Great facts for us! Thank you very much!
oo actually, I was hoping for someone to confirm those facts. that’s basically what I understand but I’m not 100% about.
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Brazil, like most other countries, is a melting pot. I’m not completely versed in their history but I can confirm that they also have large populations of people with German and Japanese ancestry.
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Brazilians are generally considered Latinx/Latino/Latin, Latin refers to people from Latin American countries while Hispanic generally refers to people from Spanish speaking countries. In some cases Hispanic is used to define a person of Spanish origin so on an individual level although people from Brazil speak Portuguese many people are of Spanish decent and could in theory be considered Hispanic.
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Thanks for the clarification on whether they can be considered Hispanic. I wasn’t quite sure of that.
I think Episode still has a lot to do when it comes to actually adding diversity on episode. There seems to be a lack of diversity on Episode because each time you look on episode, there seems to be a lack of actual diversity on episode. Trending stories on episode, are predominately displayed on Episode by those who don’t even represent diversity. That’s why I decided to have all of my characters as people of color who represent actual diversity due to the lack of diversity I’ve been seeing on episode. I feel like people who represent diversity, are often times protrayed in a negative light, or even as negative sterotypes. For instance, there are many well known author’s on Episode who created people who represent diversity, as thugs, gang leaders, or background characters as zombies, maids etc. They purposely do this to create negative stereotypes about those who represent diversity yet, these author’s are still trending or receive millions of story reads. Those who represent diversity, need to be seen in a more positive light, they’re people who deserve to be projected in a more positive light from author’s. All of my leading characters are actually people of color who not only represent diversity, but who are black entrepreneurs, singers, fashion designers, and recording artists who strive towards excellence despite the hardships they face while pursuing their dreams. I did this because there is a lack of diversity on episode, I’m seeing that casts created who are customized yet, majority of them aren’t even leading characters who represent actual diversity. I even have a woman of color who is Muslim who will introduced in my story later on. Not only does Episode have to work harder at presenting diversity, and displaying what it means to representing diversity in their stories, we as author’s have to also, start taking a stand as well. ~ author of limelight story “Fame Or Love” on episode
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This. This really grinds my gears, I feel like it’s the perfect microcosm for how Episode views “diversity”. Diversity and representation aren’t just about featuring stories that include POC/LGBTQ+ect., it’s also about HOW those characters are included. Venomous features an ambiguously Latin women with a stereotypical name. Sure the author Google-Translated some Spanish to pepper into the dialog but that doesn’t make it representation. We don’t even know what country Maria or her family/ancestors are from, the author only goes so far as to make her definitively brown without including any kind of actual culture. Is mentioning Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Chili etc. asking too much? Or even just a featured story with a Latin MC that doesn’t revolve around crime and doesn’t include the character being a domestic worker in any capacity? It wouldn’t feel so problematic if Episode cast women of color in the same princess/pop star/barista-whatever roles it puts its white characters in. While I can appreciate that no one and nothing can be entirely unproblematic or perfect, and that it seems like Episode was trying at least, I really don’t think they should be giving themselves any pats on the back or using this as an example of their push for diversity. Especially not when it seems all they did was feature a story that uses the shell of women of color to wrap around a white narrative and call it an example of diversity.
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Ppl overcomplicate it. U make a character first (this persons shy/sarcastic) then u design the character u shouldnt write based on needing poc but making us sterotypes. POC are the same as any other we come in all different ways. Theres no set of rules saying “oh i made a black character he needs to play basketball and come in at random times to rap” u need to make a characters first. Dont write based on what u see on tv.
I could explain better if i wasnt flustered(trying to find the correct words) (Hope this makes sense)(dont get attached to this post i may delete it ‘-’)
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I’ve definitely seen POC on the forums say that a lot of the POC characters in Episode stories are basically just “white people with dark skin” and that they can’t relate to them, so a character’s ethnicity should help shape them, but not be the only thing that does.
Instant Princess is a good example of how to do it right (which I guess is what happens when a POC gets to write a story about a POC). You couldn’t swap in a white or asian or hispanic character for Leona. She has to be ethnically African or the story doesn’t work… but she’s a fully developed character and not a walking stereotype.
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Didnt say ur nationality is not defining it is. Im saying ur race should not determine what u like and dislike(hobbies/style)(what u like in general) and we have varying personalities but are connected by culture.
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Agreed. Nationality/ethnicity shouldn’t make up the whole character, and it definitely doesn’t define people’s hobbies and likes. I’m from New Zealand but I definitely don’t play rugby😂
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Black American and i cant dance or rap x3 or do sports haha ^^;
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For some reason this reminds me of a UCB Comedy sketch where white executives tried to make TV commercials for black people😂
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I know what you mean for sure! I have a lot of people in my story who are POC, and I definitely decided first to make a character with a certain personality type, set of traits and hobbies before I considered their ethnicity or religion. Then afterwards, I considered how being part of a minority group would make them unique.
For example, in Much Ado About Anabelle, one of the best characters is Muslim, but religion isn’t really a big thing in this futuristic world, so you only get it through small Easter egg type things, like the fact that she takes Fridays and saturdays off as opposed to saturdays and Sundays!
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White skin is human too, white skin is also diversity.
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I strongly disagree. Most characters, in films, Episode, TV, books, adverts etc are white. It’s not considered diversity to have lots of white characters because here are already lots of white characters. We think about skin colours that aren’t represented in practically all mediums.
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Since basically every story in Episode features at least one white character (as the bare minimum, because they usually make up most, if not all, of the cast), I wouldn’t count people with “white skin” as diversity. Unless, of course, you are referring to people with albinism, in which case I would have to agree, as it’s extremely rare to find albino characters… But, if you are referring to white as in a Caucasian person, I’m afraid it really doesn’t count as diversity in the context that’s being discussed.
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I wouldn’t say that white people don’t count as diversity, but, when it’s the same generic white, shy, main gal character, it gets stale.
When it comes to diversity, skin color should be considered, but, not the only thing that matters. A story full of white characters would possibly count as diverse, as long as they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, sexualities, genders, have diversity of thought… that sort of thing. Same thing goes for any story that may just have one race of people.
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The thing is that we don’t talk about diversity because we are bored of seeing the same “white, shy, main gal”, we talk about diversity in terms of including the people that are constantly being left out. I don’t care if a story with only white people is diverse. I truly don’t care. I don’t care if there are communists, people living in the streets, non-binary people, French people, blind people, autistic people, asexuals… I don’t care because that is not the point. What kind of message do you think a story like that sends? You can be something other than capitalist, rich, cisgender, American, able-bodied, neurotypical and straight if, and only if, you’re white? Yes, we need more characters that defy what people see as the “standard”, but we shouldn’t limit them to being white (Just as we shouldn’t limit diversity as merely adding POC).
We don’t ask for diversity for the sake of diversity, we ask for diversity so that everyone can feel seen, so that everyone can feel like they matter, so that everyone can feel represented, We do it for the black girl who is just discovering her sexuality but has never seen herself on screen because no one can possibly be both black and have a sexuality other than hetero, we do it for the Asian kid who identifies as neither female nor male and doesn’t even think that’s possible, we do it for the Latino boy who has only seen people like him being represented as drug dealers or thieves, and fears what will be of him…
And if we don’t do it for them because ourselves, and our readers, are only cisgender, able-bodied, neurotypical, white, middle class, straight Americans, we do it because they are a reality we can no longer ignore.
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I guess that’s true. However, in that case, it wouldn’t be their “white skin” that’s diversity, but rather other elements. Being white in and of itself is not diversity because white characters are not lacking representation. Certain socioeconomic or cultural groups are set apart by something other than their skin colour, in my opinion, so the fact that their white doesn’t affect the fact that they add diversity to stories. They’re not diverse because they’re white, but rather because of something else, so white people in general simply as a skin colour (not considering other types of diversity) are still represented the most.
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I agree with your points. In regards to clothing, Episode has made some progress with Limelight men’s clothing (more patterns that aren’t stereotypically “masculine”, more accessories, etc.) but not with their women’s clothing (most of it is hyper-feminine, and they still don’t have sneakers). It’s also worth noting that, after Episode released their diversity standards/goals for 2017, they only fulfilled about half of them.
Episode IS taking steps in the right direction, especially in terms of including more diverse stories on shelves, but it feels a bit empty when they aren’t reflecting their diversity standards in their own official stories.
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