Have you noticed that most of the 'hot' girls in movies look like:
And then most of the models on runways look a little like:
Oh and the guys that everybody wants to see shirtless are:
They all look a little similar, am I white right?
Do these casting agents not know that people of colour you know um... exist. It's not a good feeling watching T.V. and seeing people who look nothing at all like you. When we're younger (and even when we're older) the people on T.V. are the ones that we look up to and aspire to be like, and it would be a lot easier if the smart. pretty, kind and inspiring girls and boys looked even a little like us. Think about it, let's take Elsa; the Disney Princess from Frozen, she was what every little girl wanted to be like as soon as that movie came out. Yep, Disney gave everyone another pretty, white, blonde, blue eyed heroine. Like there's not enough of those. It's not hard to cast minority actors. Seriously. If a young black or brown girl sees the pretty or popular girl on T.V repeatedly being a white girl with long straight hair, what are they going to think other than if I want to be prettier or more popular I need to look like her.
This isn't just an issue with only white people being cast though, because when POC are cast usually they are light skinned or mixed race, have weave or European hair or are skinny with big boobs and a curvy behind. Shows like Blackish and Empire are amazing because they have minority cast members and writers but Zoey (Yara Shahidi) and Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) are mixed race with loose curls and light skinned, and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and Lucious (Terrance Howard) again are light skinned. So if you are dark skinned with 4C hair and don't have a insta-baddie body then you're pretty much not likely to see many people that look like you on T.V. portrayed as the beautiful girl. That's not okay.
We will not settle for being the token minority character, or the angry black girl, or the villainous black boy, or the awkward less attractive friend, or the pun of your joke, or the people that you will steal ideas and looks from. We're not here for you to benefit and us not to gain.
When a character looks like you, what they're saying is more likely to resonate with you.
When a character looks like you, you are more likely to find yourself beautiful and able to succeed. When a character looks like you, you are more likely to relate and understand their story.
When a character looks like you, you don't spend your time wishing your features where like theirs.
We need more people of colour on T.V. Not just light skinned girls. Not just girls with 3C hair. Not just mixed girls. Not just girls whose bodies we fetishize. Simple.
Because this:
And so...
We need more hot girls in the movies to look like:
More models on the runway should look like:
And more of our MCM's should like look like:
And to end on a beautiful note, remember:
REPRESENTATION MATTERS!
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
ReplyDeleteWOW. Opens another eye, although this is mostly what my agency represents. Not just their skin color but their culture matters too. Everything matters honestly! Thank you for this.