Tag: representation matters

When I see people still not getting why the Lexa/Clexa fandom is still upset –

Imagine if T’Challa or Wonder Woman had been killed off in their respective films.  

After all the celebrating, the joy, the happiness of what these films represent to marginalised communities who never see a black or female lead superhero – imagine the anger and resentment and disappointment and heartbreak of losing that very important character within the space of an hour or two.  It’s over.  Done.  No sequel. 

Imagine all the little kids who look up to T’Challa, or Diana Prince, who finally got to dress up like a hero that looks like them.  Imagine their heartbreak. 

We’ve been watching for a while now, from Wonder Woman’s arrival to Black Panther – and the reaction from audiences and culture critics alike are positive, energetic validations of what these characters mean not only to them, but to society as a whole. They matter.   

‘Wakanda Forever!’ has been adopted, as has Wonder Woman’s cross-armed ‘boosh’ move.  People are happy and it’s good.  

For a few precious months, that was the Clexa fandom. They were happy, joyous, excited for this representation they never get to see.  Then she was killed and it was over.  

And it didn’t help that it was on purpose, that the one who did it had twisted this vulnerable audience for his own goals and got away with it.

For a short period of time, Lexa was the closest thing to a queer superhero we had seen (even after Xena, who wasn’t allowed to be ‘out’ at the time – Lexa explicitly was).  And she was killed off.  

Imagine someone doing that to Black Panther or Wonder Woman. 

Seems stupid, doesn’t it?  

We agree.  And it still hurts.

There’s something very important about films about black women and girls being made by black women. It’s a different perspective. It is a reflection as opposed to an interpretation, and I think we get a lot of interpretations about the lives of women that are not coming from women.

Ava DuVernay, Writer/Director/Producer of “I Will Follow” and “Middle of Nowhere” (via womanwholovestruth)

dale-sylena-dale:

Watch One Day at a Time on Netflix. 4 episodes in the next few days. 2 hours total.

For real though. We have been blessed with a glorious show that has:

  • fleshed-out, not-baiting representation of various types
  • sharp, specific writing that addresses Current Issues in effective and entertaining ways
  • comedy that for the most part does not “punch down” / perpetuate oppression
  • truly stunning acting
  • KEGOT-winner and all-around deity Rita Moreno (KEGOT = Kennedy Center Honor, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards)
  • the unbelievable Justina Machado who should, and hopefully will, win all the awards for her performances in this show
  • and more ~

Help us keep this show alive and get a season 3 renewal! One Day at a Time on Netflix is perfect for Gal/Pal/Valentine’s day and for every other day of every week forever.  It’s one of the easiest, most enjoyable forms of activism you can do, imo. And please also spread the word!!

Femslash and the growing power of fandom | Smash Company

Fandoms influence on authors tends to be trivial. Two characters who have never kissed, but of whom there is slash fiction, end up kissing, and the fans, or the author, joke that this is fan service.

But the pushback regarding The 100 is a bit different. It’s different because its femslash, but its also different because of the directness with which some of the fans wanted to criticize Jason Rothenberg. I get that fans criticize comic books and movies all the time, but this had a political angle that is rare. The fans weren’t saying “I found that scene unrealistic” the fans were saying “This is a civil rights violation.” That is potentially something very new.

This article from April, 2016 is an excellent reminder of what went wrong with The 100 and the growing power of fandom.  

Femslash and the growing power of fandom | Smash Company

This is on my dash quite a bit: a lack of support of shows like Black Lightning because networks like the CW are racist/homophobic (past behaviour/people in charge) and have hurt audiences (without consequences).  

There are people who will use this as an excuse for their own racism, that’s just a fact.  Is it what it all boils down to? No. But racism is a huge factor in not supporting this. I get the tug of war some have. There’s more to it, yes. As part of the queer audience, I get where the resentment comes from (and I know how angry some people are toward this network). But we’ve asked others to get over theirs to support us.  We have to do better. We have to keep challenging our privilege. We’re not going to win anything if we don’t support one another and support representation. We’ve got to bring the margins to the fore. Isn’t this part of how we do it?  

There’s so much we despise about this system/that network and it does need to be addressed, but where are we on that? We’re still watching telly.  Let’s make it count for something. 

Adding here TV Grim Reaper’s ratings post. I don’t think international viewers affect this, and I don’t think this includes streaming views, either.