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Diversity and Representation in Media

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A thread for discussing representation and diversity in all kinds of media. This covers creators and casting decisions as well as characters and in-universe discussions.

Historical works and decisions are in-scope as well, not just recent news.

Please put any spoilers behind tags and clearly state which work(s) they apply to.

    Original OP 
For discussing any racial, gender, and orientation misdoings happening across various movies and the film industry today.

This week, producer Ross Putnam started a Twitter account called "femscriptintros", where he puts up examples of how women are introduced in the screenplays he's read. And nearly all of sound like terrible porn or are too concerned with emphasizing said lady is beautiful despite whatever traits she may have. Here's a Take Two podcast made today where he talks about it.


(Edited April 19 2024 to add mod pinned post)

Edited by Mrph1 on Apr 19th 2024 at 11:45:51 AM

CommanderAce Commander Thor from Planet Earth, United States Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Commander Thor
#27426: Mar 4th 2021 at 9:38:38 AM

The games had an Ambiguously Brown depiction for Kitana (Who Mileena is a clone of) for a while until 11 made her Asian. Plus, Kitana’s actress in the original movie is Puerto Rican while Mileena was played by a Caucasian actress in Annhilation, so they’ve been a range of backgrounds.

Edited by CommanderAce on Mar 4th 2021 at 10:39:10 AM

Power of Thor!
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#27427: Mar 4th 2021 at 10:42:33 AM

... yeah I thought Mileena was a clone of Kitana. So she should be whatever race Kitana is.

So if Kitana's black then sure. Otherwise... no?

[down] Is that who's playing Mileena? Then yes. I think Kitana and Mileena should have the same, or at least very similar looking actresses. I'd accept Natalie Portman and Keira Knightly, for example. Which is totally viable on their budget and not at all a terrible idea.

Edited by Larkmarn on Mar 4th 2021 at 3:05:40 PM

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Blueace Surrounded by weirdoes from The End Of the World Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Surrounded by weirdoes
#27428: Mar 4th 2021 at 10:51:54 AM

So, should Sisi Stringer play Kitana? You know, without the piranha teeth? They are supposed to look the same, beyond the mouth, at least.

Edited by Blueace on Mar 4th 2021 at 3:53:01 PM

Wake me up at your own risk.
EmeraldSource Since: Jan, 2021
#27429: Mar 4th 2021 at 11:05:59 AM

To be honest the entire franchise is very Asian influenced to begin with, after all it was based on Enter the Dragon. Kano was apparently supposed to be Japanese-American in the original game, hence his karate gi and joint wraps, but his cybernetics made him more ambiguous looking before being reimagined into an Australian Western Terrorist type. While Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade are clearly white, Lui Kang and Kung Lao are clearly asian and Jax is black, most of the ninja clan and other Outworld characters are Ambiguously Brown or otherwise masked so that almost anyone could portray them.

Comics are just words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#27430: Mar 4th 2021 at 12:09:54 PM

I do think the choice to make Mileena black to be particularly weird since of the 4 Palette Swap female ninjas, 2 of them are black. Tanya and Jade (yellow and green) are both dark-skinned and since Mileena is a clone of Kitana, it stands to reason that if all of them are included in this continuity they should probably all be black.

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windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#27431: Mar 9th 2021 at 12:04:52 AM

Lovecraft Country faces colorism scandal as extra details having her skin darkened on set

HBO’s hit genre series Lovecraft Country is facing backlash following a series of Tik Toks in which Kelli Amirah, an extra on the first season, describes how her skin was visibly darkened by the makeup team so Amirah would look more like the darker-skinned character she was portraying. The revelation is particularly surprising given that the series, which examines Black history and experiences through the lens of horror and science fiction, boasts a production team made up mostly of Black creatives, including showrunner Misha Green and co-executive producers Jonathan Kidd and Sonya Winton-Odamtten—a pair of writers with Ph Ds in African American studies. HBO has responded to Amirah’s video in a statement obtained by THR that reads, in part, “This should not have happened.” And, well, yeah.

Amirah initially detailed her experience on set in a trio of Tik Tok videos in which she explained how she was cast to play a younger version of an elderly character in an old wedding photo. Upon arriving, Amirah realized some of the lead actors (she names Jurnee Smollett and Courtney B. Vance, specifically) were also on set that day and, she says, remained present for the subsequent incident. While sitting in makeup, Amirah says one of the makeup artists noted that she was a “little lighter” than the character she was meant to portray, while another commented that her features were a “dead match” for the other actress. As her foundation was applied, Amirah realized her skin tone was “getting darker and darker”—the resulting photo, which Amirah shared, confirms that her skin was significantly darkened. She also said that the makeup team went as far to darken her hands, as well.

After showing the photo, Amirah continued: “I had no idea they were going to do this to me beforehand. And if I knew beforehand, I would not have accepted this job. Who thought this was a good idea?” Amirah herself was subsequently criticized by some who felt as though she was a passive participant in the experience, inspiring her to elaborate further in a Twitter thread in which she explains her complicated feelings during the incident:

For its part, HBO says it is “very disappointed” to learn of Amirah’s experience, adding, “This should not have happened, and we are taking steps to ensure this doesn’t occur again in the future.”

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#27432: Mar 9th 2021 at 1:31:39 AM

It somehow seems fitting that a show named "Lovecraft Country" had a blackface issue.

Disgusted, but not surprised
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#27433: Mar 9th 2021 at 10:38:00 AM

Trailer for CW's Kung Fu.

About Kung Fu: A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman to drop out of college for a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China.

ClancyGardener life is a state of mind from 53 miles west of Venus Since: Jun, 2020 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
ArthurEld Since: May, 2014
#27435: Mar 9th 2021 at 10:45:50 AM

It's a reboot of a much older series, also called Kung Fu.

ClancyGardener life is a state of mind from 53 miles west of Venus Since: Jun, 2020 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
#27436: Mar 9th 2021 at 10:47:19 AM

[up] Was that the "patience, grasshopper" series, or was that something else?

Trope Editor (he/him)
Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#27437: Mar 9th 2021 at 10:48:09 AM

And the original series was going to star Bruce Lee but ended up passing him over for a white lead.

Edited by Tuckerscreator on Mar 9th 2021 at 10:49:05 AM

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#27438: Mar 9th 2021 at 10:49:47 AM

[up][up]That was the one. This looks...to be rather In Name Only.

Most of Bruce’s original concept was bought to the series Warrior (2019) but it’s not a 1 to 1.

Edited by Beatman1 on Mar 9th 2021 at 1:50:08 PM

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#27439: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:01:47 AM

Warrior is indeed what he basically intended over the actual kung fu show

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#27441: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:11:54 AM

He was from what I've heard supposed to be half-asian but doesn't look like it as you can see....

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#27442: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:13:41 AM

In fairness, he's as half-Asian as Bruce Lee.

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Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#27443: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:15:30 AM

Not to "well actually" this, but Bruce Lee's mother was Eurasian, so he's a bit closer to half-Asian than Carradine. tongue


‘Powerpuff Girls’ Pilot at CW Casts Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, Yana Perrault

Bennet (half-Chinese) will play Blossom and Perrault (black) will play Buttercup.

Edited by Synchronicity on Mar 9th 2021 at 1:17:46 PM

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#27444: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:22:22 AM

Glad they're trying to go for diversity, but I have mixed feelings, and not just because I think the premise is already pretty bad to begin with.

One of Blossom's abilities in the cartoon was that she could speak Chinese, so this makes enough sense. But considering Buttercup's most visible personality traits were being Book Dumb and aggressively fight-happy, I'm not sure this won't end up reinforcing stereotypes further. They'd have to be very careful where they tread here, and if you asked me it'd have been more progressive to make one of the other two black and let Buttercup be the Asian one.

Edited by AlleyOop on Mar 9th 2021 at 2:36:15 PM

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#27445: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:29:15 AM

In my memory the Powerpuff Girl I most commonly see in fanart being racebent as Black is Bubbles.

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#27446: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:31:13 AM

I'm getting flashbacks to that one late PPG episode where they made fun of all the fanfics that made the girls older and had them give up crime-fighting to do menial teeenager stuff.

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#27447: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:37:58 AM

Yeah, I recall Cloak and Dagger socioeconomicstatus-lifted the mains precisely to dodge the stereotypes. Rich white girl Tandy became the delinquent and black kid from the streets Tyrone became the well-off and well-educated guy.

Brandon Deadly Vu! from Between Thanksgiving and Christmas (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
Deadly Vu!
#27448: Mar 9th 2021 at 11:58:49 AM

Chloe Bennett... No idea who the other actresses are.

Seems like Dawson Casting is in full force here, unless this series is supposed to be about them after they've become adults.

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Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#27449: Mar 9th 2021 at 12:00:41 PM

[up]That's exactly what it's about. It's about the adult characters growing up having resented lost their childhoods to superhero work and having to come out of retirement despite their clear disdain.

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#27450: Mar 9th 2021 at 12:06:40 PM

Why ?

They got a fairly normal childhood. They wanted to do this and they had an easy time as far as superheroes go. Nothing bad happened to them or their families

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."

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