Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

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Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

Advocacy Final Project by Emily Hall

Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

Zoolander 2 (2016)

Unfortunately, this show had a huge opportunity to add a non-binary model to represent the character "All" in the movie. In the clip to the right, the other 2 models are joking about whether All has "a hot dog or a bun." Although this is a comedy movie, it clearly does not accurately represent LGBTQ+ individuals, especially as they cast a man to play a non-binary person. His character is portrayed as an excessive cartoon mockery of what the writers think non-binary or non-gender conforming people to be.

Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

Never have I ever (2020-2023)

Never Have I Ever definitely got representation right. They include many diverse characters including a south-asian lead. The good thing about this show is that when including characters of different ethnicities they made sure they did not make it their entire personalities. It was a large part of the story, but a lot of it focused on issues regarding trauma and losing a loved one. The show is able to teach many valuable lessons while incorporating new perspectives at the same time.

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Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

On my block (2018-2021)

While this show has diverse characters and an interesting storyline, they did cast a white girl (the one in the video) to play a Latina girl. The show ended up receiving backlash, partly because of her speaking Spanish poorly, something the rest of the Latine characters were able to do. It was not so much that the pronunciation was wrong, but that if they wanted the character to speak Spanish and be Latina, they should have cast someone who was truly Latina and speaks Spanish. The movie/television industry has had a long history of casting non-Latin people as Latine characters, but moving forward we need to see filmmakers putting effort into correct representation.

Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

Heartbreak High (2022-)

One of my personal favorites, this show proves that it truly adds to a story when various identities are included. It makes known how easy it can be to cast different people, and this show proves that as they cast LGBTQ+, POC, neurodivergent, and First Nations individuals to play the main cast (Cataldo, 2022). I personally love this show and as I was introduced to new, different characters, I realized how important they were, as they provided new lenses to view this hilarious story.

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Did these 5 shows/movies get representation right?

Sex education (2019-2023)

I'll end this presentation on a good note, with this show as the perfect finale. This show has a diverse cast as do the others, but this show does an especially good job at displaying more than just one sexuality (hence the name sex education). Of course, including various sexualities is a part of the show's plot, but I found that I as a viewer was able to learn a thing or two regarding sex education and sexuality. In all, this show does an excellent job of exploring the diversity of sexual experiences of the characters (Cataldo, 2022).

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