may think that there is very little they can do to influence their children’s biases or feel that prejudice-reduction is a daunting task. But if we are to impact bias in the long-term, we must come to grips with how bias is transmitted early in life and fed by a system of segregation and negative societal views. Parents, it turns out, can make an important contribution.
Jill Suttie, Psy.D
This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.
The Importance of Authentic Asian American Representation in Hollywood
The Importance of Authentic Asian American Representation in Hollywood
Ages 5-10 were my Full-House-obsessed years. I considered myself an honorary Tanner. Then it was what my parents referred to as “The Inappropriate Show,” also known as Saturday Night Live. They thought it was too mature for my little sister and me, but we loved it. The Office got me through stressful high school times and now I quote it without thinking. However, amidst the joy these shows brought me, as a Korean-American I have been continually let down by the lack of representation of Asians in Hollywood. It makes me angry -- shattering the meek, silent-in- the-midst-of-unfairness, and the rarely impassioned portrait that the media has painted of people like me. Despite attempts at diversity in Hollywood movies and TV, Asian characters have often been portrayed as weak, nerdy, exotic, incompetent, powerless, and are seldom in the spotlight as leads, just like black television and film characters.
Notable progress has been made, however, in the past few years with the successes of Crazy Rich Asians, ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, and Netflix’s Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. Asians in Hollywood are portraying the Asian American community in a more authentic light than before; but while progress is exciting, there is still more to do when it comes to true representation of Asian TV characters and Asian movie characters on-screen and behind the scenes. What we view on-screen reaches far beyond entertainment; diversity in film and TV also impacts mental health, identity, and race relations as they pertain to Asian Americans. Content creators and industry decision-makers must change how Asians are portrayed in the media, as they have an opportunity and a duty to yield this powerfully influential medium in a more responsible manner. Avoiding racism, gender stereotypes of girl and boy characters, and other negative images are key.
Effect on Children
Personal identity is heavily influenced by the media, starting from a young age. Film and television have become avenues for imprinting stories in history. When it comes to authentic Asian movie and TV characters, the absence is noteworthy. The pride I felt watching Crazy Rich Asians’ all-Asian cast surprised me as if the sudden surge in representation alerted me to its prior absence in Hollywood. Asian children will subconsciously internalize an omission of Asian faces in the content they watch as an indication of their perceived invisibility or the box they are subjected to in the workplace and the world. Research shows that people exhibit feelings like shame and anxiety when viewing stereotypical representations of their racial group, even those framed as exaggeration or parody, and Asian stereotypes in movies and TV have been far too visible for far too long. While Hollywood has since moved away from the glaring racism of characters such as Long Duk Dong, the foreign exchange student in 16 Candles, Asian actors continue to be typecast and are still underrepresented in major film roles.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Personal identity is heavily influenced by the media, starting from a young age
• Content creators and industry decision-makers must change how Asians are portrayed in the media
Model Minority Myth
In today’s society, Asian characters in movies and TV are often stereotyped as over-achievers who obtain financial and educational stability: the 4.0 students, doctors, and Tiger-parents. Asian-Americans have been framed as the “model minority” within American culture -- the minority group that worked its way to success. This myth implies that other minority groups are lesser-than or do not work as hard, and also negates the ever-present discrimination that Asians and other minority groups experience. Such Asian stereotypes in film and TV shows also suggest that Asians belong to one homogenous group that shares the same attributes, when in fact, there are many subsections of the Asian community - composed of individuals each with their own stories and struggles. The effects of this perpetuated stereotype in the media, depicted by Asian actors but often driven by white writers and directors, jump from the screen into reality. Racial bias, even nonverbal, can be imprinted on people through the screen. It is perplexing how Asians are viewed as diligent and hardworking, yet rarely with strong leadership qualities or charisma. The scarcity of positions of power among Asian film and TV characters is reflected in many aspects of life. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, Asians are the least likely group to be promoted to management in the United States. While this can also be attributed to different cultural values and other factors, a lack of diverse representation in media is influential in reinforcing these attitudes and perceptions.
Tokenism Behind the Scenes
What we see on-screen should not be the only aspect of representation examined. The majority of successful endeavors featuring Asian actors and stories were backed by Asians in Hollywood behind the scenes. More Asian studio heads, casting directors, producers, writers, showrunners, and filmmakers means more advocacy and support for Asian stories and Asian TV and film characters. Great strides have been made and writers’ room representation has significantly improved; however, discrimination still exists here. To promote more diverse representation in media, large networks host diversity training programs in which writers of color have the opportunity to be staffed on television shows. The networks and studios subsidize writers’ salaries, incentivizing shows to employ these essentially free “diversity hires.” It is common for showrunners to let these writers go after their wages are no longer paid for, communicating that Asian writers are only hirable when free. Diversity in numbers is insufficient as long as Asians in Hollywood are not receiving the same opportunities to succeed in this industry.
On YouTube, people produce their own content with virtually zero gatekeeping. It is no coincidence that Asian content creators have become some of the most popular and prevalent faces on the platform, with millions of subscribers and views. From beauty guru Michelle Phan to comedy YouTuber NigaHiga, there is tangible proof that when given a fair opportunity, the Asian community thrives and reaches incredibly far.
Financial Benefits
If the moral facet of equal Asian representation in Hollywood is not enough to motivate content creators and gatekeepers, there is data that supports financial incentives for more Asian TV characters and Asian movie characters. Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in the country with a buying power of $1 trillion in 2018. They lead the nation in internet connectivity, enabling them to consume Asian stories on TV (and Asian movies via home video) via broadband and subscription video on demand faster than any other group nationwide. An average Asian household will watch about 23 hours of television per week, and the percentage with subscriptions to services such as Netflix and Hulu surpasses that of the remaining population. It is clear that Asians possess considerable buying power in the US and make up a large, expanding segment of media audiences.
Hearing Bowen Yang, SNL’s first Asian cast member after 45 seasons, refer to himself as the “Lizzo of China” while playing a government official on Weekend Update, filled me with pride. It was not until I saw myself on-screen that I realized I had been missing this feeling my whole life, and I needed to see, hear and read about more Asians in Hollywood. There is more work to do, more stories to tell, always. There’s great power in representation. My Asian-Americanness is of value, and I expect the country in which I live to reflect the same.
Actionable Insights
Write Asian movie and TV characters that defy stereotypes, even if stereotypes are seemingly “positive.”
Portray more Asian diversity — all groups that are part of the Asian community are unique with distinct stories, cultures, and struggles. This includes groups like the Bhutanese and Burmese that suffer from a poverty rate that is twice as high as the national average, yet experience the repercussions of the model minority myth.
Feature more Asian TV and movie characters in positions of power and leadership on-screen.
Hire more Asians in behind-the-scenes positions: writers, directors, studio executives, casting directors, producers, showrunners, filmmakers. Rich and authentic stories come from those who can speak from experience and incorporate essential nuances to the characters and their interactions with the world around them.
Avoid framing content created by and featuring Asians solely as “Asian films.” While still taking their cultures into account, remember that Asians are normal people who have more to offer than just the fact that they are Asian.
Nicole Park
CSS Intern
Why it’s so important for kids to see diverse TV and movie characters
This article originally appeared on The Conversation.
The hype surrounding “Black Panther” has been as hyperbolic as any feat its characters might perform, with the film being praised for its layered story and what’s been described as its “Afrofuturist” cast. And “Black Panther” will be joined by “A Wrinkle in Time,” another film with blockbuster potential and an interracial cast.
But no matter how much money or how many awards films like “Black Panther” and “A Wrinkle in Time” amass, our research strongly suggests another reason they’re important: Children need a diverse universe of media images. And for the most part, they haven’t had one.
Some progress, but …
In the 1970s, Boston University communications professor F. Earle Barcus began publishing the results of content analyses he had conducted on children’s television. His findings showed large disparities between the numbers of male and female characters and between the numbers of white and non-white characters. In a 1983 study, Barcus analyzed over 1,100 characters in 20 children’s television programs and found that only 42 were black. Just 47 others belonged to some group other than white.
Since then, researchers have consistently found that the animated worlds children see on television are out of sync with their real environments.
Over the past seven years, we’ve continued studying this topic at the Children’s Television Project (CTV) at Tufts University, documenting images of different races, gender and ethnicities in the most popular children’s animated series. We’ve also taken steps to try to understand why stereotyped portrayals still exist well into the 21st century. Finally, we’re starting to develop ways to study and collect data about how children process the images they’re exposed to on TV.
In order to categorize the images children see, we’ve developed a system for coding the race, ethnic identity, gender and age of primary and secondary characters in children’s animated television shows. We’ve also included a sociolinguistic component to the analysis, because we know that children are absorbing both sights and sounds as they process media.
The good news is that the world of children’s animated television is more diverse than it used to be. For example, we’ve found that female characters account for just under one-third of all characters. Discouraging as this may appear, it’s a significant improvement from the 1:6 ratio that F. Earle Barcus had previously found, and better than the 1:4 ratio that communications professors Teresa Thompson and Eugenia Zerbinos found in the 1990s.
There’s more racial and ethnic diversity, too. Black characters account for 5.6 percent of our total sample of over 1,500 characters. (A study conducted in 1972 by researchers Gilbert Mendelson and Morissa Young for Action for Children’s Television found that over 60 percent of the TV shows in their sample had no racial minority characters at all.) There are many more Asian or Asian-American characters (11.6 percent), though this likely due to the prevalence of a few popular cartoons featuring mostly Asian characters such as “Legend of Korra.”
The bad news is that there’s still a ways to go. African-Americans represent an estimated 13.3 percent of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, Hispanic or Latinos make up 17.8 percent of the population, but we’ve found Latino characters only made up 1.4 percent of our sample.
Furthermore, stereotypes persist in both how characters are drawn and how they talk, with “bad guys” using non-American accents and dialects. We see this in characters like Dr. Doofenshmirtz from “Phineas and Ferb” or Nightmare Moon on “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.”
To try to understand why stereotyping persists, we’ve interviewed some of the people who write, direct, cast and provide vocal talent for children’s animated programming. While we haven’t completed this part of the study, it seems that economic pressures compel the creators of children’s animated programming to rely on stereotyping as a kind of shorthand.
For example, one director of a popular children’s animated show told us, “If something’s worked before, you tend to just use it again,” even if that “something” is stereotyped. An African-American voice actor reported being in auditions where he was told to make something sound “urban,” a code word for a more stereotyped African-American dialect.
Kids, quick to judge
But the real question is why this all matters.
Studies from many fields have shown that it’s important for children to see characters who not only look like themselves and their families, but also sound like them.
There’s a relationship between low self-esteem and negative media portrayals of racial groups, in addition to an association between poor self-esteem and the paucity of portrayals of a particular group. Others have found that media misrepresentations of ethnic groups can cause confusion about aspects of their identity among children of these groups.
In our study of how children process the sights and sounds of animated worlds, we developed a method in which we show children images of diverse animated faces and play voices that use different dialects. We then ask kids to tell us if the person is a good person, a bad person, or if they can’t tell. We follow this up by asking them why they think what they do.
Though we’re not far enough along yet in our research to provide definitive answers to our questions, we do have some preliminary findings.
First and foremost, kids notice differences.
We’ve found that first- and second-grade children, when presented with a variety of drawn cartoon character faces they haven’t seen before, have no problem sorting them into “good” and “bad” characters.
In fact, many children have clearly developed ideas and are able to tell us lengthy stories about why they think a particular character might be a hero or villain with minimal information. Sometimes this seems to be based on their belief that a character looks like another media character they’ve seen. They’ll then make the assumption that a face they’re shown looks like “a princess” or “someone who goes to jail.” With the lack of diversity in the world of children’s television, it’s not surprising that kids would make associations with so little information. But it’s also a bit alarming – given what we know about the prevalence of stereotyping – that children seem so quick to make attributions of who’s good and who’s evil.
It’s important that children not only have a diverse universe of characters but also that these characters have diverse characteristics. It’s okay for characters to have non-American accents, but good guys – not just bad guys – should have them too. The heroes can be male and female, and non-white characters don’t have to be relegated to the role of sidekick: They can assume leading roles.
This brings us back to why these new films are so groundbreaking. Yes, “Black Panther” is demonstrating that a film about a black superhero can shatter box- office records. Yes, “A Wrinkle in Time” is the first $100 million movie directed by a woman of color.
But beyond all that, these films break the mold by showing the complexity and variety of black male and female experiences.
If more movies, TV shows and animated series follow suit, perhaps we will finally move beyond the underdeveloped and stereotyped characters that children have been exposed to for far too long.
Actionable Insights
1. Children internalize stereotypes featured in programming they consume, influencing the way they judge and interact with others. Children should not easily be able to identify the “good guys” and the “bad guys” in your story through a reliance on biases.
2. When featuring characters with non-American accents, avoid falling into the trope of these individuals serving solely as the villains. Instead, show that both “good” and “bad” characters can speak with a non-American accent or dialect. A character’s cultural background does not determine their morality.
3. Showcase more diverse characters in leading roles, particularly non-white characters often relegated to acting as side-kicks. Tokenism can be especially harmful to children of color, causing identity confusion and poor self-esteem. All children benefit from seeing that anyone, regardless of their identity, can be the lead character in a story.
4. Heroes should not exclusively be male characters. Feature more women and female-identifying characters in heroic roles that thoughtfully showcase their strengths, weaknesses, and struggles.
5. Remember that featuring diverse characters is not enough. Attention must also be paid to featuring varied characteristics and more vivid backstories.
Senior lecturer, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Editor and General Manager, The Conversation
Associate Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Professor of the Practice, Department of Drama and Dance, Tufts University
This article originally appeared on The Conversation.
Sarah & Serena (Fraternal Twins), 11
Media Consumption: About 3-5 hours a day
Favorite Media/Technology: Roblox, YouTube, Gacha Life
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
Sarah: One time, our mom was trying to go to a Zoom meeting, so we had to help her because she didn’t know how to join the meeting and we had technology experience from school. When our parents are at work, we sometimes text them through Google Hangouts, and they sometimes check in on us and tell us when they are coming home or when they want us to prepare things for lunch. We’ve also been watching a lot of movies recently together as a family.
Serena: We mainly tell our parents the shortcuts, like how to fast forward without using the mouse or how to spell words. Sometimes, I forget how to print the paper, so Dad will come and help me print it out. We talk to our parents using Google Hangouts and watch movies and trailers together a lot. I use Google Translate with my Mom to help me figure out Chinese words.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Sarah: So, in Roblox you can friend each other, text each other, and join their games. I can also talk to my friends through Google Hangouts.
Serena: Before we used Gmail, Google Docs, or Google Slides and shared it with our friends to chat. But now because of COVID, we use Roblox and Google Hangouts.
What do you use media for?
Sarah: For the laptop, I use it for Google Meets and Google Hangouts. For Mom and Dad’s phone, sometimes we play games and sometimes I help them send messages. For the iPad, I play Roblox, an app where you can invite your friends and play a variety of games. I also watch YouTube and play Gacha Life, a game where you can create your own characters.
Serena: I mainly use media to play Roblox or create Gacha Life characters. Roblox has a lot of games that you can play and talk to your friends. I also use Google Translate, watch YouTube, make presentations about my favorite animal, and use Canva to design my own projects.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
Sarah: My favorite thing about technology is that you get to play with your friends and you also get to play games and text your friends. My least favorite thing is that it can sometimes get addicting, because sometimes if you are really texting your friends, you might lose track of time. And also, when you’re playing games, it can be really fun and you don’t want to stop playing.
Serena: My favorite thing is probably that you can almost do anything for technology, because you can search up projects or you can play games. My least favorite thing is the blue light that harms your eyes. Sometimes when I play too long, I can feel it. Also, technology can be addicting sometimes because some people get too into it. Like, they are talking to their friends all the time, or doing vlogs and making new stuff and experiments each day, so they could start thinking that it is their life now.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
Sarah: For Roblox, sometimes the games are really glitchy, maybe because too many people are playing it, so maybe they should limit the number of people who can play it at the same time. For Gacha Life, maybe they can add more outfits because they are getting kind of boring.
Serena: In Roblox, some of the games that people make have these bugs, so it glitches and has some problems. Maybe try to fix that if it is an app problem.
What media are you using more now because of the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Sarah: I use Google Meets and Zoom to attend class, Varsity Tutors for summer camp courses, and Google Hangouts to get in touch with our friends.
Serena: Roblox and Google Hangouts. We even downloaded Google Hangouts onto the iPad.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about the coronavirus (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
Sarah: I mostly hear about the coronavirus from my parents who read it from Yahoo news, mainly through their phone and computer.
Serena: Dad always looks at the news from Yahoo and talks about it.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during this difficult time?
Sarah: I use Google Hangouts because I can text my friends whenever I’m bored.
Serena: Well, we have summer camps online, so that keeps me busy. I also talk to my friends and parents on Google Hangouts and play with my friends on Roblox.
What lessons have you learned from COVID-19?
Sarah: Viruses spread more quickly than you think. Trump didn’t really care about the virus until it actually happened. It took him a long time before he finally took action, while Taiwan told everyone to wear masks pretty fast, and this helped a lot.
Serena: Stay safe. It is always better to be over prepared than under-prepared. Taiwan handles the virus really well. If coronavirus cases are going down, they shouldn’t open stores right away, but instead wait a while to be safe.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of COVID- 19?
Sarah: I think I play Roblox a bit more, maybe because it is also summer. Ever since online school started, I think they gave us less homework. I also think my eyesight got worse because I used more technology since I was bored and didn’t know what to do. Sometimes I forget to wear my blue light glasses, so I should probably wear them more.
Serena: I am using technology a lot and not really spending time outside of technology. I use it in my everyday life a lot, like using tuner apps to tune my instruments. It’s always there, and when I’m playing games – which I do a lot now – I lose track of time.
Interviewed by: Lauren Huang, UCLA 3rd Year Student