#hispanic representation in media

[outsidethebeautybox]

Boys Need Better Representation Too

If we stop and think about it, most of the content trying to help people work through their insecurities and build confidence is catered toward women. 

Sure, there’s self-improvement content catered toward more general audiences, but when it comes to helping people celebrate the physical features they were born with, most of us prioritize women’s insecurities over male insecurities.

Whether you’re self-conscious about curly hair, dark skin, a few extra pounds or acne, there’s an encouraging artwork or inspirational video out there to remind you you’re beautiful. But once again, most of this content is by women, for women.

I’m guilty of this too.

The artists I follow (and love) who do ‘drawing insecurities’ videos are all drawing women. The fashion brands I watch videos for (and love) which feature inclusive sizing are all made for or marketing to women.

But boys have insecurities too, and they are also seriously lacking representation.

Those of us who really care about encouraging diversity-positivity and self love are pouring our hearts and souls into creating content to help women across the world realize that they are beautiful.. We make dark skinned female leads. We make drawings of beautiful plus-sized queens.

But there aren’t a whole lot of relevant dark-skinned or plus-sized guys in the media either. Or skinny superheroes. Or short male leads. The list goes on.

There are a LOT of male beauty standards that many guys still feel frustrated and depressed by being unable to fit, whether they’re “not muscular enough” or they can’t grow a beard.

In countries where colorism is an ongoing issue, it often affects boys as well as girls, and yet, when I read webcomics like “Your Smile Is a Trap” and “Love Love Fighting” (again, stories that I love) the female leads stray outside the beauty box, while the male leads still fit the cultural beauty standard.

How many Black superheroes can you think of who have TV shows currently airing? 

How many male superheroes can you think of who don’t have the quintessential square jaw and perfect hair?

I know of a few Asian romance webcomics with brown skinned female leads but I’ve not seen any with brown skinned male leads.

Part of what it means to work outside the beauty box is to prioritize people other than ourselves. We work to help more people feel seen. I spend a lot of time promoting diversity positivity for women, hispanics and members of the black diaspora, but with the world the way it is now, there is almost always some demographic or another being ignored or overlooked, and that means we need to keep widening our perspectives.

The media needs more male leads who are shorter than the female lead. We need male characters who are plus-sized or disabled or dark skinned but aren’t deemed second rate or stuck playing second fiddle to the guys who fit the beauty standard.

I’m not sure why, but working outside the beauty box actually seems to be even harder to manage with male characters than it is with female characters. I think it’s because of a subconscious global bias. We know girls are sensitive about their looks and so anyone who wants to diss a girl for not fitting the beauty standard is labeled a monster. Yet people constantly dismiss guys coldly and carelessly and they’re just expected to suck it up.

I had to cancel a comic project I was working on because the artist didn’t want to give the male lead dark skin, and I still haven’t found a new artist to work with. The project before that, the artist didn’t mind the female lead being black but was bigoted against the male lead for being Korean.

People of every ethnicity, shape, and size deserve to see themselves in the media.

Our bodies are beautiful. Individuality is beautiful, and men’s mental health and self-esteem matters every bit as much as women’s mental health and self-esteem.

Guys deserve to live in a world that accepts and loves them. They shouldn’t have to quietly deal with being bullied for their physical appearances while being expected to ‘suck it up’ or ‘be a man’ and get over it.

Beauty standards are hurtful. Period. Everyone needs to hear the words ‘you’re beautiful’ sometimes.

So I’ll be the first one to say it.

You’re beautiful.

[smallblueandloud]

rewatching this ending scene from fast and furious: tokyo drift and. okay i know the MCU has well and killed this kind of ending. but please just remember that this movie is from 2006. and you've been outside LA for two whole movies, okay -- yeah, the second movie was in miami, but not the miami part of miami, you know? and the entirety of this third movie has been so fucking far from anything else we've seen in this series. it's been fun, it's been great... but then we hit the end. and you're wondering how this movie ties into the others. and the random kid who's starring in this movie drives over, and we're hearing the same music we've been hearing all movie, and then very suddenly the music very visibly switches over into reggaetón, and there's spanish in the lyrics. and you know even before the camera pans to the other car who's going to be sitting there.

[varianwinchester]

I make it clear I do not care for the Disney live-action remakes and my sentiments expressed in my previous post on The Little Mermaid still remain.

I mentioned there that I don’t mind a POC casting as long as it is done with purpose and to not claim it as “representation” if they are representing a story that is not their culture. I mentioned there- more briefly- living in my corner of America, I never noticed my brown skin. Growing up watching white-centric media I never noticed there was a difference between me and who I saw on screen. Not consciously at least. I loved dressing up at all the Disney princesses and felt like a princess each time- not a specific princess usually, just me. My friend, Latina as well, told me she didn’t care for Snow White’s casting because “she is too dark skinned.” Now I love this friend, she says her favorite princess was Snow White, and I just listened, but I’d be lying if I said that didn’t hurt. Suddenly that connection between me and the new character has entered my consciousness when she said this.

Something I forgot in the last post was that fairytales aren’t set in the real world though, no matter how much we want them to be, that’s one of their defining characteristics. No this isn’t Latina representation. And even after saying the aforementioned, they gave her a reason for her being a POC! She survived a snowstorm as a baby and named her for that endurance. In that case her having brown skin is incredible fitting for that story. That soaks up the suns rays and lets it become a part of the person, as if braving the winter was just to see the sun again. The sun which often represents positivity and gives life. They made it work. Good job.

[haveacupofjohanny]

Why Representation in Media Still Matters in 2025

Representation in media is more than a trend—it’s a necessity. Let’s champion authentic stories and celebrate voices like John Leguizamo calling for real change in Hollywood. 🌟 #LatinxRepresentation #DiversityInMedia #HaveACupOfJohanny

As we step into 2025, the conversation around representation in media remains as crucial as ever. Despite progress, significant gaps persist, particularly concerning Hispanic and Latinx communities. Understanding the history and current state of this representation sheds light on why it continues to matter. A Brief History of Hispanic & Latinx Representation Historically, Hispanic and Latinx…

[lyramundana]

if only spanish men were as charming as this one *sigh* 😪

(i’m kidding, they’re not bad...mostly)

Imagine Luis using the communicator to call you. Constantly.

“Luis? What’s your status?”

“No bueno, my friend. I’m in a lot of pain.”

Your head immediately snaps up at attention to these words. Leon, who answered the call as the device was on his person, shares your look of alarm and nods in understanding to prepare to come to the Spaniard’s aid.

“Where are you?” Leon inquires, maneuvering the communicator between you two so that you can listen in as well. “How serious are your injuries?”

The man on the other line groans, “I’d say pretty serious. Severe, even.”

Filled with worry, you were about to join the line of questioning until his voice cuts you off before you could utter a sound.

“After all… how does one recover from a lonely heart?”

Leon squints, “…What?”

“I am separated from my light- mi luz! Forced to wander these terrifying, dark corridors alone without any source of warmth and comfort!” In the tiny screen, you can see the man waving his arms around with an exaggerated pout on his face. He looked like he was rehearsing a scene of a play or something. Luis notices your face on his end and smiles widely before releasing an over-the-top gasp and calling you by name. “¿Dónde estás, mi luz? I am suffering without you.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose, doing your best to choke down the laugh that was threatening to erupt from your chest. Before reuniting with Leon S. Kennedy, your partner in the mission to retrieve Ashley Graham, you were running around the village with Luis Serra, a man you happened to come across while fighting hordes of infected villagers. Initially, you were suspicious of him, but he proved himself to be a man of good character, chivalrously watching your back and using his intimate knowledge of the area and the terrors that creep within to navigate you both through multiple dangerous encounters.

You and he became close quickly, forging a strong bond during your time together, made easy with the man’s charisma and light-hearted nature. Even in the constant face of danger, Luis would twist the dark ambiance to his playful tune, often making you the muse of his antics if not for the sole purpose to tease a smile upon your face. So what he was doing now was not at all surprising, but the confused and incredulous look upon Leon’s face was priceless.

Just as you were going to point out that it hasn’t at all been that long since you two have separated ways so that you can help Leon relocate Ashley, the blonde agent beside you drops the call with a push of a button. He then throws an inquisitive glare your way.

“What?” you ask.

“Do I dare even ask what the hell that was?” Leon shoots back.

You ponder his question for a moment before answering, “Honestly, it’d save you the headache if you didn’t.”

With that, Leon drops the conversation with a sigh before taking the lead to move on. Little did you both know, it wouldn’t be the last time Luis would call.

The second time he calls, he asks how you and Leon were progressing. And just like the first time, Leon answers, reporting that you were busy cracking at a difficult door puzzle while he kept watch.

“Whoever designed this castle was a real asshole,” the agent comments.

“Agreed,” you sigh. “And whoever took the time to reset these puzzles is an even bigger asshole.”

Luis’ voice chimes in through the static. “Perhaps I can be of some assistance? I am a brilliant man, afterall. Let me have a look, por favor.”

Thinking nothing of it, Leon walks over and faces the screen of the comm to you and the door so that Luis can see what you are working on from behind before you reset the puzzle. You then explain how you got stuck and your theories on what the possible solutions could be. While doing so, Luis hums after each pause, his face showing that of absolute concentration. After you finished and a moment of considerable silence passes, you engage him.

“Well?” you ask. “Any thoughts?”

Luis lifts his hand from his stubbled chin, “Just one.” He points at you, his voice lowers to a husky growl.

“You look particularly ravishing from this angle.”

You were grateful that Leon hung up before Luis can see the blush burning hot on your cheeks. After some time, you managed to solve the puzzle and proceed with the mission although Leon was none too happy with the Spanish man for wasting both of your times.

The third time the communication device goes off, you offer to take it from Leon.

“It’s probably him again. Why don’t I handle this one?”

“No,” he denies, shaking his head. “I still don’t trust him and you don’t need the distraction.”

Instead of being offended at your partner practically casting your professionalism into doubt, you reason with him. “C’mon, Leon. It could be serious this time.”

“Highly doubt it.”

However, more time passes and the device is still beeping. The sound echoes off the walls in taunting pings to the gnawing point where it was practically imprinted into your brains. When Leon couldn’t handle it anymore, he sighs in defeat and pushes the button. Again, he doesn’t hand it to you and greets the dark-haired man himself with an irritated frown.

“This better be good.”

“Depends on your definition of “good”, mi compadre.” Luis too wore a grimace, his voice void of his usual humor. “I’ve relocated one of my hidden caches and uncovered the suppressants you will both need to slow the growth of the plaga within your bodies.”

“Well, damn. That sounds like great news to me.” A wave of relief washes over Leon’s face, probably because Luis finally shared something worthwhile. “So what’s the catch, then?”

“Catch is- there are two different kinds of doses. One dose is a simple needle injection. That will be for you, Leon. Pero, the other…” he trails off, eyes casted with a faraway look while the adam’s apple in his throat bobs. Whatever was on his mind seems difficult to swallow let alone speak aloud.

Curiosity evident in Leon’s expression, he prods him further. “What is it, Luis? Is the other dose dangerous to administer?”

“It can be. The application process has a high probability of being rather intensive. For both the receiver and the administrator.”

You join in, “What do you mean?”

It was only until the words left your mouth did you realize what you just waltzed into.

Upon hearing your words, Luis’ expression changes like day and night, the somber frown flipping into a mischievous smirk. “It is nothing you can’t handle, mi amor. I’m certain. Only that it requires you and I to exchange bodily fluids in-“

Never before have you seen Leon hang up so fast, his hand covering his beet red face. You couldn’t tell if it was out of embarrassment, disgust, or fury for falling for the Spaniard’s antics once again and concluded that it was all at once.

“Let’s… ugh… Let’s just keep going.”

You didn’t put up a fight at the order, fighting off your own set of emotions that stirred from Luis’ shameless teasing. However, not even five steps were taken and the walkie talkie beeps. Leon was livid.

“For fuck’s sake, what now?!”

“Catch you at a bad time, Leon?” A deadpan feminine voice comes through the comms and you swear Leon turned several shades paler.

Leon’s “informant” tipped you off on Ashley’s last sighting and you two wasted no time moving to catch up to her. After fighting another wave of plaga, tensions were running high. So when you two were rushing to navigate around the courtyard, the communicator goes off once more and that became the last straw for Leon. Already fuming, he waited to see the Spaniard’s face on the device before verbally popping off.

“Luis, I swear to god. If the reason you’re calling is to talk about how miserable and lonely you are or make some dumb comment on a certain someone’s assets, I am going to literally throw this walkie talkie off the ramparts,” Leon snarled, his frustration unrestrained. “So I dare you, Luis, I fucking dare you to speak. And it better be god damn important!”

For a moment there was only white noise, then a familiar thick accent finally comes through.

“… I was going to say that I can see you two across the courtyard,” the man reports candidly, “and there’s a swarm of monsters coming in at your three o’clock.”

Sure enough, a horde of giant mutated insects were zooming towards you and Leon. Amidst the countless gunshots and death cries of your enemies, you can hear your fellow agent beside you cursing colorfully to the high heavens as well as the sound of hysterical laughter further in the distance.

When it was all over, the communicator was beeping again. Leon didn’t even bother answering. Instead, he tosses the device over to you without so much as a word or making eye contact. The brief exchange almost made you laugh as you press the button and are greeted by a familiar handsome face whose grey eyes lit up instantly at the sight of you.

“I think you broke the poor man,” you say with an amused, pointed look.

The expression you see in the tiny screen was that of feigned innocent confusion. “¿Perdon? Whatever do you mean? I thought I did my due diligence in warning you two of imminent danger.”

Your ears pick up an irritated groan followed by harsh stomps moving away from your position. You can practically imagine smoke coming out of the blonde’s ears as he created distance, muttering an excuse that he is going to check the perimeter. If not for your respect for the man, you would have rolled over laughing.

Shaking your head, you return your attention back to cause of your partner’s grief. “Alright. Now that’s it just the two of us. What did you really want to say to me, Luis?”

“Nada,” the Spanish man shrugs, throwing you his signature charming grin. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”

[writingwithcolor]

Is my Character a Latino Mechanic Stereotype?

@engineering-a-better-world asks:

I often see media of Hispanic people being mechanics and am wondering if I am playing into this stereotype with one of my secondary characters. I did not find anything on your blog about this particular trope and do not know how harmful it is/why. The main five characters are all scientists specializing in different fields. My mc’s best friend is mostly Argentinian with some Nicaraguan ancestry. She is a mechanical engineer with a specialty in prosthetics and makes her own above knee prosthetic legs. There is a Mexican character shown later who is a captain of the city guard and very much a leader and not handy. Are there pitfalls to avoid in this representation? Does her specialty fit negative stereotypes and why?

Hi, thanks for asking. #rubber stamp approved (per Masterpost rules, I cannot give these out any more. This is sort of a joke, but really, this is a great ask to explore ideas of Latino-Americans and Labor stereotypes.) 

It sounds like you have a variety of Latino representation planned for your story. That’s fantastic (and the make or break for me.) You plan to showcase Latinos in different professionalized fields, which is positive. The “ethnic menial labor” trope or “Latino mechanic” trope become problematic when it’s the only representation given for Latino characters, or they’re showcased as one dimensional side-notes to non-Latino MCs. Having variety will offset the heavy (and often negative) overuse of Menial Labor and Hard Labor jobs.

I’m also not trying to reinvent the wheel, so you can check out more about the trope on this TVTropes page on “Ethnic Menial Labor”, and more about Latino representation in media in this Writeinclusion.org factsheet.

Important Note On Latinos and Menial Labor

Many of my Latino family members and friends are trades workers or do ‘hard-labor’ or ‘menial-labor’ jobs. My father was a roofer before he changed careers. My grandfather worked the racetracks. My best friend’s dad managed a restaurant. These jobs, whether ‘hard-labor’ or ‘menial,’ put food on the table and are not indigent. They take care of our families.

As long as Latinos in these jobs are not framed as less-than, I have no problem with the range of experiences being displayed. The fact that your characters fit into jobs across the socioeconomic spectrum mitigates your concern about stereotyping.

Seeing more professionalized Latino characters is great, and I can’t wait to read it.

Melanie 🌻

Notes:

Meet Melanie, our newest WWC mod (as of this post)!

[this rubber stamp ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. We have chosen to publish it to prime our readers on Latine topics and tropes.]

[angelicassassinations]

...

Why do lesbians always get some of the WORST representation of almost all the sexualities?

(

Like, the first lesbians I think of in media I've watched are Tenko Chabashira, from Danganronpa V3, Killing Harmony (Not canon confirmed, but heavily implied), Vaggie, from Hazbin Hotel, and Catra, from She-Ra, Princesses of Power. And all three of them, are really shitty representation.

Tenko is very sexist towards men, constantly calling them degenerate males, discriminating against them (calling them all perverted, evil, etc), and quite literally, abusive (verbally).

This is a very tired, and harmful lesbian stereotype, where a lesbian is 'only attracted to women because of her distaste towards men.' She's also just... Really damn gross towards the female cast, especially Himiko. Like, she's literally obsessed. Don't believe me? Play the game yourself, or watch a playthrough. Himiko is very obviously uncomfortable with Tenko goddamn stalking her, in the first chapter. It's also mildly infuriating how in the second chapter, Tenko repeatedly talks badly about Angie (Himiko's friend), saying she's (A) manipulating her (H), and all sorts of other stuff. And the Himiko growing to like Tenko thing just seems very clunky and forced. Like... I get that Tenko didn't live long, so there wasn't enough time for them to play it naturally, but it always came off as too soon for me? That's just my opinion though.

Vaggie is another harmful stereotype, for lesbians, and people in relationships in general. She's kind of similar to Tenko, in which she's extremely feisty towards men, and women. Just very aggressive in general (Which is also a harmful Hispanic stereotype, so.. triple threat/neg)

But.. that's basically it. I'm not saying that's the only thing wrong with her, I'm saying that's basically all of her character. She's a butch, warrior woman who's constantly angry and aggressive. She's, quite literally, NOTHING without her girlfriend, Charlie. She has no real likes, nor interests, her 'major plot twist' only affects her and Charlie, so it's not really impactful. She's just there to be Charlie's girlfriend, nothing else. Even during 'her song', it's just about fighting for what she loves, her girlfriend. Not fighting against the very people who betrayed her, who kill hundreds, of not millions of demons every day. Nope! Fight for your girlfriend! It's just aggravating.

Catra is literally abusive towards Adora. She made it her ENTIRE lifes purpose, just to get back at Adora. Now, excuse me for possibly being inaccurate, but I stopped watching SRPOP at around the beginning of season three. But Catra has (according to research);

Went out of her way to keep a cycle of abuse spinning around

Beaten Adora up (multiple times!?!?)

Murdered Adora's best friends mother

Trying to force Adora to meet her needs and expectations regardless of Adora’s owns

Similar to Vaggie, bases her ENTIRE existence on Adora.

And DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DAMN SIBLINGS (Both consider Shadow Weaver their mother, were raised together, are literally called siblings in canon posts. Just because they aren't blood, doesn't mean they aren't family)

Not gonna mention Amity Blight (The Owl House). Just too tired rn

TLDR: Stop making all lesbian/WLW ships toxic. I beg of you

[bixels]

Hey, big fan of your art, especially your Grand Galloping 20s AU! I’m sorry if this is kind of a weird question, but I’ve been trying to figure it out and I just can’t place what GGG Applejack and fluttershy’s ethnicity is. Sorry if this is weird I just adore headcanons about a character’s ethnicities and languages bc I’m a child of immigrants and love seeing diversity in media. Anyways, keep up the great work!

Ok, but in all seriousness.

In this AU, AJ is White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (but she has one branch in the family tree who're Hispanic. Rosita is technically a very distant cousin). Félicie's parents are white French immigrants, which is why she speaks both English and French.

I bold the first phrase because I know this is not a common head canon for these two (I really love Arab Fluttershy). I hope people don't interpret this as some sorta head canon or representation erasure.

[damnfandomproblems]

Response to 5474

"All art is political"

No the fuck it's not. Art for the sake of art/decoration/love of subject, has always been the majority. Fanartists aren't drawing political cartoons. They're drawing they're favorites doing beach episodes and riding go-carts and getting fucked stupid and everything in between. Nothing about that is freaking political. Nor should it be. Fandom is an escape, not activism.

As far as representation goes: this is the most America/west centric view, istg

the things mentioned are shown, but by dint of proportionality will always be in the minority. Because people with X handicap or LGBT, are the minority in the US and EU.

Asians are 6% of the country, and less if you split it by east/west/south Asian communities. 13% of the population is Black, just under 20% Hispanic, and about 2% Native. Of course there's going to be less of them in media.

It wasn't political until people politicized it. Some of the top earning actors and comedians in the 90s were black. Some of the most popular shows had 50-90% Black casts. Children's shows with real and animated casts were diverse as all hell with race and ability differences just accepted and spoken about normally and explained in ways kids easily understood and accepted and Literally No On questioned it outside of people that were rightfully considered crazy fundies.

Then the 2010s happened and someone decided it had to be freaking highlighted and made into a big deal and all of a sudden it's an issue when before it never was.

There is a ton of media out there with Latinos and Asians and every other group you can think of. They're just in different languages. Because the world doesn't stop at American/European TV. Branch out. Show the execs you don't want an empty check box character, but actual stories like They're doing overseas. Because that's what will get things shifted, not just demanding X media needs Y type of person just because, especially not when changing the race or sex or ability of a character would actively change the character and the story because they're a whole different person and will have different history and perceptions that will by default change the narrative.

Posting as a response to a previous problem.

[blood-red-hummingbee]

Y'know.

Japanese media has never been the best with representation, but Twst is severely missing out! Coco is literally right there and would make such a cool event??? Like, I'm Cuban, not Mexican, but Dia de los Muertos is such a vibe! Not to mention the fact that it would confirm the existence of Hispanic culture in Twisted Wonderland!

Also, all the Asian and Pacific Islander cultures too (does the Stitch event count towards that?).

And, yes, I think Savanaclaw should've gotten more African names and darker skin tones. Istg, everyone in that game is a pale, skinny twink XD

[tumble-tv]

I really want to see more representation of chubby trans people. As a chubby and curvy trans guy, I don't see much representation for my demographic, and it's pretty upsetting. The majority of media shows trans people as being skinny and perfect with their transition, but that's not how it is for so many people, including myself. I'm curvy (thanks to being a raging hispanic) but have a lot of body hair (also due to being hispanic), and I never see any representation for that. I never see any trans women who are tomboys or who are chubby, either. Gender is such a huge spectrum, and I think people forget about that fact.

[kinardsevan]

FYI, I'm crowdfunding a retirement plan for Tim and a place for you on the 911 writers team. I'm sure you can help them sort out the rest of the plots too!

I don’t know if this is genuine or sarcastic, so I’m just going to say this:

I don’t claim to know anything about media literacy. What I do understand is intricate plot and telling a compelling story. I also understand that from the end of 806, I said almost immediately “I feel manipulated”. This has deep personal connotations for me, but the point remains, and because of those personal relations, I get an actual “ick” about feeling manipulated. Now again, I have zero clarity one way or the other as to whether the manipulation is based out of them actually fucking this storyline up or if it’s because of the way they’re trying to pitch it to us as an “exit” and “ending”. Either way, that hasn’t left me.

All I know at the end of the day is that if these people don’t understand how to recover from this decision, they don’t belong in writing television. There’s also the point that I’ve made this week, that this is not the first time TM & Co have done something like this. They’ve done it with Madney. They’ve done it with Tarlos. We’ve even seen it to some degree with Bathena. What set us all off was the interviews, which we’ve all stated from day one were …odd. The thing that stays with me though, is the fact that not once has any one of these interviews stated “Tommy Kinard is gone for good”. I’ve read dozens of exit interviews (said this too earlier this week), and the only people CALLING it an exit interview, are the interviewers. Lou said the arc was over. By the very definition of what needs to be shared and said between BuckTommy for the reconciliation, he’s right. They’ve spanned the first arc of their relationship. Further, another thing that sticks out in my mind is his statement towards how he wouldn’t turn down playing Tommy again because, to his knowledge, there’s nothing else similar to their relationship happening on television. Which is SO important for representation. I also keep thinking about his tweet “keep the hope alive”. Obviously that can be read as he just wants more work… or it can be read as, there’s more coming, don’t give up on them yet.

Above all else, it’s the crowd reaction. We know the “other team” thinks this is all to tee them up into their pairing, and here’s my response to that:

One, it’s not. Because we know that’s now what TPTB want. But two, if it is, I hope they’re prepared for the mass exodus that takes place when all the people who DON’T want that pairing stop watching. And of course, those who do but don’t get the version of it that they want because RG and OS don’t want to play it the way the fandom thinks it should.

I’m not above saying that if they made them canon, I don’t think I’d stick around. It doesn’t serve the story, it spits in the face of what RG has been trying to communicate for years about himself and Hispanic men in general, and especially on the heels of this, it would feel dirty.

Anyway, I rambled on on this far longer than I meant to. Oops!

[celaenaeiln]

it’s a me a 12 am anon . my girlfriend and i had a discussion abt how odd it is that the fandom views and stereotypes the batfam like

dick is romanian and has more fem related traits and somehow it translates into him being a dumb womanizer or just an annoying mother hen?

jason grew up in the streets, i think its popular to hc him as hispanic? idk but jts odd how ppl do that and also think hes an angry heartless brute

cass gets that “badass asian dragon lady” archetype (tbh im not sure what it is but my gf is passionate abt it so like im confident she’s right)

tim?? somehow ive seen wasian hcs for him but the boy is autistic right? somehow a stereotype i see for him is like “weird and socially awkward but super smart” which . i dont think thats right .

steph is adhd right? i think? also falls into the dumb “waffles r my only personality trait” stereotype and uts just a tiny bit odd dyou see it?

damian (and by extension talia) gets done dirty a lot i think i dont .yeah

nyways sorry its been a while <3 would llve to hear ur thoughts n opinions

hey again!!

Batfam fanon is...not great. And it's things like this that remind me why I kinda avoided this fandom until I couldn't.

Dick

Dick is Romani and is canonically more feminized but the dumb womanizer thing is really getting on my nerves. First of all, he's one of the smartest characters, ever. The comforting thing about Dick is that he never loses.

The reason I love reading Dick Grayson runs is because I can read about his thought process, the way he analyzes, how he single-handedly solves crime like it's nothing.

Batman (1940) Issue #703

Secondly he's not a womanizer. He literally has a mental break down at the thought of dating or even kissing someone he isn't in love with. He's never, ever, ever going to sleep with someone he doesn't have atleast some level of romantic attraction to because he feels it's inherently wrong and canonically frowns upon that behavior when others do it.

The mother hen thing - I gotta admit is kinda accurate. He really loves his family and friends and takes care of them really well. He always makes time to sit and listen to all of them with all their problems and helps them solve it so that's fine.

Jason

The hispanic thing - what the actual heck. Literally why? Jason's "hispanic" fanon background along with Tim's "asian" background comes from a wider problem where society has become disillusioned by the same ethnicity for all characters and wants for diversity and representation in the media. I actually do believe in greater representation but not here. When people make Jason hispanic due to his street backstory, they're attempting to diversify canonically white characters but accidentally reinforcing and perpetrating damaging stereotypes about particular ethnicities. Because his background has drugs, poverty, and crime - you want Jason to be Latino? Can you possibly make things worse? And Jason being an angry heartless brute. Not even adding to the stereotype, Jason was not like that. Jason originally started off as troubled but excited kid. He was happy about fighting criminals and having a home and getting food. As he grew older, the more criminals he fought, he came to a realization that people weren't going to change which is when he started getting more violent and angry with them. He didn't do it because he was some sort of psychopath, it's because he cared a lot about the effects these criminals were having on innocent people. Because he can relate. His anger has nothing to do with his supposed "hispanic" background which is still - ?!?!? Why is this even a thing.

Cass

I don't really have anything to say about Cass being that archetype because tbh I kinda think of her like that too. She's exceptionally good at fighting, she's chinese, and she's the strong and silent type. I'd love to hear more about what your gf thinks about it though.

Tim

Again about Tim being Asian. No where near as damaging as Jason being classified Hispanic but also why? He's asian because he's smart? Because he's good at computers? C'mon the stereotype is boring. Isn't it exciting when you watch a movie or show and the Indian guy isn't an IT specialist? Or when the Chinese girl has neon highlights and loves partying? Or when the Japanese girl is rocking combat boots? The best way to appreciate diversity is actually letting ethnic characters have diverse personalities and talents. On a side note, there is not nearly enough celebration of already canonically diverse characters like Roy's navajo heritage or Jessica Cruz's latina one. Isn't it ironic how we're making racialized characters based on stereotypes because we believe there should be more diversity but ignoring canonically ethnic ones. Literally noone talks about Cass connecting to her Chinese side or the fact that she has dyslexia but we're readily jumping on the Asian Tim Drake train.

Autistic Tim Drake I can see where they're coming from because Tim sometimes has a hard time connecting to people. Like he sometimes misses social cues. And to be fair this theory actually has more credibility than some other ones because I don't know if I'd pass that off as awkwardness. But it also may be due to lack of human interaction. Tim's parents left him alone for long periods of time which he gleefully used to track robin and batman at night. I don't have a problem with this one because Tim may actually be inadvertently written as autistic at times so I guess it wouldn't be that far off canon.

Steph

People with ADHD are typically impulsive, don't focus on one thing for too long, and have a lot of energy which is very much like Steph.

Batgirl (2009) Issue #10

But mostly she just has a sense of humor. Which - like the case with Dick - because of course people can't be multifaceted, fandom generally takes for stupidity.

She's not dumb, she's just fun. I guess the waffle thing is because of human beings' pathological need to classify everything into categories and fanon likes to run with dumb blonde for Stephanie which really ticks me off. People can not be a gloomy avenger and still be smart. She solves her crimes and has a laugh while doing it and still pulling off the -

Batgirl (2009) Issue #12

Damian

Where do I start. What is even happening to him? Not in fandom necessarily but canon. What is DC doing???

[robinaltieri]

I'm not saying a foreigner can't make a good movie based in Mexico. Nacho libre was made by an american director, it is a positive representation of mexican culture and lucha libre and has this typical mexican film feeling. It's also a tribute to a popular mexican character and even though it clearly has some flaws and stereotypes, mexicans loved that movie sm for the good hearted nature of the perspective and respect towards our country to the point that we adopted that film as ours.

Meanwhile, making a story about the narcotraffic is a sensitive topic for a lot of reasons and it's going to cause controversy either way from the fact that has been the cause of many losses in the country and that we are already dealing with the mexicans themselves romanticizing these groups in current media.

I'm not saying you can't enjoy the movie, I'm 100% pro of liking anything you want as long as you take it as fictional and have your feet on the ground. I know nobody is exempt of being guilty for liking a movie, tv show, etc with poorly done representation.

The thing is, I wish people understood the problems around this movie starting with a foreign director who didn't want to make at least a little of research, the main cast that is not really mexican except for one actress because 'they were the best we found' (which implied we don't have good mexican actors), the main actress overreacting on twitter and calling us transphobic for doing a call out on the flaws the movie has and the disconnected representation of mexicans.

We can even say it is something similar to what happened with the first adaptation of WSS, and that says a lot of the progress we have made if here we are committing the same mistakes (funny enough that I am comparing two musical movies about hispanic representation) .

To not make this longer, if mexicans are complaining and backlashing this film is because what we perceived is a foreign person turning the trauma and the cause of the loss of many families as a joke. If the point of this story was to raise awareness, they did it in the worst possible way.

I lived in a state that is popular for the quantity of people involved in these practices and it was a constant state of panic due to the fact that security and the law in Mexico are a joke, sometimes you never know if the person you interacted with even casually in a convenience store is related or has a relative involved in narcotraffic and it sucks to feel so insecure.

I know Mexico is not perfect and obviously not everything is as bad and we constantly do the take me out of latam jokes, but if we are proud of something is of our identity and this movie is not a reflection of that identity.

[starrixle]

What are your opinions on blackwashing and whitewashing?

short answer?

if you can hc a cishet character as lgbtq, then i dont see an issue with hc white characters as poc. obv lgbtq identities and race are different things, but i dont see any harm with adding any sort of representation to fictional characters.

long answer?

whitewashing is bad because you're taking away that racial/cultural representation from a character who's canonically a poc. however, "blackwashing" is ok bc its not like you're taking away "white representation," as white people aren't a minority group. a huge amount of characters in media are white, but more characters who are portrayed as poc have been appearing more over time. this helps cultures be seen more thru popular media and helps to overpower negative stereotypes.

if a character is canonically black, i'm not going to draw them as white because that's racist, as you're taking away their canon culture. if a character is white, you're free to have some creative liberties and add racial/cultural representation, as long as you are not including racist stereotypes. this applies to other races as well, such as hispanic people, asian people, etc.

you can use this same logic with with other headcanons, such as neurodiversity, disabilities, gender, sexual orientation, and more. just make sure that you are mindful of how you represent characters and avoid offensive portrayals/stereotypes.

hopefully this makes sense!

[starmurdock]

ddba episode 3: thoughts

spoilers under the cut

• this episode immediately hooked me from the first scene. as a hispanic, seeing puerto rican representation in media means everything. all i had to hear was “Luquillo” and i was sold. when matt told hector he’ll see that beach again and after his death we hear the sound of the ocean with the coquis over the end credits…tears. instant tears. as hector said, “to us boricuas, it’s a magical sound.”

• hector’s character was great, i really liked him. in just 3 episodes, i was convinced of his good nature and authenticity. i’m eager to see how they’ll continue with White Tiger, knowing that his sister and niece take over in the comics.

• the focus on matt in the courtroom was chefs kiss. of course i love seeing him in action, but a focus on his lawyer work was exactly what i was hoping for at least once this season. it gave crime drama in the best way possible

• the small details like matt fiddling with his kitchen tools in front of heather, feigning incoordination while whipping up a 3 star michelin meal LOL obsessed

• matt talking about foggy???? heather saying, “i was kinda wondering when you would” ohhh that hurt. matt admitting to the challenges of grief, acknowledging that by speaking of a passed loved one it’s almost like cementing the reality. not in reality itself but to yourself—that’s the hardest part.

• the second scene of matt and hector in the jail cell resembling a season 3 sister maggie trying to convince daredevil that there is more to him. hector saying “i didn’t choose it, it chose me. might as well ask me to stop breathing” and matt preaching about finding other ways to give back to your community, your purpose…it was obvious he wasn’t convincing himself of the argument, not fully

• that shot of matt standing in the vacant courtroom !!! looking eerily close to his visits to father Lantom at the Clinton church, searching for clarity in the very place that gives him concrete answers during sentencing. all the while holding a physical reminder of the past he once lived, his truth. he continues to grapple with that battle and it’s only a matter of time until matt admits to himself: daredevil never really left. the masked vigilante who isn’t welcome under fisk’s reign; the courtroom in which he stands taunts him of that very principle.

overall, i’m in love with the tone on this one and i’m so excited to continue. they definitely made some bold choices to start us off with, but after this episode and re-watching the first two i’m hooked. look out for a shorter, less analytical post about horny levels bc … he looks scrumptious & that’s a whole other discussion by itself byeee . ̫ .