Essay On Diversity In The Media

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Diversity in America has been rising every year. Lately the country’s diverseness has skyrocketed since the legalization of gay marriage. The media is meant to represent the diversity of the country and represent the common people and the number of gay and colored people has shot up immensely within the last 20 years but the media has failed to keep up with this. Most people, white, straight and usually male, feel that the media represents them perfectly and it does. But for the people that are colored, transgender, gay or sometimes female feel that the media does not have enough representation for them and they feel as though the country does not acknowledge the fact that they exist. The media is very important to young adults and teens, especially ones that are not white, straight and stereotypically female. These young individuals look to the media to find people that are like them so they feel as though they belong, that they are not an outsider and they can not find that representation. The media disregards the diversity found in American’s sexuality and white washes television shows, awards shows and movies. Just recently the Academy Awards nominations list was announced on television, a couple days after the announcement there were multiple renowned actors and actresses, such as Jada Smith, that stated they were not going to attend the show due to absence of colored actors nominated for any awards (Dargis). For the second year in a row the Oscars have failed to have any nominees of color: “Creed” was written and directed by the black Ryan Coogler and starred a black man, but the only nominee was a white man. “Straight Outta Compton” had a great acting ensemble of mostly young, black unknowns, and was directed by the black F. Gary Gray. But the film’s only nomination: for its screenplay, written by two Caucasians. (Gray) People of color have only been allowed to perform on TV since the 1960’s and even then they had only one or two shows that they could be on. Now we allow people of any color to work and perform on television but it seems that people are still racially profiled when they go to audition for a show. The stereotype of the “token black guy” in television shows is a popular trend in modern television. The token black guy is there to show that the other characters are not racist towards people of color because they have that one black friend that has stereotypical actions, such as loving fried chicken and watermelon or being a thug. There are even multiple sites where you can find out if you’re the “token black friend” because the media has emphasized it so much that teens and young adults see it as acceptable and normal to be racist to that one black friend they may have. People of color are not the only ones being erased by the media, as of this last year sexuality and gender representation has become an extremely relevant matter. Caitlin Jenner, Laverne Cox, Neil Patrick …show more content…
Colored actors are easily found in television and films today but are poorly recognized for their brilliant work and are only recognized because of the white actors that are co-stars or screenwriters. Gay and lesbian couples are starting to pop up every now and then in the media and the shows that they are in are some of the most popular shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, The Fosters, and Modern Family but they are stereotyped as the two popular girls who are experimenting or the men who dress really well and talk with high voices. Transgender characters are very new to the media and although they are scarce they are needed and loved when they do appear in shows like Orange is the New Black. Having representation is very important for young men, women and others that are trying to find who they are and live their lives to the fullest and the media is where people find their role models and inspirations so when a large group of people are represented it is a huge setback for the newer

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