Why Representation in Media Matters By Guest Writer Kelly C. Milnes

Please welcome guest writer, my very smart and talented sister, KELLY C. MILNES!

Why Representation in Media Matters

by Kelly C. Milnes

Some good news out of San Diego Comic Con this weekend was Marvel and DC's (slowly and finally) showcasing more women and people of color in their upcoming tv shows and movies. I am excited about five upcoming projects:

• The Wonder Woman trailer has a Captain America vibe and I'm diggin' it. This movie gets double points because it's also directed by a woman.
• More Luke Cage is always welcome. Hubba hubba
• The talented Brie Larson was announced as Captain Marvel.
• For me, Black Panther was the highlight of Captain America: Civil War. The cast of his standalone movie is top notch. Lupita!
• Feminist writer extraordinaire Roxane Gay, alongside poet Yona Harvey, is writing a Black Panther spinoff. They join certified genius Ta-Nahisi Coates in writing Black Panther. 

These five projects warrant specific enthusiasm because...frankly, the world is terrifying right now. From the physical and verbal attacks against women and minority groups during this election cycle to the too frequent assaults and murders of these same groups, we need to change how we view and interact with each other. We need to build a sense of community, of belonging, of empathy and of camaraderie toward all people.

As the site suggests, allow me to get super nerdy for a moment. Social Identity Theory is a person's sense of who they are based on their group memberships, e.g. race, gender, family, team, etc. We identify with groups to create a sense of belonging, and this sense of belonging defines the way we see ourselves. To increase our self-image, we elevate our groups and discriminate against other groups, e.g. the Mets are better than the Yankees, Americans are better than Canadians, Christians are better than Muslims (all untrue, especially the Mets over Yankees) . This process of self-identification and need to classify everyone and everything is the basis of prejudice.

Social Identity Theory is reflected in media in various ways. Limited representation of out-groups (i.e. groups that aren't yours) in media conveys to audiences that they don't belong and can't be successful. (The end of this post has a bunch of citations of where you can read more about this research.)

TLDR; Geena Davis conveyed this all very simply when she said, "If she can't see it, she can't be it." 

What message does it send when little kids see that people of color only represent 8.1% of lead roles in scripted broadcast TV and 12.9% of leads in films (but represent 38% of the US population), and see women have only 30% of all speaking roles in movies (but represent 51% of the US population)? Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for Barack Obama and Shonda Rhimes.

They see a world that is very white and very male, which sends the message that powerful people are white and male. That's the message that needs to change. As writer Alice Walker says, "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."

It's important that girls and kids of color can see themselves in these actors and see themselves in these characters. It's also important for in-group (white and/or male) kids see minorities in positions of power and have the opportunity identify with them - it builds empathy, it builds a sense of belonging that transcends race and sex. Seeing diversity on screen makes people feel more comfortable with themselves and others - this is how we change.

Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Luke Cage are important. We need more of them. We need more Kamala Khans and Miles Moraleses. We need more lady Thors and SpiderGwens. We need to represent everyone.

Improperly Cited References/Resources:

• Tajfel, Henri and Turner, John C. "The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior." in Jost, John T. (Ed); Sidanius, Jim (Ed), (2004). Political psychology: Key readings. Key readings in social psychology., (pp. 276-293). New York, NY, US: Psychology Press, xiii, 497 pp.
• Fryberg, Stephanie and Townsend, Sarah SM. "The psychology of invisibility" in Adams, Glenn (Ed); Biernat, Monica (Ed); Branscombe, Nyla R. (Ed); Crandall, Christian S. (Ed); Wrightsman, Lawrence S. (Ed), (2008). Commemorating Brown: The social psychology of racism and discrimination. Decade of Behavior., (pp. 173-193). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association, xiii, 269 pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/11681-010
• Mastro, Dana. ""Racial/Ethnic Stereotyping and the Media" i. Nabi, Robin L, Oliver, Mary Beth, Eds. "The Sage Handbook of Media Processes and Effects." SAGE Publications, Inc. 2008.
• Harwood, Jake and Roy, Abhik. "Social Identity Theory and Mass Communication Research." Intergroup Communication. 2005.
• Crittenden, Jasmine. "Not Just a Barbie Girl: Miss Representation and Objectification in the Media" Screen Education. No. 81. 2016.
• Faimau, Gabriel. "Teaching & Learning Guide for 'The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims." University of Batswana. 2015. Sociology Compass. vol 9. iss 5
• Leavitt, P. A., Covarrubias, R., Perez, Y. A., & Fryberg, S. A. (2015). “Frozen in time”: The impact of Native American media representations on identity and self-understanding. Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 39-53.  
• Davies, P. G., Spencer, S. J., & Steele, C. M. (2005). Clearing the air: Identity safety moderates the effects of stereotype threat on women's leadership aspirations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 276-287.
• Purdie-Vaughns, Valerie and Eibach, Richard."Intersectional Invisibility: The Distinctivene Advantages and Disadvantages of Multiple Subordinate-Group Identities." Spring Science + Business Media, LCC 2008), 2008