Growing up as a racial minority, I had never seen a lot of representation of Mexicans in the media. There was only a handful of women and men that I could relate to on a cultural level that were shown on television and magazines. However, things have been changing for the better in 2018.
Though they are only movies, “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” were a huge step forward in racial diversity, especially being box office hits. Leading men and women of color in successful movies show diversity to younger generations and help them identify on a racial level. Identifying on a racial and ethnic level is to see people of the same race/ethnicity in positions of success or power.
Most people don’t see the significance of racial identity because that’s been the norm of it their entire lives. For a majority of film history, minorities were cast and represented as criminals, villains, and terrorists. Women of color were also oversexualized in media and shown exclusively as prostitutes.
One movie that I resonated with culturally was “Coco (2017).” The movie revolves around a young boy living in Mexico during Dia De Muertos, a national Mexican holiday and tradition. I appreciated and enjoyed the authenticity toward the holiday and culture. Audiences can learn and relate to the lifestyle of the protagonist. Latino actors actually voiced the characters and sang the songs. I highly enjoyed the movie and how I was able to relate to it.
Young generations need a variety of characters that reject stereotypes in the media. African Americans shouldn’t only be cast as slaves and criminals, and Latinos should not be always cast as drug dealers. It’s important that roles, like a superhero and a scientist, not only be exclusive to one race.
2018 has become a year of immense change for the better, and I hope to see it continue to grow.