In a world where knowledge is instantly accessible due to media and technology, those of us studying the creative and cultural industries should take advantage of this opportunity and educate ourselves on current economic and cultural topics affecting our society. Because of their shared characteristic of interconnection, CCIs provide us with the possibility to enhance our understanding of problems that we might not encounter if we were to concentrate only on one field of study. Furthermore, because CCIs span and integrate a variety of industries, there is a natural overlap that enables us students to apply what we have learned in one field and apply it to the next.
The entertainment sector, specifically cinema, offers such an experience. Films allow everyone, not just students, to gain new insights and perspectives. The audience through empathetic exchange can fall in love, feel the sting of wrongdoing, and even establish new dreams of their own. Given that film has the ability to reach audiences in such ways, it is easier to understand why diversity and representation in the industry is crucial. People who are exposed to characters that have different political or social views, or that come from different cultural or economic backgrounds, can come away from that media experience forming a new narrative than perhaps they previously held. In addition, when a story unveils injustices or events that an audience member was previously ignorant of, it can spur self-education, and hopefully a greater understanding of what other communities face. Through the art form of film, we can form a greater understanding of what it is to be human.
Representation in film and television can help dismantle barriers and discredit stereotypes, which can lead people to reassess their social and political biases. The concept of accuracy is just as important in depicting the LGBTQ+ community in the medium. An example of this very subject is in the Screenrant Article Hollywood's "Bury Your Gays" Trope Explained: History & Controversy by Emily Clute which delves into the "bury your gays" trope, “…LGBTQ+ characters are far more likely to die in film and television than their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts,” the article explains. In addition to the LGBTQ+ character literally dying, the trope extends to the characters “…enduring suffering, queer-coded villainization, or buried beneath queer subtext.”
While it is natural that some queer stories will include aspects of this (discrimination, death and suffering do happen), if that is all that is ever represented, Clute accurately notes that, “when their character is reduced solely to this suffering in order to make them a martyr or a moral scapegoat, that piece of media is no longer doing justice to the LGBTQ character or their narrative; they've been stripped of their identity in order to be used as a tool. The trope treats queer LGBTQ+ characters as if they're easily expendable and undeserving of their own development. It also dangerously normalizes the idea that to be queer or LGBTQ+ is to live a life full of suffering, trauma, or unhappiness.” Accurate representation therefore, is vital to establishing and promoting a shared culture where people feel safe to be who they really are.
I was able to sit down with Professor Ian Barnard this past November and discuss this topic of LGBTQ+ representation in the entertainment industry. Dr. Barnard is a Professor of Rhetoric and Composition in the English Department, which is part of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences here at Chapman. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, where they earned their B.A. and B.A. Honours degrees at the University of the Witwatersrand, Dr. Barnard then moved on to graduate with M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego, respectively. An accomplished researcher and professor, Dr. Barnard’s primary areas of research and teaching are rhetoric and composition, and queer studies; in addition, they do work around critical theory, film, feminist theory, cultural studies, critical race studies, and African literature. Furthermore, they are the author of three books: Queer Race: Cultural Interventions in the Racial Politics of Queer Theory; Upsetting Composition Commonplaces; and Sex Panic Rhetorics, Queer Interventions, and was awarded the Conference on College Composition and Communication's 2021 Lavender Rhetorics Book Award for Excellence in Queer Scholarship. Given this, I was very excited to discuss the subject in-depth with them.
It is important to understand the beginnings of the stereotypical outdated trope in Hollywood. In 19th century literature and in early film it was a way for LGBTQ+ creators to express queerness without censorship. But, as I am sure you have seen as of late, the trope persists throughout our culture rarely evolving. You’ve probably seen examples in the stories of Brokeback Mountain, The Whale, and It Chapter 2. “Hollywood seems trapped in its old ways of thinking that LGBTQ characters could only be represented if they either killed themselves or were killed by someone else, allowing the concept that to be queer is to suffer,” notes Professor Barnard.
Since the release of recent and upcoming major Hollywood blockbusters, Professor Barnard notes that there hasn't been a gradual shift in representation. “There is a problem in the industry right now where there is a strong push to develop [only] superhero movies based on comic books to turn them into massive blockbusters with huge profits.” Given this trend Barnard is not very optimistic that mainstream Hollywood media would voluntarily produce smaller films with greater representation because of the hold that these movies seem to have across the studio system, resulting in less diversity throughout the film industry. As a result, Barnard notes that indie films might hold the greatest hope for developing more diverse types of film but are often harder to access and market to wider audiences. Professor Barnard also points out that because so many of us have been conditioned to view Hollywood narrative cinema, we are typically hostile to non-narrative films. It’s about educating people to appreciate and be able to seek out a wide range of diverse representation in different types of film. “It all comes down to how we represent and the way we represent,” commented Professor Barnard.
Yet there is some interesting work being done in specific film genres. Films such as the documentary Disclosure allow us the chance to educate ourselves about transgender representation. Professor Barnard points out that, “There are numerous issues with transgender portrayal [in media], such as non-trans actors portraying transgender characters and trans characters being portrayed as repulsive or deceitful.” In addition, the documentary The Celluloid Closet help with the discussion of representation in Hollywood. Professor Barnad notes how the film mentions, “characters that identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are frequently punished for their sexual orientation and either die, commit suicide, or have a tragic ending.” Barnard elaborates on this by saying, “If you're thinking about a group or an identity that you haven't met in person, the way we are represented onscreen helps shape how, you the audience sees us in the world, how you think of us and in turn how we think of ourselves, and mostly how you will interact with those people going forward.”
In the arena of comedy, or more specifically “coming-of-age-sex-comedy” the film Bottoms is described in this Slash Film article as, “It's raunchy, it's violent, it's unapologetically gay as hell, and it isn't concerned with sanitizing its characters in order to appease the barometer of "good representation,” which allows the audience to laugh along with characters in a film genre that in the past seemed to exist only as a vehicle to promote the early career of Ryan Reynolds and entertain a mostly white, male, early 20s audience.
But what about one of the biggest influences in the film and media industry right now… streaming services. What impact can they have on this conversation? Hannah Planey notes in her article for the A Magazine, “For young adults who are grappling with the nuances of sexuality, sometimes for the very first time, seeing a movie like “Bottoms” in theaters can be daunting. It may not be safe to come out, and speculation alone could be a danger. So many people avoid queer movies altogether, as they believe this will lessen the likelihood of being outed. When creators make projects like “Bottoms” quickly available to stream, it can have a huge positive impact on the lives of many.”
Professor Barnard, like Planey, recognizes the point that young people, regardless of culture, race, gender or sexual identity, often need a safe and respectful way to take in this media, and then discuss it. It is why they're so passionate about teaching ENG 472 Film, Gender, Sexuality, a course that is also counts in the CCI minor for elective credit, to help students understand the importance of representation. The students who are enrolled [in ENG 472] come from all throughout the campus, contributing their unique areas of expertise; some possess extensive knowledge in film, while others are more focused on gender, it all varies, they note. One of the main reasons they teach this course is because students have mentioned that they have never before discussed these subjects or seen movies that deal with them. They understand that watching these movies, for many people, can have a profoundly transformative effect.
While accurate representation of marginalized communities is crucial as we move forward in new media, it also elicits opposition. Although there has been a remarkable boom in transgender activism and politics, there is still prejudice, violence, and legislation targeting transgender persons throughout the United States. According to Best Colleges, states such as Texas, Florida, and Tennessee are currently targeting colleges with the aim of defunding DEI programs related to gender and sexuality. The loss of such programming is, particularly within educational institutions, especially disheartening seeing as how institutions of higher learning should be dedicated to exposing the student body to all manner of new ideas, cultures, curriculum and critical thought as a means of attaining diverse forms of thinking. Still, as Professor Barnard says, the best method to eradicate prejudice is through education. Which brings us full circle to why the Creative and Cultural Industries are instrumental in the breakdown of outdated and prejudicial forms of representation across these industries, and the rethinking of how we can and must tackle hard subjects through the critical theories and practices we are learning.
As show above the creative and cultural sectors play a critical role in our society. Through movies, TV, and other forms of media, we may observe how they can broaden our knowledge and dispel stereotypes. So in closing I pose this questions to you, my CCI peers, how can you use CCI to broaden your knowledge and perspectives in an effort to effect positive change, and how can we at the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries help you achieve that goal? Let us know at ccistu01@chapman.edu or on IG @chapman_cci
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