by xandria

Why I think The Entertainment Industry Needs To Change

I’ll be honest I had a completely different blog post in mind for today, but It really didn’t feel right posting it when this has been on my mind for a long time. Today ABC announced the first Black Bachelor the franchise has ever seen. His name is Matt James and you can click here to read more about him. I for one am SO excited, he’s cute from what I’ve seen he has a great personality and he’s best friends with Tyler Cameron. For many of us, this is totally bazaar, for my fellow Bachelor and Bachelorette fans out there, we know that this is something that should have never been something that we had to call out, this should have never been something that had to be said over the 25 seasons of the show – but here we are. It’s 2020 and the first BIPOC Bachelor has been announced. That’s fucked up.

For anyone who doesn’t know I work in the Film and Television Industry in Toronto, Canada. I work on the production team of various TV shows, and as a talent coordinator for various Live Music Events, and concert specials. I love my job. I love being able to create content, to be able to influence people’s lives. My industry is 90% white. I’ve sat at tables where myself and a close friend are the ones holding down the minority card for the whole company. I’ve felt over looked for jobs, and when I do get the jobs I want I feel like I’ve fought a hard fight just to be considered. The worst part was I didn’t realize that I was doing this until recently. I never let myself make race an excuse. I actively made sure that I never jumped to that conclusion when I wasn’t given a job, or when I was asked to be in promotional videos to meet the quota.

Until now.

Working in one of the most influential industries in the world it’s hard to continue to ignore the problem at hand, especially how amplified that voice is now. It’s hard to over look the fact that anytime I watch a show, there is almost always a white lead, a signature black character and 85% of the time never any other POC other than an asian. What about the South Asians? What about the Middle Eastern folks? What about different cultures and backgrounds that are not represented? What about them? We are a generation that consumes, consumes and consumes. I remember reading once some actually INSANE fact – that on an average day Americans consume 11 hours of content. ELEVEN HOURS!! That’s a lot for your brain to take in. That’s your entire day. & what are you consuming, look at the content that we are putting out, are you proud of that? Do you stand by what you see? This is so important. Not just as a content creator but as a consumer, you have a say in what you see. We need to do better.

We need to tell more stories that attract wider audiences. The copout excuse of “people not being ready” isn’t cutting it anymore. We have always been ready.
We need to stop making content (that we think) is the only thing that sells. Anything sells, you just need to have a solid pitch.
We need to do better not only in front of the camera but behind it as well. We need BIPOC’s in positions of power and pushing for change leading story creators and executive producers.
We need to do this to better our future.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think that the media needs to be doing a better job at portraying relatable stories for all?

I hope you are all having a good week and looking forward to the weekend ahead. Sending you all love and light as always.

21 thoughts on “Why I think The Entertainment Industry Needs To Change”

  1. i LOVE this perspective! so much yes to this! as a mixed race black american/lebanese/cherokee girl, i rarely see people like me in media—and when i see people cast as “native” or “middle eastern” on tv or in movies, oftentimes they’re “mis-cast” (i.e. people cast native actors in *any* “native” role without regard to tribe and tribal differences—or sometimes even legitimate tribal enrollment—and people who are south asian are often cast as “middle eastern” or arab…despite the fact that south asians aren’t arab and aren’t considered middle eastern either) and black people tend to only be light skinned and you only see biracial people (not multiracial, like me) and they’re typically a mix of a marginalized race and white, despite the fact that being bi/multiracial encompasses a *vast wealth* of racial mixes and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re always mixed with white (just look at shakira or salma hayek, who are both biracial but aren’t white—they’re arab/latinx)! and that’s when poc get representation at all! i’m also disabled and the media’s disability representation is absolutely appalling, largely being a mixture of tragedy porn, inspiration porn, and not casting actual disabled people in disabled roles (let alone giving them roles at all). also, media also tends to stick to the stereotypical “gay best friend” roles for lgbt+ people, and when they go beyond that, it’s often only using the “bury your gays” trope or using lgbt+ folks as tragedy porn. the vast identities of lgbt+ individuals are totally erased (i’d LOVE to see a movie or tv show starring a main character who’s demisexual, like i am!) and that’s such a shame.

    i have a saying—life isn’t black or white or even shades of gray; life is produced in technicolor! and you know what else is produced in technicolor? media. it’s beyond time we start applying that concept to life and by extension to the media we both produce and consume.

    bravo for a great post, miss xandria!

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    1. Thank you SO much for reading, and for commenting ! I think many times topics around media can be kind of controversial so I’m glad I struck a cord here.

      Yes – SO MANY TIMES mis-cast for such ignorant stupid cowardly reasons (beauty, what people are used to seeing, what people in power perceive this role to be). I couldn’t agree more regarding the way we cast disabled people and anyone in the LGBTQ community, it’s not right and I think we have the means to do so much better.

      As someone in the media industry I feel like it’s my job as I grow, to make sure we accurately represent each and everyone who lives on this earth. I never want someone to grow up like many of us and no ever be able to identify with someone on TV/in Movies.

      Thank you again for reading my post, and for your kind words, XO

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  3. I totally agree with you! The “people are not ready for this” excuse is really lame and let’s be honest 100% of the people are never going to fully agree on anything ever. Whenever people have tried to make changes there has been a mixture of support and anger. That’s just how it is. Over time people will get over it and the outrage is worth it for the greater good.

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    1. Couldn’t agree more ! It’s such a copout to say “people aren’t ready” we LIVE IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLD, we are more than ready! We have always been ready. I’m so tired of other people deciding what is worth putting on the air and what isn’t. Thank you for reading my post, and for your comment. xo

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  4. I think you are right about how imbalanced things are.
    I am a media recluse. Every day I work and socialize with people from many cultures and don’t even think about the imbalances in the media. I am not a TV watcher (although I like masterchef) and I don’t use any social media accept WordPress.
    Sometimes I forget that just because I have the privilege of a great mix of colleagues and friends from many walks of life and backgrounds – some people live in an area or are attached to entertainment, hobbies, interests that are not represented by diversity.
    I feel blessed that where as a group of volunteers here in London we have almost one hundred different nationalities represented – which makes us a very lively and wonderful team.

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    1. Thank you for reading my post, and for your comment! I feel the same way – in my person life I have such a huge mix of people from different walks of life it’s easy to forget. We have a long way to go.

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  5. Beautiful Xandria! This is the perfectly worded post! Do you mind if I share this on my instagram (the link to your post?) please hun – I think it’s so important people read this. I’ve been thinking about this myself over the past couple of days then your blog post popped up. It’s so true. There is a lack of diversity in the entertainment industry and like you say what’s with the excuse ‘people are not ready’?!? I mean what do they mean not ready? Not ready for what please!!! Anyway, you’re 100% correct on this. How on Earth are they now only just announcing the first black bachelor- over the amount of years it’s been on air it should never have even been a thing to call it out, there should have been diversity from the start, with all different people and cultures represented. I 100% stand with you on this and things need to change / the entertainment industry must do better! ❤️ great post love ❤️

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    1. Thank you my sweet friend ! Your words are the most encouraging, thank you for reading this post. & Yes of course, please share (follow me so I can follow you too !!! YAY) We have such a long way to go, I really hope that was is happening in the world isn’t a “phase” and that we really do actively push for change in all areas of life. It’s so important as Media, what we consume shapes us as humans. xo

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      1. I’ve followed you lovely!!! And I agree, we don’t want this to be a phase so we must actively ensure we continue to make a change and be the difference everyday so people remember to keep doing the work so we never have to look back, nothing like this ever has to happen again. This isn’t a phase lovely don’t you worry, we WILL make a difference. I know so many people who think the same about it being a phase, which is also why I’ve seen so many people continuously talk about this and we will continue, we will make a difference, not just today, not just this month, but next year and the year after that. ❤

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  6. Xandria, this post is so important!!! I 100% agree. Things really, really, like REALLY, need to change. I want to see more diverse casts. I want to see a whole spectrum of humanity through the shows I watch, the movies I see, the books I read because THAT IS WHAT THE WORLD IS REALLY LIKE. And diversity is beautiful ❤ Everyone is worthy and everyone deserves their perspective to be told, everyone should be able to relate through what media they consume. Thank you for posting this, I love your blog and everything you stand for. Your voice is a powerful one and you are going to rock the world 😀 I got your back!!

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    1. My sweet Jai! Your words are always so gratifying, thank you for commenting and for reading my blog, I really can’t express what it means to me. I want more than anything to use my voice for good. I want people to see the world in media as the same world they see with their two eyes, I’m so tired of people in power deciding what people get to watch, sewing together a narrative the world is tired of reading. I always got your back, let’s do this !! xo

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  7. The media really needs to do a whole lotta work to make people feel more connected. I won’t lie, the first time I saw black spiderman in a movie was perhaps the first time it was quite relatable. Also the same for the black panther. Media is trying but more needs to he done!

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    1. 100% you’re absolutely right! & it took years for Black Panther to even be what it was!!! It’s just so sad that it has taken so long for us to integrate more cultures into media. This is something that should have been done YEARS ago. As someone who has some say in this industry, I will do better! Hope you’re keeping well & thank you for reading.

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