The Brown Girl Chronicles: Representation Matters
As much as it pains me to write this...When I was growing up I wanted to have blonde hair and white skin. All the media I consumed portrayed people with those physical traits and I just wanted to be like them.
When I was younger I didn't appreciate my melanin-enriched skin or my naturally bouncy curls. I wasn't ashamed but rather I longed to have smaller eyes and a more pointed nose rather than my afro-latina features that were shining through.
Growing up in the late 90s/early 2000s I always saw white people in very prominent roles. I remember few POC characters that were represented on the big screen. And even fewer that were shown outside of their stereotypes.
Much of the mainstream media in the U.S. led me to believe that white was right. Although the U.S. has a majority white population, there are plenty of POC who live in the U.S. that don't share those same traits.
In recent years I have noticed a shift in mainstream media that has created more accurate representations of POC. Shows like the George Lopez show and Ugly Betty paved the way for shows like Jane the Virgin and One Day At A Time.
Jane the Virgin, in its earlier seasons spoke about how in certain communities virginity is seen as sacred and precious. This show also shows the variation in different family dynamics. Jane isn't married to her baby daddy but they manage to co-parent and make it work.
One Day at a Time covers a variety of different topics like mental health and colorism as well as introducing intersectional characters like Elena, a young lesbian latina. This show does a great job of depicting how both identities are lived out through Elena.
All these shows are very family oriented and discuss very real topics within the Latinx community. From immigration to assimilation and everything in-between these shows have been an integral part of my life because I resonate with them on a very personal level.
Some breakthrough films like Coco have reached a larger audience outside of the Latinx community. Films like this have created some common ground that allows people to take a peek into another culture through a heartfelt story.
Screen adaptations of books and comics have also been great in bringing characters to life. Like in the Marvel vigilante shows, Claire Temple is portrayed as an afro-latina played the one and only Rosario Dawson.
Characters like this really resonate with me especially because many times people create an image of what a Latinx person is supposed to look like but we come in all shades, shapes, and sizes.
In short, representation matters because there is no one way to be a member of the Latinx community.
