Tag: diversity

Pobody’s Nerfect: How Idealized Body Types in YA Are Problematic

Photo by Cristian Urriaga Sepúlveda on Scopio

Introduction

“My eyes traced over his pale white features: the hard square of his jaw, the softer curve of his full lips—twisted up into a smile now, the straight line of his nose. The sharp angle of his cheekbones, the smooth marbles expanse of his forehead . . .” –Bella, New Moon.

Sorry for torturing you like that, but my point is the characters in YA novels, especially the love interests, are often not just attractive, but modelesque.

Raise your hand if you’ve read YA novels where the teenage characters never have to deal with acne, bad breath, being under or overweight and it not being played for laughs.

Moreover, raise your hand if you ever felt like you were reading a personal ad the way some of these characters are described in such excruciating details. Sure, everyone enjoys some eye candy, but by making all or most of the cast attractive it teaches young readers the wrong lessons, which I’ll discuss in turn.

The Plain Jane

This first body type is the most common in YA and are usually the main female character and their basic descriptor is being average looking; some famous examples include Bella Swan form Twilight, Hermione Granger fromThe Harry Potter series, Clary Frayfrom The Mortal Instruments series, and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger games. The problem with this body type is that it teaches girls not to be okay with their looks. Often in these stories the message is, “OMG! that super cute guy likes me despite my plain looks.”

Instead, we should teach girls to find a partner who values them because of who there are, not despite it.

The Plain Jane also trains girls to view girls more attractive than them as enemies, and that paradoxically looks do matter.

Mr. Perfect

Topless man in blue denim jeans with yellow flower on his chest

Likewise, the male love interests are almost always some Adonis who knows exact what to do or say to sweep the female protagonist off her feet.

This teaches girls to objectives male bodies and and gives them unrealistic expectations when it comes to relationships, especially when said male love interests are physically, emotionally, or psychologically abusive.

YA novels need to have a more diverse spectrum of beauty standards for everyone and stop romanticizing abusive and toxic behavior like stalking.

Sadly, this is not the case, as I will show next.

Model Land

In these stories everyone is attractive, they can eat whatever they want, never work out, and still be in perfect shape. They never have to face the issues we mere mortals do. These characters’ defining trait is their attractiveness and they often fall victim to the designated love interest, and in the worst offenders, such as Tyra Banks’ (yes, that Tyra Banks) Modelland, they are literal models.

The problem with this is many-fold.

First, it teaches young readers to be superficial and that if they don’t meet society’s and the media’s expectations of beauty, then they don’t matter. That they have to strive for perfection in their appearance or no one will like them.

Second, it contributes to negative body image issues and issues with disordered eating. Young readers, girls in particular, are constantly being bombard with the message they have to be hot or they won’t find love and happiness.

Third, it’s unrealistic. People come in all shapes, yet rarely do you see protagonists who aren’t attractive, in shape, and sexually appealing and this needs to change.

We need to see more diversity across the board, not only in appearance but in race too.

But not too Black: Colorism, Featurism, and Eurocentrism

Anyone who’s followed this blog for a while now knows the lack of diversity in the media is a pet peeve of mind.

As I wrote here, YA and publishing in general has a race problem. Namely, they value whiteness above everything, and the result is European features are prized above those of people of color.

This Eurocentrism result is colorism, which is where Black and brown people with lighter skin are seen as more attractive. This manifests in YA by having the love interest of color be either mixed raced or very light-skinned, sometimes to the point of getting mistaken for being white.

The problem with this should be self-evident: proximity to whiteness has no bearing on attractiveness and arguing otherwise is just racist.

This in turn results in featurism, wherein certain features such as straight hair, fair skin, and light-colored eyes are considered more appealing than those of Black and brown people.

The message readers of color get when they don’t find people like them in these stories is that 1) they don’t matter, and 2) they can’t have their happily ever after if they’re too dark or don’t have “good” hair.

The solution to this issue is simple: have more Black and brown people of every shade in your stories and call out writers when they engage in any of the above isms.

I wish race and appearances weren’t the only issues, but there’s more.

You Must be This Tall to Ride

Height discrimination is also rampant in these stories. Short people are often played for laughs and deemed unattractive—if they’re there at all. The issue here is that young readers are often themselves short, so having stories that exclude them, or worse make fun of them for something they can’t control, is bad form.

The solution is to not have a character’s height matter to the story. Why must every story be about the stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome guy?

Short guys are hot too.

Similarly, stop with the stories that make fun of girls for being taller than guys, when girls mature faster than boys. Tall girls rock!

As I previously mentioned, another body type that often gets mocked is bigger people.

No Fats (Sizeism and Fatphobia)

In book after book, the fat best friend is relegated to the sidelines while their thin, attractive friend goes after their equally thin and attractive love interest. Moreover, fat characters wanting to pursue anyone smaller in weight than them is seen as comedic, again this is if they’re included at all. This is problematic for several reasons.

First, many teens and young adults struggle with weight issues, so to trivialize and reduce the problem to their not eating right and getting enough exercise is complete bs.

Growing up stories were one of the only safe places I had. But I was quick to notice that people like me, Black and fat, were either absent or made fun of.

The truth is no one likes to be picked on, so stop with the fat jokes, fat-shaming, and fat phobia.

Conclusion

As cliché as it is to say, it’s true: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No one should feel excluded or less than because they aren’t a ten or even a five. Everyone is worthy of love regardless of their looks, height, or weight, and it is incumbent upon us to make sure everyone knows this.

Call to Action

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please share it on social media. Let me your thoughts in the comments below. And be sure to subscribe to me newsletter (link in right sidebar). Also, my book Palingenesis available now.

Whites Only Need Apply: On the Chosen One trope, White Entitlement, and White Male Mediocrity

Introduction

As I wrote in Fantastical Racism, the chosen one trope is a staple of the Fantasy genre, which more often than not puts allo, cis , het, white males in the position of the chosen one. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, John Snow, they are all mediocre white males who are proven to be the chosen ones of their respected books. In each case there are infinitely more interesting characters supporting them, yet because they are the designated self-insert for readers, we have to follow their journeys.

But more than that, this has led to generations of white males feeling entitled to the world, because they’ve grown up saturated in media that’s told them they are special, when they are mediocre at best.

Black Lives Matter diversity media

But Not Too Black

Introduction

As I wrote in YA So White there is a lack of Black characters in YA; specifically, Black characters are often rendered as sidekicks to the white protagonists, only there to give them support and advance their arc. Or they are whitewashed, stripped of all their flavor to please the bland palates of white readers.

And in the worst cases they are reduced to passive objects for the white characters to swoon over, as documented by Aisha Monet in her medium.com article Queer Love Interests of Color and the White Gaze. Be it Blue from Simon v. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Abbey from Leah Out Loud, Dre from The State of Us, or even Starr from The Hate U Give, Black bodies are reduced to mates for white characters.

books diversity YA

YA So White: Decentering Whiteness in Young Adult Literature

A Great Big White World

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior, Clary Fray, Hazel Grace Lancaster. What do these all have in common? They are all characters from popular YA Novels. But they are also all white, and this is problematic because Black, brown, indigenous, and other kids of color need to see themselves reflected in the books they read.

diversity YA

To Boldly Go: On the Lack of Diversity in Science Fiction

Introduction

Science Fiction (sci-fi) is a fascinating genre with an endless possibility of worlds to explore. However, you won’t often find many brown or Black people like me in them, or anyone who isn’t an allo, cis, het, white male. And this is a shame since blerds (Black/brown nerds) are starving to see themselves as space captains, genetically engineered super soldiers, or mutant superheroes.

At its heart, sci-fi is about exploring the human condition through the wonders of science and technology, so why then are people of color often omitted from these stories? As with most things, history provides an insight.

diversity

Readers Don’t Owe You Shit

Introduction

Recently, I read an article on medium.com about how diversity has become a genre onto itself, something that I plan to write about in a later post.

However, what struck me about this article, and why it prompted me to write this in response, was how the white, cis, het, male writer lamented about how political correctness had gone too far and was hurting people like him.

The example he gave was how people used to come up to him while at restaurants—he supposes to get his autograph, but they were too shy to ask him—before the boycott of North Carolina’s infamous bathroom bill that forced transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender they were assigned at birth instead of the one they identified with.

He then went on to talk about how it’s historically inaccurate to have black and other marginalized people in stories set in medieval Europe, even though a cursory search would have revealed African and Arab people where around back then; they were just called Moors and blackamoors or black Moors.

This is an old retort from writers not willing to have marginalized people in their stories, and this post was just another in the long procession of posts that have been written decrying how white people are no longer the center of the world and can no longer spout their bigoted views with impunity.

Content Creators Owe Us Nothing.

However, one thing I agree with this writer on is how he doesn’t have to include diverse characters in his stories.

No one should be forced to create stories and characters they don’t want to, because doing so results in content that rings hollow and doesn’t please anyone.

In recent years, there has been a push for more diverse works, and if a content creator misses the mark on one or more areas of representation, this result is harsh criticism, which is fine. However, making death threats and ruining people’s lives because they didn’t create something to your liking is not fucking okay.

Sure, boycott said creators and their work all you want because capitalism is supposed to be about voting with your dollars. But what you can’t do is demand they create things you want.

Content creators don’t owe us shit.

However, the reverse is also true.

Don’t Expect Us to Show Up

If writers and others don’t create stories with diverse characters, then they can’t complain when people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, and other marginalized people don’t buy said content.

I could spend my time and money on a million things. So why should I consume media that doesn’t deem people like me worthy enough to be in it?

I’m not saying every story must have diverse characters, but the default shouldn’t be white, cis, het ones either.

Conclusion

Content creators should be free to make whatever media they want, and marginalized folks should have media that reflects them.

What should we do then?

That answer is to let the marketplace decide.

For decades, the mainstream media has been slow to include narratives that are more inclusive. So, people made their own. And, ultimately, that’s the solution.

If we want our stories told, then we must be the ones telling them.

Call to Action

What do you think?

Comment below, and if you liked this post please share it on social media.

diversity writing YA

Monochromatic Madness

For decades now the gay community has stated they are inclusive of everyone hence why their symbol is the rainbow flag. However this couldn’t be further from the truth. The dominate image put forth by GLADD, GLESSEN and other LGBT organizations has been and continues to be white washed. Anyone who doesn’t fit this homogenized image doesn’t exist. Let’s start with the number one area the media depicts LGBT people: porn. Go to any site geared to men who have sex with when and you’ll be bombarded with porno ads all depicting white chiseled guys and if a nonwhite person is featured it’s usually to play up racial stereotypes or to fetishize them. Case in point: the Mandingo sex crazed black guy who has a foot long phallus. Or the ghetto gang banger violating the innocent little white boy. Or the hood rat hoodlum who gets dominating by the white guy. Sure you’ll see Asian and Latino guys in porn but that’s only because they tend to be lighter skinned and thus a case of but not too black. Because remember they’re not people but sex objects, so it’s ok to fetishize an entire group of people and so what if this has an negative effect in the real world. Asians tend to depicted as submissive ultra feminine “lady-boys” who fall over themselves for even the lowliest white guy, where as Latinos get stereotyped as feisty and passionate lovers. The bleed over effect is obvious to anyone who’s spent time on hook up and relationship site for men who have sex with men. You have profiles that say outright not into X race, but I’m not racist it’s just my preference. Right, because disregarding everyone from a group isn’t discriminatory at all, especially if your profile says you’re looking for friends. In the past this annoyed the hell out of me however now I’m thankful for theses clowns. It lets you know immediately which guys are douche bags. Because chances are if they’re have hang ups on race you can bet your butt hole they’re also narcissistic trolls who are shallower than smoke and of course are “Straight Acting.” Which leads me to another issue. How the larger media as a whole depicts black gay and bi guys. The only time they mention us is in the context of HIV/AIDS, or being on the DL. While infection rates are high among black LGBT persons this due more to genetics and engaging in risky behavior. Not being on the DL. Moreover in recent years there have been sharp increases in the infection rates of young white males who have sex with males because they believe AIDS isn’t a serious threat anymore and they can just take a few pills if they become infected. You don’t see the media ,mainstream or gay, reporting on these men who engage in bare backing and so called breeding, where by multiple men have unprotected anal sex and ejaculate in a bottom. Nor do you see them report on all the “Straight” guys looking to hook up with other guys on Craig ’s list and elsewhere. Then there all these MWM (married white males) cruising for sex yet not a word is uttered about them. Hmm I wonder why? maybe because if they did then their customer base of affluent suburban white males would get their panties in a bunch. The mainstream media and gay media have been lagging when it comes to more inclusive portrayals of LGBT characters. Case in point Will and Grace. Set in New York City, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. But you wouldn’t know that from the show. Moreover as much as it was “groundbreaking” it failed to show gay characters who weren’t either super feminine or masculine. This is a problem because people don’t fall into either extremes. They tend be somewhere in between. Queer as Folk was another show which failed into include a diverse picture of LGBT life. It was set in Philadelphia, a predominately black city, yet only featured a handful of nonwhite characters, who surprise, surprise were partnered white characters. One scene in particular sticks out in my mind. It was a mixed couple who approached one of the main characters to have a threesome. When I saw this my first reaction was seriously, you finally show a black gay guy and he’s just there to be a sex object. Epic fail. Even with modern shows like Glee and Modern Family the LGBT characters, if they appear at all, are almost always white. For many marginalized groups independent media gives them an outlet to have their voices heard. However here too minorities are not given a place at the table. The majority of indie LGBT films are for and about white characters. Either in one of the gay Mecca’s or follows their struggle to get there from their backwaters town. Of the few LGBT movies geared towards blacks Brother to Brother is best because it’s not only a history on how Bayard Rustin and others were treated because of their sexuality and race, but how young people of color are treated today by their communities and the gay community. While indie publishing has opened the flood gates in terms of content much of what’s out there for LGBT people of color is slim pickings and this is even worse in mainstream publishing where the trend continues to be books featuring predominately white characters and few if any nonwhite ones. So what can be done? First LGBT people of color should pull their support from organizations that continue to perpetuate the whitewashed 2-D portrayal the community. Second we should get active in groups fighting for our needs and if none exist in our area, start one. Next we should bring up these issues at round tables and conferences and if we get dismissed as drama queens or seeing a problem where none is there, then we boycott them and start our own. Likewise if you’re tired of not seeing more diverse and inclusive portrayals of LGBT folk start creating them. One of the reasons I started writing was because I was sick of not seeing people like me. So what are your thoughts on this issue? I’m I off base or what?

diversity LGBT media race