People always say representation matters. That visibility, and the consumption of
different types of people in media helps everyone. It helps the marginalised feel
seen, it teaches about different cultures and perspectives, it allows us to love and
relate to and understand each other better. People always bang on about it because
it’s true.
Our minds and perspectives are shaped by the world around us, by the media and
art we consume, by the people we meet every day, by our education, by the news,
and it’s safe to say we all suffer from unconscious biases instilled in us by the media
around us. It can often be very difficult and uncomfortable to admit it, but starting
with acceptance is the important first step. You’ve been taught and told things about
different groups of people that are flat out wrong, or misleading, often serving
dangerous, hateful agendas. And you have internalised some of it, inevitably,
however big or small it colours the way you see the world. Now, it can be
reprogrammed. You can listen and learn and rewire those parts of yourself, and
media and art is such a vital tool for this.
I’ve seen it firsthand, my stubborn immigrant parents warming up to ideas they
couldn’t accept or understand through tv and film. They’ve been moved to tears by
queer reality tv and gained an understanding and appreciation for different cultures
through their music and film. But no one is immune to social indoctrination, and we
young people are in no way off the hook. Complacency is the enemy of progress, it
can be dangerous in its own right.
I was spurred to write this article after talking to some uni friends about music. I
realised some of my straight male friends genuinely only listen to white male
vocalists. Scary right? White boys going back to their roots, but not this much. It’s not
just music, it’s the content creators we consume, the actors and directors of our
favourite shows, the foods we eat, the movies we watch. It’s not even just a matter of
politics and representation though, although that is the most important thing, but it
makes you a more interesting, well-rounded person to diversify what and who you
consume; it opens you up to whole new genres and experiences you never knew
you could love so much. It gives you one more potential thing in common, a new
conversation starter. And it’s not exclusive to gender, race or language. Consume
new genres now and then, dabble in new mediums, stimulate your brain and artsy
taste buds, keep yourself on your toes.
I get it can be draining or time consuming, I’m not telling you to totally uphaul
everything you enjoy. If you have a comfort show you love to watch non-stop, or a
comfort artist you always put on. That’s fine I get it! You are totally valid and don’t
have to force yourself, try diversify somewhere else.
To show off a little, I see myself as a true I listen to everything type of girl, from k-pop
to nu:metal to emo to Hamilton to Mitski, and some of my favourite songs are in
French, Spanish, Japanese. But I’ll be the first to say my top artist has been the
same every week for 5 months now. Getting into new stuff can genuinely feel like a chore,
especially when most of us use music and tv shows and Youtube and podcasts to rest,
turn our brains off and escape the world. But why not change it up once in a while, every
time I’ve managed to drag myself to explore a new show, a new musician, a new hobby,
pick up a new book, and even just change my media consumption patterns (they’re not the
healthiest… unless rewatching the same 4 video essays every other day counts) I’ve never
regretted it.
If you’ve made it this far into my ramblings I have high hopes for you, your heart’s
clearly in the right place. Start small and simply examine your consumption first,
where could you afford to change it up a bit? There’s no right or wrong way to have
yourself a little explore, although a totally homogenous consumption is definitely
wrong! I want to thank you for reading, a leave you some recommendations of my
own, aka what I’ve been into recently.
Drag Race, and especially podcasts about drag race since the US seasons have
been rendered inaccessible. But bob the drag queen in particular, and all of her
content with Monet is so funny and insightful and great to listen to whilst cooking or
walking to lectures.
Classics, I’ve mildly fallen off but I’m determined to read a new classic every now
and then. There’s a reason they force us to in high school, they are brilliant time
capsules and often their lessons scarily still hold up today, my favourites are One
Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Fahrenheit 451 and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Foreign TV and film. Picking any type of show and watching the various different
countries’ versions is a really fun insight into their respective culture. If you’re into
trashy reality TV, Netflix has you covered, particularly for Japanese of Korean shows
and I think Love is Blind has at least 6 versions! If you’re more of a film buff, work
more foreign movies into your rotation, and vary it up Bollywood, Nollywood, French,
Russian, Spanish.
Different perspectives, trying watching a show focused on a lived experience totally
unlike your own. A show focused on disability, or bisexuality, or immigration. So
many social issues can be explored effortlessly through art, and shows can create
space for the most unique experiences that highlight intersectionality. If you diversify
your media consumption, this will come naturally.
Happy exploring!